The next morning did not feel like morning.
The city woke up broken.
Every news channel showed the same headline in bold red letters:
"SOUND INCIDENT CLAIMS HUNDREDS OF LIVES — CITY IN CRISIS."
Half the deaths were soldiers—trained, armed, prepared—who still couldn't withstand the vibration. Some were civilians who had been caught outside. And among them… children. Middle-aged people. People who had simply been sleeping in their homes.
No monsters were visible anymore.
But the fear remained—heavy, silent, and suffocating.
Chris woke up with a soft, warm pressure on her face.
"Pie…" she murmured.
Her dog licked her cheek again, tail wagging like he had just saved the world. Chris slowly opened her eyes, confused at first. The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
She froze.
Then she realized—
no pain.
No vibration.
No sound tearing through her ears.
With trembling hands, she pulled the cotton out of her ears.
Nothing happened.
She exhaled sharply, like she had been holding her breath all night. Her chest rose and fell as relief washed over her.
"I'm okay…" she whispered.
Pie barked softly, jumping onto her chest. Chris laughed weakly and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his fur.
For the first time since that night—
She felt safe.
Lily had never slept.
Her headphones were still on her ears, volume blasting loudly. Music filled the room nonstop, so loud that even her hedgehog, Nomi, could hear it clearly from his tiny house.
Nomi crawled out, annoyed.
He stared at Lily for a moment.
Then—
Pinch.
His tiny spikes pressed into her arm.
"Ow—!" Lily jolted awake, ripping one headphone off. "Nomi!"
Her head spun. Her body felt heavy, like her mind was still floating somewhere else.
Slowly, carefully, she lowered the volume.
She waited.
Nothing.
No pain.
No sound.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
She removed the headphones completely.
Still nothing.
The silence felt… peaceful.
Her body finally relaxed. She fell back onto the bed instantly, exhaustion claiming her without warning.
Nomi curled up beside her, satisfied.
Henry sat on the sofa, staring at the television.
He hadn't blinked in a while.
Footage from the center of the city played again and again—collapsed roads, bloodstains, broken tanks, soldiers being carried away.
The masked man's silhouette appeared briefly before the camera cut away.
Neon walked downstairs, rubbing his eyes.
"Good morning," Neon said casually, like nothing had happened.
Henry glanced at him. "How are you feeling now?"
Neon yawned and dropped onto the sofa. "Better. Head still feels weird though."
He tilted his head toward Henry. "So… I learned something new last night."
Henry didn't respond.
Neon smirked. "You care about me. First time, right?"
Henry clenched his jaw. "Your ears were bleeding," he snapped. "And I don't care about you."
Neon stayed quiet.
But he smiled.
Twilight was still on the floor.
Rony had fallen asleep on his chest after trying all night to wake him. Twilight's watch suddenly started buzzing loudly.
Bzzzt—bzzzt—
Twilight groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
"What… time is it…?"
He shifted and felt something warm and soft on him. He looked down.
"Rony…"
Carefully, he lifted his bunny and placed him gently onto the bed. Rony stretched, completely unbothered, and fell back asleep.
Twilight reached up and removed the voice canceller from his ear.
He waited.
Nothing.
No pain.
No dizziness.
Relief spread through him.
He turned on the television.
The screen exploded with breaking news.
"—Authorities confirm over sixty casualties, many of them military personnel—"
Twilight's expression hardened.
"So it wasn't a nightmare…"
At a military office deep inside the city, tension filled the air.
A commander slammed his fist onto the table.
"Sixty people," he shouted. "Sixty! And we couldn't fight them?"
Soldiers stood straight, eyes downcast, guilt heavy on their faces.
"Our weapons were useless," one officer said quietly.
"And the masked man?" the commander demanded.
Silence.
Another officer spoke carefully. "He appeared… then disappeared. He slaughtered the monsters like they were nothing."
The commander clenched his teeth.
"Then that man is not our ally," he said coldly. "Anyone that powerful—anyone we can't control—is a threat."
The room went still.
"From today," the commander continued, "this city is under surveillance. Every street. Every abnormal signal. And if that masked man shows up again…"
He paused.
"…we hunt him."
Back in the city, people stepped outside cautiously.
The streets looked normal.
Too normal.
But nothing felt the same.
Chris stared out of her window, hugging Pie tightly.
Lily slept deeply for the first time in days.
Henry watched Neon laugh quietly at the TV.
Twilight sat beside Rony, mind racing with questions.
And somewhere—far beyond their sight—
Something watched the city closely.
Waiting.
Because the silence was not peace.
It was only the calm before something far worse.