Luke
It's been a year since Edwin's betrayal. A year since Thomas unleashed that power inside him, power no mortal body was ever meant to hold. He should've died. Anyone else would've. But Thomas didn't. He's breathing, barely. We call it hibernation. A coma that feels more like a pause between worlds.
The group's been stuck in the woods ever since. Me, Eve, Sophie, Ice, and Ace. No maps, no tunnels, no plan. Just survival. We take turns watching over Thomas's body, hoping he wakes up before the world falls apart again.
Tonight, we're gathered around the fire. The meat sizzles a wild rabbit, caught in one of Ice's traps. The silence hangs heavy until Ice breaks it.
"We need to find a new lead. Edwin. Lucifer. Something."
Ace scoffs. "You're still stuck on Edwin? Forget him. We need to worry about staying alive."
Eve nods. "Ace's right. We're wasting time."
Sophie stays quiet. I sit with my eyes closed, listening.
Ice doesn't back down. "If we give up now, all the deaths—our brothers, our sisters—it's all for nothing."
I open my eyes. "I agree. They gave everything. We owe them more than silence."
Ace stands, frustrated. "Then what? We've been lost for a year. Every tunnel's blocked or collapsed. What's the plan, Luke? Ice? Sophie?"
Luke thinks to himself "He's angry. Tired. He just wants to go home".
Ice snaps. "You wouldn't talk like that if Blaze was here."
Ace goes quiet. Blaze's name hits hard. He lowers his head.
Eve whispers, "I miss Blaze."
Sophie nods. Ice says, "Blaze would want us to keep going. He believed in the goal. All of us did."
I nod. "I need time. I'm going to meditate. I won't go far."
They let me go. I walk into the woods, sit on the cold ground, and close my eyes. My breathing slows. Inhale. Exhale. I drift.
A memory surfaces. The Bearded Man. My teacher.
"Luke," he said once, "you may not have Thomas's power, but that doesn't make you weak. Strength isn't just muscle. It's spirit. Connection."
I asked him, "What do you mean?"
He smiled. "If everyone had brute strength, the world would collapse under its own weight. Societies need balance—brains and brawn, heart and mind. Only together can they survive."
I stayed quiet, letting it sink in.
He continued, "You're meant for mental training, Luke. I feel it."
Suddenly, I'm not in the woods anymore. I'm standing on a white tile floor that stretches into infinity. A figure appears.
It's him. The Bearded Man. Steve.
"Hey Luke," he says, tipping his hat. "Glad you didn't forget me."
"I never did, teacher."
He grins. "About time you reached out. I've been waiting. Heard about Edwin. Heard about Thomas. That boy's lucky to be breathing."
He pauses. "Edwin's gonna get what's coming. But not yet. You're not ready. You need more training."
I nod. "Where do I start?"
Steve's eyes narrow. "Sodom."
"Sodom?" Why?
"Because I said so," he says with a smirk. "Tell Ice to take you to the militia HQ. But be warned—Sodom's crawling with demons. A prince among them. Not easy pickings."
I ask, "How do we get there? We've been lost. No tunnels."
Steve tips his hat again. "You should've asked sooner. There's a tunnel—two miles east of where you're camped. Lucifer missed it. Move fast."
He steps back. "And Luke—don't go dying on me. You've got a destiny left to fulfill."
I blink. I'm back in the woods. I run to the group.
"Pack it up," I say. "We're going to Sodom."