The message arrived at dawn.
A black bullet casing wrapped in cloth landed with a metallic clatter on the stone floor of the Fallen Liberators' inner sanctum—delivered by a hooded figure before vanishing into the thick shadows of the city.
Ren stared at the casing in silence. Jun, Akito, Kenji, and Elvina stood nearby, eyes bloodshot from days of restless planning, searching, and dealing with the growing distrust among their ranks.
Jun was already slipping—his memory fraying at the edges. Haruto's death had left a hole, and the serum had filled it with power at the cost of pieces of himself. And now… Fae was gone.
Rander, Elvina, and the others had held emergency meetings all through the week. Rumors were spreading. Panic brewing. The Liberators were strong—but fractured.
"Who's it from?" Kenji finally asked.
Ren crouched beside the casing, fingers brushing over the cloth.
There, stitched in the corner by a familiar pattern—a tiny phoenix symbol. One Zane used to draw on the walls of their old bedroom as kids.
"...Zane," Ren muttered. His voice trembled. "He's alive."
Jun stepped forward, his eyes twitching as if trying to remember a detail just out of reach. "What does it say?"
Ren carefully unfurled the cloth.
The message was scrawled in sharp, jagged ink. Words written in a rush. In pain.
*"You were right. He lied to us both. I found her—Fae is alive. I don't know for how long. Jun is next if we don't act. I'm done playing his puppet. But I can't do this alone.
If you still believe in what we once were… meet me where the fire first started.
No more lies.
—Z"*
Ren froze.
Elvina stepped closer, reading the note over his shoulder. Her lips parted in disbelief. "Fae... she's alive?"
Akito clenched his fists. "How long has he known?"
Jun was silent. His eyes locked on the bullet casing, sweat forming on his brow. Then—he swayed.
"Elvina—" Kenji shouted, just as Jun collapsed.
She caught him mid-fall, lowering him gently to the floor.
"His pulse is unstable," she said quickly. "That second dose is tearing him apart—his memories, his emotions... they're collapsing."
Ren knelt beside him. "Jun. Stay with me."
He winced, gripping his skull as sparks of uncontrolled energy jolted from his skin.
Elvina turned to Ren, urgency in her voice. "This message—Zane knows. He's trying to help us."
Ren's throat tightened. "Then we don't have a choice."
He stood, slipping the cloth back into his coat.
"We go back. To where it all started."
"The field where we fought?" Akito asked.
"No," Ren replied, his voice like steel. "The ruins. The site of the first fire. The one that took our home. Our family. The place my father burned to bury the truth."
Rander entered the room at that moment, having been informed of the collapse. His gaze landed on the note.
"So," he muttered. "Even the devil's right hand is starting to question his master."
Ren nodded. "We have to move fast. Faster then we ever have before. Jun doesn't have much time left. And if Zane's message is real, then we might have a chance to stop this mess."
Rander grunted. "Then you'd better get moving. I'll keep the city covered for now."
"And the council?" Elvina asked in a concerned tone.
Rander's smile didn't falter nor reach his eyes. "I'll deal with them. You deal with the bastards who started this dammed war." He replied through gritted teeth.
As the group prepared to depart, Ren stood before the sunrise bleeding through the cracked windowpanes of their headquarters. The warmth touched his face for a slight second—fragile, fading.
Zane had reached out.
Fae might still be alive.
But this wasn't just about reunion.
This was the beginning of the end.
something he yearned for.
A reckoning long overdue.
To be continued...