The Gifted Divide

To seek greatness is the only righteous vengeance. - Criss Jami (Killosophy)

* * * *

The rain came down harder as Sera, Kailey, and Neil trudged through the backstreets of Aurora, hoods pulled low over their faces. The downpour cloaked their movements, washing the streets clean and empty.

Inwardly, Sera was thankful for the weather. It meant no curious onlookers. No prying eyes to witness what they were about to do.

Over the past few decades, the hatred toward the Gifted had only worsened—especially after the last war, where nearly every able-bodied Gifted was conscripted to fight.

Most didn't return. Those who did were scarred, broken…or hunted.

It was why the streets crawled with orphans. Why so many Gifted turned to gangs, crime, or exile just to survive.

The world had turned its back on them.

Sera stopped in the middle of Fifth Street. All that lit the road were pale yellow street-lamps buzzing softly in the downpour. She looked around once to make sure no one was watching.

"Do it," she said softly, turning to Neil.

Neil gave a curt nod. He lifted his right hand, and it began to glow blue.

The cracked pavement underfoot shimmered with the same light, spreading out in pulsing lines like circuitry. Then, all at once, the entire street lit up—cars, figures, and even flickers of laughter and shouting began to phase into view like echoes of a memory playing on fast rewind.

Kailey's eyes widened. She'd seen Neil use barriers before, but never like this.

A dome rose around them, pulsing faintly. Kailey reached toward a Jack Terrier that passed through her legs, sniffing the ground, but her fingers passed straight through it.

"They're just shadows," Neil said, his voice low and calm. "I'm projecting the past. Specifically, the last twenty-four hours."

Seconds later, the flickering images steadied. The rain was gone. The street was dry. It looked like late afternoon now, the sky tinged gold near the horizon.

Sera's breath caught.

From behind a corner, a boy peered out cautiously. Brunette hair held back by a dark green bandanna. His pale green eyes were sharp, scanning the street.

"Claudia! Tatius! Come on!"

Two others slipped from the alley behind him—a tall girl with light blonde hair tied in an elegant up-do, and a red-haired boy with jade eyes. Their clothes were dark and fitted. A little worn, but sturdy. The tattoos on their skin caught Sera's attention immediately.

'10' on the older boy's left bicep. '12' across the younger's hand.

"They're the Black siblings," Sera murmured.

"They look scared," Kailey whispered, watching as Claudia ushered her brothers close to the wall.

"They're being hunted," Neil said grimly. He didn't need to explain how he knew. He recognised that look in their eyes.

Sera tensed. "Hunters."

Kailey's breath caught. "What?"

Three armed figures turned the corner: two men, one woman. All dressed in black, with weapons openly strapped across their chests and thighs.

"Run!" Claudia yelled, grabbing her brothers' hands.

"Not so fast!" One of the men raised his arm and fired.

"Tatius, look out—!" Ness shoved his younger twin aside and took the hit. He dropped instantly, a cry tearing from his throat as blood spread across his shoulder.

"Ness!" Claudia screamed, dropping beside him. "Tatius, apply pressure on the wound!" she barked. Tatius scrambled to obey, his hands trembling but firm. Claudia turned on the hunters, eyes flashing. "Who sent you?!"

"You freaks don't get to ask questions," The woman sneered.

"I'll remember you," Claudia hissed. Her voice trembled with fury. "I'll remember every one of your faces." She raised two fingers, eyes glowing red.

A violent gust of wind exploded through the alley. When the dust settled, the siblings were gone.

"Where did those brats go?!" One of the hunters bellowed.

"They're not far," The woman said smugly, lowering her weapon. "That dart was coated in Morning Star. The older one won't live through the night."

Sera's expression shifted. From tense to furious.

There is this look in her eyes that says that someone is going to die tonight. It is worse than the expression that she had when Kailey and Neil first encountered her in the alley of Elvryn over a month ago.

Neil dropped his hand. The barrier dome shattered silently, and the rain resumed with cold intensity.

Kailey shivered. "Sera?"

But Sera was already walking.

Her shoulders were tight. Her pace sharp. A parked car nearby vibrated subtly from the invisible pressure her emotions stirred.

