Purgatory of the Blue Flame: The Devil's Flower

The water had begun to recede.
It left the ancient passageways coated in mud, with debris caught between the uneven stones and pale markings exposed along the walls. Tatsuchi stepped over a broken piece of masonry, keeping one hand against the damp stone as she made her way toward the others. The air still carried the smell of stagnant water. Somewhere farther down the passage, a loose chain rattled whenever the wind found its way through the tunnels.
Nobody had spoken much since they'd escaped the waterways.
They'd found evidence of the Revolutionaries, but not the answers they'd been looking for. The strange markings, the references to Requiem, and the laughter beneath the water had only given them more questions. Victor Combs was still missing, and the situation in Vallcera was becoming increasingly difficult to understand.
Tatsuchi stopped beside the passage entrance.
Zhenyu stood a few steps ahead, staring at his device. The screen illuminated his face, reflecting faintly in his glasses. He'd been checking the same information for several minutes, scrolling through reports that had arrived while they'd been underground.
"Anything?" Tatsuchi asked.
"Too much."
Zhenyu lowered the device slightly. His expression wasn't particularly worried, but Tatsuchi had spent enough time around him to recognize when he was thinking several steps ahead. His thumb moved across the screen again.
"There's been another incident near the eastern district. A building collapsed. They're reporting several people trapped inside."
"Another attack?"
"That's what they're calling it."
Tatsuchi looked toward the others. "And the rest?"
"That's the problem."
Zhenyu turned the screen toward her. Several emergency reports had appeared within a short period of one another. A fire near a residential block. A damaged bridge along one of the main roads. A disturbance near a medical station. Reports of armed individuals moving through a market district, though nobody could confirm whether they were Revolutionaries.
The incidents were spread across Vallcera.
They weren't concentrated around one location, and none of them appeared to share an obvious connection. Each demanded attention. Each came with its own set of risks.
Tatsuchi read through the reports again.
"How many Gate Guards are available?"
"Not enough to cover everything."
"Then we'll prioritize the areas with civilians."
"Already thought of that." Zhenyu tapped the screen. "But there's a problem with the reports. Some of them are contradicting each other."
Tatsuchi looked up.
"One report says the eastern bridge is damaged beyond repair. Another says people are still crossing it. The fire department's been redirected twice because they've received conflicting information about the residential fire. And the medical station is asking for protection, but the people reporting armed individuals haven't actually seen anyone."
"Someone's feeding them false information."
"Maybe. Or someone wants us to think that."
Tatsuchi studied the reports once more. There was something uncomfortable about the arrangement. If even one of the incidents was real, ignoring it could cost lives. If they responded to all of them, they'd spread their forces too thin to protect anyone properly.
It was an ugly situation.
And whoever had arranged it knew exactly that.
"Get everyone together," she said. "We're going to divide our forces."
Zhenyu didn't move.
"Zhenyu?"
He looked at the reports again. "I think we're already doing what they want."
Tatsuchi's eyes narrowed.
Before she could answer, another notification appeared.
This one came from the western district.
A section of the city's old waterworks had ruptured, flooding several streets. Residents were being evacuated, but the rising water had cut off one of the routes leading toward the nearest shelter.
Zhenyu stared at the screen.
"That's convenient."
Tatsuchi didn't like the way he'd said it.
"Explain."
"Every time we decide where to send people, something else happens. Every time we commit resources, another report comes in. We're being forced to react before we can understand what's happening."
"Then we'll stop reacting blindly."
"That's easier said than done."
A distant explosion interrupted them.
The sound rolled across Vallcera, followed by a brief orange glow above the rooftops. Several birds scattered from the nearby buildings. Tatsuchi turned toward the city, her expression hardening.
A moment later, the communications device in Zhenyu's hand began ringing.
He answered.
"Go ahead."
The voice on the other end was difficult to make out. There was shouting in the background, followed by a series of hurried instructions. Zhenyu listened without interrupting. His expression gradually changed.
"How many?"
Another pause.
"Are you certain?"
He glanced at Tatsuchi.
"Don't send anyone inside until we've confirmed the structure is stable. Keep the surrounding streets clear. I'll relay the rest."
He ended the call.
"What happened?" Tatsuchi asked.
"There's been a second collapse. This time, near the northern market."
"Casualties?"
"Unknown."
