The journey north started at dawn.Six people. One truck. Stolen from Zephyr's compound during the chaos. Lyssandra drove. She knew the routes. The backroads that didn't show on maps.Axton sat in the back with his father. The truck bed was open. Cold air rushed past. Smelled like diesel and morning frost.Kaelix stared at the city disappearing behind them. His face was unreadable. Seventeen years of conditioning had taught him to hide emotion. Breaking free didn't undo the training overnight."You okay?" Axton asked."I don't know what okay feels like anymore." Kaelix's voice was quiet. Honest. "I remember being afraid. Being angry. Being human. Then seventeen years of nothing. Just missions. Commands. Killing." He looked at his hands. "These hands ended people. While I watched. Unable to stop. Unable to die.""You're free now.""Am I? Or am I just between prisons?" Kaelix's eyes met his. "The Heptarchy will hunt us. Forever. Until we're dead or captured. That's not freedom. That's j

The first wave hit the wall like a hammer.Not subtle. Not tactical. Just overwhelming force. Twenty soldiers moving in formation. Shields raised. Qi barriers overlapping. Professional assault doctrine.Lyssandra's rifle cracked. Once. Twice. Three times.Two soldiers dropped. Head shots through Qi barriers. Cultivation-enhanced ammunition finding gaps that shouldn't exist.The third shot sparked off a champion's personal shield. He'd stepped in front of his soldiers. Smart. Protecting assets."They're learning," Lyssandra muttered. Ejected the spent magazine. Loaded fresh. "Won't get easy shots now."Kaelix stood at the wall's center. White Aegis blazing. He looked like a star had fallen and forgotten how to go out."Axton. Left flank. Severin, right. Nina and Kael, support positions. Rotate when exhaustion hits. We hold until evacuation completes." His voice was commander voice. War God voice. Seventeen years of forced combat remembered. "No heroes. No suicide runs. We survive this

Ironvale City appeared through morning mist like a promise and a threat combined.Massive. Sprawling. Built into canyon walls on both sides of a river that ran brown with industrial runoff. Smoke rose from a thousand chimneys. The smell hit them a kilometer out. Metal. Oil. Humanity compressed into too little space."Beautiful," Lyssandra said. Sarcastic. "Nothing says sanctuary like toxic air and open sewage.""It's the third largest independent city in the Eastern Territories," Severin said. Clinical. "Population eight hundred thousand. Nominal Heptarchy governance but actual control fragmented between seven major crime families. Corruption index nine-point-three out of ten. Perfect for disappearing."The Valeheart family looked exhausted. Six days of mountain travel. Sleeping rough. Eating rations. Staying ahead of pursuit that never quite materialized but felt constant anyway.Kaelix looked worse than exhausted. He looked hollow. The white Aegis flickered constantly now. Visible e

They ran through Ironvale's streets.Dawn was breaking. Gray light cutting through smog and rust. The Heart pulsed between them. Heavy. Impossibly heavy.People stared. Backed away. Could feel the power. The wrongness of carrying something that divine. That dangerous.Nina moved mechanically. Efficient. Her artificial muscles compensating for torn fibers. Blood leaked through her sleeves. Hydraulic fluid mixed with synthetic tissue. She was breaking down. Slowly. But breaking."Two more blocks," Axton gasped. His wounded side screamed. Every step sent pain shooting through his ribs. "We're close."The Heart pulsed faster. Like it knew. Like it recognized where they were taking it.Vorian's tower appeared ahead. Rust-covered. Ancient. Still standing despite everything that should have destroyed it.The door was open.Waiting.They climbed. Each step agony. The Heart wasn't getting lighter. If anything, it felt heavier. Like gravity itself was pulling harder.Fifth floor. The door was a

The mountains rose like ancient gods watching over the world.Snow-capped. Silent. Eternal.The transport stopped at the base. As far as it could go. After this, only feet could carry them higher.Axton helped his father stand. Kaelix was stronger now. The divine essence had done its work. Burned through conditioning. Rebuilt pathways. Restored what seventeen years had stolen.But restoration wasn't instant. Wasn't clean. His father moved like man learning to walk again. Every step deliberate. Careful."How far?" Kaelix asked. His voice was clear. Fully his. But tired. So tired."Six kilometers. Straight up. There's monastery at peak. Valeheart family maintains it. Neutral ground. Safe.""Safe." Kaelix tested the word. Like he'd forgotten what it meant. "Is anywhere safe for us?""No. But here's safer than there."They climbed. Slow. Painful. Every step reminded Axton of his wounds. Of Nina's cold hand. Of Kael's fall. Of Severin's last stand.The price of survival was measured in peo