The silence of Silverport weighed heavily on us as we moved through the ruins. The only sounds were the crunch of debris underfoot and the faint crackling of distant fires that still smoldered in the rubble. I could feel the tension radiating off Aric, his eyes constantly scanning the devastation for any sign of Elara.

Everywhere we looked, there was destruction. Buildings reduced to piles of stone and wood, the streets littered with broken carts and shattered glass. It was hard to imagine that this had once been a bustling town.

“Elara has to be here somewhere,” I said, more to reassure myself than anything.

“She wouldn’t have just left,” Aric muttered, his eyes flicking from one ruined building to the next. “She would’ve stayed and fought.”

I nodded, though the gnawing pit of anxiety in my stomach only grew deeper with every step. If someone like Elara—someone as powerful as she was—couldn’t stop what happened here, what chance did the rest of us have?

We turned a corner, and that’s when I saw it: a pile of debris near the center of the marketplace. What looked like part of a collapsed building, with bits of broken beams and stone scattered across the street. And buried beneath it, just barely visible, was a flash of green.

“Elara!” I shouted, rushing forward.

Aric was right behind me, and together we scrambled to clear the rubble. My hands shook as I dug through the debris, lifting chunks of stone and wood, my heart hammering in my chest.

There she was, lying beneath the rubble, her emerald robes torn and dirty, her face pale. But she was breathing.

“Elara,” Aric said, his voice tight with worry. He knelt beside her, gently brushing away the dust from her face. “Can you hear me?”

Elara let out a weak groan, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment, they were unfocused, and then they settled on Aric. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Took you... long enough,” she rasped, her voice barely above a whisper.

Relief washed over me. She was alive.

“We need to get her out of here,” I said, my voice urgent. “She’s hurt—she needs help.”

Aric nodded, his face set with determination. “Help me clear the rest of this.”

But before we could continue, a sound reached us. Faint at first, but unmistakable: crying. A soft, pitiful sob that echoed through the empty streets.

I froze, my hand still gripping a piece of rubble. Aric’s eyes snapped up, his expression instantly shifting from concern to alertness.

“Someone’s still here,” I said quietly.

Aric stood, his hand instinctively moving to his sword. “Stay close.”

We both turned toward the sound, and that’s when we saw her.

Sitting on the cracked stone steps of what used to be a house was a girl—young, maybe no older than fifteen. Her skin was pale, her long black hair matted with dirt. She was hunched over, her knees drawn to her chest, sobbing quietly into her hands.

My heart twisted at the sight. A survivor.

Aric, however, didn’t move right away. His eyes narrowed as he studied her, his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword. “Be careful,” he muttered. “Something’s not right.”

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I frowned but nodded. We both moved forward slowly, approaching the girl. The air around us felt heavy, like the atmosphere itself was pressing down on us. I couldn’t quite explain it, but the closer we got to her, the more... wrong everything felt.

The girl’s sobs grew louder as we neared, and then she looked up, her tear-streaked face twisting in fear.

“Stay away!” she cried, her voice cracking with panic. “Please... don’t come any closer!”

I stopped, holding up my hands. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re here to help.”

But the girl shook her head frantically, her body trembling. “No... you can’t... I can’t control it...”

Aric’s eyes darkened. “Cal. Step back.”

“What? Why?” I asked, glancing at him.

But before Aric could answer, the girl’s eyes suddenly glowed—a bright, eerie red. My heart skipped a beat, and before I could even process what was happening, a blast of energy shot out from her, tearing through the ground between us.

I stumbled back, barely keeping my balance as the force of the blast sent debris flying in every direction. The girl’s hands were outstretched now, trembling uncontrollably, as more energy crackled around her.

“She’s... she’s a fallen,” I whispered, the realization hitting me like a punch to the gut.

“No...” the girl sobbed, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to... I didn’t want to...”

But the magic surged again, and this time, bolts of energy fired out in random directions, slamming into the rubble around us. I ducked, throwing up a hasty barrier to block the worst of it, my heart racing.

“Aric, wait!” I shouted, but it was too late.

Aric had already drawn his sword, his expression set with grim determination. “She destroyed the city. She’s a threat.”

He moved forward, his blade gleaming in the faint light, but I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Wait!” I said again, more forcefully this time. “She’s not doing this on purpose. Look at her—she can’t control it!”

“She’s dangerous, Cal,” Aric snapped, his voice cold. “She’s killed hundreds of people.”

“I know,” I said, my voice trembling, “but that doesn’t mean that we should kill her!”

Another blast of energy shot out from the girl, but this time it was weaker, more desperate. She was crying again, her body shaking as she tried to hold it back.

“Please...” she whimpered, her voice barely audible. “I don’t want to hurt anyone...”

I glanced at her, then back at Aric. My heart was racing, torn between the horror of what she had done and the sympathy I felt for her. She wasn’t like the other fallen we’d seen. She wasn’t some mindless monster. She was just... a scared kid.

“We can help her,” I said, my voice quiet but firm. “She doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Aric’s eyes flashed with frustration. “She’s already hurt people.”

“I know,” I said, stepping closer to the girl, my hands raised in surrender. “But she doesn’t deserve to die for something she can’t control.”

For a long moment, Aric didn’t move. His sword was still raised, his jaw clenched with the weight of his decision. I could see the battle going on behind his eyes—his duty to protect the kingdom, to eliminate any threat, versus the possibility that maybe, just maybe, this fallen wasn’t like the others.

The tension hung thick in the air between us, and for a second, I thought he might just push past me and strike her down anyway.

But then, slowly, he lowered his sword.

“She’s your responsibility,” he said through gritted teeth. “If she turns on us, it’s on you.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and nodded. “Thank you.”

Aric stepped back, his face still hard, but the anger in his eyes had softened. He was brash, stubborn, and he believed in what he was doing... but he wasn’t heartless. Not completely.

I turned back to the girl, who was still trembling, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. I approached slowly, keeping my voice low and calm.

“It’s okay,” I said gently. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

The girl looked up at me, her red eyes wide with fear and confusion. “I... I didn’t mean to...”

“I know,” I said softly. “We’ll help you. But you have to try to calm down. Can you do that?”

The girl swallowed hard, her breath shaky, but she nodded.

Behind me, I could feel Aric’s eyes on us, watching carefully. This wasn’t over yet—not by a long shot.