Chapter 5

The motorcycle roared like a wounded animal, cutting through the night at insane speed. Behind her, the lights multiplied—four, five, maybe six pursuers. And all of them armed.

The first shot whizzed past Aurora's ear, shattering a piece of the lamppost just ahead.

She screamed.

“Where are we going?!”

No answer.

“Can you hear me?! What the hell is going on?!”

More shots. The man in front of her—eyes like thunder, jaw clenched—brutally tilted the motorcycle to the left. They almost touched the ground. The motorcycle tore up the sidewalk, skidding through trash, debris, and smoke.

Aurora held on tightly to his body, her chest pressed against his muscular back, but there was no safety there. Only fear. And the certainty that she could die at any moment.

“There's no escape! They're everywhere!”

“Then shut up and pray.”

His voice was cold. Hard. Without a hint of comfort.

She bit her lip until it bled.

Another explosion. A bright shot hit a parked car next to them, turning it into a ball of fire. Glass, smoke, twisted metal.

The motorcycle drove over the sidewalk, jumped a step, and almost hit a tree.

Aurora looked back.

Two men on black motorcycles were following closely behind. One of them had his face covered with a metal mask. The other, for a second—just a second—looked like Kaio.

“No, it can't be...”

She blinked. Blinked again.

The figure had already disappeared behind the smoke. But the chill in her stomach didn't go away.

Kaio couldn't be there.

And if he was... why was he shooting at her?

“Did you see that?! Was that— was that Kaio?!”

The man didn't answer.

Aurora hit him hard on the shoulder, irritated.

“You owe me answers, you bastard!”

He jerked the motorcycle sharply to the right, almost knocking them both off.

“If you hit again, I'll let you go.”

“You already let me go! I don't even know who you are!”

More shots. One of them passed inches from her leg, cutting the fabric of her pants.

She screamed and cowered. He just accelerated.

The next turn was so sharp that they grazed a fire hydrant. Water exploded into the air, covering the street like fog.

They flew past. The motorcycle almost overturned, but he maintained control. Barely. By a hair.

“You're going to kill us!” Aurora yelled.

“If you shut up, maybe I'll keep you alive.”

His tone was crueler than necessary. As if her presence irritated him deeply.

Aurora wanted to hit him. She wanted to jump off the motorcycle. But her fear of dying was greater. Everything hurt. Her arms, her throat, her heart.

And the question: why were they after her?

Another explosion. The two dived under a narrow bridge. One of the pursuers' motorcycles tried to follow them and exploded in the middle of the passage, blocking the path of the others for precious seconds.

He seized the chance. He rode the motorcycle up a side staircase, crossed an empty square, and sped down an alley.

The tires skidded on the wet asphalt, Aurora slipped sideways, but he held her with one hand, too tightly, leaving his fingers marked on her arm.

“You're going to break my arm!”

“Would you rather die?”

Aurora bit back a scream.

The engine roared again. The street ahead was empty. For a moment, just one, it seemed they had escaped.

But she knew—this was far from over.

The roar of the motorcycle ceased with a sharp crack.

Aurora barely waited for her feet to touch the ground. She jumped out, her body still trembling with adrenaline, and started walking in the opposite direction—toward the distant lights of the city.

“What do you think you're doing?!”

His voice was filled with rage. Heavy footsteps behind her. Before she could take a third step, an arm pulled her back with force.

“Are you crazy? Do you want to die? If it weren't for who I am, I'd kill you right now.”

Aurora turned her body, her chest heaving, her eyes burning with the urge to cry. But she didn't give in. She lifted her chin.

“And who am I, huh?! Tell me. Because so far I've only been kidnapped, chased, almost killed. And you? Who are you?!”

Thales snorted. He ran his hands through his dark hair, exasperated, as if arguing with her was harder than surviving a hunt.

“Thales,” he said at last. His voice was heavy with frustration. “My name is Thales. Are you satisfied now, princess?”

“Thales,” she repeated. The name sounded strange, but familiar.

His eyes met hers. For a second, everything stopped.

Again, that feeling—like an electric current running through Aurora from the inside out. It was as if the air had become denser. As if the world around them had disappeared. Just the two of them. Just that.

Thales looked away first. He swallowed hard. Then he turned away impatiently.

“We don't have time for this. We need to go now.”

“Look here, Thales,” she said firmly. “I appreciate you saving me. I really do. But I'm not going anywhere with you. I need to go back. I need to find my mother.”

He let out a dry, humorless laugh and shook his head.

“Your mother... I know.”

The tone of disdain was like a slap. Aurora took a step back, but Thales advanced. Ignoring her resistance, he grabbed her by the arm again.

It was then that Aurora realized: his eyes were fixed on the sky.

Thales muttered something. Strange words, fast, like a language she had never heard before. From his jacket pocket, he took out a small, opaque, dark stone wrapped in metal wires.

Before Aurora could ask, he threw the stone up with force.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

But then—the air crackled.

A few meters away from them, in the empty air, a whirlwind appeared out of nowhere. As if the sky had torn apart. The wind swirled furiously, pulling dust, leaves, energy. A real cyclone, materialized without warning.

Aurora screamed.

Instinct screamed louder. She tried to run. She tried to escape.

But Thales grabbed her by the waist. She fought, struggled with all her might, her hair whipping her face.

“You're crazy! You're going to kill us! If you want to die, go alone!”

Thales looked at her.

And smiled.

A crooked smile. Almost... resigned.

“No, princess. From now on, there's no turning back.”

His eyes sparkled as he added:

“And we're in this together.”

Before she could react, the wind swallowed them up.

The ground disappeared.

The world vanished.

And Aurora was sucked, along with Thales, into the center of the storm.