"We need to find them," she said, her voice low and urgent. "They used Morning Star poison," she added. "If it spreads, Ness doesn't have long. He might only have hours left. Maybe less."

"You know where they'd go?" Neil asked, falling in step.

"I have an idea. If they trusted Timo enough to come to the café, they'll go somewhere they think he'd still find them. Somewhere safe."

"And if we don't get there in time?" Kailey asked.

Sera didn't slow down.

"Then I make the hunters regret ever coming to Aurora."

* * * *

Nearly thirty minutes later, Kailey and Neil found themselves standing in front of a two-storey building tucked between rows of dimly lit shops and shuttered businesses. The glow of a streetlamp illuminated a sign above the door: Sanctuary Clinic.

Kailey tilted her head back, squinting. "Is this…a clinic?"

Neil frowned beside her. "A private one?"

"Owned by someone I trust," Sera replied. Her eyes scanned the quiet street, alert and sharp even in the rain. "It's the only place in Eldario I know where the Gifted can get treated safely."

Sera's tone left no room for doubt.

The Gifted community had long since learned to operate in secrecy. Names were false, appearances changed often, and nothing was shared without reason. But word still travelled. And in their world, information was currency.

When Sanctuary Clinic had quietly started accepting Gifted patients, it didn't take long for whispers to spread. Sera had helped spread those whispers, at the request of the doctor who ran it—a friend of Timo's and Suzy's, and now, hers too.

Protocols were strict. Visits only under cover of darkness. No entrances through the front. And silence was expected—by both patient and doctor. One wrong move, and the consequences wouldn't just fall on the Gifted. The doctor risked everything: her clinic, her license, and maybe even her freedom.

The three teens slipped around to the back alley, the rain dulling their footsteps. The air felt heavier here. Tighter.

Kailey glanced around nervously. "Feels like someone's watching."

Sera didn't respond. She stepped up to the unmarked door and knocked.

Two long knocks. Three short ones.

A code.

The door opened a crack. A woman in a doctor's coat peered through the opening, her tired brown eyes scanning the faces beyond. Her long dark hair was pulled into a haphazard bun, a few strands falling around her face.

"Reina," Sera said, giving a curt nod. "It's been a while."

"Sera." Reina's tired features softened. "I figured it was you." Her gaze moved to the soaked teens behind her. "Come in. I'm in the middle of something, but I'm guessing you already know what happened."

Sera stepped inside without hesitation, Kailey and Neil trailing behind. "I've got someone who can confirm it," she said, nodding toward Neil as Reina led them up the narrow staircase. The lights were off, and the only illumination came from the pale glow of Reina's phone.

Kailey stayed close to the wall, her heart racing. Her boots made the faintest squeak against the old wood floors. Even though Reina felt kind and calm, this entire place buzzed with tension.

"How bad is he?" Sera asked quietly.

There was something heavy in her voice. Final.

Kailey looked over at her, remembering the fear in Sera's voice when she'd spoken of the poison. Morning Star. She'd said it could kill in hours. Less.

Reina glanced over her shoulder. "We got to him just in time. The antidote worked."

Sera stopped so suddenly that both twins bumped into her, nearly tripping. "There's an antidote?" Sera asked, her eyes wide.

"I didn't know one existed," Reina admitted, her lips quirking in a faint smile. "Not until I met Laura."

She gestured them forward into a softly lit room, where the faint orange glow of a lamp cast warm shadows across the walls.

Kailey hesitated at the threshold, peeking inside.

There, lying unconscious on a cot in the center of the room, was Ness. His jacket had been removed, his bandaged shoulder propped up with a rolled towel. His face was pale, but his breathing was steady.

Beside him, a tall girl with light blonde hair and cold, guarded pale green eyes stood rigid with her arms crossed tightly. Claudia. Her thigh-high boots clicked softly against the tile as she shifted subtly in front of her brother. She hadn't missed the newcomers.

The tension in the air sharpened.

"You're the ones Reina let in?" Claudia said. Her voice was clipped and wary.

An unfamiliar girl was by Ness's side—most probably Laura, adjusting the IV lines. Her dark eyes studied the new arrivals with calm scrutiny.

Tatius stood at the far end of the room, half-shadowed, his jade green eyes flickering from Sera to Neil and Kailey. He clutched the edge of a nearby table, his jaw tight. His foot tapped anxiously on the floor.

