---
Chapter 27: Echoes in the Blood
The air inside the Eastbridge Safehouse hung heavy with decay—old paint peeling like scabs from the walls, a rust-stained sink dripping rhythmically in the corner, and the stench of mildew clinging to every surface like a second skin. The building had long since been abandoned by society, hidden in the fractured bones of a dying city that turned its eyes away from ghosts. It was perfect.
Aria sat curled up on a torn, threadbare couch, her knees drawn to her chest. Her breathing was shallow, lips slightly parted as though caught mid-sentence. But no words came. Just the rhythmic ticking of a warped ceiling fan and the low hum of silence between each beat of her heart.
Dante paced the room with restless energy, his boots thudding softly against rotted
