"Dad," Kai's voice was a raw whisper of pain, "you're not in your right mind. You can't do this."
But the man before him was a mere shell, the Ragner he knew buried deep beneath layers of manipulation. "There is no other way," the brainwashed Ragner said, his grip on Astrid's neck tightening once more. "You are too weak to see it."
The words cut Kai like a knife, but he knew he had to keep trying. He took a deep breath, centering himself as he had been taught by Sven. "Dad," he said, his voice steady despite the tremble in his hands, "you don't have to do this. I know you're still in there. We can fight this together."
Ragner's eyes searched Kai's, the coldness briefly fading into something that looked almost like regret. But then Argel's shadow grew, swelling around them, and the doubt vanished. "The choice is yours, Kai," he said, his voice cold and final. "The Node, or your sister's life."
