Ali woke up feeling oddly motivated for work. It was just another ordinary day, or so he thought. His boss, however, had other plans. Despite Ali having just returned from a three-day break one he’d desperately needed after his surgery. For taking too many days off, even before this, his employer demanded overtime to make up for lost time. Ali told him it was ridiculous and he had just undergone brain surgery. But Mercy wasn’t in the company’s vocabulary. Now, they were piling a full week of post-shift overtime on him. By the time his overtime shift ended, exhaustion clung to him like a second skin. He dragged himself home, changed out of his work clothes, and collapsed onto his bed, only for his phone to ring. To his surprise it was Marwan. Ali stared at the screen, stunned. Marwan never called him before, out of curiosity he answered. "Why aren’t you answering messages or calls?" Marwan’s voice was sharp, accusatory. "You think you’re above us now?" Ali flinched. "No, of cou

The morning sun blazed over the training grounds as Marwan stood with his arms crossed, watching his recruits with a cold, unreadable expression. Hamza, Nawras, Badr, Fadi, Karim, and Ali stood in a line, sweat already forming on their brows despite the day having just begun. "Ten laps. Now," Marwan commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. The men took off, their boots kicking up dust as they circled the training ground. By the fifth lap, Badr was panting heavily, and Karim’s face was flushed with exertion. But they pushed through no one dared to slow down under Marwan’s watchful gaze. Once the laps were done, they moved to jump ropes, their muscles burning as they maintained rhythm under the relentless heat. Then came the weights iron plates clanking, grunts of effort filling the air. Marwan paced among them, correcting their form with sharp, precise words. Finally, it was time for the real test. "Sparring," Marwan announced. "Nawras and Badr. First up." Nawras

The tension in the command center was thick enough to cut with a knife. Ali and Laith had just been caught by Hazim. He sensed something was wrong and searched the ship for intruders and managed to catch them hiding behind the boxes of equipment. Ali's face was flushed with embarrassment, his jaw tight as he struggled to keep his composure. Laith, on the other hand, was seething not just at Hazim, but at himself for being caught in the first place. Hazim wrenched himself free from Ibrahim's grip who was trying desperately to calm him down, his hazel eyes flashing with irritation. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" he demanded, his voice sharp. "Especially you, Ali. You're supposed to be the responsible one, how could you let him pull you into this reckless stunt?" Ali swallowed hard, his fingers twitching at his sides. "I tried to stop him," he muttered, avoiding Hazim's piercing gaze. "But he wouldn't listen. So I figured if I went with him, at least there'd be someone there

"Hazim!" Ali shouted, relief flooding his voice. "You alright?" Hazim turned and gave a quick nod. "Still in one piece!" Black Knight clad in his dark, gleaming armor landed atop the fallen ghoul’s corpse. His sword gleamed as he raised it high, preparing to deliver the final blow. "Finish it!" Hazim urged. But just as the Black Knight swung his blade downward, a shrill screech tore through the air. A human-sized ghoul, swift and vicious, lunged from the shadows. Its claws slashed across the knight’s back before he could react, the force of the blow sending him crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. "No!" Ali’s blood ran cold as the knight’s body skidded across the rubble. The smaller ghoul hissed, its glowing eyes locking onto its next target. Hazim clenched his fists. "We have to help him!" The pilot steadied the aircraft with a rough jolt as the wheels touched down on the rooftop. Before the propellers even stilled, Jameel, Ibrahim, and Laith were already moving,

Jamal moved with a ferocity that was almost identical to Hazim’s fighting style, swift, aggressive, and relentless. His strikes were sharp, his footwork precise, but Laith saw through it immediately. As Jamal landed a heavy blow on a ghoul, sending it stumbling back, Laith scoffed. "That’s a fake copy,” Laith said, his voice dripping with disdain. “No one can set the ghouls on fire like my brother. You’re just imitating."Jamal didn’t respond, he was too focused on the fight, but Laith wasn’t finished. In the blink of an eye, his armor flared with lightning-fast speed, and he cut down ten ghouls before they could even react. The air crackled with energy as their bodies collapsed, lifeless. Turning to Ali, who stood frozen for a moment, Laith barked, "Don’t just stand there! I will leave you behind if you can’t keep up."Ali’s grip tightened around his sword. "Don’t you dare think you’re better than me," he shot back, his voice low but fierce. "And don’t disrespect me, I’m older th