"We're not here to hurt anyone," Sera said evenly. "We saw what happened. My friend here—" She nodded at Neil "—can track echoes. We followed the memory of the attack."

"How do we know you didn't send them?" Claudia snapped. "Or that you're not with the ESA?"

Kailey flinched. "We're not!" she said quickly. "We're Gifted—like you!"

"Prove it." Tatius's voice was sharp. His fingers curled into fists.

Neil raised a hand and summoned a flicker of blue light. A barrier shimmered briefly around him and Kailey before fading again. "I wouldn't have risked it unless I had to," he said quietly.

"I can heal," Kailey added. "Water manipulation. I could help your brother."

Claudia narrowed her eyes. "And her?" she asked, jerking her chin toward Sera.

Sera lifted her hand slightly. The nearby IV pole rattled—tilting unnaturally, like it was pulled by invisible strings before righting itself.

"Telekinetic," Laura murmured. "Powerful too."

Claudia's eyes darted to Reina, silently demanding her verdict.

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Reina exhaled. "They're telling the truth. I've known Sera for years. If she wanted trouble, we'd already be in it."

Claudia's stance eased, barely. She moved to stand closer to Ness again.

Laura glanced between the teens. "Help if you can. But be gentle. He's stable now, but weak."

Kailey stepped forward hesitantly, her hands already glowing faintly with blue light as she moved toward Ness's side.

Sera remained near the door, keeping her distance for now. She didn't blame them for being suspicious. In Eldario, trusting the wrong person could get you killed.

Her eyes scanned the room, before locking onto Ness's face. He was pale, but breathing steadily now. Relief stirred in her chest, though it did little to settle her confusion. There was a cure—an actual antidote, for the Morning Star poison?

That shouldn't be possible.

The plant it came from only grew in remote, frozen regions. Generations ago, around the time the Gifted began facing mass persecution, the first hunters had discovered its properties. They gave it a name from old mythology: Morning Star—after a fallen angel.

It became their signature weapon. Lethal. Fast. Untraceable. And worst of all, it bypassed the natural immunity most Gifted had to poisons.

No cure had ever been found.

"You're the one who healed him?" Sera asked, glancing at Laura who was standing next to Ness's IV. "You made a cure for Morning Star?"

Laura didn't flinch. "I did," she replied, her voice even, but there was pride in her eyes. "You're familiar with the poison."

It was more a statement than a question.

Sera nodded slowly. "…Someone I knew died from it." She didn't say how many. She didn't have to.

Laura's hand drifted down to her hip, where the outline of concealed knives beneath her blouse became visible. Her gaze sharpened. "How do you even know Ness was poisoned in the first place?" she asked. "How do you know what happened?"

Tension flared.

Neil and Kailey immediately stiffened behind Sera. But Sera didn't react. She met Laura's sharp eyes with a calm, steady look. "Timo told me," she said plainly. "And Neil—" She glanced behind her "—can trace the past, as we mentioned. We saw everything."

A few tense seconds passed. No one blinked.

Then Laura slowly exhaled, the rigid set of her shoulders loosening. Her hand dropped from the daggers. "Sorry. Paranoia's been second nature lately. Especially with the hunters active again."

Sera gave a short nod. "Understandable." Her voice remained low and quiet. "You're right to be cautious. Not everyone with a Gift can be trusted either."

"…So those were the hunters?" Kailey asked suddenly, her voice small. Everyone turned to look at her. "I've heard stories, but…" She swallowed. "Seeing them, watching what they did…"

Laura and Sera exchanged a glance. A silent agreement passed between them.

"They've always targeted us," Laura said, taking a seat beside Ness's bed. Her voice carried the weight of bitter experience. "Some of us learned how to disappear. How to hide what we are. You live longer that way."

Kailey nodded slowly, pale.

Claudia, still standing guard near her brothers, gave a tired half-smile. "We're used to moving constantly," she added. "Changing names. Blending in. It's what most of us have had to do just to survive."

"It's why we have our own network," Laura continued. "Safe places. Code systems. People we trust."

"Elvryn used to be one of those places," Claudia said. "Thanks to Blade."

Sera's posture tensed slightly, but she said nothing.

