POV: ElaraThe safe house felt smaller every day.At first, the apartment had seemed secure. It was hidden in an ordinary neighborhood, surrounded by aging buildings and narrow streets that attracted little attention. Now it felt like a trap.The silence was the worst part.No gunfire, no explosions.No emergency calls.Just silence.Aether City had gone quiet, and that scared Elara more than chaos ever could.It was a heavy, suffocating quiet that pressed against her eardrums. In a city built on the constant hum of neon signs, distant sirens, and the perpetual rumble of underground transit, this sudden stillness felt unnatural. It was the absolute hush that falls over a forest right before a predator strikes. The air itself felt thick, trapped inside the small apartment, holding its breath alongside her.She stood at the narrow kitchen counter, wiping the same section of steel for the third time. The rag moved back and forth mechanically while her thoughts raced.Something was wrong.
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