Dust and smoke still hung in the air as Riven slammed the brakes. Nyssa, sitting beside him, turned around in panic. Veyra and Exter jumped out, firing shots toward the enemy aircraft still hovering low.
"Go! Get in!" Exter shouted, signaling to Lirael, who was struggling to support Taren. Peterson ran behind them, covering their backs from the incoming fire.
Lirael held Taren tightly, her face tense. "Just a little more, Taren..."
Peterson reached them and placed a hand on Lirael's shoulder. "Take him. Keep him safe." His eyes locked with hers—briefly but intensely—then turned to Taren. "I'll catch up…"
Taren tried to argue, but his voice was weak from the wound in his arm. Lirael nodded silently, her heart pounding.
The vehicle sped off the moment they were inside. On the other side, Kael was still returning fire from behind debris, but a shot struck him in the abdomen.
"KAEL!!" Elior cried out, wanting to run back, but Tyson grabbed him.
"No! He's down!" Tyson pulled Elior into the vehicle and slammed the door. The engine roared.
Left behind, Peterson saw Kael collapse, his eyes wide open, staring at the sky as blood pooled beneath him.
Peterson clenched his jaw. He fired into the air, drawing attention away from the escaping group, then ran toward some wreckage for cover. But as he glanced to the left—
"Serin...?" he muttered.
No one was there. The girl had vanished.
Peterson stood frozen for a moment, his heartbeat thundering in his chest.
The wind picked up. Smoke thickened. The enemy helicopter began to circle away.
And their vehicle disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a battlefield soaked in loss.
The salty wind blew fiercely, carrying the scent of gunfire and scorched earth. Rhea stood near the rubble, breath heavy, her gun pointed straight at Serin, who had just reappeared with an innocent look on her face.
"You're with them, aren't you?!" Rhea shouted, her voice trembling with fury. "You brought them here! Kael's dead because of you!!"
Serin froze, her eyes wide. "I—I don't know what you're—"
"DON'T LIE TO ME!!" Rhea snapped, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
Suddenly—
BANG!
A gunshot echoed—barely missing Rhea. A soldier, one of Varn's men, emerged from the smoke, rifle raised, taking aim.
Serin turned and bolted into the bushes.
BANG!
Another shot fired—and the soldier dropped, a clean bullet to the chest.
From behind the wreckage, Peterson stepped out, rifle still smoking. His expression was cold, unreadable.
He strode toward Rhea. "You okay?" he asked shortly.
Rhea nodded slowly, still staring in the direction Serin had run. "She ran… but I'm sure of it. She's a traitor."
Peterson looked down, his jaw tense. "I've had my suspicions too," he muttered. "But right now, we need to make sure the others are safe. Kael…"
He glanced northward—where Kael had fallen. The silence was heavy.
"This isn't over," he said quietly.
Without another word, Peterson and Rhea started moving again—toward the sound of the retreating vehicles, toward the faint hope of safety. Meanwhile, Serin's shadow slipped deeper into the trees, swallowed by the oncoming dusk.
Inside the car, the midday air was hot despite the gentle sea breeze. Lirael sat quietly in the back corner, her fingers tightly gripping her pendant. Her eyes were empty—no words came out since the car started moving.
Taren occasionally glanced back at Lirael, noticing how lost she was in sorrow. Veyra and Nyssa were silent as well, the heavy sadness over Kael's loss hanging over them all.
Meanwhile, far behind them...
Peterson and Rhea moved quickly through the rubble-strewn streets, searching for a vehicle. Dust still swirled around them, and the smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.
Suddenly, a stern-faced man in dark clothes blocked their path. No weapon was visible, but his sharp gaze pierced right through them.
"Peterson," he said quietly but firmly. "Your father would be disappointed to see his son like this."
Peterson snorted, his eyes locked onto the man's. "My father's been disappointed for a long time," he replied coldly.
Rhea glanced toward an old motorbike parked on the side of the street. Peterson noticed it too.
He grabbed Rhea's shoulder and said quickly, "Go. You can handle it, right? Catch up with them."
Rhea paused briefly, then nodded. "You sure?"
