Kael led the girl through narrow alleys, stepping over broken crates and dodging pools of dirty water. The rain hammered against the metal roofs, drowning out their footsteps. They reached his building—a shaky structure of old bricks and thin steel plates. It looked like it would collapse if someone leaned on it too hard. Kael hesitated at the door, thinking of Mira. If the Radiant police followed them, his sister could be in danger. But he looked at the trembling girl beside him. She was too weak to run anymore. He made his decision.
Inside, the room was small—only one mattress, a wooden box as a table, and a cracked jug of water. Mira sat up, surprised to see Kael rushing in with a stranger. The girl collapsed before Kael could speak. Kael caught her, lowering her gently to the floor. Mira crawled closer, her breathing slow but curious.
"Who is she, Kai?" Mira asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Kael didn't answer right away. He inspected the girl's hands. The glow had faded, leaving faint, pale cracks along her fingers. She looked exhausted, as if the light inside her had been drained by force. Kael tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and wrapped her hands, not knowing if it would help but hoping it might.
Finally, he spoke. "She's like us. The city wants to take her."
Mira's eyes widened with fear. She had heard stories—Lumenborn children taken to the Radiant towers and never seen again. Everyone in Low Ward knew it was a lie when the Radiants claimed they were being "protected." They were being harvested.
Kael boiled water quietly, watching Mira hold the girl's head up so she could drink when she woke. When she finally opened her eyes, they shimmered a soft blue, tired but alert. She looked around the room in confusion, then at Kael and Mira.
Kael spoke first. "You're safe. For now."
The girl swallowed, her voice shaking. "Why did you help me?"
Kael didn't know how to answer. He stared at the floor. Helping her might destroy him. But watching the police take another innocent child felt like letting his mother die again. He looked up at her and said, "Because no one helped my family when we needed it."
She nodded slowly. "My name is Liora."
"I'm Kael," he replied, and Mira smiled weakly, adding, "And I'm Mira."
Liora tried to sit up, but pain shot through her arms. The glow inside her seemed unstable. Her breaths came fast and shallow. Kael recognized the symptoms—the same sickness that stole their mother's life. Except Liora's condition wasn't weakness. It was the opposite. The light inside her was too strong, unstable, and burning her from the inside out.
"If they catch me," she whispered, "they'll drain my Lumen. They'll use it to power the towers. I've seen the machines. I escaped before they could take everything."
Kael felt anger twist in his stomach. So it was real. Not just rumor. Not just stories told in the dark. The Radiants were killing people to keep their lights bright.
A loud knock suddenly crashed through the building. All three froze. Heavy boots stomped outside. Voices echoed in the hallway.
"Search every floor. The fugitive girl was seen in this area."
Kael felt fear grip his heart. He motioned for Mira and Liora to stay quiet. The footsteps were getting closer—strong, confident, armored. Kael grabbed his metal pipe, the same one he used during the rescue. His hands shook, not from fear alone, but from the weight of what he was protecting.
He whispered to Mira, "Stay close to her. Don't make a sound."
Mira nodded and held Liora's hand tightly.
The footsteps stopped right outside their door. A deep, harsh voice spoke.
"Open up. We know someone is in there."
Kael pressed his back to the wall, pipe in hand. Liora's eyes flared with faint, unstable light. Mira clung to her tighter.
The door began to rattle under heavy blows.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
The final strike splintered the wooden planks, and the door crashed open.
Kael swung wildly, determined to protect his sister and the girl he barely knew.
In that moment, something inside him lit up—not Lumen, but courage.
And courage can burn brighter than any light.
Kael led the girl through narrow alleys, stepping over broken crates and dodging pools of dirty water. The rain hammered against the metal roofs, drowning out their footsteps. They reached his building—a shaky structure of old bricks and thin steel plates. It looked like it would collapse if someone leaned on it too hard. Kael hesitated at the door, thinking of Mira. If the Radiant police followed them, his sister could be in danger. But he looked at the trembling girl beside him. She was too weak to run anymore. He made his decision.
Inside, the room was small—only one mattress, a wooden box as a table, and a cracked jug of water. Mira sat up, surprised to see Kael rushing in with a stranger. The girl collapsed before Kael could speak. Kael caught her, lowering her gently to the floor. Mira crawled closer, her breathing slow but curious.
"Who is she, Kai?" Mira asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Kael didn't answer right away. He inspected the girl's hands. The glow had faded, leaving faint, pale cracks along her fingers. She looked exhausted, as if the light inside her had been drained by force. Kael tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and wrapped her hands, not knowing if it would help but hoping it might.
Finally, he spoke. "She's like us. The city wants to take her."
Mira's eyes widened with fear. She had heard stories—Lumenborn children taken to the Radiant towers and never seen again. Everyone in Low Ward knew it was a lie when the Radiants claimed they were being "protected." They were being harvested.
Kael boiled water quietly, watching Mira hold the girl's head up so she could drink when she woke. When she finally opened her eyes, they shimmered a soft blue, tired but alert. She looked around the room in confusion, then at Kael and Mira.
Kael spoke first. "You're safe. For now."
The girl swallowed, her voice shaking. "Why did you help me?"
Kael didn't know how to answer. He stared at the floor. Helping her might destroy him. But watching the police take another innocent child felt like letting his mother die again. He looked up at her and said, "Because no one helped my family when we needed it."
She nodded slowly. "My name is Liora."
"I'm Kael," he replied, and Mira smiled weakly, adding, "And I'm Mira."
Liora tried to sit up, but pain shot through her arms. The glow inside her seemed unstable. Her breaths came fast and shallow. Kael recognized the symptoms—the same sickness that stole their mother's life. Except Liora's condition wasn't weakness. It was the opposite. The light inside her was too strong, unstable, and burning her from the inside out.
"If they catch me," she whispered, "they'll drain my Lumen. They'll use it to power the towers. I've seen the machines. I escaped before they could take everything."
Kael felt anger twist in his stomach. So it was real. Not just rumor. Not just stories told in the dark. The Radiants were killing people to keep their lights bright.
A loud knock suddenly crashed through the building. All three froze. Heavy boots stomped outside. Voices echoed in the hallway.
"Search every floor. The fugitive girl was seen in this area."
Kael felt fear grip his heart. He motioned for Mira and Liora to stay quiet. The footsteps were getting closer—strong, confident, armored. Kael grabbed his metal pipe, the same one he used during the rescue. His hands shook, not from fear alone, but from the weight of what he was protecting.
He whispered to Mira, "Stay close to her. Don't make a sound."
Mira nodded and held Liora's hand tightly.
The footsteps stopped right outside their door. A deep, harsh voice spoke.
"Open up. We know someone is in there."
Kael pressed his back to the wall, pipe in hand. Liora's eyes flared with faint, unstable light. Mira clung to her tighter.
The door began to rattle under heavy blows.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
The final strike splintered the wooden planks, and the door crashed open.
Kael swung wildly, determined to protect his sister and the girl he barely knew.
In that moment, something inside him lit up—not Lumen, but courage.
And courage can burn brighter than any light.