The city was burning.
Echo Beasts swarmed through the streets, their twisted bodies lunging between firelit shadows. Screams echoed off shattered stone walls. Among the falling debris and curling smoke, two girls ran for their lives.
Lyra grabbed her younger sister's wrist.
"Seren—keep your head down!"
The girls slipped behind a broken cart just as another Echo Beast crashed through a nearby house. Its body was a horrible blend of bone, wire, and pulsing blue veins. Its breath came out in metallic snarls as it sniffed the air, searching.
They held their breath.
It passed—barely.
Escape would be almost impossible.
On a rooftop overlooking the burning city, a man in a long white lab coat watched calmly, as if observing a test rather than a massacre. The coat fluttered in the heat, revealing a tag printed with his name:
Dr. Varos.
He pushed his glasses up slightly.
"Hmm… It seems the experiment was a success."
Below him, Echo Beasts tore through the streets.
"Not bad," he murmured. "For prototypes."
A sudden roar—too close.
Lyra's heart dropped as two Echo Beasts spotted them.
"Run!" she shouted, pulling Seren to her feet.
They sprinted again, dodging burning debris and collapsing roofs, but fear made Seren stumble. Her knees hit the ground hard.
"Seren!" Lyra skidded to a stop.
The younger girl looked up, frozen in terror as the beasts closed in.
Lyra immediately stepped in front of her, arms spread wide. Her legs were trembling, but she refused to move.
If this was where she died, then so be it.
Seren's shaky voice whispered behind her, "Lyra… don't."
The Echo Beast raised its claw.
Lyra squeezed her eyes shut.
But the blow never came.
A thunderous impact sounded from in front of her, followed by the clanging of metal. Lyra opened her eyes.
A soldier in gleaming armor stood between them and the beasts, spear dripping with glowing monster blood. More armored warriors rushed past him, cutting the remaining Echo Beasts down with swift, clean strikes.
The Royal Guard had arrived.
High above, Dr. Varos clicked his tongue.
"Well, the Royal Guard is here to ruin my fun. No matter."
He turned toward a swirling, violet portal that appeared behind him.
"The experiment was a success anyway."
And with that, he stepped through and vanished.
Lyra and Seren could barely speak. The guard turned to them with a reassuring smile.
"You're safe now," he said gently. "What are your names?"
Lyra swallowed hard, still shaken.
"M-my name is Lyra… and this is my little sister, Seren."
"I'm glad you're unharmed," the guard said. "There are others who need help, so I have to go. Make your way to the shelter outside the city. You'll be safe there."
He gave a quick nod and sprinted into the chaos.
The last Echo Beast on the ground twitched, its body sparking. Its voice distorted and glitching, it forced out a final whisper:
"He will… remember… Protocol Kaelith…"
A chill ran down both sisters' spines.
They didn't understand the words, but the way the creature said them felt wrong—like a warning meant for someone else.
Lyra grabbed Seren again.
"We need to go. Now."
They ran until their lungs burned and their legs nearly collapsed beneath them. At last, they reached the shelter outside the ruined city walls. Guards ushered them inside, wrapping blankets around their trembling shoulders.
They were safe.
And unlike many others, they hadn't lost anyone—they had already been orphans long before tonight.
That night, when the fire died down and the screams faded, Lyra and Seren climbed the small hill behind the shelter. They sat side by side, staring silently at the city that had raised them.
Now it was nothing more than a silhouette of smoke and ash.
Their peaceful childhood ended in those flames.
And their new lives—ones shaped by fear, determination, and a vow to become strong—began beneath the broken sky.