" The Brace of Shadows"

As they couldn't hide for much longer, Alex talked with Nora and She would have to tell her kids the truth about their father. She nodded and came to tell her kids the brutal truth about where's their father. Once they heard it, both of them cried and wanted to say it wasn't true, but life wasn't a game and this cursed world takes away little by little everything. Nora embraced both her kids, but after a while, Chloe went and sat in the corner.

The control room was quiet, save for the faint rustle of wind against the windows. Chloe, had her knees pulled to her chest, her small frame trembling as tears silently streaked down her face. Her brother, Sam, sat nearby, looking helpless and unsure of how to comfort her.

Alex watched from across the room, his heart heavy. The loss of their father had shaken the entire group, but for Chloe, it was something deeper—a piece of her world had been ripped away, leaving behind a hollow ache that no words could heal.

He hesitated for a moment before walking over and sitting down beside her. She didn't look up, her sobs quiet but unrelenting.

"Chloe," Alex said softly, his voice steady but warm.

She sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I don't know how to do this without him," she whispered. "He always knew what to do, how to keep us safe. I... I can't do this."

Alex's chest tightened memories of another little girl flashing through his mind—his sister, Rain. The night he had promised her he would always take care of her, the same night he had failed to keep that promise. The guilt of that broken vow had haunted him every day since.

But now, sitting beside Chloe, he felt something stir within him—a chance, perhaps, to make things right in a different way.

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, waiting until she finally looked up at him. Her tear-streaked face reminded him so much of Rain, it was almost unbearable.

"I know it feels impossible right now," Alex began, his voice thick with emotion. "I know it feels like the world is falling apart, and that nothing will ever make sense again. I know because I've been there."

Chloe's gaze didn't waver, her silent curiosity giving him the courage to continue.

"There was someone I promised to protect once—my little sister, Rain. She was around your age, and she was my world. I told her I'd always be there for her, that no matter what happened, I'd take care of her. But I... I couldn't keep that promise." His voice cracked, the pain of his confession raw and unfiltered.

Chloe blinked, her tears momentarily forgotten. "What happened to her?"

Alex swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. " I was taken away from her. And not a day goes by that I don't think about her or wish I could have done more. But that promise I made to her, it's still with me. And now, I'm making it to you."

Her brow furrowed, confusion mixing with sadness. "To me?"

"Yes," Alex said firmly. "I promise to protect you and Sam, to help you both survive this. You're not alone, Chloe. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

For a long moment, Chloe didn't say anything. Then, slowly, she leaned into Alex, her small arms wrapping around him tightly.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice muffled against his chest.

Alex closed his eyes, resting his chin on the top of her head. The promise he'd once broken now had a second chance to find meaning, and he wasn't going to let it slip away again.

For Rain. For Chloe. For a world where promises still mattered.