"And this clinic?" Neil asked, curious.

"That's…complicated," Reina finally spoke up. She'd remained mostly silent while examining Ness, but now looked up, clipboard in hand. "When I set up this place, it was supposed to be a private clinic for the locals. Quiet. Discreet. But then I heard Timo was moving here too." She exhaled. "We've always shared the same values. Helping who we can. He connected me with Sera, and we decided to make this place a haven—off the books. I couldn't publicly treat the Gifted, or I'd risk losing everything."

"Well, not all of us have a healer handy," Tatius muttered from his seat, arms crossed. He still hadn't fully relaxed, eyes occasionally drifting toward Kailey and Neil like he was waiting for them to prove themselves.

"We've got bigger problems right now," Laura said, her tone sharper.

The room quieted.

"…The hunters," Claudia muttered.

Laura nodded grimly. "They're moving again. Rumours have been spreading underground for weeks."

"Everything started changing after Blade was wiped out," Tatius added darkly. "Wouldn't shock me if the ESA or the hunters orchestrated the whole thing."

Sera's jaw clenched. Her gaze dropped to her wrist where a small tattoo of a blade was inked in black. She rubbed at it absently. Reina met her eyes from across the room and gave a subtle nod.

Sera turned quietly and slipped out of the room.

Only one person noticed her leave. Laura's dark eyes followed her, but she said nothing.

For now, they had more than enough to worry about inside the room. And outside, in the dark corners of Eldario, the real threat was only beginning to stir.

* * * *

Once outside the back door of the Sanctuary Clinic, Sera exhaled slowly, watching her breath mist in the cold night air. The alley was quiet, save for the faint hum of the city beyond. The tension she'd been holding inside eased just slightly, until a voice cut through the silence.

"You're going after those hunters, aren't you?"

Sera turned her head sharply. Standing at the threshold of the clinic's back door was Laura, arms folded, her dark eyes steady and unreadable. Her posture was calm, but her tone made it clear she wasn't asking.

"I'm coming with you."

Sera's eyes narrowed. "I work better alone."

Laura scoffed lightly, stepping out into the alley. "Too bad. I'm still coming." She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Sera, right?" She didn't wait for a reply. "I can tell that you can do more than just telekinesis. There's something about you… I can tell you've got power. A lot of it. But even that won't mean much if you're surrounded. Claudia told me what happened. Those hunters that went after them? They weren't rookies. They knew what they were doing."

Sera looked away, her jaw tight.

Laura continued, her voice steady. "The two you're traveling with—Kailey and Neil? They haven't seen real hunters before. They don't know what these people are capable of. But I do. I grew up on the outskirts, in the slums of western Eldario. I've seen what hunters do to Gifted. I've seen how they smile while they do it."

Sera finally looked back at her, her eyes cool but sharp. "You don't need to convince me they're monsters."

"Good," Laura said. "Because I'm not trying to convince you. I'm just not going to let you go alone."

For a few seconds, they stood in silence. Then Sera sighed, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction. "Fine. Do what you want."

Without another word, she turned and began walking, her boots crunching against damp gravel. Laura's steps followed, light and precise. If Sera hadn't been raised on the streets herself, she might not have noticed her presence at all.

"I'm Sera Kroix," she said quietly, without looking back.

"Laura O'Boyle." Laura matched her pace without effort. "You don't need to worry about me. You handle the front—I'll cover your back. A hunter loose in these streets during times like these… They're not just a danger to one of us. They're a threat to every Gifted still breathing."

* * * *

The bar was nearly empty, dimly lit and steeped in the sour stench of spilled beer and old smoke. The only patrons still lingering were Maeve, one of her partners, and the owner, who kept quietly wiping down the counter with a damp cloth that trembled slightly in his hands.

Maeve sat hunched over her glass of ale, her fingers tapping a sharp rhythm on the countertop. Her dark eyes flicked to the clock.

"He's late," Her partner grumbled beside her, casting a glance at the door before going back to his drink. "How hard can it be to track down three kids? Gifted or not, they're just kids."

The bar owner's hand twitched, pausing briefly in his cleaning. Maeve narrowed her eyes at the motion, but before she could say anything, the door swung open.

"You're late—"

Then the world shifted.

