As columns of smoke rose over the once blue sky of Discoris III, Ash’s heart rattled to the rhythm of distant gunfire. The skyline of Kaleida held its ground, its shimmering towers battered but unbowed—defiant survivors against the fury descending from above. At the center, a round mirrored structure seemed to disappear in the landscape, reflecting the hazy chaos tearing through the city, its surface shifting between beauty and devastation. Yet Parliament Circle, rising like a gleaming shield against the heavens, remained unbroken. Ash drew a deep, steadying breath. She had to get there.

From behind a crumbled concrete wall, Ash rose, the wind cutting cold across her face, whipping black strands of hair into her eyes and white dust on her brown skin. Her hands patted the oversized leather jacket, finding their way to the pockets, searching. Her fingers curled around something cold and metallic. She pulled out a silver pen, the name Vivek Bhakta gleaming gold along its length. A knot tightened in her throat as a memory surfaced—her father’s face lighting up as she handed it to him on his birthday. He loved old things, and his smile that day had been all she had hoped for. Her eyes stung. Now, more than ever, she needed that smile.

Ash blinked back tears, holding the pen tightly. Rolling her hair in a bun, she pinned it in place with the pen, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. She closed her fists, nails burying deep into her palms as she forced herself to move. The gleaming towers blurred through the smoke, but she couldn’t stop. She had to go on.

An ear-splitting blast ripped through the air, knocking her down hard. Pain shot through her ribs, yanking out her breath. Smoke and dust choked her lungs while bursts of gunfire, sharp and relentless, drowned desperate screams nearby. She scrambled for cover, crawling behind a fallen pillar, her breathing quick and shallow as she pressed her back on the cold stone. Curling into the rubble, she clutched the jacket tightly around herself, as if the black leather could shield her from the slaughter.  She closed her eyes, her father’s face flashing through her mind. She just wanted to be home with him. Not home, somewhere else. Anywhere but here.

The loud buzz from above tore her away from her thoughts. A swarm of military aircraft filled the sky, coming from the east. She could see the Veritan soldiers, with their mismatched armor, perched on the sides,  their blaster rifles aimed down, scanning the ground. She stood still, barely breathing, hoping they wouldn’t see her.

As the aircraft rushed out of view, she let out a slow breath. They were headed the same way she was. How could she ever get there? A sixteen-year-old girl with no weapon, no shooting skills. Ash could already see herself getting caught in the crossfire, her blood running through the rubble. With eyes closed tight, she shook the image away. The shooting seemed far now. Ash bit her lip, lifting herself from the ground.

She moved forward, eyes focused on the circular Parliament building, her dusty sneakers crunching the ground. Movement ahead caught her eye. A bulky man, shirtless and dirty with bushy grey eyebrows and a cut across his back, rummaged through a pile of trash. He lifted a half-burnt cloth and placed it on his shoulders, as if to fend against the chilling wind.

He turned his head, grey eyes locking with Ash’s beneath a frowning brow. Ash averted her eyes, quickly changing course, her footsteps cracking the rubble faster now.

“Girl!” The man’s voice came loud and hoarse.

Ash pressed on, walking as fast as she could, not looking back. She could hear his footsteps behind her, matching her pace.

“Girl! Stop!”

Ash’s breath quickened as her stride broke into a full out run. She could hear the man chasing after her, his footsteps heavy against the gravel. She turned her head to catch his wild-eyed stare. He was almost on her!

Her foot hit something hard and the world tilted. The ground met her with a thud, pain shooting through her arms and torso. She rolled, but he was already on top of her. His putrid breath, hot on her face, was followed by a crooked, repulsive grin and a guttural chuckle.

“Gotcha!”

Ash’s face contorted in disgust, panic surging through her guts. She tried to wrench free, but his body was heavy over her, his burly hands clamping her arms, pinning her to the dirt.

“Let me go,” she squeaked, twisting her body, her muscles aching in effort.

“Don’t fight,” he warned, his spit hitting her face as he talked. “Just give me the jacket.”

“No!” she roared, pressing her lips together as she tried to pull herself away.

“I could rip it off you!” His eyes crept down her body. “And maybe I’ll take more while I’m at it.”

“HEY!”

A woman’s voice cut through the air, hard and imperative. The man’s head jerked to the side. Ash’s heart pounded in her throat as her eyes followed his gaze.

The young woman was standing some 30 feet away, her chin-length brown hair billowing in the wind. A teal bomber jacket, a flash of color in the bleak landscape, framed her stiff body, and her face was hard, fists curled by her sides. “Get off her now,” she commanded through gritted teeth.

The man grinned. “And who’s gonna make me? You?”

“Me,” the woman said, unflinching.

