Location; Damien's Study – Silverbridge Estate, Tavara
The amber glow of the fireplace flickered across Damien's face as he leaned forward, eyes narrowed at the encrypted message flashing on his private screen.
He decoded it line by line, layers peeling back like secrets reluctant to be revealed. Each sentence was a dagger—cold, precise, dangerous.
Council Directive: Initiate Phase II. Subject Caelum has breached containment. Dr. Nora Lancaster to be sanctioned. Eliminate liabilities. Reinstate control.
Damien's jaw clenched.
"They're moving," he muttered. "The Council… They know Caelum survived."
Behind him, Charles stepped from the shadows. "They waited. Observed. Let you all run your little rebellion. Now they're calling the pieces home."
Damien turned. "If they come for Nora or Caelum, I'll burn down their entire network."
Charles smirked. "Spoken like your father."
"I'm not my father."
"Then prove it," Charles said, sliding a dossier onto the table. "This is everything I could dig up—names, locations, weak links in the Council's structure. But there's a catch."
Damien raised an eyebrow.
"They're holding a summit. Three days from now. In Geneva. Every controlling hand behind the veil will be there. If we're to act—if we're to end this—we need to strike then."
Damien stared at the flickering screen again. "Three days."
Location; Lancaster Medical Institute – Tavara City
Nora's heels clicked against the pristine tiles of the medical board's hearing chamber. A circular table loomed before her, ten stoic figures seated in silence.
At the center was Dr. Miriam Hale, her expression cold as stone.
"Dr. Nora Lancaster," she began, "you stand accused of unauthorized genome manipulation, illegal deployment of suppressed neurotech, and conspiracy to harbor a classified subject."
"I saved a life," Nora said calmly. "Caelum would have died if I hadn't acted."
"He was never yours to save," Dr. Hale said. "He belonged to the Council."
The words hit like a whip.
Nora didn't flinch. "You lost the right to claim him the moment you turned him into a weapon."
A few murmurs echoed among the board, but Dr. Hale silenced them with a glare.
"Your license is under review. Effective immediately, you are suspended pending investigation."
Nora stiffened. "Is that a warning or a threat?"
Hale's smile was faint and venomous. "That depends on how much louder you plan to speak."
Location; Silverbridge Estate – Private Garden
Caelum sat cross-legged on the grass, eyes closed, breathing steady. The merge had left traces—flashes of memories not his own, feelings that weren't entirely his.
But he wasn't fighting them anymore.
Echo's voice now came like a whisper inside his mind. They fear us, you know. Because we're whole now.
"I don't want fear," Caelum murmured. "I want peace."
Then we'll have to take it, the voice replied.
Footsteps broke his meditation.
Nora approached, her expression stormy.
He stood quickly. "You okay?"
"They suspended me."
His eyes darkened. "The Council?"
She nodded. "They're using the medical board as a front. They want control back."
Caelum placed his hand on her cheek, grounding her. "Then we stay ahead of them."
"I don't want to run," she whispered.
"Then we fight."
Their foreheads touched, breaths syncing.
"I'm with you," Nora said. "No matter how dark it gets."
Location: Classified Airstrip – Tavara Outskirts
Under cover of night, Damien's private jet roared to life.
Inside, Charles laid out blueprints and tactical gear. "We hit Geneva quietly. Our contact inside will get us into the summit."
Caelum entered the jet with Nora beside him, both dressed in sleek, tactical black.
Damien looked at them, a flicker of emotion passing through his otherwise unreadable face.
"This isn't just a mission," he said. "This is war."
Caelum nodded. "Then let's finish what they started."
The jet ascended, slicing through the clouds as shadows gathered across the world—old secrets, new power, and destinies set ablaze.