Hellesa and her group speed toward Irnak, where Zenix and his army are stationed.
As Izaki grips the wheel, his vision blurs. The pain from his wound is unbearable. His head slumps forward.
Kazen panics. "Izaki! Get up!"
Izaki doesn't respond. The car veers off course, heading straight for a line of soldiers. Kazen lunges for the controls, but he can't steady the vehicle in time—
Just before impact, Ecro jumps in front of the car and stops it with brute force.
The dust settles. Ecro pulls Izaki out while Kazen and Hellesa stumble out, catching their breath.
"Thank you, sir! If you weren't there, we'd be dead!" Hellesa says.
Ecro grins. "No problem."
Nesco, the healer, rushes over and begins treating Izaki.
Zenix's SuspicionFrom a distance, Zenix watches Hellesa and Kazen. Something about Hellesa seems... familiar.
He calls out. "Hey, girl!"
Hellesa glances up. "Who is that?"
Zenix gestures. "Come here."
Hellesa approaches, wary. "Who are you?"
"I'm Zenix, leader of the Nemeris group."
Hellesa frowns. "Huh? Nemeris? Whatever that is… but thanks for helping us."
Zenix studies her, thinking, This girl is just as clueless as her parents.
"What are you mumbling?" Hellesa asks.
Zenix shakes his head. "Nothing. You just look familiar."
Hellesa scoffs. "I don't know you. Maybe you're some distant relative who saw me when I was six or something."
Zenix shakes his head. "No. This is my first time meeting you. But you look like your mother."
Hellesa freezes. "What? You… you knew my parents?"
"Yes. And you're wrong about something—you're not adopted."
Hellesa takes a step back. "What?! No. My parents told me I was adopted! My brother's my real sibling!"
Zenix sighs internally. She really doesn't know anything… What would she do if she learned the truth?
"Listen carefully, Hellesa," Zenix says. "Your mother is dead, but your father is still alive."
Hellesa's world shatters. "No! That's impossible! Both of them died in a car accident. If my father is alive, why hasn't he come for us?!"
Zenix ignores her question and holds up a weapon. "Before your mother died, she gave me this. The claw you wear—there's a second one. I have it."
Hellesa glares. "Why would she give it to you instead of me? What if you stole it? What if you sold it?"
Zenix remains calm. "She entrusted it to me. But before you get it, you need training."
Hellesa shakes her head. "No! First, answer my questions. Tell me everything about my parents!"
The Council's FearDeep within a hidden chamber, the Council of Five gathers.
Council Member 3: "They killed Cisco too. What do we do now?"
Council Member 5: "That's not the only problem. Someone is influencing our army to rebel against us!"
Council Member 1: "We're drowning in problems. If we don't act fast, we'll be the next ones dead."
Then, Council Member 0 stands, commanding silence. "Listen to me."
The room falls quiet.
"The one corrupting our army is Zenix and his team."
Gasps ripple through the council.
"What?! Zenix left us long ago! We killed him, didn't we?! How is he still alive?!"
Council Member 0 slams the table. "I said shut up and let me finish!"
The room stills.
"At any cost, we cannot allow Zenix and Hellesa to meet."
Murmurs of confusion spread.
"If they do," Council Member 0 continues, "Zenix will reveal the truth about her parents and her lineage. Her bloodline is powerful. If he trains her to unlock her full potential, she will be a threat to us all."
Silence. Then a collective understanding: Hellesa must never know the truth.
A Dark Revelation(Inside a secret underground hospital…)
Doctors huddle around two bodies lying on operating tables. Machines beep steadily.
One doctor wipes sweat from his brow and grins. "Yes! We did it! They're alive!"
Another doctor gasps. "This is impossible… we actually revived them!"
Their excitement is short-lived. They pick up the phone and call the Council.
Doctor: "We did it! Both of them are still alive! In just three days, they will be fully healed!"
The voice on the other end pauses. Then, Council Member 1 replies, "Excellent. Now we can eliminate the threat for good."
