The walls of Oakwood once promised safety. Now they feel like a cage. Elijah can still hear Julia's voice in the dark. When Julia vanished in the ravine, Elijah lost more than his medic he lost his reason, the heartbeat he couldn't save. Every sunrise reminds him she's gone, and every order he gives tastes like ash. But when whispers reach camp that someone matching her description was seen beyond the fireline, Elijah risks everything to follow the trail north. Out there, the world has burned into something unrecognizable. Ash cities. Scavenger camps. Survivors who trade loyalty for food and bodies for power. Trust is a weapon, and every mile drags him deeper into the kind of man he swore he'd never become. Because if Julia's alive, she's not the same.And neither is he. The fire's spreading.And this time, it's inside him.