Chapter 1 – First Blood, First Trust
The sirens didn't stop.
They'd changed tone three times since 3:17 a.m., each new pitch meaning a worse category of rift breach. By 4:02 a.m., Sector 7 was officially a "Class 5 Containment Zone," which in plain language meant: the military had lost the streets and volunteers were the only thing standing between the creatures and the evacuation corridor.
I was 25, covered in soot, my "Meteor" training sword chipped along the edge, and my left forearm was bleeding from a claw graze that I'd wrapped with a torn sleeve. I'd killed six of them. Maybe seven. I'd stopped counting after the third.
My name is Ren.
I worked the night shift at the Karun Steel Plant. I wasn't a fighter. I wasn't a hero. I was a girl who liked to swing a practice blade after work because it made me feel less tired. That night, the blade was the only thing between me and being torn apart.
I turned a corner onto Market Avenue and almost ran straight into her.
She was 25 too, her blonde hair loose now, streaked with ash and blood, her blue eyes wide but not panicked. She wore light tactical robes, the kind Academy healers trained in, and she carried a staff with a crystal that pulsed white at its tip.
Her name is Ilin.
We stared at each other for half a second. There was no time for introductions.
A creature came around the corner behind her — taller than a man, its stone-like skin cracked with glowing veins, its single yellow eye locked on Ilin's back.
"Move!" I shouted.
I threw myself forward, bringing the Meteor blade up in a two-handed swing. The edge bit into the side of its neck. It shrieked, a sound like metal grinding, and swung a claw at me. It caught my shoulder, tearing fabric and skin. I cried out, stumbled, but didn't fall.
Ilin spun, planted the base of her staff, and drove the crystal into the creature's chest. White light exploded outward. The thing convulsed, the light eating through its chest cavity, and it collapsed in a pile of ash.
She was breathing hard, her hands trembling around the staff. I was breathing hard, my shoulder burning.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
"I'm fine," I lied.
She looked at my shoulder, then at the wound on my forearm. Without waiting for permission, she stepped close, placed her palm over the gash on my arm, and closed her eyes.
The crystal on her staff glowed. A warm sensation spread through my arm, like hot water washing over the cut. The pain dulled, the bleeding stopped, and the skin knit together, leaving a faint pink line.
I stared at my arm. "You… you healed that."
"I'm a healer," she said, still catching her breath. "I can't fix everything, and it drains me fast. You're hurt worse on the shoulder."
"I'll live."
She nodded, but didn't move away immediately. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment the noise of the city — the screaming, the sirens, the distant crashes — faded.
"Thank you for saving me," she said.
"You were about to save yourself," I replied.
Another creature howled from the side street. We both turned.
Ilin raised her staff. "We need to get to the corridor. The military is pulling back to the east bridge."
"I know the back alleys," I said. "Follow me."
We ran.
The city was a nightmare of fire and smoke. Buildings were burning, cars were overturned, bodies lay where people had fallen. The creatures were everywhere, moving in small packs, hunting anything that moved.
I led Ilin through a narrow alley between a grocery store and an apartment building. It was dark, the only light coming from the rift in the sky and the occasional flame.
A creature dropped from a rooftop in front of us.
I charged, swinging the blade. The creature blocked with its arm, the impact vibrating up my arms. I felt the bone in my wrist crack. Pain shot through me, and I dropped to one knee.
Ilin didn't hesitate. She brought the staff down on the creature's head. The crystal flared, and the creature's head shattered like dry clay.
I was panting, clutching my wrist. Ilin knelt beside me, her face close to mine.
"Let me see," she said.
I hesitated, then extended my arm. Her fingers were cool as she touched my wrist. The crystal glowed again, and the pain eased. The bone wasn't fixed — that was beyond her — but the swelling went down and I could move it.
"You need a real healer," she said.
"I need to keep moving," I said.
She nodded, stood, and offered me her hand. I took it, and she pulled me to my feet. Her hand lingered in mine for a second longer than necessary.
We kept running.
The alley opened onto a small square where a group of civilians huddled behind a barricade of overturned carts. Two more volunteers, a man with an axe and a woman with a pipe, were holding off three creatures.
Ilin ran to the woman with the pipe, placed her hand on the woman's leg where blood was soaking through her pants. The crystal glowed, and the woman gasped as the pain eased.
I engaged the nearest creature, blocking its claw with my blade, twisting, and driving the sword into its eye. It fell.
The man with the axe took down the second. The third turned to flee, and Ilin hit it with a beam of white light from her staff. It collapsed.
