Late Afternoon....
Kaelen walked through the streets, his duffel bag heavier than he expected. There was no home to return to, no familiar door to unlock just the city, stretched and broken, waiting like a patient predator. The air smelled of smoke and rust, carrying memories he wished he could forget. Each step felt like walking into a trap he wasn't sure he was ready for.
He paused outside a crumbling apartment building, its windows shattered and walls streaked with soot. This could have been his shelter, but it wasn't safe. Not anymore. Not with the Governor's men patrolling every corner. The thought made his chest tighten. The Governor, the man who had once been his commander was now a ruler whose power had grown in the chaos that followed the war. Kaelen remembered the betrayal: the lies, the forced exile, the way he had been left to rot while others rose on his ruin.
A voice broke through his thoughts. "Kaelen?"
He turned and saw a young man, coat too thin for the chill, hands shoved into pockets, stood hesitantly in the alley. "You're back," he said, cautious but curious.
Kaelen studied him. "Depends on who's asking."
"I'm Tomas," the boy said, eyes flicking toward the street. "Elira sent me. She says you need to see her. Says the city… the Governor… you'll want to know what's happened."
Kaelen's jaw tightened. He hadn't returned to fight anyone not yet. Seven years of exile had taught him caution. "Why should I care? I've just come back to breathe, not to pick up old wars."
Tomas swallowed. "Because he's still taking lives, Kaelen. People disappear. Streets are empty. You know him. You know what he's capable of. Elira can't do this alone."
Kaelen looked away, the weight of the city pressing in. He had no home, no plan, no safety. And yet… a spark stirred, the memory of Elira, the injustice that had marked his name as traitor. He didn't answer immediately. He only nodded slowly. "I'll think about it. Tonight. Tell her I'll consider it."
Tomas scribbled an address on a scrap of paper. "Warehouse by the river. Come if you're ready and be careful. Every step is watched here."
Kaelen slipped the note into his coat and walked on. The city remembered him, but he had to remember himself first. So he continued going to the apartment that he couldn't trust. He needed a rest before the meeting with that woman.