The air was cold, heavy with tension and frost. Snow layered the rooftops of Athen like a thick blanket, muting sound and sight alike. The morning had arrived grey and grim, the sky no longer weeping but swollen with unspoken threats. Outside the city gates, soldiers had begun moving crates of supplies to central gathering points. Relief was finally coming—too late for many, but vital for the rest.
Within the old inn that now served as Unit 9's base, the group sat quietly around a wooden table, their breath faintly visible in the frigid air. The fire in the hearth was weak, struggling like the people outside. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it was heavy. The kind that only came after seeing truth up close.
Sera leaned forward, her gloved hands wrapped around a steaming cup. "They've decided," she said, voice low. "The evacuation starts today. They're worried the weather is going to turn worse."
Elira nodded. "First will be the elderly, the sick, and the children. We're tasked with gathering the residents from sectors C and D."
Ashen looked out the window, watching as the snow began to melt in uneven patches. "And after that?" he asked, though he already knew.
Elira glanced toward the door before answering, "Everyone else. But it'll take time. We may not be able to get them all out before the next storm."
Reynor's brows furrowed. "How does a place like this get abandoned by the system? Athen was one of the central trade cities once. You could get spices, wheat, even exotic fruit here. I remember my brother saying the market never slept."
Kerr laughed bitterly. "Now it sleeps forever."
Lin leaned against the window sill, her gaze far away. "Do you think they'll ever return to rebuild it?"
Sera didn't answer right away. When she did, her words came like frost. "That depends on whether they think it's worth saving."
Ashen pushed back his chair. "We should get moving."
The streets were quiet as Unit 9 split into pairs and fanned out through sectors C and D. Doors creaked open reluctantly. Children peeked from behind worn curtains. The cold seemed to press in from all sides, a cruel reminder that this place had become unlivable.
Ashen and Sera moved together. She walked with a quiet purpose, knocking on doors and explaining the situation while Ashen kept his eyes scanning the rooftops and alleyways. Ever since the last dream eater attack in a neighboring district, the city's edge no longer felt safe.
"Do you ever wonder if we're just delaying the inevitable?" Ashen asked quietly, watching a mother wrap her baby in torn cloth as she stepped outside her home.
"I do," Sera admitted. "But sometimes delaying is enough. For a mother like her… even one more day can matter."
They helped the woman join the small group that had formed along the main road. Elira and Kerr were already there with five others: two elderly men, a coughing child, and a woman who looked barely able to walk.
Raynar approached next with Lin, escorting a trio of children carrying canvas bags much too large for them.
"That's the last of D sector," Elira reported.
Sera glanced around. "Where's the boy?"
"Which one?" asked Lin.
"The one we met yesterday. He knew the streets. He might know if anyone's been left behind."
A voice called from behind them. "I'm here."
The boy jogged up, his scarf wrapped tight around his neck and his breath visible in the air.
"You're helping with the evacuation?" Raynar asked.
He nodded quickly. "I can guide. There's one more house at the corner. Old man lives there. He never opens his door, but he's alive."
"Show me," Ashen said.
They walked quickly. Ashen followed the boy through a narrow alley, past cracked brick walls and snow-covered rubble. When they reached the final house, the boy knocked hard.
"Sir! They're evacuating now. You need to come."
No answer.
"He won't open for me," the boy said. "Maybe…"
Ashen stepped forward. "We're not leaving anyone behind. Either you open this door, or I'm breaking it."
A beat of silence.
Then, a weak voice replied, "I don't want to go."
"You'll die if you stay," Ashen replied calmly. "And I don't mean from the cold."
The lock clicked. The door opened slightly.
An old man stood there, his face pale and wrinkled, eyes sunken but alert. He looked at Ashen with something between fear and resignation.
"I can still walk," he said after a moment. "Just give me a minute."
Ashen nodded and stepped back.
When they returned with the old man, Unit 9 had nearly gathered everyone. The sky was starting to dim again, though it was barely noon. The heavy grey clouds above promised worse to come.
That was when the scream came.
A child's scream.
Ashen turned fast. From the southern gate, a figure was stumbling toward them, arms flailing. A moment later, a thick black shadow spilled from behind a collapsing building. The ground shook.
"No," Sera whispered.
Elira was already pulling her shield. "Dream eater! Protect the civilians!"
Chaos erupted. Screams. Running feet. Snow kicked into the air.
The dream eater burst forward—a towering thing made of shifting black mist and bone-white limbs that moved like they were detached from logic. It let out a shriek that cracked the ice beneath them.
Raynar launched forward first, his lance slicing clean through the creature's arm, but the limb reformed in seconds.
Lin struck it from the side, her gauntlet glowing faintly, but the dream eater barely flinched.
Ashen moved to guard the boy. "Stay behind me."
"But I—"
"Do it!"
The boy ducked.
Kerr darted forward, dual blades flashing. "We can't hold it for long!"
"Buy time!" Elira shouted. "Get the people to the bunker!"
Sera moved with her blade drawn, crimson flaring along its edge. She slashed through the mist, creating an opening.
"Move!" she ordered the civilians.
Ashen stared at the creature. His dagger pulsed at his side. He gritted his teeth and stepped forward. He had seen too much loss to let it continue.
"Everyone focus on slowing it," Elira shouted. "Ashen, stay back with the kid."
"I can fight," Ashen muttered.
"And you will," she said, eyes sharp. "But not recklessly."
They pushed the civilians through the side gate as the dream eater shrieked again, its body folding in and out of itself like twisted smoke.
Raynar's lance pinned it to the ground briefly, and Lin drove a punch into its face-like mass.
Elira blocked a retaliating limb that nearly crushed Kerr.
Ashen stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "I'll end it in one strike."
Sera caught his shoulder. "Only if you're sure."
"I am."
He darted forward just as the creature focused on the old man lagging behind. In a breath, Ashen appeared before it. His dagger flashed silver.
The blade sank deep.
The dream eater howled.
Its body splintered, cracked—and then dissolved into black mist.
Ashen dropped to one knee, panting.
The boy ran to him. "You're… strong."
Ashen smiled faintly. "I just don't like seeing people cry."
The group stood in silence, surrounded by melting snow and remnants of dark mist.
Lin broke the silence. "Let's finish the evacuation."
Snow began to fall again. Thin flakes at first, soft against their skin, but steady.
Raynar looked at the sky. "We don't have much time."
Ashen stood. The boy beside him.
The gate ahead.
And behind them, the remnants of a dying city trying to live one more day.