The environment around him was cold, the type of cold that sliced through the bones and sank deep into his very being. His body trembled, but his mind was blank, with no thoughts, memories, or even a name. The debris of Washington, D.C. was a graveyard for the world he once knew, with the buildings now twisted skeletons of what they once were, crushed under the weight of betrayal and war.A small, frail fingers brushed against his, warm and alive, a pulse of connection in the motionless ruins.His fingers jerked automatically, curling around the small hand in his grasp, as if it was the only thing holding him together in whatever reality he had left."You're awake," said the voice, quiet yet firm. Tatiana's voice. The woman appeared to be both familiar and strange. She knelt alongside him, her stare filled with something he couldn't identify. Years spent locked in time had not dimmed her presence.He gazed up at her, the sensation of her touch sending ripples through his thoughts, but

A tight, pulsating force pulsed through the vault's interior. As Tatiana watched Alexander go forward, staring at the man behind the glass tank, her heart thumped against her breast. The time for the truth has arrived. The decision has to be made. It was not just a question of whether he could become the man he once was, but also if it was worth it."Are you certain?" Despite her composed exterior, Tatiana's voice quiver a little. The weight of what was to follow weighed heavily on each of the words that lingered between them. You might be harmed by this. You can become much more broken by the process than you are now.Alexander remained unflinching. For the first time in weeks, his eyes were clear and unclouded as he gazed at her. "Tatiana, I've already been broken." His voice was steady and forceful, and his words pierced the icy silence like a dagger. "What was the purpose of any of it if I didn't do this?"The doors of the vault rattled as the cold wind howled outside, seemingly i

The silence on the Capitol steps was unsettling. After the storm was over, the streets of Washington, D.C., were covered with snow and ice and looked like a frozen tundra. There was an eerie silence in place of the city's typical hum. As the audience assembled, anxiety was high and their faces were a mixture of expectation, fear, and uncertainty. Nobody could predict what would happen next. Something new was emerging in place of the old world, which was collapsing. Tatiana stood at the top of the stairs, surveying the throng below while placing her palm on the chilly metal railing. She breathed in short gasps that were audible in the cold air. Alexander stood still behind her, still getting used to the force coursing through him. His face bore the weight of his metamorphosis, a stern mask that was unable to completely conceal the inner agony. The limitations of this new body, this new life, suddenly restrained the wings that had appeared to fly freely. However, that was not the only

The Capitol was a city of authority that influenced the future of empires and determined the destiny of countries. But now, with its halls and streets throbbing with the weight of a choice that may change the course of history, it felt more like a battlefield. Knowing that every decision they took from this point on might either send them into the depths of failure or bring them closer to victory, Alexander and his companions stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing over the edge. However, something was happening inside the Capitol's magnificent rooms that nobody had expected. Benjamin Whitaker's voice, which ought to have been permanently muted, reverberated from the speakers, its icy, deliberate tones brimming with contempt. Everyone in hearing felt their spines tingle as it sliced through the air like a dagger, merciless and keen. "Did you really think you could change the game's rules?" Benjamin's voice reverberated with a terrible energy. "You've only just started playing, and y

The orbital strike's debris had left the world outside the Capitol in a terrifying state. The city was engulfed in flames that destroyed everything in their path, and the overpowering stench of smoke hung in the air like a portent. The eerie glow of satellites filled the sky as their fragments crashed into the ground, leaving craters and devastation in their wake. With grim determination, Alexander and Tatiana navigated the remains of the Capitol. Their victory felt hollow, even though they had barely survived the blow. The Capitol, once the center of their authority, was reduced to a heap of blazing rubble, and Mira had barely survived. However, the city was not the only place under risk. The flickering lights lighted the concrete and twisted steel as they walked to the central control room. The clatter of security warnings and the hum of machinery had once filled the area, but now it was eerily quiet. Tatiana's gaze flitted across the monitors, which were now displaying distorted