Voices, sharp and overlapping, invaded Maeve's mind.

"We're hunters—"

"They might be Gifted, but they're still children! They're innocent!"

"Kill them all—"

"They're abominations that shouldn't be born—"

"Why do you hunters—you humans, do these things and pretend it's natural?!"

Maeve gasped, her vision swimming red. The voices clawed through her thoughts. Then, a cold pressure pressed at her throat.

Steel. And from the scent, poisoned.

Maeve froze.

Next to her, her partner sat paralysed, a blade pressed tight to his skin. One wrong twitch and he'd be gone. Behind the counter, the bar owner lay crumpled on the ground, unconscious.

Standing between them were two teenage girls.

One of them, slightly taller, glared at Maeve with dark eyes, her dagger unwavering. The other, petite and younger-looking, stood just behind her—sharp heterochromatic eyes glowing faintly, a glint of red dancing in one.

"Don't move," The taller girl said coolly. "One twitch, and your heads will roll."

"Took a while to find you. Thankfully, we found this guy wandering around," The second girl added, hauling Maeve's missing partner by the collar and slamming him onto the bar counter.

Their glasses were sent flying to the ground, and smashing into hundreds of pieces with that action; spilling the contents everywhere. Maeve let out a hitch of breath when she noticed the slit throat of her missing partner and his vacant eyes.

"You killed him?" Maeve hissed, enraged. "How dare you?!"

The taller girl gave a cold, bitter laugh. "A little ironic hearing that from a hunter."

"You've taken enough of ours," The other said. "We're just returning the favour."

Maeve stiffened. "Gifted," she spat. Her partner reached the same conclusion, his lips curling into a snarl.

"Right in one," The petite girl replied. "You thought we'd just keep running? That we'd stay afraid? Not anymore."

Maeve's eyes flickered toward the slumped bar owner. "What about him? Did you kill him too? And you wonder why we hunt you. Freaks."

"He's fine," The taller girl said flatly. "We don't hurt innocents. Unlike you. He's dreaming. Peacefully."

"You're abominations of nature," Maeve's partner growled. "You shouldn't even exist!"

A thick, stifling killing intent flooded the bar. Maeve's chest seized. She couldn't breathe. She barely dared to blink.

The blade at her throat pressed closer—so close the edge kissed her skin.

"That's all you've got to say?" The taller girl asked coldly. "Then send our regards to the Goddess."

Two soft thuds echoed as the hunters dropped to the floor, wide-eyed and lifeless.

Laura wiped the blood from her daggers with calm precision, returning them to her pouches. She glanced over at Sera, who stood silently, watching the bodies without emotion.

"I see why you don't want anyone tagging along," Laura said, her voice low. "I doubt the twins or Claudia's brothers have ever been forced to kill. Not yet, anyway."

She doesn't know the Black siblings and even the two who have come with Sera very well, but even Laura could see that they likely had never been forced to kill before.

"Though they'd likely be forced to do it before long."

Most Gifted were normally forced to kill someone at some point in their lives, even if it is done in defence of their own lives.

Sera said nothing. She nudged Maeve's body lightly with the toe of her boot.

Laura hesitated, then asked, "Why are you doing this for them? Claudia, Ness, Tatius… You barely know them."

Sera's gaze flickered to Laura, her voice soft but unyielding. "If we don't protect our own, who will?"

Laura was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded. "Not many do these days. It's hard enough staying alive, let alone risking yourself for strangers."

"Well, someone has to," Sera replied. She turned toward the door, her coat catching the light of the flickering wall lamp as she pushed it open. "If we don't stand up," she said, glancing back at Laura as the bell above the door gave a soft chime, "then who's going to?"

Laura followed without a word, stepping into the night behind her.

* * * *

Sera liked the sea.

Maybe it was because she'd spent so much time in Elvryn—a quiet little town by the shore, but the sea felt like home. Eldario was almost entirely surrounded by water, so boats were the easiest way to get from place to place. Which was why, tonight, she sat alone on the pier near her boathouse, ignoring the cold that bit at her skin and the dark that swallowed the sky.

She just watched the restless waves, listening to the steady rush of water against the wood.

Her senses sharpened when soft footsteps approached. Instinctively, her hand slid down to her side, fingers brushing against the hidden weapon there.

