Chapter 4

"Aurora, come back here!" Julian's voice was on the verge of breaking.

I stepped onto the bus without a word. The moment the doors slid shut, Julian's desperate shouting was cut off, like a string snapped in midair.

Through the window, his figure grew smaller and smaller as the bus pulled away.

Gabriel saw the shards in my palm and sighed sympathetically. He gave my shoulder a reassuring pat. "Once we get to the Raviah Desert Region, you can check with the organizers—maybe they still have the original negatives."

I nodded, a flicker of hope igniting in my chest.

Then,…