Chapter 1 – Juniper

Another day, another instance of narrowly avoiding death.

You’d think the onyx tunnels beneath Novayr would provide a good hiding place. But when it comes to running for your life, the narrow space is deadly. There’s no cover at all, and bullets ping off the smooth stone surface.

Well, on the plus side, we were meant to travel to Welkinor through the tunnels. Now, with the pace we’re setting, we’ll get there much faster.

My footsteps pound against the ground, my breath comes out in ragged pants. Astor, Hana, Quinn, and Minette follow closely behind. And some distance away, two Enforcers are rapidly gaining on us, guns outstretched. A bullet ricochets off the wall beside me and digs itself in the stone on the other side. With a curse, I turn a corner in the tunnel.

“Where’s the exit?!” Astor practically screeches from behind me.

“We’re almost there! Just…a few more turns!” I reply.

“Hana!” Quinn yells.  “Would be real nice if you could disable them right now!”

She wheezes. “I’m trying! It’s…a little hard when…I’m being shot at!”

We burst out into the winter morning, the chill of the air a stark contrast to the cramped dry heat of the tunnels.

Facing us is a group of about a dozen Blessed, their eyes blank. For a beat, they remain stock still. Not even a breeze could move them. But upon seeing us, their heads simultaneously turn to us, a sharp motion that makes my skin crawl.

They sprint toward us, and we’re back to running. There’s no disabling the Blessed, no way to stop them—no amount of broken limbs or wounds will make them falter. They’ll fight until they die. They have no choice.

Without the fail-safe, they’re doomed. We all are.

As if on cue, a news feed pops up from Hana’s airscreen.

“Turn that off, would you?” Astor snaps. His fingers twitch as if he’s ready to snatch Hana’s airscreen and shatter it on the ground. His cheeks are flushed with exertion, his boots crunch against the freshly fallen snow.

Despite the growing fatigue in my limbs, I can’t help but hang on to every word I can.

“The leaders of our country are aiming for a repeat of the Kometu-Astrellune War. According to our anonymous source, the data we received on the New Realm shows that Phase Three is extremely dangerous. Brennan’s murder was at the hands of one of the Blessed, and it’s likely that this brutal killing will now serve as the catalyst for a war. The Blessed are—”

The lump in my throat chokes my breath, and I have to force myself to inhale and exhale in a proper rhythm. Brennan’s dead. The Blessed. Ida’s probably one of them by now, unable to tell her thoughts apart from another’s. And Mino’s neuravirus…there’s no telling how much time he has.

I risk a glance behind me at the Blessed, almost expecting to see Ida among them, her eyes just as soulless as the rest of them.

She isn’t.

Hana fumbles with her airscreen, tapping it frantically with no real aim. “Hold on…I almost got it…!”

Discomfort crawls under my skin. It’s just a Net feed. Just a Net feed, talking about how hundreds of thousands of people are going to die in a meaningless war if we don’t get that fail-safe and stop Phase Three. A Net feed serving as a reminder that if I don’t succeed, Mino and Ida will die.

The feed falls silent and Hana grunts as she skids around a tree. “Done. Enforcers are disabled, too. Not that that even matters anymore…” She glances behind her at the Blessed and yelps as one of them reaches out to grab her shoulder. She pushes the man aside and keeps running, her labored breathing only adding to my sense of exhaustion.

Unlike the Blessed, we can’t run forever.

Quinn shouts from behind me. “Where are the others? Weren’t we supposed to meet them here?”

He’s right. Asahi, Yuzuki, Tsuki, Lazlo, and Mino are traveling in a separate group—we split up when the Enforcers showed up, tried to draw them away. Mino’s still in a healing pod, and carrying it leaves their group vulnerable. I can only hope they made it out without any trouble.

At that moment, our airscreens chime in sync.

“What on—” Astor ducks around a tree. “War’s started.”

But his words don’t have time to sink in. A Blessed grabs my arm and wrenches me back. I kick them and pull away.

Minette, who’s been struggling, stumbles and trips over tree roots concealed by the snow, eventually crashing into the ground. The Blessed swarm over her and she lets out a small cry as she struggles, scratching and biting like a feral animal.

I rush over to her and rip off the Blessed surrounding her, quickly scooping her up into my arms. There’s a small scratch on her cheek, a bright blooming red against her pale skin.

She shivers at the sensation of melting snow on her clothes. “Sorry…I’m not used to the ground. It’s not flat like I’m used to…”

Of course. She’s lived her whole life on the New Realm station. Of course she wouldn’t be used to this. I curse myself for not anticipating this sooner.

“It’s fine. I’ll carry you until we get to flatter ground.”

“Thank you.” She pauses. “I hear something.”

She’s right. A distinct buzzing and crackling sounds through the still trees. A stunner. Distant shouts and yelps sound.

I know those voices.

“It’s the others! Let’s go!” I yell, panic infusing my blood as I veer in the direction of the noises. A frigid wind chafes my cheeks as I slip across the snow, my boots just managing to gain purchase.

I hurriedly set Minette down. “Stay right behind me, okay?”

She merely nods in response and does her best to keep pace. Whenever she stumbles, I quickly reach out and support her.

The Blessed are closer now. Too close. I shove one of them aside, wincing as they crash into a tree. The woman, her face covered in sunspots and freckles, lunges at me again. I jump aside and keep running, my heart thundering wildly.

Everything becomes a blur. In the distance, I spot several figures surrounded by a group of what seems to be more Blessed. Each person is a dark blotch against the stark white canvas of snow. I’m not even sure if reuniting now is the best idea—especially since we’re bringing more Blessed with us to add to the chaos—but I can’t ignore the fear that settles in my gut when I see a Blessed approach Mino’s healing pod, which is set off to the side.

I pump my legs harder, my boots kicking up snow, and tackle the Blessed to the ground. Cold snow seeps through my clothes. I still don’t have a weapon on me—I lost my gun on the New Realm station—but the others have theirs. The Blessed claws at my face and hair, tearing at me. I grunt, struggling to protect myself while trying to push them off. They’re much larger than me in stature, weighing me down and pressing their forearm to my throat. I gasp for air. My hands reach to scratch at their eyes, even though they won’t even feel the pain—

Suddenly, a crackling echoes in the area. The Blessed seizes up, going limp on top of me. I shove their stunned body to the side, revealing Astor standing above me, his determined gaze meeting mine. His hair catches the morning light, a halo around his head. I think for a brief, near-delirious moment that he looks like an otherworldly being like this, a being of light. He nods at me once, then dives back into the fight, ending my temporary stupor. I scramble to my feet, snow sticking to the fabric of my clothes as it melts. No distractions.

I join Astor and the others in the seemingly eternal fight against the Blessed. It won’t be long until more Blessed arrive; we have to get out of here before we’re overwhelmed. My muscles scream in pain, the strain on them only increasing as I fight my way through the Blessed. Still, my body responds almost automatically to the adrenaline, the world becoming a blur of bodies and colors. Yet, there’s a part of me that holds back. A part that knows these people are innocent victims. A part that sees Ida in them.

But I keep fighting. I can’t let anyone else get hurt. I won’t.