2025-08-18 03:28:22
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THE GATHERING STORM
And Lin City would never be the same.The rain had not stopped. It poured through the night and into the pale dawn, hammering rooftops, washing filth from alleyways, and drowning the city in a gray veil. To some, it felt like a cleansing. To Ares, it was an omen.He stood beneath the dripping eaves of the Resistance safehouse, his broad frame silhouetted against the storm. His hands were clasped loosely behind his back, but the stillness in his posture was not peace - it was calculation. He had lived through enough wars to recognize the rhythm of one when it began. Kane’s death had not ended anything. It had only reset the board.Reyes came up behind him, boots squelching against wet ground. “The city’s boiling,” he said without preamble. “Half the gangs want to claim Kane’s turf. The other half want revenge. And the big players - the real powers - they’re watching. Waiting.”Ares didn’t look away from the storm. “And the Resistance?”“Fractured,” Reyes admitted. “Some see Kane’s deat
SHADOWS IN THE CITY
“…and Ares knew the storm was only beginning.”The silence after Kane’s death was deceptive. Lin City had always been a beast with too many heads, and cutting off one only made the others stir. Ares felt it in his bones as he stood in the ruined hall, the scent of blood and smoke clinging to him like a second skin. Kane was gone, but the city was shifting under his feet, pulling itself toward the next war.Reyes broke the stillness first. His breathing was harsh, his chest heaving after the brutal fight, but his eyes were steady. “You think it’s over? You know it’s not.”Ares didn’t answer. His fists were still clenched, blood drying on his knuckles. Hawk paced restlessly at the edge of the hall, muttering curses, his nerves wired like a man who’d seen too many wars to believe in peace.Finally, Ares moved. His voice was low, but it carried the weight of a man who knew what lay ahead. “No. This is only the beginning. They’ll come harder now. All of them.”Outside, the night was unnatu
THE DAWN AFTER BLOOD
The fight for his son’s future had only just begun.Silence pressed against the throne room like a second skin. The crack of Kane’s neck still echoed in Ares’s ears, harsh and absolute, a sound that did not fade so much as bury itself into the marrow of the night. Kane’s body slumped in a heap at his feet, the red cloth of his false throne soaking into the blood spreading across the floor.Hawk blew out a long breath, wiping blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. “Well… that’s one way to end a reign.” His voice was casual, but the tremor beneath it betrayed the storm they had just walked through.Reyes said nothing. His blade was still wet, the steel gleaming dully in the dim lantern light. His gaze swept the corners of the room as though expecting more shadows to leap free. Old instincts never rested.Ares didn’t move. His eyes stayed on Kane’s lifeless face, the twisted smirk frozen even in death. Killing him hadn’t lifted the weight from Ares’s chest. If anything, it had p
THE TYRANT’S THRONE
The steel doors shuddered open beneath Ares’s push, groaning like dying beasts. Lantern-light spilled through the crack, slicing the dark. Dust swirled. The silence on the other side was not emptiness - it was anticipation.Ares stepped first. His shadow stretched long, cutting across the cracked floor toward the dais that waited at the far end. Hawk and Reyes followed close behind, two predators moving in sync. The scent of rust and blood lingered in the stale air. Every heartbeat was a drum. Every breath was a warning.And there he was.Kane lounged on a crooked chair draped with a red cloth, a mockery of a throne. His posture was casual, his smirk wider than the room deserved. Around him stood his guards, thick-armed men with rifles and blades, nervous hands twitching at the sight of Ares but holding their ground because Kane had not moved.“Well,” Kane drawled, voice sharp, carrying with ease. “The ghost finally comes out of the shadows. The God of War. I half-expected you to hide
THE EDGE OF VENGEANCE
The vow settled like iron in Ares’s chest. Not heavy, not oppressive, but alive, sharp, relentless. He didn’t sit. He paced the dim room, fists flexing, jaw tight, mind turning over every possibility, every danger. Kane had touched Elijah’s future. That alone made mercy impossible. Every instinct, every scar, every sleepless night whispered the same truth: he would not fail.Hawk leaned against the wall, silent, watching. His grin had faded; his eyes were hard, calculating. “You can feel him,” he murmured, voice low, almost reverent. “Kane. He’s near.”Ares stopped, gaze slicing the shadowed corner. “Near enough to taste him. Near enough to end him. Tonight.” His voice was steel wrapped in patience.Reyes, pencil poised over the map, muttered, “Northern sector. Warehouses, abandoned docks, factories - he’s pulling pieces in, fortifying. He’s thinking ahead. We strike blind, we die.”Ares’s jaw clenched. “Blind? No. He underestimates me. That’s all we need.”Hawk smirked faintly. “Pred
A PROMISE OF BLOOD
This time, there would be no grave deep enough to hide him.The words burned in Ares’s chest long after the shredded photograph lay scattered on the floor. Kane had crossed a line. He hadn’t just touched the past - he’d reached for Elijah’s future. That alone sealed his fate.When Ares emerged from the room, Mira looked up from where she sat, Elijah nestled against her. Hawk leaned against the wall, sharpening his knife with restless fury. Reyes hunched over the map, pencil scratching new marks.Ares’s voice was steady, but his eyes carried fire. “It’s time.”Hawk grinned, the kind of grin that promised violence. “Finally. I was starting to think you’d forgotten who you are.”Reyes frowned. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, then we’ll need more than knives and grudges. Kane’s already turned half the city against you. If we strike blind, we’ll be walking into a trap.”“We won’t strike blind,” Ares replied. He tapped the map. “We smoke him out. We tear down every den, every
