The explosion sent a tremor through the underground base. Dust rained from the ceiling, and the distant sounds of battle echoed through the tunnels.Kian’s instincts kicked in immediately. His mind raced, evaluating every possible escape route, every potential weapon.Astra’s voice rang through the stronghold:“All units, battle positions! The Federation is breaching the outer perimeter!”Kian turned to Ryker, his heart pounding. “Tell me you’ve got a plan.”The old general’s eyes flickered with grim determination. “Plans only work until the first shot is fired.”That wasn’t reassuring.Another explosion. Closer this time. The dull roar of collapsing metal filled the air.The base was under siege.And they were still locked inside a holding cell.Astra stormed into the cellblock, a rifle slung over her shoulder. She looked at Ryker first. “We don’t have time for debates. We need to move.”Ryker nodded and turned to Kian. “I assume you’re done thinking about it?”Kian exhaled. He didn’

Silence.A thick, suffocating silence wrapped around them as Kian’s group stood at the threshold of the Core.The figure waiting for them was motionless, shrouded in the dim glow of the entrance’s pulsating energy. Their presence was undeniable, radiating a force that sent a shiver down Kian’s spine.Elena stiffened beside him, her fingers inching toward her weapon. Selene and Marcus exchanged wary glances, readying themselves for a confrontation.Kian’s heart pounded as he stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as the figure’s face came into view.And then his blood ran cold.Because he knew this man.“Darius.”The name left his lips like a curse.Darius Voss, once Kian’s closest ally, now stood between them and the Core.His former friend.His greatest rival.The man who had claimed Elena as his partner.A smirk played across Darius’s lips as he stepped forward, his stance relaxed, yet undeniably menacing. His piercing eyes swept over the group before settling on Kian.“You’re late,” D

The chamber pulsed with unstable energy. The once-radiant glow of the Core was flickering, dark tendrils snaking around its brilliance, leeching away its purity. The air thickened, suffocating, pressing down like an unseen force as Marcus’s twisted smirk deepened.Kian could feel the Core’s distress, its power slipping from his grasp. Every second that passed, the darkness grew stronger. He had to act—now.But Marcus had planned for this.With a slow, deliberate step forward, Marcus raised his hand, and the shadows obeyed. They slithered across the stone floor, forming jagged, clawed extensions of himself—limbs of pure void. The Forgotten Ones moved in unison, their grotesque forms shifting unnaturally, as if reality itself rejected them.Marcus tilted his head. “Can you feel it, Kian? The Core is choosing me now. It knows you’re weak. That you can’t protect it.”Kian clenched his fists, feeling the Core’s fading warmth between his fingers. No. He couldn’t let Marcus win.“Wrong,” Kia

The message blinked on Kian's screen. At first, he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, his mind struggling to process the words that Elena had sent him. It wasn't a simple text. It was a photo, one that shook him to his core.The image was of Elena, yes, but what truly caught Kian's attention were the four children standing by her side. They weren’t just any children. They were hers—his children.A cold wave of disbelief crashed over him, his breath catching in his throat. He blinked at the screen, as if doing so would somehow make sense of the surreal image in front of him.They were all so young, not more than a few years old. The oldest, a boy with deep, inquisitive eyes, had a striking resemblance to Kian—his angular jaw, the shape of his nose, the way his lips curled in a faint, knowing smile. The youngest, a girl, was still in Elena's arms, clutching her mother’s sleeve, her wide eyes full of innocence and vulnerability.Elena stood in the middle, her gaze direct and unwaver

Kian stood motionless.The message Elena had sent still hovered in front of him, its implications sharper than any blade he’d ever wielded. Four children. His children. Alive. Breathing. And right beside the woman who had once shattered him.The cold grip of betrayal no longer stung—it was something deeper now. A confusion he couldn't shake, and a storm of emotion he hadn't prepared to face. Rage, yes. Regret, certainly. But beneath it all—hope. A hope he wanted to kill before it killed him.“I need eyes on Elena. Now,” he barked into his comms. “Find her. Trace the signal from that message. I want the exact location. And bring me the original—don’t let the AI decrypt it without me.”He ended the call and turned, only to find someone waiting in the shadows of the command hall.“You always did let emotions get the better of you,” the figure said, stepping into the light.It was Darius.Kian’s expression darkened. “You’re the last person I want to see right now.”“I’m not here to gloat,