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Chapter One: The Silent Watch
The wind howled through the ruins of the city, a constant reminder of a world long dead. Ethan Cain stood on the edge of a crumbling skyscraper, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The sun barely pierced the thick, ashen clouds above, casting a faint, sickly glow over the shattered remains of civilization. Below, the remnants of what had once been a bustling metropolis lay scattered in ruin, a ghost of its former self.
The Earth had fallen into decay after the discovery of a strange energy, a power that promised infinite potential. At first, it had been used to advance technology—new weapons, faster machines, stronger structures. But then, slowly, the energy began to warp the world. It had altered everything, from the land itself to the very fabric of reality. The Earth had been torn apart, and humanity had withered under the weight of their ambition.
Ethan didn't care about the why anymore. It wasn't his problem. The world was dead, and so was a part of him. He had long stopped hoping for anything, for anyone. The coldness he had wrapped around himself had become a fortress, one that no one could breach.
'I'm the only one who matters', he thought as he scanned the horizon, detached and uninterested. 'If I die, no one will care'.
His thoughts were interrupted by a faint movement in the corner of his eye. Ethan's gaze snapped toward the figure standing near a ruined wall, watching him. The woman's posture was defensive, but her gaze was sharp. There was a strength about her, one that he couldn't ignore, though he would never admit it.
"Who are you,what are you doing here?" Ethan's voice was flat, devoid of any warmth. His eyes were cold, as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience.
She didn't flinch. She didn't even back down. "I'm not here to make trouble," she said, her voice steady but edged with something that reminded him of the survivors he had come across—tough, worn down, yet not broken.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, the faintest hint of annoyance creeping into his chest. "Then leave." His tone was colder than the wind howling through the streets. He didn't need anyone. He didn't want anyone.
But the woman stood her ground. There was no fear in her, no hesitation. "I'm not going anywhere, this isn't your place is it?. You're not like the others I've met before"
The words cut through him like a blade, but he didn't show it. His face remained a mask of indifference. He wasn't interested in explanations or pleasantries. The world had no place for them, and neither did he.
"You're wrong," he said, his voice a low growl. "I'm exactly like the others. I don't care about you, or anyone else."
She studied him for a moment, as if weighing his words, before sitting down on a fallen beam nearby. "Maybe," she said, her voice softer now, "but I think you care more than you let on. I've seen people like you before. Hiding behind a wall, afraid of what's inside. But the thing about walls is, they can be broken."
Ethan's eyes flickered, but his expression didn't change. He didn't care what she meant, her word's were irrelevant to him.
"I'm not hiding anything," he replied, his voice colder than ever. "You don't know me."
"I know enough," she said, her tone calm, but there was something in her eyes—something that told him she wasn't just some brainless girls,she knew what she was doing.
Ethan turned away, a sense of discomfort gnawing at him. But he didn't show it. Instead, he reached for the device on his wrist, an old relic from the past—a wristwatch that seemed to hum faintly with some unseen energy. He didn't understand it, didn't care to, but it was one of the few things he had kept from the old world.
The Nexus Device, he'd come to call it, though he had no real understanding of what it was or how it worked. At times, it seemed to pulse, as though it were alive, but he dismissed it as a trick of his mind. No one could be bothered by such nonsense. Not when the world was already dead.
He felt the faint tug again, that sensation that pulled at the back of his mind, as if the device was trying to tell him something. It started when she first approached him, It was subtle, barely noticeable, but it was there. Something was drawing him toward her.
But Ethan wasn't the type to let his instincts get the best of him. He ignored it, turning his attention back to the woman. She was still there, her gaze never wavering.
"I'm not interested in whatever you think you know," he said flatly, his eyes cold and intimidating. "I don't make friends. I don't trust people. And I don't care if you're different."
She looked at him quietly for a long moment before speaking again, her voice steady but with an undeniable softness. "You say that now. But I can seeit. There's more to you than you let on"
Ethan didn't respond. He didn't need to. His silence was enough to express his standing.
"Don't bother me " he said then turned around and started walking away, she followed him keeping a safe distance between them. He noticed but didn't care as long as she wasn't bothering him,he wouldn't care.
In known to both of them fate had something else in store for them. But they will find out in due time.
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