The tunnels were tombs.
The few who remained alive stumbled through smoke and rubble, coughing blood, their eyes wide with shock. The heat still clung to their skin, the memory of screams echoing in their ears.
Captain Kael led them, his uniform scorched, his face streaked with soot. He carried no weapon now — his rifle had melted into slag. But his voice held them together.
> "Keep moving. If he comes back, we don't stop. We don't give him the satisfaction."
Dr. Elira clutched the shard, its glow faint but steady. She could barely walk, yet she refused to let go. In its light, she saw not only the terror of Rasan's power, but also proof he could be touched.
Behind them, children cried. Soldiers limped. Out of hundreds, fewer than two dozen had survived.
Finally, they emerged into the ruins above. The once-proud skyline of Ardamon was gone — reduced to smoldering mountains of steel and ash. The night was red with fire, the air thick with the stench of burning flesh.
The survivors fell silent, staring at the corpse of their city.
Kael broke the silence.
> "He wants us broken. That's why we're still breathing. But we're not broken."
He looked to Elira. She met his gaze, her eyes hollow but burning.
> "No," she said. "We'll fight. And this shard will be our weapon. The world doesn't know yet. They still think Titans are myths. When they see Ardamon, when they see him… humanity will rise again."
The survivors nodded, not because they believed — but because they had no other choice.
And in that moment, amidst ash and ruin, the ember of resistance flickered into life.
---
Far above, in the shattered plaza of Ardamon, the Titan watched.
Rasan stood amid burning ruins, his molten eyes gazing beyond the city, beyond the horizon. His laughter had faded; now his voice was low, thoughtful.
> "They will gather. They will cling to hope, as insects always do. Good."
He spread his arms wide, and the flames bowed to him. From the cracks in the earth, shadows rose — shapes twisted by fire, the first of his Titan-spawn. Their bodies crawled with molten veins, their eyes glowing like embers. They knelt at his feet, hissing in reverence.
Rasan placed a hand upon the earth.
> "Ardamon was the first. Soon, every city will fall. The world will remember what it means to kneel."
The Titan raised his burning crown high, and the shadows howled in worship.
The Age of Rasan had only begun.
---