Chapter 108: First Line
The night wasn’t quiet anymore.
Shattered windows glittered across the ground like broken ice as their footsteps pounded through the empty street. Old storefronts passed in a blur, smeared shadows against the pale wash of moonlight. Somewhere behind them, a building gave a low, groaning sound as if mourning its own collapse.
They didn’t stop to look back.
Jin’s lungs burned, but he didn’t say anything. His grip was tight around the sheathed blade across his back, hand ready. He kept his eyes forward, flicking between rooftops and intersections, mapping escape paths in his head like second nature now.
"Still going," Echo muttered ahead of them, voice soft but urgent.
Jin glanced at him. Echo’s head was tilted, like he was listening to something just beyond human hearing. Which, knowing him, he probably was.
"The monster?"
A small nod. "Far. But not far enough."
Seul’s breath was steady beside him. She hadn’t said much since they left the gates, but Jin could tell she was watching everything. Not with panic. With intent. She moved with that strange sense of control she always carried, like even fear had to obey her rules.
Joon was behind them, surprisingly quiet. His usual swagger was dampened by the weight of what they’d seen. Even he wasn’t reckless enough to joke right now.
Another building in the distance cracked apart. The sound rolled over the rooftops like thunder. All of them froze mid-step.