Fragments of Dawn

The sky above had always been a constant—a symbol of both hope and eternity. But that was before. Now, it was a fractured canvas, marred by the moon's destruction. Kai Voss stood atop a crumbled skyscraper, gazing at the remnants of the Moon hanging in the sky like a broken, silent omen. The explosion had been a shockwave of unimaginable force, not just an event but the end of an era. The Moon was gone, obliterated by something far beyond human comprehension. It had left behind nothing but shards, floating fragments suspended in the void—each one carrying an undeniable force, an energy that had awakened something in the survivors.

The world had fallen apart in the days that followed. Governments had crumbled. Cities had been swallowed by chaos, their streets running with panic and violence. The destruction wasn’t just physical. It was deeper. It was a wound that ran through time and space itself, an irreversible fracture that had unleashed powers in those few who survived. Superhuman abilities, raw and untamed, surged from the fragments that rained down from the Moon. Some of these powers were subtle, others were devastatingly destructive. And for some, the cost was too high to bear.

Kai flexed his fingers as he looked at his own hand. He didn’t recognize it anymore. The power the fragment had given him—the ability to twist time itself—was both a gift and a curse. It had been the very thing that saved him from a failed mission years ago. A mission that had left him stranded on the Moon just as the world began to fall apart.

He had been there. In the depths of space, alone with only the stars as his companions. The Earth had seemed so distant, so far away. Then the explosion came, the blast so powerful that it reached him even on the Moon. The impact had shattered the satellite, splitting it into pieces, and with it, everything on Earth had begun to unravel. He had watched in silence, the only survivor, the only witness to the birth of the apocalypse.

When the fragments hit Earth, everything changed. People began to awaken to powers—abilities that weren’t just strange, but dangerous. With every use of these powers, something in the world broke. The very fabric of reality seemed to unravel, and every time Kai used his ability to manipulate time, he could feel the rift growing wider. A part of him wondered how long before time itself would collapse under the strain.

Kai had spent weeks in hiding, trying to figure out how to control the power within him. He had barely scratched the surface of what the fragment could do, but every time he pushed its limits, he could feel the distortion—the way the world around him bent, twisted, and threatened to snap.

“Don’t use it,” he muttered to himself. He knew the cost of his power, knew that every second he rewound or accelerated left a scar on reality. But he wasn’t here by choice. He had to keep moving, had to keep fighting.

A flicker of movement caught his attention. He turned sharply to the side, his hand instinctively going to the fragment embedded in his arm. The pulse was faint, but it was there. Someone was nearby.

Ava Marlowe stepped out from the shadows. Her military gear was worn and frayed, a testament to the battles she had fought, the wars she had survived. Unlike Kai, she didn’t possess a fragment’s power. But her sharp instincts, strategic mind, and the scars of a world gone to hell made her an invaluable ally.@@novelbin@@

“You know, standing up here isn’t going to bring it back,” Ava said, her voice quiet, but firm.

Kai didn’t respond immediately. He just stared at the fragments of the Moon that hung in the sky, each piece a beacon of a world beyond his reach. He could feel the weight of the loss in his bones. Humanity had always been defined by its reach toward the stars, by the pursuit of knowledge and progress. But now, with the Moon shattered, that reach had been severed, leaving only darkness and broken pieces.

“I’m not waiting for it to come back,” he said, his voice low. “I’m waiting for the dust to settle. For the world to make sense again.”

Ava shook her head. “It won’t. Not unless we fight for it. We’re not the only ones with powers. There are others, people who want to control the fragments. People who would burn this world to the ground just to get what they want. We need to find them first. Before they find us.”

Kai turned to face her, a mixture of determination and weariness in his eyes. He had heard the rumors, seen the signs. A faction, led by a shadowy figure known only as M, was hunting the fragments. They weren’t interested in saving humanity. They were interested in control. And if they got their hands on the fragments, they could reshape the world—or destroy it altogether.

“Do you think we can stop them?” Kai asked, his voice thick with doubt.

“We have to,” Ava replied, her gaze unwavering. “We’re the last chance this world has.”

Kai clenched his fists, feeling the familiar pulse of power within him. He knew the world had already been broken beyond repair, but somehow, in the deep recesses of his mind, there was still a flicker of hope. It was faint, fragile, but it was there. The fragments had granted him power. Now, it was time to decide whether to use it to fix what had been torn apart or let the world collapse further under the weight of its own destruction.

“I’ll do it,” he said, his voice firm with resolve. “But we do this my way. We find the fragments, and we use them carefully. No more mistakes.”

Ava nodded, her expression a mixture of hope and skepticism. “Then let’s get to work.”

Kai didn’t look at her as they walked away from the crumbled edge of the skyscraper. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, where the distant shards of the Moon glowed faintly in the sky. Time was running out, and if they didn’t act soon, the forces hunting them would tear the world apart before they had a chance to put it back together.