The roads out of Athen had been cleared, but only barely. Snowbanks still loomed on both sides, like watchful giants carved from ice. The military vehicles moved in a slow convoy, engines grumbling beneath their armored shells. Every now and then, one would cough and sputter before trudging forward again.
Inside one of the transport trucks, Unit 9 sat packed between civilians and supplies. The cold crept in through cracks in the metal, curling around their feet and numbing their fingertips.
Ashen sat near the back, closest to the tail ramp. His eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, or what little of it he could see through the fogged rear window. He didn't speak, but neither did he sleep.
Kerr broke the silence first. "I think my nose froze off an hour ago. Anyone wanna check if it's still attached?"
"Still ugly. You're fine," Lin muttered, hugging a woolen blanket closer.
"Thank the stars for that," Kerr sighed. "Wouldn't want to die pretty."
Sera, seated beside a child wrapped in borrowed military fabric, murmured, "Try to be serious for five minutes."
"I'm serious enough to freeze my butt off. That count?"
Ashen turned slightly. "We're halfway to the temporary camp. Then another checkpoint before they decide where the evacuees go."
Raynar, who had remained silent so far, said, "They'll split them up. Based on health, skill, use."
"That sounds... efficient," Elira said flatly.
"It's how it works."
There was no arguing with it. Ashen knew Raynar wasn't just stating facts. He was preparing them.
The boy from Athen sat between his mother and an older man who had joined them late. His face was hidden under a thick scarf, but his eyes were alert. He seemed to watch everything and everyone, as though memorizing each detail.
He caught Ashen's glance and gave a small nod.
Elira leaned close. "He's watching you again."
"I know."
"You okay with that?"
Ashen nodded. "He just wants to believe someone will protect him."
---
Outside, the snow had stopped, but ice clung to everything. Trees looked like glass sculptures. Fences cracked beneath weight they weren't built to bear. The path behind them was barely visible, fading into white.
They stopped at a midway checkpoint—an abandoned outpost hastily repurposed. Soldiers waved them through, scanned for illnesses, checked headcounts.
It was colder there.
Inside the command tent, Lieutenant Grey was speaking with General Veron. Their tones were low, but sharp.
Sera whispered to Elira, "What's he doing here again? I thought this was beneath a general."
"Rumors say he volunteered."
"Why would someone like him volunteer?"
Raynar interjected without looking at them. "Because sometimes the rot in the capital smells worse than frozen death in the outskirts."
That silenced them.
Ashen stood away from the others, watching the people being led into temporary shelters. Some were coughing. A few were limping. But most were just silent.
The boy stood beside him again.
"My mother keeps asking me if we'll be okay."
Ashen didn't look at him. "What do you say?"
"I say yes. Because you're still standing."
Ashen turned to face him. The boy's scarf had slipped, revealing chapped lips and a determined expression.
"You remember a lot, don't you?"
The boy smiled faintly. "Only the things I want to keep."
Sera called out from behind. "Ashen, we're moving again."
Ashen nodded. "Stay close."
"I always do."
---
The next phase of the journey was slower. The convoy had split into three parts. One headed north to a central refuge point, another veered east. Unit 9 stayed with the largest group, moving west toward the regional capital.
It was dusk when they arrived at the next camp. Tents flapped in the wind. Fires were few, rationed tightly. Children cried. A woman fainted.
Ashen helped carry her to the medical tent.
The doctor there looked exhausted. "Malnutrition, dehydration. We're short on supplies. Again."
Ashen frowned. "Is there nothing we can do?"
"Unless you can manifest food from thin air... no."
Later that night, around a weak fire, Unit 9 sat huddled together.
Kerr shared dried meat sticks with Lin. "Not as bad as rations. Still tastes like regret."
Lin took a bite and winced. "Tastes like regret's older brother."
Sera didn't eat. She sat holding her knees, eyes half-lidded.
"You alright?" Elira asked.
Sera looked up. "I was supposed to understand my people. I thought I did."
No one answered. There wasn't anything to say.
Ashen finally spoke. "You can still learn. So can we."
Sera nodded. Her voice was hoarse. "I'm trying."
The boy approached again. He handed her a torn cloth with some melted snow.
"For your face," he said.
Sera blinked. "Thank you."
He turned to Ashen. "Tomorrow... will we be okay?"
Ashen looked at the sky. No snow yet, but the clouds were heavy again.
"We'll try. That's all we can promise."
The boy smiled. "Then that's enough."
---
They slept in shifts that night. Ashen barely closed his eyes. In the quiet, with only the wind and the occasional cough, he thought about Athen. About its buried beauty. About its people.
And he wondered—when this was all over, would any of them go back?
---