The world was too quiet.
Kiera stood in the middle of the street that used to be District Twelve—a name that no longer fit what lay before her. The old concrete roads had softened into something alive, veins of gold and silver light running through the ground like roots. The air pulsed faintly, each breath charged with the same rhythm that had once been Leon’s heartbeat.
Around her, the survivors stirred. Some wandered aimlessly, eyes still faintly glowing, as if their minds were trapped somewhere between flesh and frequency. Others stood in small clusters, whispering prayers or names that meant nothing anymore. The world had changed too fast for language to keep up.
Kiera closed her eyes. For a moment, she could almost feel him again—his presence, his warmth, the calm authority that st
