Vexi was beyond excited when the fortress’s four walls finally came into view. To him, those high, formidable shimmering barriers weren’t just architecture, they were a promise of safety. "Look at that, Moon! We’re actually going to make it!" he chirped, his voice cracking with a mix of exhaustion and pure, unadulterated joy. "I can practically taste the clean water and a bed that doesn’t have mutated insects in it. As long as our friends are still breathing, they can also be saved." He had long given up any thought of conquering the fortress.

They didn’t have an army anymore. What could two people accomplish? All he hoped for was to be accepted into the base and finally have a safe home.

He walked with more vigor, as the pain in his legs had gone down. Their wounds were healing surprisingly fast, but that was mostly because Moon had found some mutated herbs in a bush. She had applied them to their injuries with a grim efficiency.

Moon looked at the young man that was so full of hope and naive energy, she felt a sharp pang of regret. Not for his pain, but for the fact that she’d wasted those precious herbs on him.

This is as far as he goes, she thought coldly. I can make it to King’s Bridge on my own from here. It’s a straight shot. I don’t need a witness, and I certainly don’t need a loudmouth.

She let out a long, theatrical, tired sigh and wiped sweat from her forehead. "Vexi, I can’t... I need to sit. My legs are like jelly."

Vexi stopped, looking torn. "But Moon! We’re right there! We can see the gate! If we just push for another thirty minutes, we’ll be having warm food, I am tired of the raw food. We have friends waiting for help. Aren’t you the one that was pushing us to rush here previously?"

"I am not a superhuman like you, Vexi," Moon said, her voice dropping into that stern, older-sister tone she used to manipulate people. "My heart is racing. We take a break under that tree; I’m not moving another inch. We are almost there anyway. I don’t see any mutated beasts or lava. Even the air is fresher. I need a moment to catch my breath, just one moment."

Reluctantly, Vexi followed her to a mutated palm tree that was one of many along the road. They slumped against the trunk, the fortress looming in the distance like a paradise. Moon reached into her pack and pulled out some mutated root tubers they had scavenged. These ugly, dirt-covered lumps had been their only source of food for days, tasting like wet cardboard and despair.

"Here," Moon said, handing him a particularly plump one. "Eat up. You’ll need the strength for the final walk."

Vexi didn’t notice the faint, glowing purple veins snaking through the center of the tuber. He was too busy staring at the fortress walls, dreaming of safety. "Thanks, Moon. Honestly, I don’t know how I would’ve survived without you. You’re like... a guardian angel or something."

He laughed, a bright, bubbly sound, and took a huge, hungry bite. He munched happily, the dirt crunching between his teeth.

Moon watched him, her expression a mask of fake sympathy. Laugh all the way to your grave, you little idiot, she thought. Angels don’t survive out here. Only demons do.

Meanwhile, inside the cool, humming atmosphere of the King’s Bridge security room, the mood was anything but relaxed. Giant screens lined the walls, flickering with thermal data and satellite feeds.

"Got two heat signatures heading toward the West Perimeter," one of the operators called out. "Must be survivors. I am surprised that we are still seeing them out here in this lava, ash and hot air environmental."

Craydon, the head of security, leaned over the console. This wasn’t unusual; refugees who were escorted by superhumans were a daily occurrence in this dying world. "Send the drones. Let’s see if they’re carrying anything infectious or explosive. Standard protocol."

The drones buzzed out of their docking bays, their high-definition cameras streaming live footage back to the base. The image cleared up, showing a woman sitting under a tree and a young man... who was suddenly not looking very well.

"Wait, zoom in," Craydon ordered, his brow furrowing.

On the screen, Vexi began to cough. It wasn’t a normal cough. It was a violent, lung-shaking spasm. He dropped the tuber, clutching his throat, his face turning a terrifying shade of blue. He looked at Moon, his eyes wide with a silent, pleading question; What is happening?

Moon didn’t help him. She didn’t pat his back or look for water. Instead, she leaned back and began to laugh. The audio from the drone picked it up clearly, a high, shrill sound that sent chills down the spines of the men in the security room.

"Do not fight the poison Vexi," Moon said, her voice dripping with mockery. "Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon. I’m just not taking any baggage into my sister’s fortress. You were a great shield, but shields get heavy after a while, and they have to be dropped."

In the security room, silence fell like a lead weight. The men exchanged glances of pure horror.

"Did she just say, ’her sister’s fortress’?" Trey whispered.

Craydon’s face went pale. "That’s Moon Raine. It has to be." He grabbed the phone and called Hadrian.

Hadrian arrived in minutes. He watched the final moments of the video, the young man going still, and Moon standing up, dusting off her pants as if she’d just finished a light snack.

"That’s her," Hadrian said, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief. "Pick them up. Send a squad and bring her back here and send the man to a medic bay. Shove a Reddix pill into his mouth and try to stop the poison." He planned to keep Moon in prison until Sunshine returned. He reached for his phone and informed Hades.

On the other side of the room, Craydon called Dominic and let him know that the woman he was waiting for had finally arrived.