The Call to Ashborn

Kael said goodbye to Alina in the ruins of an old petrol station that had long since become their makeshift shelter. The once-functional building had been hollowed out by time and war, its walls cracked and scorched, the faded remnants of old-world advertisements still clinging to the metal siding. Over the years, they had patched up the worst of the damage—stacking scavenged scrap metal to reinforce the entrance, draping tattered tarps over the shattered windows to block the wind and keep their small fire hidden at night.

At first, it had been just a temporary refuge, a place to sleep before moving on, but as the weeks stretched into months, it had become something more. They had carved out a semblance of home within the ruin’s bones—a wooden crate served as a table, a pile of blankets and salvaged cushions as their bedding. Alina had even found an old lantern and hung it from a rusted beam, its flickering glow the only warmth on the coldest nights.

Now, standing there in the dim morning light, Kael saw the truth of it: this wasn’t just shelter anymore. It was hers.

She had worked to make it safe, to make it livable. And now he was leaving it behind. Leaving her behind.

Alina stood by the doorway, arms crossed over her thin frame. She tried to look strong, but Kael could see the fear beneath the mask. She had heard the same rumors he had—the ones whispered between survivors when they traded supplies in the ruins.

No one who joined Ashborn ever came back.

Not because they abandoned their loved ones, but because the war swallowed them whole.

Alina’s fingers clenched into fists. “You don’t have to do this,” she said, her voice quieter than before, almost pleading.

Kael swallowed hard, forcing himself to meet her gaze. “I do,” he said. “If I don’t, nothing will ever change.”

She exhaled sharply, blinking hard, as if trying to fight off the fear threatening to take hold. “Then promise me,” she whispered, her voice barely above the wind rustling through the broken walls. “Promise me you’ll come back.”

Kael hesitated.

It was a promise he wanted to make. But could he? He had spent his whole life avoiding death, running from it like a shadow always at his back. But this was different. This wasn’t running. This was stepping into the fire.

Still, he reached out, gripping her shoulders firmly. “I’ll do everything I can.” It wasn’t a promise. But it was the truth.

Alina’s face twisted with emotion, but before she could say anything more, the deep rumble of an approaching vehicle filled the air. The Ashborn transport appeared on the horizon, its battered frame kicking up dust as it rolled closer. The moment had come.

Kael pulled away and grabbed his pack. With one last glance at their home—her home—he turned and stepped toward the road. The heavy metal doors of the transport groaned open, revealing the grim-faced recruiters waiting inside.

As Kael climbed aboard, he looked back one last time.

Alina stood in the doorway, watching him leave.

And though she didn’t say it, Kael could feel the unspoken words in the air, lingering between them.

Goodbye.