The ground was still warm from the battle.The walls—cracked and crumbling.The air—thick with ash, burnt magic… and fear.
We had survived the three Reapers.But the cost had been high.
One of our captains lay dead.Others were injured.All of us, exhausted.
And even so, we knew—there would be no real rest.
Not while the world kept screaming.
The squad sat in silence, each of us processing the aftermath in our own way.
Patricio whispered a prayer.Romina was crafting a makeshift splint from metal debris.Pablo, silent in a corner, sharpened his spear over and over again.
I watched the ruins.
We had won.But the gnawing feeling in my chest was clear:
We were too late for something else.
Then it happened.
A flickering blue light blinked on an old comms console in the back of the building.
One of the rescued survivors—a young technician who had spent days fiddling with wires and broken terminals—shouted:
—Signal! It's active!
We rushed to the source.
The screen buzzed.The audio was weak, broken, static-filled.
But then—a message broke through:
"This is Refuge Echo-Zero…coastal zone, Viña del Mar…"
Explosions.Screams in the background.
"We're under attack…creatures descending from the hills…the front line has fallen…"
Then silence.
And finally—a voice. Steady. Firm. Familiar.
"This is Vega.If anyone can hear this…we don't have much time."
And then—the signal went dead.
The silence afterward was brutal.
Everyone turned to look at me.
Pablo narrowed his eyes.
—Did she say… Vega?
I nodded quietly.
Romina's eyes widened.
—That's her… isn't it? The one you wanted to find?
—Yes —I said—.She's the reason I left the fortress.
Vega.
A former soldier.A mentor in our past life.A relentless warrior.
When everything fell apart, she became a pillar of resistance.A leader.A symbol.
Someone we needed to find.
And now—she was in danger.
Pablo limped closer.
—Can we move?
—Not yet —I replied—. But as soon as we can… we go.
Romina, leaning on her makeshift cane, murmured:
—Then the next battle won't be to defend ourselves.
I nodded.
—It'll be to save her.
Because in a world falling apart…when someone like Vega calls for help—
there's only one answer.
We go.