"You're going to catch your death of cold sitting out here like that," Laura said quietly, settling down beside her. Sera only shrugged, not bothering to answer. After a pause, Laura spoke again, her voice softer now. "The poison's finally leaving his system. Ness is going to be fine. Reina said he'll probably wake in a couple of days."

The tension in Sera's shoulders eased at that. Relief was a weight she hadn't realised she'd been carrying.

Since they'd returned from their 'quest,' neither had said much. But Sera was pretty sure Kailey, Neil, Claudia, Tatius, and maybe even Reina, knew exactly what they'd done.

She'd caught the quiet looks between the Black siblings. Approval mixed with relief. Kailey and Neil looked less tense too, like they weren't constantly waiting for hunters to show up at any moment.

Laura's gaze drifted over the dark waves, a calm washing over her. Probably a side effect of her Gift, Sera thought.

"You know," Laura began slowly, "my older brother's a Gifted too. He had the same power over water that I do." She looked down at her fingers, tracing invisible patterns in the air. "But when we were kids, hunters found out. Our parents refused to give us up. No one else in the village even knew we were Gifted. So the hunters… They poisoned the entire village's water with the Morning Star toxin."

Sera's eyes flickered with anger, but she said nothing. Laura smiled faintly, sad.

"It was awful. Everyone died. Except me. I escaped." Her voice dropped lower. "My parents didn't. And my brother… I don't even know if he's alive. Maybe he's dead, or worse—enslaved by the hunters." She bit her lip hard. "That's why I've been obsessed with finding cures for these poisons. The ones the ESA and hunters like to use. So no one else has to suffer like that."

"…Morning Star," Sera finally whispered, her voice hoarse. "It's a terrible weapon in the wrong hands."

Laura nodded. "That poison… It's deadly."

Suddenly voices echoed in Sera's mind—panic and desperation.

"Do something! Save him! Please!"

"…The Morning Star poison. There is no cure."

"You want a demon? I'll show you one—"

"SERA!"

Sera jolted, blinking as a hand gripped her arm. She turned to see Laura's worried face.

Then she noticed it—the little stones, leaves, and scraps of trash floating in the air around them, trembling as if waiting for a command.

Her breath caught, and she let them drop back to the ground with a silent will.

"Sorry," she murmured, letting Laura's hand fall away.

Laura looked stunned, blinking at the invisible dance she'd just witnessed. "I heard the rumours before, but I can understand why telepaths are so sought after. Or even hunted down. It's rare, even among the Gifted. And even more dangerous in the ESA's eyes."

Sera said nothing, but just watched the dark waters.

Laura's eyes flickered to a small tattoo on Sera's left wrist—a simple blade inked just under the skin.

"I had a feeling when Elvryn was mentioned, and I saw how you reacted," Laura said slowly. "I know a street gang member when I see one. You're in one, aren't you? I'm guessing one of the prominent ones. Maybe even a leader?" She hesitated. "Blade, right?"

Sera's lips twitched into a half-smile. Most gangs in Eldario marked themselves with tattoos—something about pride and belonging. Blade was no different.

"I keep mine hidden," Sera said. "Some of the others don't."

Not a good thing to flaunt right now. The whole country was hunting down survivors.

Laura pressed her lips tight but didn't push. "I heard from Claudia and Tatius," she said, glancing back at the water. "And no doubt that Ness will agree once he wakes up and hears the whole story. They're going with you."

Sera raised an eyebrow. "I figured, judging by all the chatter with Neil and Kailey earlier." She shrugged. "I can't leave them alone. They don't know how to survive out here—on the streets, or the underground. Especially with hunters active again. If I don't watch their backs, they'll be dead before the month's out."

"I know I asked you this before," Laura said gently, breaking the silence that had settled between them. "But why did you help them? Why risk everything for people you barely know? Neil and Kailey told me what happened. They said you saved them."

Sera finally turned her head, her gaze locking with Laura's. Her heterochromatic eyes—one amber, one green flecked with red, looked haunted, almost distant. Like she was staring through Laura and somewhere far beyond, somewhere no one else could see.

There was a flicker of pain buried deep inside them, something cold and hollow—like a shadow that never left. Laura could almost feel the weight pressing down on Sera's chest, invisible but suffocating.