But Council Member 0 interjects. "No… I want one of them alive."
A sinister silence follows.
Hellesa scoffed, folding her arms. "I don't know you. Maybe you're some distant relative who saw me when I was six or something."
Zenix shook his head. "No. This is my first time meeting you. But you… you look like your mother."
The words hit Hellesa like a punch to the gut. Her breath caught in her throat.
"What? You… you knew my parents?"
Zenix's gaze didn't waver. "Yes. And you're wrong about something—you're not adopted."
Hellesa's entire body stiffened. She took a step back as if distance would make the statement less real. "What?! No. My parents told me I was adopted! My brother's my real sibling!"
Zenix exhaled slowly. He could see it now—the denial, the cracks forming in her certainty.
She really doesn't know anything.
And if she learned the truth, what would she do?
Would she even believe it?
His voice was softer now, but firm. "Listen carefully, Hellesa. Your mother is dead, but your father… he's still alive."
The ground beneath her might as well have collapsed.
"No! That's impossible!" Hellesa's voice shook, her hands balled into fists. "Both of them died in a car accident. If my father were alive, why hasn't he come for us? Why hasn't he—"
Zenix cut her off, reaching into his coat. He pulled out a weapon—a sleek, curved claw that gleamed under the dim light.
Hellesa froze.
She knew that shape.
It was identical to the claw she wore.
"Before your mother died, she gave me this," Zenix said. "The claw you wear—there's a second one. I have it."
Hellesa's pulse pounded in her ears. "Why would she give it to you instead of me?" Her voice was laced with anger and confusion. "What if you stole it? What if you—sold it?"
Zenix didn't react to the accusation. He simply stated, "She entrusted it to me. But before you get it, you need training."
Hellesa's frustration boiled over. "No! First, answer my questions! Tell me everything about my parents!"
Zenix met her gaze, silent.
There was so much to say.
And yet, now was not the time.
The Council's Fear
Deep within a hidden chamber, five figures sat in a dimly lit room, the weight of impending doom pressing upon them.
The air was thick with tension.
"They killed Cisco too." Council Member 3's voice was low and grave. "What do we do now?"
Council Member 5 rubbed his temples. "That's not our only problem. Someone is influencing our army to rebel against us!"
A murmur spread through the group.
Council Member 1 leaned forward, his fingers drumming against the table. "We're drowning in problems. If we don't act fast, we'll be the next ones dead."
Then, Council Member 0 stood.
The room fell silent.
His voice was calm, commanding. "Listen to me."
Everyone stilled, waiting.
"The one corrupting our army is Zenix and his team."
Gasps rippled through the council.
"What?! Zenix left us long ago! We killed him, didn't we?! How is he still alive?!"
Council Member 0's fist slammed against the table. "I said shut up and let me finish!"
A tense silence followed.
His voice dropped lower, more dangerous. "At any cost, we cannot allow Zenix and Hellesa to meet."
Confused murmurs spread again, but Council Member 0 didn't stop.
"If they do," he continued, "Zenix will reveal the truth about her parents. About her lineage.
"Her bloodline is powerful. If he trains her to unlock her full potential… she will be a threat to us all."**
The implications hung in the air like a storm cloud.
A moment of silence.
Then, a collective understanding settled over the council.
Hellesa must never know the truth.
A Dark Revelation
A dim, sterile light flickered overhead in a secret underground hospital.
Doctors in white coats crowded around two operating tables, their hands trembling as they adjusted medical instruments. The rhythmic beeping of machines echoed through the cold, steel room.
Then—
One of the machines let out a steady, strong pulse.
A doctor wiped the sweat from his brow, his breath coming in short gasps.
Then, his lips curled into a grin.
"Yes! We did it! They're alive!"
A second doctor, his hands still shaking, stared in disbelief."This is impossible… we actually revived them!"
He turned toward the tables, his eyes darting over the two unconscious figures lying still beneath the medical lights.
A man and a woman.
Two people who should have been long dead.
The air in the room grew thick with an unspoken realization.
Everything was about to change.