The civilians looked at us like we were angels.
"Are you with the military?" the man with the axe asked.
"No," Ilin said. "Volunteers."
"You saved us," the woman said.
Ilin smiled tiredly. "We're getting everyone to the east bridge."
The man nodded. "We'll follow you."
We moved out, the group of civilians behind us. I was in the lead, Ilin just behind me, her staff ready.
A creature burst from a doorway to our right. I swung, missed, and it clawed my side. The pain was sharp, and I felt blood soak my shirt.
Ilin was there instantly, her hand on my side. The crystal glowed, and the pain subsided. The wound closed, but I could feel how tired she was becoming.
"You're burning through your ether," I said.
"I can manage," she said.
"You can't keep doing that," I said.
"I won't let you die," she said, her voice firm.
Something in her tone made me look at her. Her eyes were determined, but there was also fear there — fear of losing me.
I didn't know her. Ten minutes ago we were strangers. Now she was using her limited energy to keep me alive.
"Stay close to me," I said.
"I will," she said.
We reached the east bridge. Military personnel were ushering civilians across. A commander saw us and shouted, "Volunteers, report to the checkpoint!"
We went to the checkpoint. A soldier looked us over, noted our weapons, and said, "You two, you're being assigned to Squad 9. Stick together."
Ilin and I exchanged a look.
"Squad 9," I repeated.
The soldier nodded. "You'll be deployed back into Sector 7 after the crossing. We need every able body."
Ilin's grip on my hand tightened slightly.
We crossed the bridge.
On the other side, we were directed to a staging area where other volunteers were gathering. People were exhausted, wounded, scared.
Ilin found a wall to lean against and slid down to sit. I sat next to her.
"You should rest," I said.
"I will, in a minute," she said.
I looked at her. Her face was pale, sweat on her brow, her hands shaking.
"You're exhausted," I said.
"I'll be fine," she said.
"You're not," I said.
She sighed. "I've healed twelve people tonight. My ether is almost gone."
I was quiet for a moment. "Thank you."
She looked at me. "Thank you for saving me."
We sat in silence for a while, the noise of the staging area around us.
A soldier came over. "Squad 9, get ready. You're going back in in ten minutes."
Ilin pushed herself to her feet. I stood too.
The soldier handed us each a radio. "Stay in contact. Watch each other's backs."
I clipped the radio to my belt. Ilin did the same.
We were sent back through the bridge into Sector 7.
The fighting was worse on this side. The creatures were more numerous, more aggressive.
We fought side by side. I used the blade, Ilin used the staff. When I was in trouble, she was there. When she was in trouble, I was there.
At one point, a creature knocked me to the ground and raised its claw to strike. Ilin hit it with a beam of light, but the effort made her stagger.
I rolled, got to my feet, and drove my blade into the creature's chest.
Ilin was breathing heavily, her face pale.
"You need to rest," I said.
"I can't," she said. "People need me."
"You'll collapse," I said.
"I'll rest when we're done," she said.
I wanted to argue, but there was no time.
We kept fighting.
After another twenty minutes, Ilin's movements were slowing. Her staff's glow was dimmer.
"Ilin," I said.
"I'm okay," she said, but her voice was weak.
A creature lunged at her. I blocked it, but the impact knocked both of us to the ground.
I was on top of her, the creature on top of me. I drove my blade up into the creature's underjaw. It died, its weight on me.
Ilin pushed the creature off me. She was trembling.
"That's it," I said. "You're done."
"I can still—"
"No," I said. "You're done."
She looked at me, and I saw how close she was to passing out.
I helped her to her feet. "We're going back to the bridge."
She nodded.
We made our way back, fighting off a couple more creatures along the way.
At the bridge, the soldier at the checkpoint took one look at Ilin and said, "You, healer, you're done. Go to the medical tent."
Ilin started to protest.
"I'll go with her," I said.
The soldier nodded. "Squad 9 is dismissed for now."
I helped Ilin to the medical tent. Inside, other healers were working on the wounded.
Ilin sat on a cot, and a healer came over to check her.
"You've depleted your ether."
Ilin nodded.
The healer left.
I sat on the cot next to Ilin.
"You saved a lot of people tonight," I said.
"So did you," she said.
I looked at her. "We make a good team."
She smiled faintly. "We do."
I reached out and took her hand. She didn't pull away.
We sat there, holding hands, in the middle of the medical tent, while outside the city burned and the rift still hung in the sky.
I didn't know what would happen next. I didn't know if we'd survive the night.
But I knew one thing: I wasn't going to let go of her hand.