Fragments of Dawn

Chapter 24: The Hunters in the Dark

The silence after the battle was deafening.

Kai lay on the fractured ground, staring at the blood-red sky. His body ached, his muscles burned, and his vision was still hazy from the energy Ava had flooded through him. Every breath felt like fire in his lungs.

She had left.

Not out of mercy.

Out of certainty.

She didn’t think he could fight anymore.

She didn’t think he was worth finishing off.

The realization twisted inside him like a knife.

Kai clenched his fists. His fingers trembled, but not from pain—from frustration. He had pushed himself further than ever before, yet it still wasn’t enough. Ava had toyed with him, overpowering him at every turn.

But she was wrong about one thing.

He wasn’t done.

Not yet.

A sharp cough broke his focus.

Kai turned his head, his pulse spiking. A figure was slumped against a pile of rubble a few meters away. A survivor? One of Ava’s warriors? No—this person was alone.

He forced himself onto his hands and knees, crawling toward the wounded figure. As he got closer, his breath hitched.

It was Juno.

Her jacket was torn, blood staining the fabric. Her arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and her breathing was shallow.

“Juno.” His voice was hoarse.

Her eyelids fluttered. “...Kai?”

A mix of relief and concern flooded through him. He reached out, pressing two fingers to her neck. Her pulse was weak but steady.

“You’re alive,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

Juno’s lips twitched into a weak smirk. “Damn... right I am.”

Kai exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “What the hell happened to you?”

Juno tried to sit up but winced, collapsing back against the rubble. “Took a bad hit.” She gritted her teeth. “Some bastards from the Iron Fangs ambushed me. Barely made it out.”

Kai’s jaw tightened. The Iron Fangs. Another faction that had been growing bolder recently. They were scavengers—opportunists who struck whenever there was weakness. If Juno had barely escaped, it meant they weren’t far behind.

He needed to move her.

Kai pressed his palm against the ground, summoning what little energy he had left. Temporal Shatter flickered around his fingertips. His body screamed in protest, but he pushed through it. He had no choice.

“We have to get out of here,” he said. “Can you walk?”

Juno let out a breathless laugh. “Not unless you rewind my damn injuries.”

Kai hesitated.@@@@

He could do that.

But after his fight with Ava, his power was unstable. If he overused it now, he could lose control—cause another fracture in time.

He clenched his jaw.

No.

He couldn’t risk it.

Instead, he hooked an arm under Juno’s shoulder and pulled her up. She groaned but didn’t complain.

“Come on,” he said. “We need to get somewhere safe before the Fangs show up.”

Juno gave a weak nod. “Lead the way.”

“Either way, we check it out.”

Kai gritted his teeth. He glanced at Juno. She wasn’t in any condition to fight. And he wasn’t at his best, either.

They had to be smart.

Kai reached for his knife, his mind already calculating the odds. There were at least three of them—maybe more. Taking them head-on was suicide.

But he didn’t have to fight them directly.

He just had to stall.

He took a slow breath, then—

He reached out with Temporal Shatter.

The world around him blurred as he touched the fabric of time itself.

Not enough to change anything.

Just enough to alter perception.

The Iron Fangs outside suddenly hesitated.

“...Wait.”

“What?”

“I thought I saw something, but—” The voice wavered. “Never mind. Must’ve been a trick of the light.”

Kai held the distortion.

It wouldn’t last forever.

Just a few more seconds.

The Fangs muttered to themselves. Then, finally—

“Let’s keep moving.”

Their footsteps faded.

Kai exhaled, releasing the energy. A wave of exhaustion hit him, but he ignored it.

They were safe.

For now.

Juno let out a breath of relief. “Remind me to buy you a drink if we ever find a bar.”

Kai smirked. “I’ll hold you to that.”

But deep down, he knew—

This was just the beginning.

The Iron Fangs were getting bolder.

Ava was getting stronger.

And the fragments’ power was still far from being fully understood.

If he wanted to survive, if he wanted to win—

He had to push himself further.

No more hesitation.

No more doubt.

Because the next time he faced Ava—

He wouldn’t just survive.

He would win.