The Threshold Breaks
The door held for three weeks.
Marcus stood at the threshold, his form pulsing with golden light, his will steady against the ancient hunger that pressed against the other side. He could feel it there—the thing that had been waiting, patient and eternal. It pushed against the door, testing, probing, searching for weakness.
But Marcus held firm.
Anna visited him every day. She would descend into the tunnels, her footsteps echoing in the silence, and stand beside him at the threshold. She didn't speak. She didn't need to. Her presence was enough—a reminder of what he was fighting for, of the world he was protecting.
Lily came too, bringing news of the city, of the survivors, of the healing that was slowly taking hold. The First Breath had grown, becoming more human,
