The city moved slowly that morning, as if it understood the chaos of the nights before and wanted to give space to recover. Light spilled through broken windows, casting long lines across cracked sidewalks and empty streets. Birds flew overhead, their wings cutting through the calm, unaware of the lives shaped by the violence below. Kai walked beside Aria, each step careful but steady, feeling the weight of yesterday’s fight in every muscle. The wounds on his body throbbed faintly, reminding him that survival came with a price. But the real ache came from the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same again.
Aria stayed close, her hands brushing against his arm as they moved. She could feel his tension under her touch, the unspoken words that lingered like smoke in the air. Her own bod