"…Because no one helped me," Sera whispered, her voice fragile and trembling just beneath the surface. "Not when I needed it most. When I was…broken." Her fingers tightened around her knees, her knuckles whitening. "I was falling apart and nobody came for me. Nobody cared. I was alone." She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as if trying to hold back something fierce, something raw. "Until Blade."

Sera's voice dropped further, quieter now. "Leroy and Alisa were the first to reach me. Then Lleucu and Wes. Then the others, and finally, Zest." She wrapped her arms around her knees, curling in on herself like she could somehow shrink away from the memories. "At first, I just wanted a place where people like me—misfits, could belong. Gifted or not, we just needed a home."

Her voice cracked. The memories hit her like waves—faces, screams, fire, and blood, and for a moment, she blinked away tears she didn't want Laura to see.

"But…" she whispered, barely audible, "I was a terrible leader."

Laura waited, not pushing. She could see the battle raging inside Sera—the guilt, the grief, and even the fear. The heavy, crushing weight of it all.

Sera let out a bitter laugh that didn't reach her eyes. "I used to think I was strong," she said, her voice raw and hollow. "That I could protect them all. But I was just scared. Afraid. And when the attack came, I froze."

She shuddered involuntarily, a shadow flickering behind her eyes. "I couldn't move. I couldn't save them. I watched them—my friends, fall one by one." Her voice broke, trembled. "I kept thinking… Why me? Why was I the one left standing? Why didn't I die with them?"

Her hands trembled as she traced a small tattoo on her wrist—the blade inked there, sharp and black. "I carry their faces everywhere I go. Their voices haunt me in my dreams. Sometimes I wake up screaming. And still… I wake up."

Sera swallowed hard and clenched her jaw. "I'm tired of feeling like I'm drowning in all this. Like I owe them my life. And that I'm just a failure for surviving."

She looked up at Laura, her eyes fierce and raw, the faintest tremble in her lips. "I've been trying to make it right. Saving Kailey and Neil, helping Claudia and her brothers… Like I can fix what I broke. But all I really want is to save them. All of them."

Laura's heart ached. She could hear the silent scream beneath those words, the weight of guilt and grief too heavy for anyone, let alone a fifteen-year-old, to carry.

Laura spoke gently and carefully. "I wasn't deep in the underground or the gangs, but even I've heard the rumours about Blade and their leader." She smiled softly. "Everyone said you were a good leader. One of the best. You cared. Your people loved you—still do, I bet. If you were bad at leading, they wouldn't have followed you like that. They wouldn't have trusted you with their lives."

She reached out and briefly touched Sera's arm. "That tells me you're different. There's something about you—something strong, even when you don't see it, that makes me want to follow you. Maybe if I do, I'll find the answers I've been searching for."

"Go with her, Laura. You can't keep running like this." Reina's words echoed in Laura's mind.

Sera watched Laura for a long moment. Then, with a tired sigh that seemed to carry the weight of months, she whispered, "So… You want to come with me when we leave Aurora?"

Laura's grin was steady and sure. "Yeah. You can't hide from water. I'll find you, no matter what."

Sera let out a breath—half a smile, half a shudder.

"We should head back," Laura said, rising and stretching slowly as the first pale pink light of dawn crept over the horizon. "Not safe to be out now. Hunters could still be prowling."

Sera brushed imaginary dust from her jeans and glanced at the restless sea one last time. "Sometimes, I wonder… How much easier life would be if none of us were Gifted."

Laura shrugged. "Guess we'll never know."

Sera didn't answer. She turned on her heel and started walking, Laura falling into step beside her. Somehow, despite everything, that felt like the right place to be.

* * * *

Sera stood just outside the door to Reina's office, unmoving, as if the floor beneath her feet had frozen solid. Her hand hovered near the handle, but she couldn't bring herself to touch it. Not yet.

The early morning silence of the clinic pressed down like fog. Most of the others were still asleep. Maybe Laura was tucked in somewhere with a blanket, catching a few much-needed hours of rest. Or perhaps already in the kitchen with tea in hand, pretending not to worry.

Behind her, there was a quiet rustle.

"Don't you want to see him?" The voice was soft, but not unkind.

