For the first time in years, silence didn't mean danger.
It meant peace.
The Army Zone was massive—an underground city buried beneath radiation shields, powered by preserved nuclear cores and old-world tech. It had gardens sustained by artificial sunlight, labs untouched by time, and quarters meant for hundreds—now inhabited by only a few.
Alina, with Aurora nestled in her arms, wandered the corridors with Kai. The sound of their footsteps echoed softly as they passed long-abandoned rooms filled with dusty memories. Every corner held stories: training halls where soldiers once learned to fight, medical wings now turned into peaceful nurseries, and simulation pods that showed glimpses of Earth before the fall.
Ethan and Elena spent their mornings with Aurora, studying the strange fluctuations in her energy. The light she emitted came in pulses—growing stronger when she was calm, flickering when she cried. Ethan believed it was tied to her emotions, while Elena feared it was something deeper. Something she inherited from the ancient mutation.
But they didn't press her. They gave her space. They gave Alina space.
For Alina, those days felt surreal.
"I don't remember feeling safe," she said one evening, lying beside Kai on the old helipad under the artificial stars. "Not like this. Not since I was a kid."
Kai took her hand. "You're still a kid in a lot of ways."
She smiled weakly. "Not after everything."
"I know."
They were silent for a while, then Kai turned toward her. "You're doing an amazing job, you know. With her."
"She saved me too," Alina whispered. "She's… everything."
Down in the common halls, Lyra had begun reconnecting with Ethan and Elena, trying to rebuild the trust she shattered. She brought gifts for Aurora—handmade toys, coded lullabies on old music chips. Elena didn't fully trust her yet, but she let her near. One step at a time.
One night, Aurora cried uncontrollably. No fever, no hunger. Just raw, wild energy pouring from her. Lights shorted. Screens cracked. And in the midst of the chaos, Alina rocked her and sang a lullaby.
The energy calmed.
The lights returned.
And everyone looked at each other with the same realization:
Aurora wasn't just the key to peace…
She was the balance between destruction and light.