Tatsuchi exhaled through her nose. "We'll send a team."
Zhenyu looked down at his device.
Then, quietly, he said, "He's not trying to defeat us."
Tatsuchi turned toward him.
"He's trying to make sure we can't do anything else."
---
Vallcera had become a city of conflicting emergencies.
Smoke drifted above the eastern rooftops while emergency workers struggled to reach the damaged residential block. Along the western streets, water rushed through the lower roads, carrying broken pieces of wood and overturned market stalls with it. Civilians crowded the safer intersections, some carrying whatever belongings they'd managed to collect before leaving their homes.
The Gate Guards were moving constantly.
Every available group had been assigned somewhere. Some were escorting civilians toward shelters. Others were helping clear blocked roads or securing damaged buildings. A few had been sent to investigate the reports of armed individuals, despite the lack of reliable information.
Tatsuchi moved between the groups, checking their assignments and making adjustments whenever new information arrived.
She'd ordered the evacuation routes to be kept open, even if it meant abandoning certain streets. The injured were to be taken to the nearest functioning medical station. Anyone who couldn't be moved safely was to remain where they were until a team could reach them.
It wasn't perfect.
Nothing about the situation was.
A young Gate Guard approached her while she was speaking with an evacuation coordinator.
"Captain Kuroainaru."
Tatsuchi turned.
"We've received another message from the northern market."
"What now?"
"The people trapped inside the damaged building are asking for help. They've heard someone moving through the upper floors."
"Have we confirmed that the structure is safe?"
"No."
"Then nobody goes in without a proper assessment."
The young guard hesitated.
"Captain, they said there's a child inside."
Tatsuchi's expression tightened.
For a moment, the sounds around her seemed to recede. She looked toward the northern district, where a thin column of dust was still rising above the buildings.
"How many people are trapped?"
"At least six. Possibly more."
Tatsuchi looked toward the evacuation coordinator. "Keep the route open. Send the nearest rescue team, but don't let them enter until they've checked the structure."
The guard nodded and hurried away.
She watched him disappear into the crowd.
There was no satisfaction in giving orders like that. Every decision carried the possibility that someone would be left waiting while help went somewhere else. Every delay had a cost.
That was precisely why the situation bothered her.
The Revolutionaries had attacked Vallcera before. They'd used weapons the Gate Guards weren't prepared for, and they'd demonstrated that they understood the city's defenses. But this was different. There was no clear target, no demand, and no attempt to occupy territory.
There were only emergencies.
Tatsuchi looked across the street.
A woman was trying to calm a frightened child while an evacuation worker spoke with her. Two men were carrying an injured civilian toward a waiting vehicle. Farther away, a group of Gate Guards were struggling to move a fallen beam out of the road.
The city was exhausting itself.
And the enemy hadn't needed to show his face.
---
Zhenyu had found a temporary command post inside an abandoned administrative building.
It wasn't much of a headquarters. Half the windows were broken, the furniture had been pushed against the walls, and the electrical system kept cutting out. Still, it provided enough space for the remaining Gate Guards to coordinate their movements.
He'd covered one of the tables with maps and reports.
The incidents had been marked in different colors. Each location had a corresponding record of the forces assigned to it, the estimated number of civilians affected, and the routes available for reaching the area.
At first glance, the reports looked like a collection of unrelated disasters.
Zhenyu didn't believe that anymore.
He placed another marker on the map.
Then another.
His eyes moved between the locations, following the paths connecting them. The incidents weren't arranged in a perfect pattern. That would've made them easier to recognize. Instead, they were spread across districts in a way that made every possible response inconvenient.
If the Gate Guards concentrated their forces in the east, the western evacuation routes became vulnerable. If they protected the medical station, the northern district would lose its nearest support team. If they investigated the reports of armed individuals, the rescue operations would have to proceed with fewer guards.
There was no single decision that solved the problem.
That was the point.
"You're staring at that map like it's personally offended you."
Zhenyu didn't look up.
"Maybe it has."
Asumi stood near the doorway, watching him move the markers. Her arms were folded, and the expression on her face suggested she'd been trying to get his attention for a while.
"How bad is it?"
"Bad enough."
"That's reassuring."
"I'm working on it."
Asumi stepped closer. Her eyes moved over the map, following the scattered markers.
"These incidents aren't random."