"I'll head back to the base," Peterson said, watching the man warily. "I need to find out what they're really planning."
Rhea jumped on the motorbike. "Don't die," she said flatly.
Peterson just gave a faint smile. "Not my plan."
The motorbike roared to life and sped away, leaving Peterson standing alone, shadowed by his past and the path he chose.
Inside the car, tension suddenly broke as the roar of a motorcycle engine was heard from behind. Everyone immediately turned to look out the rear window.
A fast figure sped past — an old but incredibly fast motorcycle. It was Rhea!
Rhea rode skillfully, her face serious but determined. The wind blew her hair back, but her eyes never left the car they were riding in.
"She's coming!" Nyssa exclaimed, wiping her forehead.
Lirael gripped her pendant tighter, a small smile forming as she admired Rhea's unwavering courage.
That night, in their new hideout—more remote and far from any radar—they sat in a circle inside an old wooden building near the coast. A dim light softly lit up their tired faces.
Rhea spoke first, her voice firm. "Serin… she's part of Dr. Varn's people. I saw her activate a tracking device on the boat before the attack. Because of her, Kael…"
The room fell silent. Rhea lowered her head for a moment, then looked back up at them. "And one more thing... Peterson went back to the base. He intends to infiltrate it, not betray us."
Riven turned sharply to Exter, his tone slightly accusatory. "Then why didn't you go with him? Are you one of them too?"
Exter looked back calmly. "I could've gone. But it's pointless if we all leave. Someone has to stay behind—watch over you, keep you safe. We have to destroy them from the inside, not keep running forever."
He continued, his tone cold but steady. "Remember, they want to take this planet. They see humans as nothing more than pawns. And you—those with mixed blood—are valuable assets. They'll use you... or wipe you out if you're no longer useful. Taren's father… he's one of the architects of that plan."
Lirael clutched her pendant, eyes fixed on Exter. "Why do they want Earth so badly? Why us? What does all this mean?"
Elior, who had been sitting near the window, spoke quietly. "Because Earth is the only planet with a unique energy balance that can support the expansion of their race. Their home, Zytherion, was destroyed. They need a new place… and new bodies."
Tyson added in a heavy voice, "I heard rumors back then—about experiments. About alien beings infiltrating the military, silently. They don't just want this planet... they want a new generation, stronger, born of hybrids."
Rhea, who had stayed silent, said softly, "I know about that. My father... he once told me. That's why I've always hidden my archery skills. They can sense genetic potential."
Nyssa spoke with a low but clear voice, "And now we have to choose… be their pawns, or fight back."
Silence filled the room. The night wind slipped in through the cracks of the wooden walls, carrying a cold chill. But inside, their resolve was beginning to burn. The war wasn't over. But that night, they knew one thing: the choice had been made.
Riven narrowed his eyes and turned sharply toward Taren. "You too, right? Same as them… from another world. You know more than you've been saying."
Everyone's eyes shifted to Taren.
He let out a slow sigh and stood up. "We're not hybrids… we're originals," he finally said. "Peterson and I… we weren't born of Earth. But we've lived among you since we were kids. We may look like humans… but we learn faster, think quicker, and in some ways… we're stronger."
Rhea looked at him in disbelief. "So all this time you were pretending to be normal?"
Taren shook his head. "Not pretending. I really did live here. I went to school here. My friends were human. But that doesn't change the truth about who I am."
Lirael slowly stood up, her eyes still locked on Taren. "Why tell us now?"
"Because if I told you earlier, you wouldn't have believed me," Taren said with regret in his voice. "And you needed a reason to trust Peterson. Yes, he was part of the system… but he turned against it. He—we—chose this side."
Riven still looked skeptical. "How do we know you're not planted here to spy on us?"
Taren met his gaze. "If I wanted you dead… I could've stayed quiet when we were attacked. But I ran with you. I fought too."
The tension grew heavier, but Lirael stepped forward and stood between them. "Enough. If Taren was a traitor, he had plenty of chances to leave us behind. But he didn't."
Taren looked down. "We may not be human… but that doesn't mean we're not your allies."