The walk home was quiet, too quiet for my liking. Every step echoed with the weight of everything that had happened. The Codex thrown out. Victor walking freely. Madam Vale and Henry Everhart untouchable.By the time I got back to my place, my shoulders felt like stone. I kicked off my boots and dropped onto the bed, not bothering to turn on the light. The ceiling stared back blankly as I lay there, hands behind my head, my body still and mind racing.Alex.My chest tightened at the thought of him—his laugh, the way he used to challenge me at the range, his stupid jokes. And Daniel… another soul taken too soon. People I cared about, gone. Because of this city. Because of them.I shut my eyes, jaw clenched.I couldn’t let it end like this. Their lives couldn’t be just another page in the growing pile of tragedies swept under the rug of North City’s rot. No. I wasn’t going to sit here and do nothing.I needed air.The clock blinked past midnight, but I didn’t care. I threw on a hoodie,

The moment the name Director Jackson left my lips, something inside me snapped.I sprang from the bench and closed the distance between us in two strides. My fingers curled into the collar of his coat, slamming him back against the cold brick wall of the hospital.“How dare you show your face back here?” I growled through clenched teeth, eyes burning. “After everything you’ve done—after what you let happen—you’ve got the nerve to come to me?”Jackson didn’t fight back. He didn’t even flinch. He just looked me in the eyes, calm and cold."I know you hate me," he said quietly, "and you have every right to, but this isn’t the time to argue." "I came back because you need to know something—something you were never told… about your parents."I froze.My grip loosened slightly. “What the hell are you talking about?”He glanced around before gently pulling my hand away from his collar.“I’m saying… your parents weren’t ordinary people, Ryder. They were scientists. Brilliant ones. Pioneers i

The cold rain soaked through my shirt, blending with the blood that stained every inch of me. My fists were still trembling—raw, bruised, and shaking from exhaustion. I stepped out of the Everhart mansion, the world blurry and distant, my breath shallow.Bodies were everywhere.Ten near the entrance. Fifteen more by the hallway. Twenty shattered in the courtyard. I was surrounded by the aftermath of war. Henry was dead. The man who took my father’s life… was finally gone.But at what cost?I staggered to the front gate, my boots slipping on the rain-slicked stone. My strength was gone. Everything—my muscles, my spirit, my mind—was hanging by a thread. My legs buckled. I sank down by the gate, leaning my head back against the cold iron bars, letting the rain wash over me.And then—Darkness.I collapsed.The next time my eyes opened, I wasn’t outside anymore.I wasn’t lying on bloodied stone or drowning in rain.I was back in the hospital, the white walls glowing under soft light. The

The masked man’s laughter burst through the phone like a crack of thunder—cold, wild, and almost amused beyond reason.“I’ve got to hand it to you, Ryder,” he said, his voice laced with sick delight. “You really tried that, huh? Trying to trace me?”I didn’t say anything. My silence was enough.“Don’t stress yourself,” he continued, his tone now a little more mocking. “You could gather all the satellites in the world, use every tracer, every algorithm, every drop of your brain—and still, you wouldn’t find me.”He chuckled again, and I could practically see the smirk behind his mask.“But don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll call you again… real soon.”And just like that, click—he ended the call.A second later, Serena’s name flashed on my screen. I picked up immediately.“You got anything?” I asked.Her voice came through, fast and focused.“Ryder, he’s using something… powerful. I’ve seen advanced masking tools before, but this?”“This is beyond elite—it’s called Ghost Grid Encryption. It re