"No."
"Then what's he trying to accomplish?"
Zhenyu leaned back slightly.
"He's making us choose."
"Between what?"
"People."
The answer silenced her.
Zhenyu tapped the eastern district, then moved his finger toward the western side of the map.
"Every report creates a new problem. Every problem demands people, time, and equipment. We can't send everyone everywhere, so we have to decide which situation matters most. And the moment we make that decision, he gives us another one."
"He's trying to split us up."
"That's part of it."
"What's the other part?"
Zhenyu looked at the map again.
"He's learning how we respond."
Asumi's expression changed.
Zhenyu continued. "Every time we send a team somewhere, we're showing him what we consider important. Every time we abandon a route, we're showing him which areas we can't protect. He's collecting information without having to fight us."
"Then we should stop giving him information."
"How?"
"We change our response."
Zhenyu shook his head. "We already have."
He pulled one of the reports closer.
"Look at the timing. The first incident happened just before we finished coordinating the evacuation teams. The second came in while we were assigning the rescue group. The third arrived when the western district requested additional support. Whoever's behind this knows how long it takes us to communicate, how quickly we can move people, and how many guards we can spare."
Asumi studied the map.
"Silas."
Zhenyu didn't answer immediately.
He'd been avoiding the name because saying it aloud made the situation feel more definite. Silas had been present in their investigation, directly or indirectly, but there was still too much they didn't know about him. They didn't know where he was, how many people were working with him, or what he wanted from Vallcera.
But the shape of the situation was becoming difficult to ignore.
"Yeah," Zhenyu said. "Silas."
Asumi looked toward the window.
"Then we need to find him."
"We need to make him come to us."
"That's not the same thing."
"No. It isn't."
Zhenyu picked up a marker and placed it near the center of the map.
"He's expecting us to keep dividing our forces. So we'll give him that impression."
Asumi looked back at him.
"What are you planning?"
"A second counterstrategy."
"Second?"
"The first one was figuring out what he was doing. The second is figuring out what he expects us to do next."
Zhenyu began moving the markers.
He didn't explain everything immediately. He was still working through the possibilities, comparing the reports and searching for the one decision Silas hadn't accounted for. His first instinct had been to find the pattern. Now he was trying to find the assumption behind it.
Silas believed they would keep responding to each new emergency.
So what would happen if they didn't respond the way he expected?
---
The next report came from the eastern district.
A group of civilians had been trapped inside a residential building after a fire spread through its lower floors. The nearest rescue team was already occupied with the northern collapse, and the available route had been blocked by debris.
Tatsuchi received the report while standing near the western evacuation point.
She read it once.
Then again.
"How many people?"
"Twenty-three confirmed. There may be more."
"Can the fire department reach them?"
"Not through the main road."
"Then find another route."
"We've been looking, Captain."
Tatsuchi looked toward the distant rooftops. Smoke was rising above the eastern district, spreading into the afternoon sky.
She could send the western team. That would leave the evacuation point with fewer guards. She could send the northern rescue group, but the people trapped in the collapsed building would have to wait longer.
Neither choice was acceptable.
She looked at the report again.
Then she noticed something.
"Who sent this?"
The guard checked the message.
"It came through the emergency network."
"That's not what I asked. Who confirmed the fire?"
The guard hesitated.
"I'll check."
"Do that."
He hurried away.
Tatsuchi turned toward the western district. The water was still moving through the lower streets, but it had begun to slow. Several evacuation workers were helping civilians cross a raised walkway.
She looked at the people waiting on the other side.
Then she looked toward the smoke.
Silas was forcing them to make decisions with incomplete information. If they continued accepting every report at face value, he'd be able to direct their forces wherever he wanted.
She'd known that for a while.
But recognizing the game didn't mean she could simply refuse to play.
There were people in those buildings.
There were people waiting for help.
And Silas knew it.
Tatsuchi handed the report back.
"Don't send anyone yet. I want confirmation from someone physically at the location."
"Understood."
"And tell the other teams to verify their information before requesting additional support. No more responding to unconfirmed reports without checking first."
The guard nodded.
Tatsuchi looked toward the city again.
It was a small change. It wouldn't solve the situation, and it wouldn't bring their scattered forces back together. But it gave them something they'd been missing since the first incident.
A moment to think.
