Ampelius stirred awake to the dull light of dusk, his muscles stiff from the way he’d slept on the couch. The stillness in the apartment made the air feel heavier than usual as he took a few deep breaths.

  The afternoon sun was already dipping below the distant horizon, which was leaving the apartment washed in dim gray light. The shadows stretched across the walls, as the last of the daylight clung on like a memory that wouldn’t let go. Ampelius blinked his eyes several times against the half-light and pushed himself in an upright position. From the open window came the hum of city traffic, and the voices drifting up from the street, with the occasional clatter from a nearby alley.

  He rubbed his eyes and dragged a hand through his messy hair, blinking away the haze that still clung from sleep. He noticed that the city outside sounded quieter than usual, at least for this time of the evening.

  Then the phone rang. The sharp sound cut through the apartment, jolting him fully awake, sending his heart racing. He rose and crossed the room, with each step hesitant as if he were bracing for bad news.

  He picked up the receiver on the third ring, bringing it to his ear with unease. "Hello?" he answered, his voice still thick from sleep but edged with caution.

  “Ampelius, is Emmett still there?” Bella's voice crackled through the line, filled with concern.

  “No, he left the apartment a few hours ago. I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I thought he was meeting you?” Ampelius replied, his voice tightening as his mind began running through possibilities.

  “Yeah, he was. I tried to call earlier to see where he was, but nobody answered. I’m just a little worried, that's all. I thought he’d be here by now,” she said, her words faltering slightly, revealing her growing anxiety.

  “Well, give him a few more hours. He has a lot of friends around here; maybe he got caught up in a conversation with one of them. Or better yet, he's at the bar—you know how he is with those friends. Try not to worry too much,” Ampelius said, forcing a light tone though a knot of unease was forming in his stomach.

  “If that’s what he’s doing, I wish he would have told me first. He’s usually good about letting me know, at least when he's off work. Plus, we agreed to meet at my place tonight,” she said, her voice rising with concern, the worry now clear.

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Bella. It’s not like we can carry handhelds around. If he returns here, I’ll have him call you,” Ampelius replied, trying to sound reassuring, even as his own worry deepened.

  Ampelius knew Emmett wasn’t the type to disappear without checking in. His time in the local levy had left him a bit cautious, as he was always weighing risks before doing anything.

  “Thank you. But tell him I’ll kill him myself if he pulls this stunt again. I’ll drag us both to hell,” Bella said, her frustration clear, though a hint of humor undercut her anger.

  “Of course! I’ll pass along the message that if you end up in hell, he’ll be tagging along for the ride," Ampelius replied with a chuckle. "Now relax, get ready for the trip, watch something on TV, or do whatever you need to do to keep busy, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay, you’re right. I’ll watch TV to keep myself preoccupied. Thank you,” Bella said, her tone softening though the worry still lingered beneath.

  The line went dead as Ampelius set the receiver back in its place. He told himself that his cousin was fine, and that he was very resourceful man that could easily handle this city better than most. Still, the doubt lingered in such a way he couldn’t quite shake it.

  He wandered into the kitchen for a glass of cold water. He drank it all in one go, then poured another, and another, until the dryness in his throat finally eased. He let out a long breath before dropping back onto the couch. The quiet seemed to press in on him, as it was heavier now with the uncertainty he couldn’t shake.

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  Ampelius sank into the cushions and flipped through the channels, trying to distract himself, but nothing on the screen held his attention. That nagging weight in his gut refused to let go.

  Nearly an hour slipped by before the phone rang again. He glanced at the clock, startled. Who would be calling at this hour? He’d just stepped out of the bathroom and missed it, but the ringing came again almost immediately, echoing through the apartment with an edge that set his nerves on edge.

  This time the ringing carried an edge that made his pulse quicken. Each chime pressed harder on his nerves until he snatched up the receiver.

  “I swear to the goddess, if it’s you again, Bella,” he muttered under his breath before raising it to his ear.

  “Hello?” he said, his tone caught somewhere between irritation and worry.

  On the other end, Bella was sobbing, her breaths coming in ragged bursts as if speaking at all took effort.

  “Something terrible has happened to Capsai! The city has been destroyed!” she cried out, her voice breaking, each word laced with panic.

  Ampelius took a moment to process her words, disbelief and confusion swirling in his mind. Destroyed? The word echoed in his thoughts, refusing to make sense.

  “Destroyed? What are you talking about? What happened?” he asked, his voice tense, his grip tightening on the receiver as dread seeped in.

  Bella was crying too hard to get the words out, her voice breaking under the strain. Behind her, a news anchor’s voice bled through the line—urgent, panicked, but the details were garbled. Ampelius gripped the receiver tighter and tried to steady her, speaking low and firm, his words meant to anchor her against the rising fear.

  “Bella, take a few deep breaths and explain what’s happening,” Ampelius said, his tone steady, trying to ground her amidst the panic.

  “Apparently, all communication to and from the city was suddenly cut off. Nobody has seen or heard from anyone there since. Oh, now the news is talking about a hiker who was on a nearby mountain and claimed to have witnessed the devastation as it happened. Allegedly, he recorded it and handed his camera over to the authorities,” she managed to say between sobs, her breath hitching as she fought to stay calm.

  Ampelius froze, his mind racing to make sense of it. Fear and frustration churned in his chest, his pulse climbing with every second.

  “So what is this? An attack? A natural disaster? Have they shown anything yet, such footage?” he asked, his voice tight, straining for clarity.

  “No, not yet. They have no idea what’s happening. They’re trying to gather information and get a view of the city from the air, but the military has sealed off the airspace and set up roadblocks on all routes to the city. I’ve even heard fighters flying overhead,” Bella said, her voice trembling, each word steeped in fear.

  "Something serious must be going on if the military locked everything down. I do know that the Iron Vandals operate within that city, its possible they made a move?” Ampelius said, though even to his own ears it sounded unlikely. Deep down, he couldn’t shake the sense that something far bigger was happening.

  “To this scale? I doubt it. They wouldn’t destroy an entire city like that. They want independence, not full-on destruction. The hiker explained that the whole city was on fire and that some sort of glowing blue orb was scattered across the sky. Those lights must be our military; they said they sealed the airspace, right?” Bella countered, her skepticism clear.

  “I mean, it could be. Maybe those lights are flares?” Ampelius speculated though he felt increasingly unsure, the uncertainty gnawing at him.

  “I’m unsure of everything right now,” Bella admitted, her voice wavering, a fragile note of desperation breaking through.

  “You still haven’t heard from Emmett, have you?” Ampelius asked, his concern for his cousin growing, the question hanging heavy between them.

  “No, and I’m becoming extremely worried now,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

  The roar of a fighter jet tore past the apartment, rattling the walls with a low flyby. Ampelius stepped to the window, scanning the sky, but the jet was already gone. Only the echo of its passing as it faded away.

  “I think that was one of the Roman fighters,” he said, his voice tight. “Had to be low, sounded like it was flying between the buildings. I couldn’t see it as it was moving too damn fast.”

  He stepped back from the window, the receiver pressed hard against his ear. “Grab the essentials and get here as soon as you can. We’ve got to find Emmett before the military locks the city down.”

  Bella let out a shaky breath before promising she’d head over. She hung up with a soft click, and Ampelius lowered the receiver. He went back over to the window and stared into the darkening sky. He felt a tightening in his chest as questions stacked up faster than he could push them aside. Whatever was happening out there, it sure as hell wasn’t normal.