The Beacon pulsed in Artemis's hand as she stepped back into the broken daylight, but her mind was elsewhere.
Elara.
Her name echoed in Artemis's thoughts like a song half-remembered, a whisper on the wind.
She walked alone now, past skeletons of buildings and twisted metal playgrounds overtaken by vines. Each step forward came with a new ache in her chest.
Elara would have hated this silence.
She used to fill every room with laughter, always teasing Artemis when she got too serious. She'd make up silly songs, pull her into slow dances under the stars, whisper dreams of running away to somewhere quiet—just the two of them.
Artemis stopped and sat on the edge of a cracked fountain, letting her backpack fall beside her.
"I should've brought her with me that day," she murmured, voice barely audible. "I told her I'd be back in an hour."
But she never came back.
The guilt pressed heavier than the air around her.
She pulled out the little picture from her back pocket—a worn photo of them, cheek to cheek, both smiling like fools. Elara had drawn tiny stars in the corners with a silver pen. One for every promise.
Artemis traced a finger over it.
"Are you out there?" she whispered. "Are you safe?"
Her stomach turned at the thought of Elara caught in the chaos, or worse—taken by the creatures. Her hand clenched into a fist.
"No. She's strong. Smarter than me, even. She would've found a way."
A gust of wind carried the faint scent of wildflowers. Artemis closed her eyes and for a split second, she could almost feel Elara's fingers threading through hers.
"Don't give up on me," she said aloud. "Because I'm not giving up on you."
She stood up, tucking the photo safely away.
The Beacon flickered again—this time brighter. A signal, maybe. A direction.
Hope stirred in her chest.
"I'm coming for you, Elara."
With renewed purpose, Artemis pressed on, walking toward the distant hills where the light pointed—where maybe, just maybe, Elara was waiting.
Somewhere in the ruins, love still lingered.
And Artemis would follow it—until the end.