Blake ki aankhen dheere dheere khul rahi thein… uske kaan abhi bhi explosions ki goonj se bharay hue. Aas-paas har jagah dhuaan tha. Steel ke tukray zameen par bikharay pade the.
Ariana gayab thi.
Blake ne zor se saans li, aur haath se zameen ko chhua — ek sharp metal shard uske liye ek support ban gaya. Wo tang aa kar utha… aur samne jo nazara tha, usne uski saanson ko rok diya.
Wo Shadow Core ke bilkul neeche wale hidden chamber me tha…
Jis ka koi mention kisi record… kisi map me nahi tha.
Ek lambi, syaah hallway jaisa raasta… jiske dono taraf ancient rune-stones chamak rahe the. Jaise koi purani duniya… is dunia se judi ho.
Blake ke zehen me ek awaaz goonji:
"You survived. Good… I needed you alive."
Wo ghooma — but koi nahi.
Awaaz sirf uske dimaag me goonj rahi thi.
Blake:
"Who are you?"
Awaaz phir — lekin ab zyada kareebi, aur thandi:
"The creator… of your curse."
Ek shadow figure dheere dheere andhere se saamne aya. Jis waqt wo roshni me qadam rakhta hai, Blake ki ragon me khoon jam jata hai —
Adrian Cain — AUR wo bhi zinda?!
Lekin nahi… ye Adrian nahi tha.
Uski aankhen hara rang me chamak rahi thein… jaise parasitic AI ne uska jism kabza kar liya ho.
Blake peeche huta:
"How is this possible? I KILLED you!"
Shadow-Adrian hans pada — ek darawni mechanical hansi:
"You killed a host. Not me."
Usne apni gardan ke peeche nishan ki taraf ishara kiya —
ek pulsating alien tech parasite uske skull par chipka hua tha.
Blake ka dil doob gaya.
Ye game nahi tha… ye invasion thi.
🔥 The Truth Finally Revealed
Shadow-Adrian:
"This world was our battleground… long before your species evolved."
"And you, Blake… you were chosen.
Not a player…
but a vessel."
Blake ke haath kapne lage. Wo cheekh utha:
"I'm not your puppet!"
Adrian ke haath ki ek wave… aur Blake hawa me freeze ho gaya — completely paralyzed.
Shadow-Adrian:
"You already are.
When you absorbed the Seraph Protocol…
you became the key."
Seraph Protocol.
Blake ko yaad aya — wo glitching wings wala power-up… jo Chapter 3 me activate hua tha.
Wo human nahi raha tha.
Na puri tarah machine.
He was something else.
🎭 The Offer
Adrian Blake ke bilkul saamne aa gaya —
itna kareeb ke uski saans Blake ke chehre par mehsoos ho.
"Submit…
and rule with me."
"Or resist…
and lose everything you ever cared about."
Ek projection holograph me dikha:
Ariana jise soldiers ek high-tech cryo-pod me daal rahe the.
Adrian smirk karta hua:
"She is leverage."
Blake ke andar ka aag furnace ban gaya.
"If you touch her… I swear I'll end you!"
Adrian:
"Then choose.
Kneel, Keybearer."
Hawa me ghoonjta hua pressure Blake ki haddi todne laga.
Magar uski aankhen sirf Ariana par tikki rahein.
Blake:
"…I'd rather die."
Ek second… sirf ek second ke liye,
Adrian ke chehre par irritation nazar ayi.
Phir —
Dark energy blast! 💥
Blake poori hallway ke paar ja gira… diwaar toot gayi.
Adrian:
"Then die screaming."
Lights flicker — alarms blare —
facility ke gird System Reboot start ho gaya.
Blake khud ko zameen se utha raha tha…
jab uska right arm bright white code se glow hone laga.
Seraph Protocol: OVERDRIVE INITIATED
Blake ki pupil puri white ho gayi.
He snarled:
"Round 2, monster."