The wind shifted.
Not just the normal, aimless whisper of the Wastes—it moved with intent, brushing across Cael's cheek like a cold breath. The kind that made your instincts crawl.
He gripped his knife tighter and backed into the shadows of a crumbled pillar. His System pinged faintly again:
> Oblivion's Whisper – Passive activated.
Detected: Residual echo… not hostile.
Listening…
He held his breath.
Footsteps.
Light, deliberate. The crunch of ash under boots. Someone moved through the ruins with the confidence of someone who'd been here before—or someone who knew how to survive.
Then he saw her.
She stepped from the gloom like a blade unsheathed: tall, lean, and cloaked in a long coat of deep brown leather, the edges stitched with crimson thread. Her skin was a striking copper shade, smooth and dusted with ash. Her arms—bare from the elbow down—were marked with silver lines that shimmered faintly in the gray light. Not tattoos. Not scars. Veil markings.
Her eyes met his—burning amber, almost gold—and Cael's breath caught.
Her white hair was braided down her back, tied with what looked like black twine. Strands had come loose, brushing across her face as she scanned the ruins like a wolf tracking prey. At her hip, a curved dagger rested in a sheath carved with runes.
She didn't look surprised to see him. Just annoyed.
"Drop the blade," she said coolly.
Cael didn't move.
"I said—"
"I heard you."
They stared at each other for a long moment, the silence thick with tension.
Then, without warning, she tossed something at his feet. He flinched—until he realized it was a half-rotted fruit, bruised but edible. His stomach growled on instinct.
"You've been here a while," she said. "I could smell you before I saw you."
"You always greet strangers with food and insults?"
"Only the ones who look half-dead and too stupid to hide their trail."
Cael looked down at the fruit, then back up at her. "You a scavenger?"
"No," she said. "I'm looking for someone."
"Yeah? Who?"
She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Someone like you."
Cael's grip on his knife tightened.