The next morning dawned with silence too heavy to be comforting. Elena woke before the sun, tangled in sheets that still smelled of Alexander. She pulled on a robe and slipped out of the bedroom, careful not to wake Elias. But when she passed his room, the door was ajar.
Her heart dropped.
"Elias?"
She rushed in.
The bed was empty.
Before panic could rise, a whisper of movement drew her attention to the corner.
Elias was crouched on the floor, sketchpad in hand. His eyes were half-closed, as if sleepwalking. Symbols spilled from his pencil strange looping glyphs that pulsed like they were alive.
She stepped forward. "Baby?"
His eyes shot open.
They weren't his.
Gold bled into his irises, flickering unnaturally. He blinked and just like that, the gold vanished.
"Mommy?" he asked groggily. "Why are you crying?"
Elena hadn't noticed the tears. She dropped to her knees, pulling him into her arms.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I've got you."
But deep inside, a knot of dread twisted tighter
In Wolfe Tower's underground command center, Alexander and Kira reviewed the tampered surveillance logs. Damon stood off to the side, bruised and irritated.
"All feeds between 1:00 and 1:13 a.m. are corrupted," Kira reported. "Hardwiring was intact. That means someone used clearance to overwrite the system clearance only you and three others have."
Alexander leaned in. "Who else?"
Kira's mouth tightened. "You. Me. Elena. And... Charlotte."
The name dropped like ice in the room.
Charlotte was the Director of External Security. Loyal, poised, and—until now—untouchable.
"She's been with us for six years," Alexander said slowly.
"Which makes her the perfect plant," Damon muttered. "Your mole's been under your nose."
Alexander looked at Kira. "Get her in. Now."
But Charlotte was already gone.
Her tracker stopped at 3:12 a.m. at a private helipad in Queens. A getaway.
"How long until we trace the chopper?" Alexander barked.
Kira's fingers flew over the keyboard. "Too late. She used a ghost license. We've lost her."
Damon crossed his arms. "Told you. Someone inside sold you out. This goes deeper than Desmond."
Alexander turned to him. "And you? You just happened to show up last night out of pure loyalty?"
Damon held his stare. "I owed Elena a debt. That's all you need to know."
But even as he said it, his hand drifted to his coat pocket—where a folded photograph burned like guilt. Elena, holding baby Elias. A photo no one should have.
Back in the penthouse, Elena fed Elias breakfast while her mind raced. She couldn't tell if his strange behavior was a one-time incident or something much worse.
Elias giggled when syrup dripped on his chin.
"You're being messy," she scolded gently, wiping his face.
"Mommy," he said suddenly, "what's a Seer?"
Elena froze.
"Where did you hear that?"
He shrugged. "The lady with silver eyes told me. In my dream. She said I'm special."
Her stomach dropped. She tried to keep her voice calm. "What else did she say?"
Elias looked confused. "That the mirror is hungry. And you need to remember your real name."
Elena's hands trembled as she cleared the plates.
What the hell did that mean?
Later that afternoon, Alexander received word from one of his embedded agents. A flash drive had been recovered from a locker in Midtown left behind by Charlotte in a rush.
Encrypted, yes—but not immune to Kira's genius.
When the drive cracked open, the files inside weren't just surveillance footage.
They were contracts.
Signed agreements between Charlotte and a shell company funded by Desmond Blackthorne.
Even worse, there were images. Dozens of them.
Elias. From different places. Playgrounds. Cafés. His school in Madrid. His private clinic. Photos taken over the course of five years.
They'd been watching him since the day he was born.
Alexander felt the blood drain from his face.
He barely registered Kira's voice.
"There's more."
One file, buried and encoded deep.
A lab report.
DNA markers.
The results were labeled: Project Sovereign – Phase One Subject Viability.
It had one name attached.
Elias Wolfe.
And one terrifying classification: Hybrid. Status: Dormant Activation Incomplete
That evening, Elena confronted Alexander in his office. He had barely processed what he'd seen when she stormed in.
"You knew," she hissed.
"I didn't," he said hoarsely. "Not this."
She tossed the file onto the table. "Project Sovereign? Hybrid? You've been building something behind closed doors. And now my son is listed like he's a test subject."
Alexander stared at the page.
"This isn't me," he said. "I swear to you—I shut that project down years ago. My father started it. Before he died."
She didn't believe him.
"Elena look at me. I would never let them use Elias for something like this."
"Then how did they get his DNA?"
The question hung in the air like a noose.
Alexander went pale.
"...You think I gave it to them?"
"You were desperate for a legacy," she whispered. "You told me once you'd burn the world to build a dynasty."
His face hardened. "Maybe I meant it then. But I didn't mean this."
She wanted to believe him. But all she could see were broken pieces of trust, of promises, of the life they should've had.
"I'm taking Elias and leaving."
He stepped in her way.
"If you go now, you'll be playing right into Desmond's hands. He'll track you the second you step off the radar."
"I'll take that risk."
"No," he said. "Because there's something I didn't tell you. About your bloodline."
Her breath caught.
"What?"
Alexander hesitated.
"You weren't chosen by accident. Desmond's obsession with you—Elias's powers—they didn't come from me."
He opened a drawer and pulled out an ancient journal, worn with time. A family relic.
He flipped it open to a page titled: Aeloria's Bloodline: The Gifted.
It detailed a matrilineal line of women who bore the mark of a Seer. Elena's grandmother's name was among them.
"You were born with the gift," Alexander said. "But you never awakened it. Elias... he did."
Elena stumbled back, stunned.
"You're telling me I'm part of some ancient... experiment?"
"No. You're the key to ending it."
Just then, the lights went out.
And a whisper echoed through the vent system.
"Hello, Elena."
Desmond.