---
Zhenyu had stopped looking at the map.
He was looking at an old message.
It had been buried beneath the newer reports, mixed in with the information he'd received from the city. The message itself wasn't important. It was the name attached to it that had caught his attention.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
The room was noisy. Someone was speaking into a communications device near the opposite wall. Another Gate Guard was asking for updated instructions. The electrical lights flickered overhead.
Zhenyu heard none of it clearly.
His attention had narrowed to the screen.
He remembered the feeling of being forced to wait for someone else to decide what happened next. He remembered the helplessness of watching circumstances change while everyone around him insisted they were doing the best they could. He remembered how easily a person could become a number in somebody else's report.
The memory wasn't complete.
It didn't need to be.
He locked the screen and placed the device on the table.
Asumi noticed the change in his expression.
"Zhenyu?"
"I'm going out."
"Where?"
"To find Silas."
"That's not a plan."
"It's the only part of the plan I can do myself."
Asumi stepped in front of him.
"You can't just walk into whatever he's prepared."
"I'm not planning to."
"Then what are you planning?"
Zhenyu reached for his headphones, then stopped before putting them on.
"He's been watching how everyone else responds. I want to know what he does when someone stops following the instructions."
Asumi looked at him for a moment.
"You're going to confront him alone?"
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Zhenyu moved around her.
"Keep the second strategy in place. If the reports start coming in again, don't send everyone chasing them. Confirm the locations first. Make him work for every response."
"And if he doesn't show?"
Zhenyu paused at the doorway.
"Then we learn something else."
He left before she could argue.
---
Silas was waiting near the old botanical courtyard.
The place had once been part of a public garden. Its stone walkways were cracked, and most of the plants had been left to grow without anyone tending them. A few trees still stood along the outer wall, their branches reaching over the courtyard and casting long shadows across the ground.
Zhenyu found him beside a dry fountain.
Silas didn't look surprised.
"You're late."
Zhenyu stopped several paces away.
"I wasn't aware we had an appointment."
"We didn't."
Silas glanced toward the city. Smoke was still visible beyond the rooftops, and the distant sound of emergency crews carried across the courtyard.
"Busy day."
"You're responsible."
"That's a rather broad accusation."
"Then make it a narrow one. You've been arranging emergencies across the city, forcing the Gate Guards to divide their forces and react to every new report. You're not trying to take Vallcera. You're trying to see how much pressure it takes before we start making mistakes."
Silas turned back toward him.
"You're giving me too much credit."
"Am I?"
"People make mistakes without anyone arranging them. Cities fall apart without needing a special reason. Sometimes all it takes is a little pressure."
Zhenyu's expression didn't change.
"That's convenient."
Silas smiled faintly.
"Isn't it?"
The two stood in silence for a moment.
Zhenyu studied him. He'd expected Silas to deny everything, or perhaps attempt to redirect the conversation. Instead, the man seemed perfectly comfortable discussing the situation. He wasn't even pretending to be concerned about the civilians caught in the middle.
That bothered Zhenyu more than an outright threat would've.
"You could've attacked us directly," Zhenyu said. "You had opportunities."
"Would that have been more satisfying?"
"It would've been easier to understand."
"Then perhaps that's why I didn't."
Zhenyu's hands tightened slightly.
Silas noticed.
"You're angry."
"You're putting people in danger."
"And you're standing here talking to me instead of helping them."
Zhenyu didn't answer.
Silas tilted his head.
"How many people did you leave behind to come here?"
"Enough."
"That's an interesting answer."
"You wanted me to come."
"Did I?"
"You wanted someone to notice."
Silas's expression shifted, almost imperceptibly.
Zhenyu continued.
"You've been making sure we see the consequences of every decision. You want us to think about the people we couldn't save. You want us to start questioning whether our choices are worth making."
"Perhaps you're beginning to understand."
"No. I think you're counting on us to feel responsible for things we couldn't control."
Silas looked at him for a long moment.
Then he laughed quietly.
"You're not as detached as you pretend to be."
Zhenyu said nothing.
"You've spent the entire day looking at reports, haven't you? Names, locations, numbers. You've been trying to find a pattern because you believe that if you understand the situation well enough, you can prevent it from happening again."
Silas stepped away from the fountain.
"But you can't protect everyone, Zhenyu."
The words settled between them.
