The red sphere detonated with a deafening roar.
The explosion consumed the room in an instant, the shockwave tearing through walls and hurling furniture like toys.
Smoke and fire erupted, blinding and suffocating, as the entire building trembled under the force.
The burly sentinel was thrown backwards, his body colliding with the far wall as debris rained on him.
The skinny sentinel, further back was killed under a falling beam.
Simon shielded Alice instinctively, pulling her to the ground as the force of the explosion rushed past them, its heat singeing the air.
The aftermath of the explosion was catastrophic.
The room Zach and the others had been in was obliterated, the window reduced to jagged edges of shattered stone and splintered wood.
Zach, blood streaming from a gash on his forehead, clung to the edge of the neighboring building. His grip was firm despite the agony coursing through his body.
With one hand, he held Tia's trembling arm; with the other, he clutched Danny, whose wide eyes reflected terror and disbelief.
The building they had escaped became a ruin, half of it collapsed into rubble.
Dust clouds rose into the air, mingling with the faint, acrid smoke left by the explosion.
Beneath the rubble, Matilda's body lay grotesquely twisted. Her shattered head and exposed organs painted a horrifying picture of the explosion's brutality.
As, Zach heaved both Tia and Danny onto the neighboring roof they momentarily caught their breath.
Tia's gaze slowly fell on what remained of Matilda. The sight was too much; her stomach churned violently, and she turned away, retching. Danny followed suit, his pale face contorted in nausea and horror.
Zach placed a steadying hand on both their shoulders, his voice low and firm despite the chaos. "We need to move. Now."
Tia's eyes, brimming with tears, snapped toward Zach.
"Move?" she choked out as her voice trembled with fury and grief.
"Matilda is dead because of you. If you hadn't saved Danny—if you'd just grabbed her instead—she might still be alive!" Without waiting for a response, she stormed off, her sobs muffled by the wind as she leaped to the next rooftop.
Zach's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Instead, he turned to Danny, whose face was frozen in fear, his body trembling.
Without a word, Zach lifted Danny onto his shoulders and began moving, leaping from roof to roof. Danny clung tightly to him, burying his face in Zach's head, too scared to speak.
"Don't think about it," Zach muttered under his breath, though the words sounded hollow even to himself.
Meanwhile, Tia, fueled by her grief and rage, darted through the maze of rooftops, her movements erratic yet swift. Her tears blurred her vision, but her fury kept her going.
Behind her, shouts erupted as sentinels caught sight of her.
"You there! Stop!" one of them yelled from below.
Tia didn't stop. Instead, she cursed under her breath, her anger boiling over.
"You bastards! If it weren't for you—and if Zach had saved Matilda instead of Danny—she might still be alive!" Her voice cracked as she pushed herself harder, weaving through alleys and cutting corners.
The sentinels pursued her relentlessly, but Tia led them in circles, slipping through narrow passages and scaling walls until she finally lost them.
Gasping for breath, she climbed down to the hidden bridge they had used to enter the city and vanished into the shadows, leaving Valthar behind as Zach and Danny just reached the bridge.
Zach gritted his teeth as he scaled the structure, carrying Danny's limp form on his shoulders.
The river below churned as they crossed, the surface shimmering unnaturally.
Unbeknownst to them, the creatures in the river were in a frenzy.
Fish, serpents, and shadowy beings darted away from the bridge, hiding in the depths as if repelled by some unseen force. They gazed upward, their glowing eyes fixed on Zach and Danny with fear.
To the creatures, the scene was surreal. A vibrant, multi-colored aura shimmered faintly around Danny, taking on the vague shape of a human form sitting atop Zach's shoulders.
The aura exuded a presence so overwhelming that even the fiercest predators in the water cowered.
Far in the distance, a lone figure in Vargath watched the bridge from the shadows.
Clad in dark robes, the woman in shadows tilted her head, her sharp green and orange eyes narrowing as she muttered, "How odd… I could swear I'm hearing cries of terror from the river. But there's nothing there."
She paused, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Must be the side effects of yesterday's experiment. I'll have to be more cautious next time."
With that, she turned away, her silhouette vanishing into the city.
...
"Simon! Simon, wake up!" Alice's voice broke through the chaos, trembling with panic as she cradled Simon's limp body. Blood streamed from a gaping wound on his head, staining her trembling hands.
Rubble surrounded them, the burly sentinel and the skinny one lay crushed beneath the debris, their lifeless forms buried amidst the destruction.
Entire sections of the building had collapsed, killing numerous residents who had called this place home.
Amidst the carnage, Simon had shielded Alice when the explosion tore through the structure. His body had taken the brunt of the falling debris, leaving her with only minor scratches.
Alice knelt beside him, her face pale and streaked with tears. Her trembling fingers brushed his bloodied face as she leaned in, pressing her ear to his chest.
Thump... Thump...
The faint rhythm of his heartbeat reached her ears.
Relief surged through her momentarily, but it was short-lived. His heartbeat was slowing, fading with each passing second.
"No, no, no! Someone, help!" Alice screamed, her voice breaking as she clutched Simon's body.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook him gently, her sobs choking her words.
"Don't you dare leave us, Simon! Please, wake up!"
Alice frantically glanced around, her own hands pressing against Simon's head wound in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. Her usually steady demeanor cracked under the weight of the moment.
"Stay with me, Simon," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'll get you out of here. Just hold on, please."
Alice's cries grew louder as she surveyed the devastation around them. The building was unrecognizable, reduced to rubble and ash. The lifeless bodies lay scattered, their fates sealed.
"Someone, help us!" Alice screamed, her voice hoarse as she clung to him.
"Please! He's dying!" Her cries seemed to vanish into the void of destruction.
There were no sentinels left to assist, no neighbors to respond—only the eerie stillness of ruin and the distant wails of survivors.
Simon's face twitched slightly, his lips parting as though he wanted to speak, but no sound came out.
Blood trickled down the side of his face.
"You're going to be okay," she murmured, her voice breaking.
"You have to be okay." Her mind raced, trying to figure out what to do.
Smoke billowed through the air, making it hard to breathe.
They couldn't stay here.
Alice tightened her grip on Simon, determination flashing through her tear-filled eyes.
"Hold on, Simon. I'll save you." Her voice cracked.
With great effort, Alice began to pull him, her small frame struggling under his weight.
Her legs trembled as she tried to move through the rubble, her every step a battle against exhaustion and despair.
The world around her blurred, a hellscape of broken stone, twisted metal, and lives lost. But she refused to give up.
In the distance, the faint flicker of torchlight appeared—a group of survivors or sentinels, perhaps.
Hope ignited within her as she screamed again, her voice raw and desperate.
"Help! Please, help!" Alice cried, her voice cutting through the destruction like a lifeline.
...