The door exploded inward, splinters flying across the room. Two armored enforcers stepped through, their helmets shining with polished metal, their chest plates glowing with the symbol of the Radiants—an eye surrounded by sunrays. One soldier grabbed Kael by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. His metal pipe clattered to the floor. The other soldier scanned the room with a wrist device that hummed and blinked with blue light.
Kael struggled to breathe. The soldier's grip tightened, lifting him slightly off the ground. Kael's feet scraped uselessly against the floor. The soldier's voice was cold and robotic inside the helmet. "Report: Lumen surge detected in this building. Reveal the source."
Kael clenched his fists. He could say nothing. He would not betray Liora or Mira.
The soldier examining the room turned toward Mira and Liora. Liora tried to stand, but her legs shook violently and she collapsed to her knees. Blue light flickered along her arms like sparks jumping between wires. The soldier raised his rifle at her.
Target confirmed.
He took one step forward.
In that instant, something surprising happened. Mira, small and weak as she was, grabbed Kael's fallen pipe and swung it with all her strength at the soldier. It barely did any damage, but it startled him long enough for Kael to kick the soldier holding him. Kael dropped to the floor, coughing, and grabbed Mira, yanking her behind him.
The soldier aimed his weapon again, this time at both Kael and Mira. But before he could fire, a blinding flash burst from Liora's hands. It wasn't a controlled blast like before—this was wild, unstable, and fierce. The soldier's visor cracked, and he flew backward, crashing into the hallway. Sparks exploded from his armor.
The second soldier shielded his eyes and stumbled. Kael tackled him with everything he had, slamming the man against the broken door. The two struggled on the floor, fists hitting armor, boots scraping against the broken wood. The soldier was stronger, but Kael fought like someone who had nothing left to lose. He clawed, pushed, grabbed the rifle barrel, and slammed it into the soldier's helmet hard enough to dent it.
The soldier stopped moving. Kael breathed heavily, shaking from adrenaline and fear. Mira hugged him tight, trembling. Liora leaned against the wall, her glowing hands dimming again.
But there was no time to rest. Shouts echoed from outside—the enforcers were calling for backup. If they stayed, they would be surrounded. Liora didn't need to say anything. The look in her eyes said it clearly: we must run.
Kael quickly searched the soldiers and found a small black keycard. "This unlocks the patrol gates," Liora whispered. Kael nodded, grabbed a few canned food items and a blanket for Mira, and the three slipped out the back entrance.
They moved through the rain-soaked streets, passing broken windows and quiet, frightened faces. People watched them from the shadows but said nothing. Everyone in Low Ward knew that silence was the only protection they had left.
Mira held Kael's shirt tightly. Her breathing was slowing again, her weakness returning. She looked so small, so fragile. Kael's heart tightened when he realized something chilling: if Mira ever showed even a little glow, the Radiants would take her too. She was safer dying quietly than glowing even once. The thought made Kael's stomach turn with despair and rage.
They finally reached an abandoned section of the old sewer system. Liora guided them through rusted metal tunnels and cracked stone steps until they reached a hidden chamber lit by small candles. A group of people looked up in surprise. Some wore torn coats, others wrapped blankets around themselves. Their eyes were tired, but alert.
One woman stepped forward, tall, with scars along her neck, and strange goggles covering her eyes. She looked at Liora with recognition. "You made it," she said quietly. Then she looked at Kael and Mira. "And you brought two more. Brave, or foolish?"
Kael didn't know how to respond, but he stood straight, holding Mira close.
The woman nodded. "My name is Seris. Welcome to the Underglow. We protect those the Radiants hunt."
Kael felt something he hadn't felt in years—not safety, not trust, but possibility. Maybe he could save Mira. Maybe he could help Liora. Maybe he could fight back.
And in the dark underground, surrounded by strangers, Kael felt a spark inside him.
It was small, but it was real.
Sometimes, the smallest light is the one that starts a fire.