Fire was the only light in a dark world.
Kenzo stood on the ridge, shaking uncontrollably. Below him, the village that had given him sanctuary was now a giant sea of fire licking at the night sky. Thick black smoke billowed upwards, staining the two moons that served as silent witnesses. The acrid smell of burning wood, of charred flesh, and of stinging despair filled the air, searing his lungs with every ragged breath.
In his arms, Lina's hysterical sobs had become the only sound in the universe. Each scream was a knife twisting in Kenzo's heart, an echo of his failure. His plans. His defenses. All of it was for nothing. Borin, Kael, Elara, their faces flashed through his mind, portraits of lives that had been extinguished.
'I failed,' he thought, the words like poison in his mind. 'I brought my knowledge here, and all I created was a bigger grave.'
[CRITICAL WARNING: Mana reserves below 5%. Risk of neurological damage from mana exhaustion is increasing. Cease all activity and rest immediately.]
The cold voice of Prometheus cut through his emotional chaos, a cruel reminder of his limits. He ignored the warning. Adrenaline still pumped through him, screaming at him to move. To stay here was to die.
He turned his back on the hellish landscape, an act that felt like a betrayal. With a trembling Lina in his arms, Kenzo forced his legs to run. Deeper into the forest, with no destination other than away. Every step was agony. His head throbbed violently, a side effect of the extreme mana exhaustion. His muscles screamed in protest. The world around him blurred into a smear of green and black.
After what felt like an eternity, his body finally gave out. His foot caught on an unseen root, and he collapsed with a stifled groan, using his own body to shield Lina from the impact. They tumbled into a hidden recess behind a wall of stone covered in vines, a small cave that was little more than a wound in the hillside.
It was there that Kenzo's last ounce of strength left him. The darkness at the edge of his vision finally swallowed him whole.
When his consciousness returned, the first thing he felt was a bone-deep chill. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious. The night was still thick. In his lap, Lina was no longer crying. She had fallen into an emotionally exhausted sleep, but it was not a peaceful one. Her small body trembled nonstop, and occasional, soft whimpers escaped her pale lips. To Kenzo, her broken silence was far more terrifying than her screams had been.
He stared up at the dark ceiling of the cave, feeling the weight of every lost life pressing down on his chest, suffocating him. He remembered Kael's final nod, a wordless transfer of trust. He remembered Elara's cry as she pushed Lina towards him.
'Look after her for me.'
That promise. In this ocean of despair, the promise was the only thing that was real. The only anchor he had left. This was no longer about survival. It was no longer about repaying a debt to a village that was now only ash. His purpose had been distilled into a single, absolute task: to protect this child. The vow was renewed in the silence, not because it was asked of him, but because he chose it.
[Subject 'Lina' is exhibiting symptoms of severe shock. Primary priorities: hydration and warmth.]
The logical report from Prometheus helped him focus. With stiff, painful movements, Kenzo took off his tattered outer cloak and awkwardly wrapped it around Lina. He checked the runic necklace around her neck, making sure the object, their only remaining defense, was still there. These small actions felt monumental, but necessary. His focus had shifted from "me" to "her."
Dawn was breaking when Kenzo woke again, this time to a burning thirst in his throat.
'Status,' he commanded internally.
[Mana reserves: 15%. Severe physical exhaustion persists. Mild signs of dehydration detected in Host. Locating a water source is advised immediately.]
Prometheus couldn't tell him where to look. The AI could only tell him what he needed. Kenzo had to do the rest. He painstakingly got to his feet. The world spun for a moment. He leaned against the cave wall, closed his eyes, and forced himself to listen. Not for mana, but for the sounds of the world itself. The whisper of the wind. The chirping of insects. And... in the distance, incredibly faint, the sound of trickling water.
He followed the sound. Each step was painful, but the sound grew clearer. Finally, he found a small, clear stream. Before drinking, he collected some water in a large leaf.
'Prometheus, analyze this sample. Contaminants? Harmful bacteria?'
[Analyzing... No harmful biological or chemical contaminants detected in Earth database. Safe for consumption.]
Kenzo drank deeply, the cold water feeling like a benediction. He refilled his leafy container several times and carried it back to the cave for Lina.
The child was still asleep. Kenzo knew they needed warmth. With the last dregs of strength and concentration he could muster, he held out his finger. He rebuilt the fire formula in his mind, but this time, he severely restricted it. A single, short command: "Spark."
A tiny ember bloomed from his fingertip, just enough to ignite the few dry twigs he had gathered. The small fire crackled to life. It was more than just warmth; it was an act of defiance. In the midst of the ashes of his ruined home, he had created his own light.
The warmth of the fire finally woke Lina. She didn't scream. She didn't cry. Her green eyes, once so full of childish sparkle, were now empty and hollow. She stared at the fire, then at Kenzo.
"Cold," she whispered, her first word since the tragedy. Her voice was hoarse and barely audible.
Kenzo did not reply with words. He simply moved closer and pulled the cloak tighter around her shoulders, a simple gesture that carried the heavy weight of a vow.
They sat in silence as the first rays of sun began to creep over the horizon.
[Short-term objectives met: temporary shelter and basic resources have been secured. Please define next objective.]
Kenzo stared at the new dawn, his exhausted mind beginning to formulate a plan. Hiding forever was not an option. They were fugitives. Weak. Wounded.
'We can't keep going on like this,' he thought, a cold resolve beginning to harden in his heart. 'They will keep searching. We need strength. We need knowledge. And for that... we need a city.'