The man rose, facing the woman with a sneer. Ash crawled backwards, quickly getting some distance from him, her eyes darting from the man to the woman. The brute grabbed a steel bar from the ground. Holding it with both hands, he started spinning it around, taunting her.

The woman’s cheeks puffed as she gave a long, tired exhale. Her arm went to her back, pulling a heavy blaster rifle.

BANG!

Ash’s heart faltered as the man fell back first on the dust, the blast echoing around them. After a beat, the man stirred. He sat on the floor, his eyes wide as he stared at the two smoking halves of the steel bar in his hands.

“Run,” the woman growled, her fuming rifle still pointed at him.

The man didn’t waste any time. He turned and, half crawling, ran for it, his feet scraping the dirt. As he bolted, the woman shot again and again, her blasts hitting the ground just behind his heels, scattering dust and rubble as the brute vanished between the ruined buildings.

The woman kept her gaze on the man until he disappeared, her eyebrows knitted together. She then turned to Ash, and her face softened.

“Are you alright, girl?”

Ash looked at her at a loss for words, only now realizing her own mouth was agape. She closed it, nodding quickly.

Strapping the rifle on her back again, the woman approached her, extending a hand. “You can thank me later,” she said with a smile, “that guy’s the least of our worries.”

Ash took her hand, getting back on her feet. “Thank you,” she said, her voice coming out lower than she wanted.

The woman’s grin widened at Ash’s embarrassment. “What’s your name, girl?”

“Ashna,” she said, looking down, “people like to call me Ash.”

“And how do you like to be called?” The woman tilted her head, resting a hand on her hip.

Ash felt her cheeks heat up. “Ash is fine, miss…”

“Kira. People like to call me Vance. But you can also call me awesome,” she quipped.

Ash gave her a small smile, feeling her shoulders ease just a little.

“Now, let’s get moving,” Kira said, her brow furrowing again. “We can swap stories somewhere explosions aren't interrupting the conversation.”

While Kira started to walk east, Ash remained still. “Actually...” the girl hesitated, “I’m heading the other way.”

Kira stopped, turning to face her, one eyebrow raised. “Through Parliament?”

“To Parliament...”

“What? Are you insane?” Kira threw an exasperated gesture toward the smoky sky. “Did you see those aircraft? Do you even know where they're headed?”

“I know. But I need—”

“Girl,” Kira cut her off, shaking her head. “In case you missed it, the city is falling to your cute little Veritan neighbors. And the Terrans, their new best friends, took out all your air defenses, and that,” she pointed to Parliament Circle, “is Kaleida’s last stand. You get near that thing, you’ll be shot! Front and back!”

A bulge formed in Ash’s throat. Kira was right. But still...

“Maybe I can go around their lines, find a breach and—”

“And get blasted to pieces by Kaleida’s own troops!” Kira’s voice rose, a mix of disbelief and annoyance. “Forget it! The best thing you can do is get the hell out of here, like, right now! Yesterday!”

Ash stared at the ground, tightening her fists. “I have to try. I just have to.”

Kira crossed her arms. “And what’s your plan? Hold out a white flag, a flower and hope they take a 10-minute break?”

Ash’s eyes rose to meet hers, hopeful. “Maybe if you helped me...”

Kira gave a humorless smile. “Okay, not only do you want to kill yourself after I just saved you, but you want to drag me along? Yeah, no thanks!” She turned, her boots crunching the gravel as she walked away.

“It’s my father!” Ash’s voice cracked.

Kira froze.

“He’s there.” Ash’s eyes blurred with tears, her voice wavering, “I can’t just leave him. I need to know if he’s alright. If he’s alive.”

Kira lowered her head, her back still turned as she planted her hands on her hips. She exhaled slowly, muttering under her breath. “Crap.”

After a beat, she finally turned. Her bobbed brown hair billowed in the wind, her eyes were still sharp but they carried something else as she looked at Ash—a hint of sorrow, of understanding.

“Is he in the military?” Kira asked, weariness in her voice.

Ash shook her head. “He’s a… he works in one of the offices.” She looked down, shifting in her feet.

“In one of the Delegate offices?”

Ash nodded, her eyes flicking to Kira, before looking away. “He left me at school before driving to Parliament. The wind was cold and I forgot my coat, so he gave me his…" Ash’s voice broke as she hugged herself inside the large jacket. She took a shaky breath and  continued, “It was not long after he drove off that the bombing started. All I could think of was finding him. But I can’t do it alone.” Her eyes locked on Kira’s, her lips trembling. “Please!”

