Night fell without mercy.
There was no beauty in it.
No peace.
Only darkness replacing ruin.
The red scar across the sky dimmed slightly, fading into a deeper crimson as the last remnants of daylight vanished beyond the horizon. The blue crystal lamps scattered throughout the camp flickered steadily, their cold glow illuminating the fragile sanctuary.
Kael remained seated beside his mother.
He had not moved.
He had not slept.
Her breathing remained faint. Unchanged. Fragile.
Alive.
That was enough.
Around him, the camp continued its quiet existence. Healers moved between tents, tending to the injured. Guards patrolled the perimeter, their armor worn and damaged. Survivors lay on cots or on bare ground, their eyes empty, their expressions hollow.
Everyone here had lost something.
Some had lost families.
Some had lost homes.
Some had lost everything.
Kael lowered his gaze.
He understood now.
This was not the end of the world.
It was the aftermath.
The world had survived.
And it had moved on.
Without mercy.
Without hesitation.
Without caring who was left behind.
A faint sound broke his thoughts.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Kael looked up.
The healer from earlier approached him—the older man with tired eyes. His robes were slightly cleaner now, though exhaustion still clung to his expression.
"You haven't rested," the healer observed quietly.
Kael did not respond.
The healer did not seem surprised.
Instead, he stood beside him, looking down at the unconscious woman.
"She is stable," he said.
Not improving.
Not worsening.
Simply existing.
Like a flame barely clinging to life.
Kael's fingers tightened slightly.
"What happens now?" he asked.
The healer was silent for a moment.
"Now," he said slowly, "you survive."
The answer was simple.
Cruel.
Honest.
"The city is gone," the healer continued. "The kingdoms are gone. This camp is only temporary."
He gestured toward the survivors around them.
"They will transport everyone to the Unified Territory."
Kael frowned slightly.
He had heard the words before.
Unified Territory.
The last refuge.
The last kingdom.
"The Council governs there," the healer said. "All races. All survivors. It is the only place left where civilization still exists."
Civilization.
The word felt distant.
Unreal.
"The strong protect it," the healer continued.
Kael said nothing.
The strong.
He understood what that meant.
The strong lived.
The weak died.
That was the law of this world.
That had always been the law.
Only now—
There was no illusion left to hide it.
The healer studied him carefully.
"You're young," he said. "But you survived a Gate collapse."
He paused.
"That alone is not normal."
Kael's expression did not change.
He did not explain.
He did not mention the System.
He did not mention the ember.
Some things were not meant to be shared.
Not yet.
The healer did not press further.
Instead, he reached into his robes and removed a small object.
A thin metal plate, cold and smooth.
He handed it to Kael.
"This is a registration plate," he said. "It identifies you as a survivor."
Kael took it silently.
The metal was heavier than it looked.
"This will allow you to enter the Unified Territory," the healer continued. "Without it, you are considered unregistered."
Unregistered.
Unprotected.
Expendable.
Kael understood.
He closed his hand around the plate.
It was cold.
Lifeless.
Unlike the warmth within him.
The healer turned to leave.
Then stopped.
"There is one more thing," he said.
Kael looked up.
The healer's eyes met his.
"Everyone who enters the Unified Territory must awaken their class."
Kael's chest tightened slightly.
Awaken their class.
He already had.
Bearer of Divine Ember.
A class that did not belong.
A class that did not follow rules.
The healer continued.
"The System chooses based on potential. Talent. Fate."
He paused.
"And sometimes… it chooses based on something else entirely."
His words lingered.
Heavy with meaning.
Then he left.
Kael remained seated.
The metal plate rested in his hand.
Above him, the dark sky stretched endlessly.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
Unchanging.
But within him—
Something had already begun to change.
The System remained silent.
The ember remained patient.
And somewhere in the distance—
The future waited.