A dark room with dim lighting lay hidden inside one of the luxurious buildings in the city of Xaria. No one knew of its existence. Every resident passed by, unaware of the two red-eyed men sitting silently in front of a door. Their presence went unnoticed, as if they belonged to a realm outside of time.“Look at how stupid they are. No one realizes their world is slowly being taken over by the underground! I can't wait to make this house my personal palace,” sneered one of the guards, his arm darkened to the shoulder with pulsing veins of black.“Shut your mouth. You're down to your last chance before Queen Draina destroys you completely,” snapped the thinner of the two, his skin pale and his voice sharp.The comment caught the attention of a man dressed in black who had just walked past them. He stopped mid-step, narrowing his eyes before a cold, mocking smile curled on his lips. He didn’t hesitate to turn around and approach the two guards.“Psst! Look at this human, what an idiot!

Samuel's steps halted amid the ruins of the underground corridor. His breathing was ragged, his body aching from the previous skirmish. Dust hung in the damp air, swirling with the scent of dried blood and crumbling stone. Beyond the pulsating wall of dark energy, he could go no further—not by strength alone. So he turned to the only thing left that might reach her: his bond.Samuel closed his eyes, placing his hand over his heart, and called out with everything he had.Melanie… listen to me, please.You don’t have to do this. I know there’s still a piece of you inside—beneath the darkness, beneath Draina’s voice.You’re still my sister. Remember Mom? Remember dancing in the northern fields under the spring rain? You used to laugh so hard your nose wrinkled. Come home. Please, come back before it’s too late.The message flowed from his soul like a river—quiet, but deep. And somewhere, far within the stone fortress drenched in shadows and rage, Melanie stirred.Sitting on her dark thro

The black cloak Samuel wore shimmered faintly as the Shadow Cloak merged with the darkness, shielding him from thermal sensors and radar. No footsteps, no glimmers of light. Only a chill remained in the air wherever he passed.In his hand, a small communication device displayed the rendezvous point: Omega-9 observation room, three floors underground. It was there he would meet one of the IMA Council members, Elder R, a man once known as a close friend of the Old Master—and now, the traitor Samuel hunted most.Samuel moved swiftly, navigating the ventilation shafts he had memorized with Void Reading—the ability to read the spiritual traces of inanimate objects. Elder R’s aura left behind cold, sharp patterns in the air, typical of someone hiding far too many secrets.Elsewhere in the facility, Sarah sat in the main detention room. Her body was weak, bound by spiritual-suppressing cuffs. But her mind was still sharp. She sat cross-legged, eyes closed, breathing slowly. With each breath,

Their feet had just touched the outer surface of the ground when the night sky greeted them with a gentle drizzle. Samuel and Sarah didn’t even have time to breathe the free air in relief. From a distance, the roar of vehicles erupted, brutally cutting through the silence. Three unmarked armored cars surged toward them from the east.Sarah immediately ducked, drawing a sharp breath. “IMEA?”Samuel shook his head. “No. Their tactics are noisier. This is a third party.”Suddenly, a small explosion struck the ground two meters away. A stun grenade. Samuel pulled Sarah behind the ruins of an old military post, his face remaining cold. Sarah gritted her teeth. Her shoulder had been hit by shrapnel.“I can still fight,” she said, though blood had begun to seep out.Samuel didn’t answer. He stood up, letting his body stand tall before the enemy. Four individuals exited the vehicles, dressed in mismatched gear, wearing only chest armor and similar helmets. A sniper remained behind, a faint in

Samuel stood in the secret archive room, replaying the security footage from the previous week. His sharp eyes scanned the digital trail—someone had accessed Division Five’s operational documents without authorization. But the trail was too clean. Too... deliberate.“I don’t believe this is a coincidence,” he muttered quietly.The door slid open. Sarah entered, carrying a worn yellow folder.“I found this in Nelson’s old room. It’s not listed in the database.” She handed him the folder.Samuel opened it. Inside was a black-and-white photo—a man standing in the middle of a snowy forest, carrying a mechanical bow. Behind him was the symbol of a torn wing.Samuel closed his eyes briefly. “The Falcon…”Sarah looked at him. “You’re going to see him?”“Quietly. No one can know. Not even Elio.” Samuel shut the folder. “If there’s a traitor among us, this information can’t leak.”Sarah leaned in. “If you make the wrong move, they’ll chase you to the ends of the earth.”Samuel nodded. “Then I