The day after

Morning came quietly.

The rain had scrubbed the night clean, leaving the streets of the town shining under the pale light of the sun. Mud glistened in the ruts of wagons. Roofs dripped steadily, the last remnants of the storm dripping into puddles that reflected the sky. The air smelled of damp wood, iron, and smoke.

The group moved slowly.

Dex leaned heavily between Sai and Corvin, one arm slung over each of their shoulders. His head lolled sometimes, his face pale and slick with sweat. Every few steps he coughed, the sound raw and wet, but he refused to stop. Corvin muttered curses under his breath each time Dex’s weight dragged on his shoulder, but he didn’t let go.

Mira trailed at the rear, her bow strapped across her back though she hadn’t touched it since last night. She walked with her head down, lips pressed tight, eyes fixed on the cobblestones. Her mind wasn’t on the present. Every flash of sunlight through the dripping leaves reminded her of lightning.

Every splash of her boots in the mud echoed the crash of Gladius’s katana breaking.

Eira stayed close to Mira, hovering at her side like a shadow but never pressing too hard. Her own naginata was strapped awkwardly to her back, its weight a constant reminder of the fight. She kept glancing at Shadow Five, who walked ahead of them, silent, her short swords sheathed at her hips.

Shadow Five didn’t speak. She hadn’t spoken since the inn. Her shoulders were stiff, her steps precise, her head slightly bowed as though weighed down by something none of them could see.

The city hall loomed at the end of the street, a squat but solid building of dark stone, its banners damp from the storm. Normally, the plaza before it would have been full of villagers going about their business. Today, it was nearly empty. The silence was unsettling.

Corvin broke it first.

“Pathetic,” he muttered, voice rough. “That’s what it was. We were pathetic out there.” His grip on Dex tightened, his other hand flexing around the haft of his axe. “Running around like headless chickens while Gladius—” He cut himself off, jaw locking.

Sai shifted Dex’s weight higher on his shoulder. His voice was calm, too calm. “We survived. That’s more than most can say.”

“Survived?” Corvin spat, his face twisting. “You call that surviving? We couldn’t even scratch that thing. Mira fired arrow after arrow and barely landed one hit. You swung like your arms were made of glass. And me? I might as well have been waving a stick for all the good it did!”

Mira flinched but didn’t look up.

Eira reached out, touching Corvin’s arm gently. “Corvin, please… you’re angry, but—”

“Damn right I’m angry!” he snapped, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Gladius is gone. And we just stood there, like idiots. Sure i cant say i liked the guy, i can even say i disliked him but even when we tried we couldn’t do a damn thing to stop them Reapers, and that pisses me off.”

The words lingered, heavy as iron.

Sai’s jaw tightened. He didn’t argue this time.

Shadow Five never turned, never slowed.

Eira looked at her, brow furrowing. “You haven’t said anything since last night,” she whispered. “Not one word, are you okay?. Are you even listening?”

Still nothing.

Sai let out a dry laugh, bitter and sharp. “Don’t bother. She’s a shadow—when the mask cracks, they shut down. You can scream, beg, cry—it won’t matter. She’ll stay silent until she decides otherwise.”

Eira’s frown deepened. She looked back at Mira, who was still silent, lost somewhere far away.

And Mira… Mira’s mind replayed the night on a loop.

She remembered the way her arrows flew, one after another, her fingers hurting by the end from the string’s bite. She remembered how each one had been swatted away like insects, sparks flying as the Reaper cut them midair. She remembered the one arrow that landed, the shaft jutting from the Reaper’s shoulder—only for it to tear it free like it was nothing.

And then she remembered what came after.

The blank Reaper carried Gladius, that laid limp on its shoulder. They’d all watched in stunned horror as it walked across the bloodied square toward the gilded one.

Shadow Five had dragged herself up by then, limping across the mud with her hand pressed to her ribs, eyes wide. “No! Don’t you dare!” she’d screamed, her voice raw.

The blank Reaper hadn’t even looked at her.

It stopped a few paces from the gilded one and laid Gladius down in the mud like an offering. The champion of the shadows, the pride of the village, sprawled broken before his enemy.

The gilded Reaper stepped forward, its long scythe gleaming gold along the edge. But it didn’t use it.

Instead, it reached down and picked up something from the ground—the shattered remains of Gladius’s katana. The broken blade glinted dully in the stormlight.

The gilded Reaper turned it in its hands as if mocking the craftsmanship, then lowered the jagged edge toward Gladius’s throat.

Shadow Five had screamed again, stumbling forward, but fell before she even walked five steps, the group hurried to her position, Corvin and Sai stayed with Dex as Mira and Eira went to help her, Mira locked eyes with the blank reaper before it turned away watching the gilded one.

Gladius stirred faintly, blood bubbling at his lips. His eyes opened, glazed but aware enough to see what was coming. His lips moved, forming words none of them could hear.

Then the gilded Reaper thrust the broken katana down.

The steel buried itself in his chest.

Gladius jerked once. Then he went still.

The gilded one left the blade in place, standing tall over the corpse. The blank Reaper stepped back into the shadows, vanishing as silently as it had come.

And just like that, the champion was gone.

Mira’s breath hitched as the memory washed over her again. She blinked, forcing herself back to the present. The sun was bright, too bright. She wished the storm hadn’t ended. At least then the world would’ve looked how it felt.

They reached the steps of the city hall. The guards at the door looked tired, armor scuffed, but they said nothing as the group approached.

Dex groaned softly, his legs nearly giving out. Sai and Corvin hauled him up the steps, every motion labored. Mira trailed behind, still silent.

Shadow Five stopped at the foot of the stairs. She tilted her head up, staring at the banners rippling in the faint breeze. For a moment, her shoulders slumped. Then she straightened and followed the others inside.

The hall smelled of damp stone and smoke. The long windows let in pale shafts of sunlight that cut across the floor. Everything was too quiet, the silence filled only by the group’s footsteps and Dex’s labored breathing.

Mira walked holding the one arrow she now had spinning it in her hand as she tought back to that throw. Why did i recognize that? from when?

Corvin muttered again, not for anyone in particular. “We should’ve done more. We should’ve fought harder.”

Eira whispered back, voice trembling. “We did what we could…”

Shadow Five finally spoke.

Her voice was low, flat. “Not enough.”

The group froze, glancing at her. Her face was unreadable, her eyes fixed ahead.

Sai gave a short, bitter laugh. “Well, at least she speaks.”

Eira frowned, shaking her head. “poor thing—”

But Shadow Five said nothing more. She walked on, her silence heavier than any storm.

The group had come to this lively town as prisoners and now they were heading for the city hall as guests and protesters of the son to the chief, despite this change in their status and the death of their original capture non were happy, it was almost like if they had died once more that is the feeling, like if the would had changed so much that it felt as if they would have died and got transported into a new world once again. Because this was their life now constant change and constant unpredictability just like life itself is unpredictable so is the story of the five dead teens.