Zhenyu's expression remained still, but his thoughts had already begun moving elsewhere. Back to a time when he hadn't known what to do. Back to the same feeling he'd spent years trying not to revisit.
Silas had no right to speak as though he understood.
"You don't know anything about me."
"Don't I?"
"No."
"Then why did you come here?"
Zhenyu stared at him.
Silas's smile faded.
"Because you recognized something."
For the first time, Zhenyu struggled to find an immediate response.
He hated that Silas had noticed. He hated that the man had managed to reach past the careful distance Zhenyu usually kept between himself and other people. There were things he preferred not to think about, and there were memories he didn't discuss unless he had a reason.
He hadn't come here to talk about himself.
He'd come because Silas was responsible for what was happening in Vallcera.
"Whatever happened before," Silas continued, "you're still trying to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Zhenyu's jaw tightened.
"Stop talking."
"Does it bother you when someone notices?"
"I said stop."
Silas watched him carefully.
Zhenyu took a breath and looked toward the city. He could still hear the distant activity of the rescue teams. The sound reminded him why he'd come.
He wasn't going to let Silas turn this into something personal.
Not because the past didn't matter.
Because the people currently waiting for help mattered more.
"You've made one mistake," Zhenyu said.
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"You think I'm here because I want to understand you. I don't. I came because I wanted to see whether you'd keep talking once someone stopped playing along."
"And?"
"You're still talking."
Zhenyu looked at him again.
"Which means you're not finished."
Silas's expression became difficult to read.
Zhenyu continued. "You haven't committed your forces. You haven't tried to eliminate us. You haven't even made a serious attempt to stop our investigation. You're keeping us busy, but you're leaving the actual objective untouched."
"Perhaps there is no objective."
"There's always an objective."
"Spoken like someone who needs everything to have a purpose."
Zhenyu didn't respond.
Silas looked toward the fountain.
"Tell me, what happens when your new strategy fails?"
Zhenyu's eyes narrowed.
Silas had noticed.
Of course he had.
The second strategy was still taking shape. It wasn't a complete solution, and Zhenyu hadn't expected it to be. But it gave them a way to stop wasting their strength on every false report. It would force Silas to make decisions of his own if he wanted to keep directing their movements.
That was the part Zhenyu hadn't explained to anyone.
He wanted to know what Silas would protect.
"Then we'll adjust," Zhenyu said.
Silas smiled again.
"That's all?"
"That's enough."
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Then Silas stepped aside, leaving the path behind him unobstructed.
"Go back to your friends, Zhenyu. Your city needs you."
Zhenyu didn't trust the gesture.
He watched Silas for another second before turning away.
"One more thing," Silas called.
Zhenyu stopped.
"You're right about one thing. I'm not finished."
Zhenyu looked over his shoulder.
Silas's attention had shifted toward the far side of the courtyard.
"And neither is he."
---
Tatsuchi arrived at the command post shortly after Zhenyu returned.
The first thing she noticed was that the map had changed.
Several of the markers had been moved, and a new set of notes had been placed beside them. The response teams were no longer assigned solely according to the latest emergency reports. Instead, Zhenyu had separated confirmed incidents from unverified ones, allowing the Gate Guards to respond without abandoning every other responsibility.
It wasn't a perfect solution.
But it was a start.
"Where were you?" Tatsuchi asked.
"Meeting Silas."
Her expression hardened.
"You found him?"
"Yeah."
"And?"
"He wanted me to know that he's not finished."
Tatsuchi studied his face. "Did he tell you anything useful?"
"Not directly."
"Then why go?"
"Because I wanted to see what he'd do when someone confronted him."
"And?"
Zhenyu glanced at the map.
"He let me leave."
Tatsuchi didn't look satisfied with that answer.
"That's supposed to mean something?"
"I think he wanted me to."
She crossed her arms.
"Zhenyu, if he knows we're changing our response, he'll adapt. We can't assume this strategy will work just because it gives us more time."
"I know."
"Then what did you learn?"
Zhenyu was quiet for a moment.
"He's not interested in destroying the city."
Tatsuchi looked at him.
"How can you be sure?"
"Because he keeps giving us opportunities to respond. He's making us choose where to send people, but he hasn't committed himself to anything that would force us into a direct confrontation. If destruction were the goal, there'd be no reason to keep us guessing."
