Prologue

Draik sprinted through the wreckage, Candy cradled in his arms as the fog closed in, thick and ominous. His heart raced as he frantically scanned the area, searching for anything to protect her from the approaching danger. His eyes landed on an old refrigerator among the debris. Without hesitation, he skidded to a stop beside it and yanked the door open with shaky hands.

"Candy, I need you to stay here!" Draik's voice trembled as he gently placed her inside.

"What are you doing?!" Candy exclaimed, her voice laced with fear and confusion. She pushed against the cold metal walls, her eyes wide as she tried to stand. "The fog is coming, Draik. Please… don't tell me you're trying to sacrifice yourself!"

Draik avoided her gaze, his hands fumbling as he reached for something from his pocket. "I have to find Love, okay? Just stay put."

Candy's hand shot out, grabbing his arm. "No!" She pleaded, her grip tightening. Draik held her still.

"It ain't no use in both of us dyin'. Somebody's gotta warn them. I made you a promise and you know I always come good on my promises!"

"Draik!" Her voice broke. "Please don't do this."

Draik gritted his teeth, pulling free from her grasp. He threw her inside the fridge, slammed the door shut, and quickly locked it with a timer. He didn't look back as he bolted from the thickening fog, but he wasn't fast enough. A hand—cold and monstrous—grabbed his leg, and he screamed, the sound piercing through the air as he was dragged into the swirling mist. His cries echoed in Candy's mind, and inside the fridge, she sobbed uncontrollably, pounding against the walls.

Draik's body lay motionless in the foggy field, his skin torn apart as a creature gnawed at his flesh. Agony consumed him. His muscles twitched involuntarily as his skin peeled away from his arm, the creature savoring each bite. He screamed again, but there was no one left to hear him. His head lolled to the side as his life began to slip away, flashes of his past mixing with the pain.

"I spent so much time planning for the future..." he thought as his body gave in, his eyes closing for what he believed would be the final time.

A sudden jolt of movement—his foot being yanked again—pulled him back to the present, but he no longer cared. He surrendered completely.

"Only to be killed by the unthinkable and unforeseen..."

Draik's eyes snapped open, and he gasped, breathing hard. His surroundings had changed. The suffocating fog and gnawing creature were gone. Instead, he found himself lying in a bed, his heart pounding as he tried to make sense of where he was. He swung his feet to the floor, intending to stand, but his body failed him. His legs buckled, and he collapsed—but not onto the hard floor. A pair of arms caught him.

"Draik, you've gotta be careful." The voice was soft yet firm, and he found himself staring into Candy's eyes. "You're not steady yet. You lost a lot of blood."

Draik's mind was still in a haze. "Have I?"

Candy frowned at his odd soft response, usually he was so strong andstraight forward. She gently pushed him back onto the bed. "Yeah, you have." She sat beside him, her eyes filled with concern. "Draik… I know this is too soon, but I need to ask you something. Did you… did you find Love?"

Draik's heart lurched at the mention of Love, and his mind flashed back to the moment he found him.

The underground tunnels had been dark, but Draik had run toward the dim light, his heart pounding in his chest as he saw Love standing in the distance, lit up and beeping. Panic seized him.

"Love?" Draik called out, his voice trembling with hope and fear.

Love glanced back, the faintest smile on his lips. "You're always on time, every time but once," he said, his voice strained. "I guess this is that once."

"I don't understand," Draik whispered, dread filling him.

Love sighed, shaking his head. "You know what you're looking at, Draik. Just tell yourself the truth, like you already are inside."

Draik squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. When he opened them again, they were filled with tears.

Love's expression softened. "Do me a favor." He tossed a small, red gem across the ground, and it slid to a stop at Draik's feet. "Give her my heart. She'll know what it means and what to do when she finds you."

Draik stared at the gem, his vision blurred with tears. "I promised her I'd bring you home. How can I keep my promise if—"

"You are," Love interrupted. "My body is just a shell of the robot it already was now. But this—" he pointed at the gem—"this is my heart. Who I truly am."

"Please don't do this..." Draik begged, his voice breaking.

Love smirked, the sound of their shared irony hanging between them. Not that long ago these roles had been reversed. " You've changed so much man. It's hard to even think we was ever enemies before you know...that heart is gonna fit you well man. It ain't no use in both of us dyin'. Somebody's gotta tell them it's okay now. Somebody has to take care of Candy and Will"

A growl reverberated through the tunnels, and both men turned toward the sound. Draik's heart pounded, but Love smiled, nodding at him. Draik mustered up all the strength he could to speak. "Goodbye, Heartbreaker."

