They Erased My Name from History — Now I Burn Their World
Chapter Five: Blood Never Forgets
Kade's eyes reveal a transformation, yet not entirely.
While the core of them remains intact, a remnant of familiarity that sparks memories of our childhood, the changes are undeniable. Their sharpness is colder now, an icy glare emanating from the Dominion-grade optics implanted into his visage, glowing faintly against the dim backdrop like distant stars lost in an endless expanse. When I peer into those eyes, I see remnants of the boy who once shielded me from the unrelenting onslaught of drone fire, the same boy who would whisper soothing lullabies in the dead of night while our mother's screams reverberated through the darkness. Even now, beneath the layers of high-tech enhancements and the passage of unforgiving time, traces of that boy linger, though they are barely perceptible.
"It's true your eyes have changed," I say, my voice barely above a whisper, a surge of emotion threatening to overwhelm me.
He affirms with a nod, grave and resolute. "Yes, they're embedded deep. I've been inside — under the radar for years now. An undercover operation, off the grid."
I scrutinize him, narrowing my eyes, skeptical. "You do realize they don't embed ghosts?"
"I might have started as a whisper in the void," he murmurs, his gaze unsteady, "but I refused to remain erased. I underwent a transformation. I became someone else entirely."
The silence between us stretches like a taut wire, vibrating with unspoken tensions. Somewhere in the shadows, a metal fan clinks rhythmically, the sound a mere interruption to the chaos that explodes above us. The surface above pulsates with turmoil; alarms blare incessantly, shouts of protest echo through the air, and Dominion broadcasts loop with frantic demands for control, desperately attempting to regain authority over the unfolding chaos.
"Were you able to observe everything that's taken place?" I inquire, my curiosity pushing through the dread. "The erasures? The public burnings? And you chose to remain right beneath their noses?"
"I watched it all unfold," he admits quietly, his voice heavy with the weight of memory. "And I waited. Because I understood that striking too soon would result in a death with no meaning. That I would become just another statistic in their grand design."
"Even so, dying for nothing is infinitely preferable to living as their puppets," I counter, fighting against the pull of despair.
He turns his gaze away from me, determination tempered by an unyielding jawline. "I didn't come here to provoke a conflict with you, Viraen."
"Then why now?" I press, desperation igniting in my throat.
Kade exhales heavily, stepping closer as he retrieves a small object from a concealed compartment hidden within the wall—a thin, sleek black cube radiating warmth.
Dominion Black Archive.
Not merely forbidden, but meticulously buried; a relic so untraceable that it could prompt death for anyone who dared to discuss it, let alone possess it.
"This is the reason for my visit," he states, his voice reverberating with urgency. "I infiltrated their vault and liberated this mere hours ago from a secure location beneath Tier One command."
I find myself drawn to the cube, instinctively stepping closer, battling an urge to recoil from its ominous presence.
"What's contained within it?" I ask, my voice quivering with anticipation and anxiety.
"Concrete evidence," he replies. "Not just proof of erasures or our shared past. This contains everything: the original war protocols, the very first orders for population culls, the files on AI infections that have been hidden from the public eye. Names, numbers, identities — even the unvarnished truth about the Dominion's foundation."
A knot tightens in my chest, as a dreadful understanding envelops me; I am already aware, deep down, of what he is about to reveal.
"It was never devised for peace, Viraen. Its construction served to simulate stability, to manufacture adversaries. Every single rebellion, every uprising you've witnessed—it's all been calculated and meticulously engineered. Those cycles were designed to justify their control. You think you're the first to rise up? You are mistaken."
I stagger backward, the revelation threatening to topple my newly ignited hopes. "Then, this virus—"
"Is the anomaly they failed to predict, the first variable they couldn't account for in decades," he asserts, his eyes locking onto mine with fervor. "You have shattered the cycle."
The cube glows brightly in his grasp, its core pulsing with vitality.
"You aren't merely a glitch in their system, Viraen," he insists. "You embody something that was never meant to exist. You are the spark they were terrified would ignite."
The air thickens with gravity from this newfound understanding, an epiphany crashing down upon me. I am not just fighting against them in rebellion.
I am setting about the monumental task of dismantling their iron grip on this world—their self-imposed godhood.
As the cube rests in my palm, I feel its warmth radiating through me as if it recognizes my presence. The lights flickering across its surface flare a brilliant gold, a hue that feels almost welcoming rather than threatening. Deep inside its matrix, I sense a vault of memories stirring, a tumult of voices that seem to echo through time.
Then, I hear something hauntingly foreign:
A voice.
A whisper drifting from the very depths of the cube itself.
"Welcome back, Viraen Xedrin," it murmurs, the sound silky and enigmatic.
I freeze in place. "It knows me?" I stammer, astonishment coursing through my veins.
Kade's expression darkens, a flicker of dread crossing his features. "It is not only aware of you. It knows our lineage. The name Xedrin is not merely erased from their records — it is strictly forbidden. They were never just frightened of your rebellion, Viraen. They feared what your bloodline represents."
The cube pulses again, more forcefully this time—and in that instant, chaos erupts.
The door behind us detonates with a thunderous boom.
I'm thrown to the ground, the shock reverberating through my body. Kade rolls into action, reaching instinctively for his sidearm. From the swirling smoke and debris, they materialize—the dreaded Dominion Cleaners, unyielding and relentless. There is no chance for warning, no possibility of negotiation; they embody the very essence of sterilization orders in human form.
It dawns on me with chilling clarity: they weren't just tracking me.
They were hunting him.
"MOVE!" Kade shouts, urgency lacing his tone.
We sprint through the labyrinthine tunnels, narrowly dodging plasma bursts aimed at our escape, the cube held firmly in my grasp. Our feet pound against the rusted rails, the sound echoing the weight of fractured history beneath us. The Dominion is on our tails now, pursuing us not merely as rebellious souls or elusive ghosts.
They are hunting us as truthbearers.
We reach an intersection just as the tunnel caves in behind us, debris cascading like thunder. Kade is bleeding profusely; I'm gasping for breath as adrenaline courses through my veins. The cube remains warm in my grip, glowing like a beacon, almost pulsating with anticipation.
"Where do we go from here?" I demand, hope flickering like a dying flame.
Kade flashes a bloodied grin, defiant beneath the chaos. "Now," he replies, urgency mingling with determination, "we show the world the truths they buried beneath layers of lies."
I gaze upward, through the jagged levels of rust and rot that comprise the ceiling above. Through the fractures, I catch glimpses of the burning skyline, a testament to the fury raging beyond.
The Dominion believed that erasing my name would strip me of my power, that they could silence my voice.
They never comprehended that by doing so, they were carving it even deeper into the fabric of fate—into the annals of history.
To be continued...