Chapter 4

  The sun falls.

  The moon rises, scattering silver light across the city, and with it come the stars — tiny flickers against a black sea.

  The honking of cars, the buzz of engines, and the glare of streetlights blur into a low hum, a soundtrack to the sleepless streets of Eastwind City.

  I sit quietly in the car seat, watching the night rush by through the window.

  Joining PTO... it’s only the first step. A small step up a long, bloody ladder.

  "Hey, kid. Looks like you’re in your own little world again."

  Evelyn’s voice pulls me back to reality.

  She taps the steering wheel lightly with her fingers before glancing over at me.

  "So," she says casually, "tell me... why'd you decide to join PTO?

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  We’ve been losing members left and right. Some units don’t even look us in the eye anymore."

  Her tone is light, almost teasing, but I can hear the weight buried under her words.

  I turn my gaze back to the window.

  "It doesn’t matter to me," I answer quietly.

  "I joined because PTO is the only unit willing to take in people like me.

  People without blood-born abilities. That’s all."

  For a moment, the car falls into silence — just the engine and the city noise.

  Then Evelyn chuckles.

  "Normal people, huh?" she says, smiling.

  "You must have a heart of gold if you're willing to put your life on the line for others."

  I don't respond. It's not about kindness. It's not about heroism.

  It's about survival... and a promise I made in blood and ash.

  Evelyn seems to understand.

  She leans back in her seat, still focused on the road ahead.

  "You know," she says, "I always ask new recruits one question:

  Are you in this for yourself... or for the people?"

  Her voice softens.

  "All over the world, people lose their lives. Their homes. Their families.

  Day after day, night after night.

  Hope... hope is nothing more than a feather blowing in the wind. Fragile. Forgotten.

  But we cling to it anyway, even if it gets torn apart a hundred times over."

  She laughs quietly to herself.

  "Sorry you had to listen to me ramble.

  We’re almost there."

  I sit there, the words hanging in the air between us.

  Hope...?