The return… was nothing like he had imagined.
William stood atop a small hill, the cold wind brushing against his battered body as if searching through the remnants of his pain.
Before him…
lay the place he once called home.
Or rather…
what remained of it.
The buildings he had known all his life stood silent, hollow—like gravestones marking the death of a forgotten era.
The streets…
once filled with laughter and movement…
were now empty.
Still.
As if even sound itself had died.
Even the air felt different.
Heavier.
Thicker.
Carrying something unseen…
yet deeply felt.
Fear.
Survival.
William slowly clenched his fist.
His heart was beating faster.
Not from exhaustion.
But from something else.
Something closer to fear.
"This is it…"
he murmured under his breath.
Yet his voice lacked certainty.
It carried hesitation.
He began walking down the hill.
Each step felt heavy.
As if he was crushing memories beneath his feet.
A distant laugh.His mother's voice.A trivial argument with his sister.Ordinary moments…
that now felt painfully out of reach.
He passed by an old store.
Its windows shattered.Its doors broken.
Signs of struggle were everywhere.
Yet strangely…
there were no fresh corpses.
No blood.
Only traces.
The aftermath of something that had already ended.
"Either they survived… or they ran."
William whispered.
But his unease did not fade.
He kept walking.
Slowly.
Until…
he reached it.
His home.
He stopped.
He didn't approach immediately.
He couldn't.
He simply stood there…
staring.
As if an entire world stood between him and that door.
The house wasn't destroyed.
But it wasn't the same.
Wooden planks reinforced the entrance.Windows were tightly sealed.Every detail screamed caution.
"They're here…"
he said quietly.
He stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Then…
he knocked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Silence.
Longer than it should have been.
Then—
footsteps.
Slow.
Careful.
They stopped.
Then approached again.
"Who is it?"
His father's voice.
But…
it wasn't the same.
There was something inside it.
Something broken.
William froze.
Then spoke.
"It's me…"
He hesitated.
As if even his name carried weight.
"…William."
Inside—
something fell.
A sharp sound.
Then hurried footsteps.
Barriers being moved.
Uneven breathing.
And suddenly—
the door opened.
His father stood there.
Eyes wide.
Face pale.
As if he were looking at a ghost.
"…William?"
No answer.
William simply looked at him.
A moment passed.
Long.
Heavy.
Then—
his father rushed forward.
He pulled him into a tight embrace.
Not hesitant.
Not restrained.
It was the kind of embrace that confirmed reality.
"You're alive…"
His voice cracked.
A man who had lost almost everything…
and suddenly found something he never expected to return.
His mother appeared behind him.
She froze.
Her hand slowly covered her mouth.
Tears filled her eyes instantly.
"…William?"
This time…
he couldn't hold back.
He stepped forward—
and embraced her.
Silently.
Yet that silence carried everything words could not.
Time passed.
Before it shattered.
"Where were you?!"
Her voice trembled.
"We looked for you everywhere! We thought—"
She stopped.
But she didn't need to finish.
William lowered his head slightly.
"I…"
He paused.
Then said quietly,
"I'll explain. I promise. Just… give me a moment."
His father pulled back slightly, still holding his shoulders tightly.
"You don't need to explain everything right now," he said, voice firm but emotional."Just tell me one thing—were you alone? Were you hurt?"
William gave a faint, tired smile.
"I wasn't alone…" he replied slowly."And yes… I was hurt."
His mother's grip tightened.
"What do you mean 'hurt'? William… what happened to you?"
He looked at her.
There was too much to say.
Too much to relive.
"…Something I survived," he answered quietly.
They went inside.
But comfort…
didn't come.
Their eyes followed him constantly.
As if they feared he might disappear again.
Then—
William noticed it.
That absence.
That missing presence.
He raised his gaze.
"…Where is she?"
Silence.
His parents exchanged a glance.
Then his father exhaled slowly.
"She's… alive."
He said it first.
Like a shield.
Then added,
"But she's not here."
William's expression froze.
"What do you mean… not here?"
His mother spoke this time.
"After everything happened… new groups appeared."
"Cults… factions…"
She hesitated.
"Some of them… only accept women."
William's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They found her."
His father continued.
"They said she had… potential."
"A talent."
William's hand tightened slowly.
"What kind of talent?"
"We don't know exactly," his father admitted."They didn't explain much… only that she was 'compatible.'"
His mother quickly added,
"We didn't want to let her go!"
Her voice broke.
"But things were getting worse… we couldn't protect her… and they—"
"They were strong," the father finished quietly."And they promised to protect her… to train her."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
William's calm…
began to crack.
"And where is she now?"
He asked.
His voice low.
Controlled.
"In a faction… near the mountains."
"They said she would grow stronger."
Another silence.
But inside William…
nothing was silent.
Something was moving.
Growing.
Taking shape.
He slowly lifted his head.
His eyes…
were no longer the same.
"…Alright."
He said calmly.
Too calmly.
But that calmness…
was not acceptance.
It was a promise.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Far away…
where mountains touched the sky…
stood a towering sect.
Silent.
Imposing.
Unfathomable.
Within a training courtyard…
a group of girls gathered.
Breathing heavily.Bodies exhausted.Eyes…
had learned fear far too quickly.
Yet whispers broke the silence.
"Did you hear?"
one of them asked.
The others leaned closer.
"About what?"
She lowered her voice.
"The new girl…"
A pause.
"You mean the one who arrived a few days ago?"
"…Yes."
She hesitated.
Then whispered,
"She disappeared."
Silence.
"What do you mean disappeared?"
"They took her… and she never came back."
"Maybe special training?"
One of them suggested.
The first girl shook her head.
"No… not there."
Then, almost inaudibly—
"The sealed wing."
A chill spread among them.
"I heard…" another girl muttered,"…that anyone who goes there…"
She stopped.
"…doesn't come back the same."
Suddenly—
footsteps.
Calm.
Heavy with authority.
The girls froze instantly.
No one dared turn around.
"Seems like you have time to talk."
A cold voice.
They immediately lowered their heads.
"Silence… suits you better."
The woman stepped closer.
"And forget about that girl."
She paused.
Then said slowly,
"Some things… are not meant for you to understand."
Her footsteps faded away.
But the tension…
remained.
One of the girls slowly raised her head.
Her gaze drifted toward the distant structure.
The sealed wing.
Dark.
Silent.
As if it swallowed light itself.
She whispered…
"…what's happening in there?"
No answer came.