Draik didn't want to leave, but his legs moved on instinct. He turned and ran, clutching the gem tightly in his hand. Behind him, the roar grew louder, followed by the heart-wrenching scream of Love's final moment.

Draik stood in front of Candy, his voice hollow. "It meant exactly what you think it meant, Candy. Please don't make me say it."

Candy's body collapsed under the weight of grief. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, her cries filling the quiet room as though her heart had shattered.

Days passed in silence, but on one dark and quiet morning, Angel woke to a deep rumbling that shook the ground beneath him. Startled, he rushed to the small, makeshift window of his container shelter and peered out. His heart dropped at the sight of the fog, rolling in like a beast ready to devour everything in its path. Panic seized him, and he hurriedly gathered what little he could before running toward the dim light of another room.

Candy sat in the corner, her body frail, her head resting on her knees. Angel hadn't seen her in days, and now, her appearance shocked him.

"Candy, we have to go!" he urged, kneeling before her. She didn't move, didn't speak. "Did you hear me? The fog isn't done. We need to leave now!"

Still, she remained silent, broken.

Draik leaned closer to her face, his voice rising with urgency. "You're not gonna make it like this, Candy! You can't just give up on life. We need to go!"

Candy didn't respond, her vacant stare chilling him to the core.

Frustrated, Draik grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently. "Candy, I said we need to go! You've got two seconds to get on your feet. Now!"

Her lips barely moved, her voice hollow. "Just go, Draik… you don't have to try and save me to make yourself feel less guilty."

Draik's jaw clenched in anger. "Oh, is that what I'm doing? If I wanted that, I'd already be out the door. I wouldn't still be in here trying to get your sorry ass!"

Candy's gaze flickered with a hint of emotion, but she remained slumped, her body limp with despair. Draik's patience was wearing thin.

"On your feet, Candy!" he demanded again, his voice sharp.

She finally looked at him, eyes glassy with tears. "Just leave me, Draik. I don't want to live anymore. Let me die in peace!"

Draik's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?!" he hissed, his voice low but panicked. "You're gonna get us both killed."

Candy's voice rose, her emotions bubbling over. "JUST KILL ME! Use me like bait if that's what you really want! Just do it!" She was shaking as her voice cracked, her face contorted with anguish.

In a desperate move, Draik grabbed her by the neck squeezing it, pulling her close. Candy only smiled softly before her eyes rolled back, and she fell unconscious.

Draik's heart pounded as he caught her limp body. He cursed under his breath but didn't hesitate. With all the strength he could muster, he lifted her up and ran out of the shelter away from the fog that was now on them, threatening to consume everything. As he sprinted, the shelter behind them collapsed under the weight of an unseen attack. The creatures in the fog were growing closer, their growls reverberating in the air.

Draik's legs began to give out, his body still weak from blood loss. He stumbled, tripping over debris, and Candy rolled out of his grasp, her body hitting the ground a few feet before him. He groaned in pain, dragging himself over to her, pulling her close. The growls grew louder, circling them. His breath quickened, and he hunched over her, trying to shield her body from whatever was coming.

His teeth clenched as he braced for the inevitable, closing his eyes and preparing to meet death. But as he tightened his hold on her, Candy stirred, opening her eyes slowly. She became aware of the creatures surrounding them, her heart hammering in her chest.

Her gaze shifted to Draik's face, twisted in fear and pain, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she noticed something—a faint red glow pulsing through Draik's shirt. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized it was Love's heart.

Love's voice echoed in her mind.

"If we were ever to die together though, I'd die first… holding you this close to my heart..."

Her hands trembled as she realized somehow draik was doing exactly what Love had promised her. Was it the heart? She hugged Draik tighter, her chest heaving with sobs. "I'm sorry, Draik." she whispered. "I know you did everything you could. This is my fault. I'm so sorry…"

Draik's eyes shot open shocked at her actions, his heart aching as her words echoed through his mind. "I'm sorry too, Candy."

Suddenly, a bright light pierced through the fog, cutting through the darkness from directly above them. Both Draik and Candy squinted, their bodies frozen as the light bathed them in an otherworldly glow.