The warmth of their reunion still lingered in the air as Ryan, Sarah, and Helena sat together, the weight of their shared emotions finally easing. After years of thinking their brother was gone, the realization that he was alive, that he had been protecting them all along, brought a strange mixture of relief, joy, and pain. But even in this moment of peace, something dark lingered at the edge of Ryan's mind.
He had kept them safe this long, but the war wasn't over. It was never over. Not in his world.
Ryan stood, his expression hardening as the Lord within him reemerged. He had allowed himself a moment of vulnerability with his sisters, but now, he needed to face the reality of his position. His enemies would come again, and next time, they would be even more dangerous.
"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Sarah asked quietly, her voice filled with the weight of their years of separation.
Ryan looked at her, his face softening slightly. "Not leaving. Just preparing. The world outside hasn't changed. It's still dangerous, and now that they know you're alive… they'll come for you."
Helena frowned, her face still streaked with the remnants of tears. "But we're safe here, right? You said no one could touch us."
Ryan's eyes darkened slightly. "No one can. Not while I'm here. But that doesn't mean they won't try."
Before Sarah could respond, the door to the room opened, and a figure stepped inside, casting a long shadow across the floor. Ryan's eyes flicked up, immediately recognizing the presence. The woman who entered was tall, elegant, and carried herself with the lethal grace of someone who had seen—and caused—her share of destruction. Her long black coat trailed behind her like a shadow, and her sharp green eyes scanned the room with cold calculation.
"Ryan," she said, her voice smooth and commanding. "We have a situation."
Sarah and Helena tensed, feeling the sudden shift in the atmosphere. This woman radiated power, but it was a different kind from the Ravens or the other agents they had encountered. She was dangerous, and her connection to Ryan was clear.
Ryan, however, remained unfazed. He didn't even bother to stand straighter or acknowledge any threat. His eyes met hers, calm and unbothered. "Speak," he commanded, his voice carrying the authority of a man who had never feared anyone in his life.
The woman nodded, though her expression remained unreadable. "We've intercepted intel from one of the enemy factions. They're mobilizing again, faster than expected. But this time, they've brought in… someone new."
Ryan's lips curled into a faint, humorless smile. "Someone new?" He arched an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Let me guess. They think a fresh face can do what the last 300 couldn't."
The woman's gaze sharpened. "This isn't just any operative. Her name is Kaela. She's… different."
At the mention of Kaela, Ryan's sisters exchanged confused glances. They didn't know who this new threat was, but the tension in the room was palpable.
Ryan's expression didn't change. "Different? What's so special about her?"
The woman hesitated, clearly not one to show fear, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes—respect, perhaps, or acknowledgment of the danger Kaela posed. "She's a strategist. Brilliant. Cold. But more than that, she's…" The woman trailed off, searching for the right words. "She doesn't play by the rules. She's unpredictable. And she has no moral compass. She'll burn entire cities to get to what she wants."
Ryan's smile widened, though there was no warmth in it. "Sounds familiar."
The woman didn't smile back. "She's already wiped out two of our allied factions. Clean, efficient, and brutal. We have reason to believe she's coming for you next."
Sarah and Helena exchanged nervous glances, their unease growing. This was the world their brother lived in—one filled with ruthless enemies who wouldn't stop at anything to destroy him.
But Ryan? Ryan wasn't shaken. He never was. "Let her come," he said, his voice cold, unwavering. "She'll learn the same lesson the others did. No one touches my family."
Sarah, watching her brother closely, could see the shift in him. Moments ago, he had been their brother—the one they had cried with, the one they had longed for. But now, standing before them, he was something else. The Lord. The man who commanded armies, destroyed empires, and ruled the shadows without fear.
"Ryan," Sarah said softly, her voice filled with concern. "What if she's different? What if she's more dangerous than the others?"
Ryan's eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, the steel in his gaze softened. But only for a moment. "It doesn't matter how dangerous she is," he said firmly. "There's no one out there that can defeat me. Not her. Not anyone."
Helena, still shaken from everything they had been through, spoke up quietly. "But what if she—"
Ryan's hand lifted, stopping her mid-sentence. His voice was calm, but it carried a weight that silenced any doubt. "I don't care who she is. She's just another name. I don't fear her, and I don't need help to stop her."
The woman standing beside Ryan—his lieutenant, by the looks of it—nodded in agreement. "We can handle her, but Kaela isn't the only threat. She's mobilized an entire fleet. Ground forces, aerial support, and more operatives under her command. She's coming with everything."
Ryan's face remained unreadable, but there was a glint of something in his eyes—something dangerous. "Then she'll die with everything she brought," he said simply, as if it were a fact, not a boast. "Let her bring her army. My Ravens, my forces, are more than enough."
Sarah's heart raced as she listened to her brother speak. He was so confident, so sure of his power. But she couldn't help but feel the weight of the threat looming over them. Whoever Kaela was, she sounded terrifying.
"Who is this Kaela?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Why is she coming after you?"
Ryan's eyes flicked back to her, his expression softening slightly. "She's coming after us," he corrected. "Because she knows what you mean to me. She thinks she can break me by getting to you."
Helena's eyes widened in horror. "So… she's after us?"
Ryan's jaw clenched, a fierce protectiveness flashing in his eyes. "She won't touch you," he said firmly, his voice filled with quiet fury. "No one will. Not while I'm alive."
The woman beside Ryan spoke up again, her voice steady but urgent. "Kaela is a wildcard. She doesn't follow the same rules as the others. We need to be ready for anything."
Ryan's smile returned, but it was cold, deadly. "I'm always ready."
Meanwhile – Somewhere in the Distance
Kaela stood on a high-rise balcony, her sharp eyes scanning the skyline of the city below. The wind tugged at her dark cloak, and a slow, dangerous smile spread across her lips. She knew exactly what she was up against. Ryan—the Lord. The man whose name had become legend in the underworld.
But legends were meant to fall.
"Prepare the troops," she said, her voice like silk, yet dripping with malice. "We move in soon. Let's see how invincible he really is."
Behind her, an army of operatives stood ready, armed and dangerous. They had been trained for this, hand-picked for the sole purpose of taking down the Lord and everything he stood for.
Kaela's smile widened. This was going to be fun.