The rain had slowed to a soft drizzle by the time the armored vehicle came to a halt inside the compound's high, fortified walls. The silence around them was thick, broken only by the steady hum of the engine. Sarah and Helena remained seated, staring out at the massive structure before them, their minds spinning with the overwhelming events of the last few days. They had been on the run, hunted, protected by forces they didn't fully understand—and now, finally, they were here, wherever here was.
The Ravens exited the vehicle first, moving with their usual silent precision, and the door to the vehicle was opened for Sarah and Helena to step out. Specter stood by, his expression hidden behind his mask, but Sarah felt his quiet command as if he'd spoken aloud.
"This way," he said, his voice firm but oddly gentle.
Helena hesitated, clutching Sarah's hand as they stepped out into the open air. Her eyes were wide, darting around the compound, trying to make sense of where they were. But Sarah wasn't thinking about their surroundings. Her mind was elsewhere, focused on the unknown. Who were they meeting? What was waiting for them behind those doors? And why did Specter say they were safe now?
Sarah's heart pounded as they were led inside the compound. The hallways were long and cold, the walls made of steel and stone, but there was something strangely secure about the place. It wasn't just another safe house; it was more than that. It felt… permanent.
But as they neared the end of a hallway, Sarah's hand tightened around Helena's. She could feel it—the weight of something significant about to happen. Her breath hitched in her throat. They were about to meet him. The Lord.
The doors at the end of the hall opened slowly, revealing a large, dimly lit room. Inside, a figure stood waiting, his back to them. His posture was tense, rigid, as if holding something back. Sarah's heart raced even faster. She felt a strange, overwhelming sense of familiarity, something that tugged at her memory, but she couldn't place it.
Helena clung to her side, her grip tightening. "Sarah… who is that?" she whispered.
But Sarah couldn't answer. Her mind was spinning, her emotions pulling her in a thousand directions. The man before them turned slowly, his face still shadowed by the dim light. But as he stepped into the faint glow, Sarah's breath left her body in a rush. Her knees buckled, and she grabbed onto Helena for support.
It couldn't be.
No. It wasn't possible.
But there he was.
Their brother. Their little brother.
The brother they thought had died years ago.
"R-Ryan?" Sarah's voice broke as the name slipped from her lips, her heart thudding in her chest. She could barely breathe, the shock hitting her so hard that she felt dizzy. The world around her blurred, and all she could see was him—her little brother, standing there, alive.
Helena's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth opening and closing as if trying to find the words. "It can't be…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "He… he's…"
But Ryan was there, standing just feet away from them, his face a mixture of relief, love, and a deep, overwhelming sadness. He took a step forward, his arms trembling at his sides, as if he wasn't sure what to do, wasn't sure if they'd accept him after all these years.
"I—" Ryan's voice cracked, his usual composure faltering for the first time as he looked at his sisters, the two people he had been protecting from the shadows all this time. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I didn't want you to find out like this. I didn't want you to think I was gone."
"Ryan…" Sarah breathed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she took a shaky step toward him. "You're alive? All this time?"
Helena was frozen, her eyes brimming with tears as well, unable to process the flood of emotions. "But we… we thought you were dead," she choked out, her voice raw with heartbreak.
Ryan took another step closer, his own tears finally breaking free, streaming down his face as he nodded, his voice shaky and broken. "I had to protect you," he said, his voice filled with years of pain and regret. "I had to keep you safe… from all of this. I thought if you believed I was gone, you'd be safer. You wouldn't be pulled into this world."
Sarah's heart shattered at his words. She took another step toward him, her body shaking as the weight of it all crushed down on her. "Ryan… you left us. We thought you were dead. We mourned you," she whispered, her voice cracking as she began to cry. "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you—"
"I couldn't!" Ryan's voice was filled with anguish as he reached for her, his hands trembling. "I couldn't tell you. I couldn't risk you being pulled into this war. It wasn't supposed to be like this…"
Helena finally moved, tears streaming down her face as she rushed forward, throwing herself into Ryan's arms. "I don't care!" she sobbed, her small frame shaking with the force of her tears. "You're alive… that's all that matters."
Ryan caught her, his arms wrapping tightly around her as if he were afraid to let go. His own body shook with silent sobs as he held his sister, his heart breaking under the weight of everything he had kept from them.
Sarah stood frozen, tears pouring down her face, her heart torn between relief, anger, and heartbreak. She had mourned him. She had believed, for so long, that their brother was gone. And now… now here he was, standing before them, alive.
But at what cost?
Helena pulled away slightly, her face streaked with tears, her eyes searching Ryan's face as if trying to memorize every feature. "You're really here," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't care what happened. I don't care about anything. You're here."
Ryan nodded, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm here," he said quietly, his hands shaking as he reached out for Sarah. "And I'm never leaving you again."
Sarah took a deep breath, her chest heaving as she finally stepped forward and fell into her brother's arms. The moment she felt his arms around her, the dam inside her broke, and she began to sob, her body wracked with the pain of everything she had held inside for so long.
Ryan held them both, his arms tight around his sisters, his heart breaking with every tear they shed. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking with the weight of his guilt. "I'm so sorry I left you."
The three of them stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, crying together—tears of relief, heartbreak, love, and everything in between. Years of pain, fear, and longing finally poured out, and for a moment, nothing else in the world mattered.
After the Storm of Tears
Minutes passed, though it felt like hours, as they finally began to calm down, the tears slowing but the emotion still heavy in the air. Ryan pulled back slightly, his eyes red and swollen, but there was a soft, relieved smile on his face. "I've missed you both so much," he whispered.
Sarah let out a soft, broken laugh through her tears. "You're such an idiot," she muttered, her voice wavering as she wiped at her eyes. "We thought you were gone. We thought… we thought we'd lost you forever."
"I'm never leaving you again," Ryan promised, his voice filled with quiet determination. "I don't care what happens. I'm not going anywhere."
Helena sniffed, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand. "We'll make sure of it. You're not going to disappear on us again."
Ryan chuckled, though there was still a trace of sadness in his eyes. "I'll stay. I promise."
"And no more secrets," Sarah added, her voice stern but filled with love. "We're family. You don't get to protect us by hiding from us."
Ryan nodded, his expression softening. "No more secrets," he agreed. "I just… I didn't want you to be part of this world. I didn't want you to see what I've become."
Helena shook her head, her voice gentle but firm. "You're our brother, Ryan. We don't care what's happened. We love you. And we're not losing you again."
Ryan's chest tightened with emotion, his heart full in a way it hadn't been in years. He had spent so long protecting them from the shadows, keeping them safe from the darkness that surrounded him. But now, standing here with his sisters, he realized that they were his world. He would burn everything to the ground to keep them safe.
"I love you both," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "More than anything. And I swear… I'll never let anything happen to you."
Sarah and Helena both nodded, tears still brimming in their eyes, but now there was something else—hope.
They were together again.
Finally.
And no matter what came next, they knew that nothing would tear them apart.