Kira’s mouth twitched to the side. Her shoulders loosened as she took a few steps toward her. “Look… Ash… I know how you feel, alright. You can’t stay still knowing he’s in danger.” Kira sighed. “Problem is… there’s nothing you can do to help. I know, it sucks. Makes you wanna scratch your own face ‘til it bleeds. But you’ll only put yourself in danger. And him, if he finds out what you’re doing,” Kira said, her tone gentle, her eyes edged with sadness.

Ash’s lips pressed together, crossing her arms tightly. “You don’t know how I feel! You have no idea! If there’s a chance, even if it’s small, I’ll –“

“There’s no chance,” Kira interrupted her.

Ash furrowed her brow. “You don’t know that!”

Kira rolled her eyes, her jaw tight. “Come,” she called, gesturing sharply as she walked toward a broken building. Ash’s eyes followed her, but her feet didn’t move.

Kira’s head snapped back to her, eyes narrowing. “Want my help? Come. Here. Now!”

Ash’s arms pressed tighter against her chest. She moved toward Kira in quick strides, head hunched between her shoulders.

With quick steps, Kira climbed a ruined staircase that led to nothing, crumbling into open air. As Ash joined her at the top, Kira pointed to the tall mirrored buildings in the distance. “Look for yourself.”

Ash’s breath caught as she took in the scene. She could see Parliament Circle clearly now—a fortress among the chaos. Shattered windows revealed snipers positioning through the cracks. The roof was a nest of artillery and soldiers crouching behind makeshift trenches. The building was surrounded by enemy aircraft, circling it like angry wasps. Blaster shots streaked across the sky in flashes of red and blue, the sounds of breaking glass, explosions, and screams echoing through the air.

From her vantage point, Ash looked down, trying to spot a safe route, a gap away from the blasts and the shooting. She couldn’t. All she could do was imagine a hundred different ways she’d be shot in the head, her blood spraying the ground. Her trembling hands gripped the broken handrail tightly as she turned away. She couldn’t look anymore.

“Ash, I’m sorry,” Kira said with a soft voice.

Ash sat on the edge of the stairs, legs dangling in the air. She took a shaky breath, her gaze focusing on the battlefield again. “Maybe if I wait long enough I’ll get a chance.”

Kira gripped the handrail and lowered herself to sit beside her. “You can’t make yourself go, right?”

Ash shook her head. “How can I? How can I go knowing he might be there, needing help, hurt even?” Dread clawed at her gut at the thought of her dad injured and bleeding, alone in a dark corner.

Kira nodded slowly, her eyes distant. “I know I wouldn’t. I didn’t,” she murmured. Her gaze sharpened again as she looked to Ash. “But what if he’s not there? What if they’ve evacuated the civilians? Either way, your dad would want you to be safe.”

Ash pressed her lips together, her eyes tracing the movement of one of the enemy aircraft. “I won’t go. I can’t. Go if you want to. You’ve done a lot for me already.”

Kira’s face hardened, but she didn’t move.

They both sat there, watching the chaos unfold. A blast rang through the sky as Kaleidan artillery struck one of the aircraft and the vehicle spiraled down, exploding in a ball of fire. Then another one was hit, and another. Ash stood up, something swelling in her chest.

“They are turning it around! Maybe we can still beat them!” She turned to Kira, hopeful. But Kira’s face remained grim.

“I don’t know, Ash,” she got up slowly, brow furrowed as she looked up beyond the clouds. “The Terrans are still up there. Kaleida can’t—”

Another explosion cut her off as another enemy aircraft burst in a cloud of smoke and flames. On the ground, Veritan troops were falling back. With every explosion, with every enemy soldier retreating, Ash’s hope grew. The corners of her open mouth slowly lifted, the knot in her stomach loosening, bit by bit.

Suddenly, a ray of blue light pierced the sky, like a straight, perfect lightning sent from the firmament. It hit the center of Parliament Circle. Ash’s heart stopped. The blue ray thickened and an unbearable flash forced her eyes shut.

A thunderous blast shook the ground beneath her feet. Ash’s hands grasped the handrail desperately as the world trembled.

When she opened her eyes, dread clawed up her spine.

A huge black cloud rose where Parliament Circle had once stood, debris flying in all directions like rockets out of control. Ash’s legs faltered as a wave of nausea washed over her. Gone. It was just… gone.

Her mind spun with images of her father. His ‘monster-checks’ under her bed when she was little. The silly songs that would always cheer her up. His proud, beaming face when she aced that test at school. It all faded in a dizzying haze of smoke and dust.

She barely felt the hand gripping her arm, pulling her. Kira’s voice—sharp, urging her forward—sounded like a distant dream. Her legs moved on their own, guided by Kira’s pull, but everything else felt numb. All of her senses, her thoughts,  her heart—swallowed by the black emptiness sinking inside her.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter!

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