Ava's breath came in ragged gasps as she emerged from the forest, her early morning routine ending abruptly as the ominous stillness in Elowen settled around her. The usual hum of life was absent—the laughter of children, the chatter of villagers, even the rustling of leaves seemed muted. A deep, unsettling silence hung in the air, thick with foreboding.
Something was very wrong.
Panic began to coil in Ava's chest as she sprinted toward Elara's house, her heart pounding in her ears. She prayed she would find Elara there, a reassuring presence in the midst of the eerie quiet. But when she reached the house, her hope shattered. The door was ajar, the inside was dark and cold, and the house was empty—abandoned, as if in a hurry.
"Where is everyone?" Ava whispered to herself, her voice quivering as she stepped cautiously out of the house, her gaze darting across the eerily empty streets. The stillness was suffocating, and a gnawing dread twisted in her stomach. Elowen had always been a sanctuary, a refuge shielded from the outside dangers, but now that sense of safety felt like it had been abruptly torn away. Ava longed for the smart environment scanner of her Smart Eye and PAI to function, wishing they could provide some insight into the unfolding situation. Her mind raced with anxious thoughts; she realized that Ronan must have alerted someone in the village the moment he bolted, leaving her with a sinking sense that something urgent and troubling was unfolding.
Ronan was nowhere to be found. The thought of him only heightened her anxiety. He had been so certain, so confident, and now he was gone without a trace. The memory of his pain-stricken face just before he fled from the lake flashed before her eyes. What had he seen? What had driven him to such agony?
Suddenly, she felt it—a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. She wasn't alone, but the presence she sensed wasn't comforting. It was cold, predatory. Her breath hitched as she darted into the shadows, her mind racing. Ahead, in the village's central area, a cluster of drones had assembled and started to spread out. Their sleek armor shimmered with cutting-edge technology, and they moved with the relentless precision of expert trackers, methodically scanning their surroundings. Ava's heart sank; this was a dire situation, and she knew it was only going to get worse.
Panic flared within her, and she pressed herself against the side of a building, her mind scrambling for options. These drones were no ordinary threat—they were equipped to sense the heat of a living being, to track and eliminate with ruthless efficiency. She knew, if they found her, there would be no escape.
She needed a plan, a way out, but her thoughts were tangled and fear blurred her judgment. Desperately, she fumbled for a small pendant—a relic she had received upon her arrival in Elowen. It was designed to cast a digital camouflage over her, but she knew it wouldn't make her entirely invisible. As she carefully moved backward, her foot nudged a loose stone, sending it skittering across the ground. The sudden clatter shattered the oppressive silence, amplifying her anxiety.
One of the drones turned, its gaze locking onto the spot where the sound had come from. He must have signaled the others, as they began to move in her direction, weapons at the ready.
Ava's pulse quickened, and she fought to keep her breathing steady. She couldn't run—not without being spotted. She scanned her surroundings frantically and spotted a low table a few meters away, half-hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley. It wasn't much, but it was her only option.
Heart in her throat, she bolted for the table, dropping to the ground and rolling beneath it just as the drones approached. She pressed herself flat against the cold earth, willing herself to disappear, to become invisible.
As she lay there, her breath shallow and silent, she was startled to see a figure already crouched under the table—Ronan. His intense blue eyes locked onto hers, a finger pressed to his lips in a silent plea for silence. He reached out, gripping her hand with surprising strength, and pulled her closer to him.
"Quiet," he whispered, his voice barely audible, yet laced with urgency. "We have to stay still."
Ava's mind raced, questions flooding her thoughts, but she obeyed, leaning into him. She could feel his heart hammering in his chest, his pulse mirroring her own terror. But there was something else—something in the way he held her, the way he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, as if focusing on something beyond the immediate danger.
Ava tried to mimic him, slowing her breath, calming the frantic beating of her heart. As she did, she noticed the world around them beginning to blur, the sounds of the drones' slight humming growing distant, muffled. A heavy drowsiness began to settle over her, pulling her toward an irresistible darkness.
"Ronan... what's happening?" she managed to whisper, her voice slurring as sleep tugged at her consciousness.
"Just... trust me," Ronan murmured, his own voice strained with concentration.
Ava wanted to resist, to stay alert, but her body was betraying her. Her eyelids grew heavier, her limbs leaden. The last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness was the faint glow of Ronan's eyes, a shimmer of power that held the encroaching darkness at bay.
Then, the world went black.