"Then what does he want?"
"I don't know yet."
Tatsuchi turned toward the map.
"Whatever it is, we can't let him keep doing this."
"No."
Zhenyu moved one of the markers.
"That's why we need to stop treating every emergency like an isolated incident. We confirm what's real, keep our routes open, and make sure our teams aren't being pulled away without a reason. If Silas wants us to react, we'll make him account for what happens when we don't."
Tatsuchi examined the new assignments.
"And the incidents we can't confirm?"
"We monitor them. We don't ignore them, but we don't throw people into danger just because someone tells us to."
She nodded slowly.
It wasn't the answer she'd wanted, but it was the answer they needed.
For the first time that day, the Gate Guards were beginning to make decisions instead of chasing them.
---
The sun had begun to sink behind Vallcera's rooftops.
The city remained unsettled. Smoke still drifted above the eastern district, and the western streets were far from dry. Rescue workers continued moving between the damaged buildings while Gate Guards escorted the remaining civilians toward safer areas.
Tatsuchi stood near the command post, reviewing the latest reports.
Zhenyu was beside her, though his attention had wandered toward the opposite side of the street.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
He looked away.
"No."
Tatsuchi returned to the report.
"Then get some rest when you can. We don't know how long this is going to last."
Zhenyu nodded.
He checked his device one more time, then glanced around the street.
Ichirou wasn't there.
He'd been nearby earlier, but Zhenyu couldn't remember the last time he'd actually seen him. The thought was brief, almost insignificant, and he returned his attention to the reports.
A few minutes passed.
Then Tatsuchi looked toward the group.
"Has anyone seen Ichirou?"
Nobody answered immediately.
She turned to one of the nearby Gate Guards.
"Check the surrounding area. He might've gone ahead."
The guard nodded and left.
Tatsuchi waited.
The next report arrived before he returned.
Then another.
By the time the guard came back, the light had begun to fade.
"We couldn't find him, Captain."
Tatsuchi looked toward the street.
"Where did you search?"
"Near the command post and the surrounding buildings. Nobody's seen him leave."
Zhenyu checked his device.
There were no messages.
No indication that Ichirou had been assigned elsewhere.
He looked toward the road leading out of the district.
"Maybe he went after Silas."
Tatsuchi's expression changed.
"Why would he do that without telling us?"
Zhenyu didn't have an answer.
They began searching the nearby streets.
The area around the command post was quieter now. Most of the civilians had been moved, and the remaining Gate Guards were occupied with the ongoing rescue efforts. The buildings cast long shadows across the road, making it difficult to see beyond the pools of light coming from the streetlamps.
Tatsuchi checked the nearby alleys.
Nothing.
Zhenyu searched the opposite side of the street, looking for any sign that Ichirou had passed through. He found a few footprints in the dust, but they disappeared near a damaged wall.
Then he noticed something near the entrance of a narrow passage.
A faint orange glow.
"Captain."
Tatsuchi turned toward him.
Zhenyu approached the wall carefully. Something had been left on the ground beside it.
A flower.
Its petals were narrow and vivid, their color somewhere between orange and red. The edges curled slightly in the heat. A small flame burned at its center, yet the surrounding pavement remained untouched.
Tatsuchi stopped beside him.
"What is that?"
Zhenyu didn't answer.
He recognized the flower.
A montbretia.
The flame shifted gently, almost like it was moving with the wind. But there was no wind in the narrow passage.
Tatsuchi crouched, studying it without touching it.
"Was this here before?"
"I don't know."
She looked toward the passage.
"Search the area."
The nearby Gate Guards spread out, checking the surrounding buildings and alleys. Tatsuchi remained beside the flower, her eyes moving between the burning petals and the empty passage.
There was no sign of Ichirou.
No message.
No explanation.
Only the flower.
Zhenyu looked down at it again.
The reports, the emergencies, the confrontation with Silas. All of it had happened within the same stretch of time, and now Ichirou had disappeared without anyone noticing when he'd left.
He thought about Silas's final words.
And neither is he.
Tatsuchi stood.
"Zhenyu."
He looked at her.
"Do you think Silas did this?"
Zhenyu watched the flame.
"I don't know."
It was the truth, and he hated that it was all he had.
The flower continued to burn.
Somewhere beyond the passage, Vallcera's emergency bells rang again.