Sera turned and found Reina standing a few feet away, tying her dark brown hair into a bun. She looked tired, older than her years. Her white coat was slightly wrinkled, suggesting she had only just stirred from a few fleeting moments of sleep. Still, her eyes were sharp and perceptive.

Sera hesitated before responding. "…How is he?"

"In a healing sleep," Reina said. Her tone was clinical but edged with something more human—caution, maybe, or guarded hope. "It's the best I can offer for now. Honestly… With the condition he was in when Alexis first brought him in, it's nothing short of a miracle he's still alive." She paused, folding her arms. "It's probably his willpower keeping him here. That, or pure, stubborn spite. Whether he wakes is beyond me now. It's the Goddess's will at this point."

Sera's fingers curled into the sleeve of her coat. "Does Laura know?"

Reina shook her head at once. "No. I haven't told her. I followed your request—Zest is only in my office, not the infirmary. Nobody knows he's here, not even the other patients."

Sera nodded faintly. She appreciated Reina's discretion.

Suzy might have been another option—an underground doctor with more battlefield experience and access to certain resources. But Suzy also operated close to the underworld. If word got out that Zest had survived, if whispers reached the wrong ears, everything could fall apart.

"Just five minutes," Sera murmured, her gaze drifting back to the door.

Reina gave her a gentle nod. "Take all the time you need."

Sera managed a small smile of gratitude before turning the handle and slipping quietly inside. The door closed behind her with a muted click.

Reina's desk had been pushed aside to make room for the hospital bed that dominated the room now. A metal IV stand stood beside it, the thin plastic line snaking down to Zest's arm. Bandages covered parts of his neck, both wrists, and the left side of his face. More gauze was wrapped around his forehead, leaving tufts of raven-black hair sticking out at odd angles, soft and disheveled. He looked smaller somehow in the bed, younger, like the boy he was behind the fire and defiance.

The sunlight spilled gently through the half-open curtains, casting pale gold across the room. In the quiet, a familiar figure shifted—Hugo, the black raven, perched atop the back of a wooden chair. His sleek feathers shimmered subtly in the light, and he gave a single, low caw when he saw her enter.

Sera offered a weak smile.

Her steps were slow and hesitant, as she approached the bed. She didn't know why it felt so hard—she had stared death in the face countless times. She had seen bodies torn apart, and friends fall. But seeing Zest like this—broken, unconscious, and unmoving, it did something to her. It clawed at her from the inside, rattling the armour she kept wrapped around her heart.

Sera's breath caught as she reached out, brushing her fingertips softly over his uninjured hand. His skin was cool, but not cold. There was life still in him. Faint, distant, but there.

"Zest…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "You idiot…"

Her throat tightened, the words catching as if her body itself was trying to silence her. She closed her eyes, breathing in slowly.

"It doesn't matter what happened," she murmured. "Not now. Not anymore. Just survive. Please. That's all I want."

And it was. All the chaos, the violence, the running—none of it meant anything if he didn't wake. She had spent months carrying the weight of the lives she couldn't save. Names she could no longer say without hurting. Faces blurred by time and blood and guilt. She had watched everything she built with Blade crumble into ashes. And yet, the thought of losing Zest now felt different.

Worse.

She stepped back, trying to breathe, trying to be steady.

"You always acted like you didn't care. Like you were above it all." Sera's voice cracked slightly, and she looked away, blinking back the burn behind her eyes. "But you were the one who always saw what I was really feeling, weren't you?" She turned to Hugo, her gaze lingering on the raven's sharp, watchful eyes. "Keep watch over him, okay?" she said softly. "I know he trusts you. Maybe more than he trusts anyone else."

Hugo cawed again, quieter this time. A sound of understanding. A promise, perhaps.

Sera's hands dropped to her sides. She didn't look back as she walked toward the door, but before she stepped out, she hesitated again, her voice a whisper barely heard over the rustling curtains.

"…Don't leave me behind. Not you too."

The door closed gently behind her.

Back in the room, the light continued to shift. It caught the lines of Zest's face, and even softened the bruises. The sunlight traced the curve of his hand, where her touch had lingered just moments ago.

And then, so faintly it could have been imagined, his fingers moved. Just once.