Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
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Episode 59: "The Monster with My Face"
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Kara's breath caught in her throat.
She stared at X7—her reflection twisted into something monstrous. His eyes were mirrors of her own, only hollow and blackened with fury. His voice slithered like smoke.
"Sister…" he said again, taking a slow step forward, feet bare against the cold metal.
Adrian raised his gun. "Back away."
But Kara raised a hand, stopping him. "No. Let him speak."
X7's head tilted slightly. "They made me before you. I was their prototype. Their weapon. But I wasn't perfect enough. So they made you." His lip curled. "You were the fire. I was the ash."
Behind Kara, Calen whispered, "He's unstable… Kara, he's more virus than man."
"I know," she whispered. But her eyes didn't leave X7. "You remember what they did to us?"
He nodded slowly. "I remember everything. The pain. The lies. The way they burned the parts of me that felt human. But you…" He pointed a trembling finger at her. "They gave you a name. A future."
Kara's heart pounded. "We didn't choose any of it."
"You were chosen," he growled. "I was discarded."
Adrian stepped closer. "That's enough. Stand down, or—"
But X7 roared, and the lights above shattered as a forcewave exploded from him.
The team ducked for cover, but Kara didn't move.
She stood still, staring at him.
And in that moment, she saw what no one else did.
He wasn't angry.
He was hurt.
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The Battle Begins
Adrian and Ghost moved in sync, flanking from the sides. Tessa activated a portable shield, blocking the hallway. Calen pressed a glowing sigil into the ground—a backup containment rune, hastily drawn from memory.
But X7 moved like a blur, smashing through metal and light.
Adrian fired three rounds—tranquilizers.
X7 absorbed them like water through sand.
He growled, his voice shifting in pitch. "I am the legacy they buried. I am what they feared."
Kara finally moved.
She ran.
Not away—but toward him.
"Don't!" Adrian screamed.
X7 lunged.
And just before impact, Kara activated the disk.
A burst of white light exploded between them, freezing X7 mid-air. His body trembled, shaking violently, but Kara held her ground.
"You're not a monster," she said, through gritted teeth. "You're me. The part of me that hurt. That cried. That broke."
X7 fell to his knees.
The lab shook.
Monitors sparked.
And then—
Dr. Vane's voice echoed from hidden speakers.
> "Touching. But pointless. Do you really think I didn't prepare for this?"
The room darkened.
Then came the hum.
Deep. Mechanical. Alive.
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Vane's Last Defense: The Chimera Core
From beneath the floor, massive gears shifted.
A platform rose, revealing a sphere of shifting black metal—alive, humming with chaotic energy. It pulsed like a heart, but screamed like a thousand voices.
"The Chimera Core," Tessa whispered. "It's a fusion reactor built on living consciousness. That's why the clones were here… He was feeding it souls."
Kara stumbled back. "No…"
Vane's voice continued. "It cannot be shut down. Only embraced. You've come full circle, Kara. This is your end. This is the truth of your flame."
The Chimera Core began to unfold.
Tentacles of shadow and light snaked out.
And from its center, a figure emerged—something not quite human, stitched from dozens of faces and bodies.
A creature of nightmares.
A god built from experiments.
Calen's eyes widened. "He didn't just build a weapon… He built a god."
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Kara's Choice
X7, now weakened, crawled beside her.
His voice was barely a whisper. "Finish it… You can. You're the key."
Kara held the disk tight.
Around her, her team readied for war.
Adrian stepped beside her. "You don't have to do this alone."
Kara looked at them—Adrian, Calen, Tessa, Ghost—and then down at X7.
Her hands shook.
But her voice didn't.
"No more fire. No more chains."
She placed the disk against her chest.
It fused with her skin.
Her eyes glowed gold.
The flames roared inside her, hotter than ever.
And she ran straight into the heart of the Chimera.
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To be continued…
🔥 A flame reborn. A brother redeemed. A god awakened. The battle for their souls has begun — and Kara
's fire is no longer just survival. It's justice.
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