By sunrise, Kairo was already moving. Water sloshed in his bag beside chunks of bread, a rolled-up blanket tucked underneath. A dull ache pulsed behind his eyes - yesterday's mess hadn't fully faded. Yet what he knew now sat tighter, less wild, like it belonged where it rested.
Into his mind slipped the thought: spot the break. Where they got in - that place had to show. A gap would be there, waiting.
By midday he was gone, moving toward the southern road.
Away from everything, the gate stood where the broken part of town ended. Covered in rust, the stone arch wore faded warnings like scars. Silence lived there. Reasons never brought people near.
Fifty feet out, Kairo dropped low behind rubble. His eyes locked onto the arch. Data crept into his mind - fresh traces. Steps echoed in memory. Not one, but two paths. Hours old now, moving toward the rising sun.
A shape moved through the room. Then silence took its place.
Up he got, moving slow to the gate. Half a minute passed like that - thirty feet left. Closer now, twenty. Steps kept coming. Only ten remained.
Out of nowhere, a flash of blue cracked loose from the arch, hitting him square in the chest.
A sharp jolt tore up his body. Every muscle went rigid, frozen mid-step. Sirens wailed behind, a harsh metallic cry that wouldn't stop.
"Fuck!"
A breath caught in his throat as he staggered away. Out of the distance, pounding steps rose - sharp, quick, cutting through the silence. Nearer now. Racing forward without pause.
Guards. Robotic guards.
He ran.
Metal boots clanged against rock behind him. Down one narrow lane he went, then twisted into another. Sirens grew quieter now. Those steps lost their pace. Still he pushed ahead, breath sharp in his chest.
Slumping into the wall, his breath came fast. A shaky pause filled the air as he stayed there, pressed close, lungs working slow.
"Okay," he whispered. "Okay. So I can't get close."
Yet staying far away worked fine. Watching was enough.
Two days passed while he stayed back, just looking. From far away, his eyes followed without moving closer.
A shape rose from the dust - twisted metal, leaning like a drunk. Distance kept him clear of flashing lights below. The arch stood sharp against the sky when the sun hit right. Hours passed while he chewed slow, one hand on the flask cap. Light faded. He stayed.
A silence hung in place. Stillness stayed unbroken. Darkness remained without shift.
Two nights in, a sharp ache pressed behind his eyes. A dull throb settled deep inside his skull. At the edges of his mind, data from the system stirred like distant wind - yet brought no answers. Quiet hums lingered where clarity should have been.
Perhaps they wouldn't return, he considered. He wondered if their absence was permanent.
Up he rose, set on stepping out. Ten o'clock hummed inside his skull.
A glow spread across the metal frame. The hinges began to shimmer.
A hush fell when blue light tore through the shadow. Out of the glow came an arch, faint at first, then solid. From it moved two shapes - one slight, one taller - dressed in black cloth. Silence followed as the opening sealed itself, whispering like wind across stone.
Kairo froze.
A hush fell as they froze, looking around. Next thing, the girl shifted her gaze. Their eyes locked.
Stillness filled the room. Nobody stirred. Not a single person broke the quiet.
Out of nowhere, the girl moved fast. She struck before anyone else could.
Almost too slow, Kairo twisted aside. The steel whistled past, missing skin by inches. Backpedaling now, arms raised like shields.
Speed belonged to the boy. Suddenly, steel touched Kairo's neck.
"Who are you?" the boy asked, voice low. "Are you a Purifier?"
Kairo's heart pounded. "A what? I don't know what you're talking about."
The girl stepped closer, knife ready. "We should kill him. He saw us."
"I don't even know who you are," Kairo said. "I just want answers."
Out of nowhere, a voice spoke up just behind their backs.
"Well, well. Having a party without me?"
A figure emerged where the light began. Height stretched beyond normal. Shoulders wide as stone shelves. A mechanical limb moved stiffly, clicking at each bend. Behind him, steel scraped soil, slow and loud. Features looked familiar until you met his stare - empty. Cold.
The children spun around. Fear flickered across their faces before giving way to concentration.
The man laughed. "You two are getting sloppy. Bringing a local to watch your little entrance?"
He swung.
Fast, then over. Sparks leapt when steel met metal. Behind him she slipped, cutting low. A grip, a throw - her body cracked against stone. Up she got, mouth split open.
A sharp hit landed on his ribs. Still moving forward, he refused to stop. Down came the metal limb. A scream ripped out - then the blade flew. The weapon lodged deep in his shoulder. A scream tore from him. Into the attacker's spine went the child's knife.
The machine's limb dropped without warning. Down crashed the person.
Silence returned.
Breath coming fast, the boy hovered above the fallen figure, fingers digging into his ribs. Out came the blade, yanked from the corpse's shoulder by the girl, her grip unsteady.
Staring at the pair, Kairo broke the silence with a question. What's your name? they wondered out loud
Not looking away, she faced him. Coldness filled her stare. "We were watched. The doorway was seen by you."
"I asked who you are."
She stepped toward him, knife still in her hand. "I'm sorry. But we can't leave anyone from this world seeing our faces."
The knife lifted in her hand.
A quiet beat passed. Kairo stayed frozen, body locked in place. Yet beneath his ribs, a rhythm tapped once, twice - tied somehow to the machine's hum. It wasn't movement. More like a signal waking up.
The girl froze.
A sudden stillness took her fingers. Wide open, her gaze froze.
"Fifteen percent?" she said under her breath.
Up turned his eyes. "Huh?"
"His connection rate." She stared at Kairo. "Fifteen percent. How?"
Kairo frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Still no reply came. Their eyes stayed fixed on him, as if he had appeared out of thin air.
"Who are you?" Kairo asked again. "How do you use the gate?"
A steel slipped into its holder. His eyes moved to her face before turning toward Kairo again.
"We?" He paused. "Nothing. If you want to know who we are, come with us."
A tightness crept into Kairo's chest, sudden and quiet. Not quite pain - more like a whisper beneath the ribs. Could be danger near. Then again, might only be old habit talking.
"No," he said. "If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself."
Off he went, stepping into the distance without a word.
"Wait - "
He didn't wait.
A sharp blow landed on the back of his skull. Then everything turned black.
The sound faded slow, leaving only the child's words - quiet, worn thin by sleep
"I'm sorry about this."