-----
The night was unnaturally quiet, as if the air itself was holding its breath. From the rooftop of the crumbling tower, Kael looked down at the sprawling city—his city, once lost, now within reach. His silver eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight, reflecting the storm rising inside him.
Aria, his second love, stood behind him, arms crossed, the wind tugging at her long midnight hair. "You're ready to start?" she asked softly.
Kael didn't turn. "It starts tonight. Riven's bloodline ends with the dawn."
---
At the same time, in a lavish underground lair glowing with corrupted blue runes, Riven, the betrayer and Kael's former friend, sensed a shift in energy. A ripple in the threads of fate he had once mastered. He snapped his fingers, and a mirror bloomed from the shadows. In it, he saw Kael—and Aria.
But something else flickered behind them. A third presence. One he didn't recognize.
---
Midnight Operation.
Kael, Aria, and two loyal allies infiltrated a biotech compound owned by Riven's hidden empire. Inside were the stolen relics of Kael's fallen clan—and secret files that could collapse Riven's network.
"Steady," Aria whispered as they moved. Her voice, always calm, made Kael's pulse slow. "We're not alone."
An ambush. Dozens of masked guards swarmed, but Kael's powers surged—storm and steel fused in his hands, clearing a path.
But before they could reach the vault, a masked woman blocked their way. Aria froze. "No. It can't be…"
The woman removed her mask—Elira, Aria's supposedly dead sister.
---
Twist Reveal: Elira was working for Riven all along. A sleeper agent planted in Aria's childhood by Riven's alchemists, her memories altered.
"I loved you like a sister," Aria whispered, betrayal tearing through her voice.
Elira smirked. "You never asked what I remembered. He gave me power, Aria. Not dreams. Power."
A brutal battle ensued—Aria vs. Elira, Kael vs. the guards. They won, barely. Elira escaped but left a cryptic warning:
> "The real war hasn't even begun. He's preparing… to become a god."
---
Back at their safehouse, Kael read the stolen files. Riven's plans weren't just revenge—they were for immortality. The betrayal… was just a distraction.
As the chapter ends, Aria finds an ancient scroll tucked in one of the relics.
She reads aloud:
> "When blood cries for vengeance… the soul seeks rebirth