The weight of Gareth's words lingered in the room like a heavy cloud. Kaius could feel it, pressing down on his shoulders, wrapping around his chest like a slow, tightening grip. He knew his father was right—they would never let him bring the pill to life without a fight. The higher-ups, the Sky District, all those in power—they thrived on control. His dream, his breakthrough, was a threat to that. It wasn't just about the pill anymore. It was about freedom.
But the idea of giving up wasn't an option. Not now. Not when they were this close to something that could change the world.
"We need people like Sura," Kaius repeated, his voice firmer now.
He glanced at her—Sura. The girl they had saved from the street, the girl whose body had been ripped apart by the same system that controlled their lives. She wasn't just a stranger anymore.
"You know the underworld. You know how to move in this field."
Sura's gaze flickered between Gareth and Kaius. Her expression was hard to read, but there was a sharpness to her eyes that hadn't been there before. She was processing, calculating, perhaps even reconsidering her place in all this.
"You're putting a lot of trust in me," she said, her voice low.
Kaius nodded. "I don't have a choice."
The silence that followed felt thicker than before. Gareth was still sitting across from Kaius, his fingers drumming slowly on the edge of the table. His face was drawn tight, eyes narrowed in thought. Kaius could tell he wasn't convinced—not yet. But he also knew that his father was weighing the risks, the consequences, and what this could mean for their future.
"I don't like it," Gareth said finally, his voice roughed, "but I also know we don't have many other options." He sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. "But if we're going to do this, Kaius, we do it carefully. I'm not risking your life over a dream. Not when there's more at stake than just an idea."
Kaius didn't reply immediately, but a flicker of relief swept through him. His father was on board, albeit reluctantly. It was a small victory, but it was something.
"We'll need to reach out to Sura's contacts," Gareth continued, his voice slipping into its usual practical tone.
"Figure out what the next step is."
Kaius nodded, pulling out the encrypted device Sura had given him earlier. His hands still felt a little shaky, though he wasn't sure if it was from nerves or exhaustion. He activated the comm link, letting the familiar hum of the signal fill the silence.
For a few moments, nothing happened. The screen flickered with static, the soft buzz filling the air, and Kaius called out into the void.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Nothing.
The line crackled, shifting slightly, but there was no response. Kaius glanced at Sura, who sat silently on the couch, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. She looked calm, but there was tension in the way her knuckles whitened, in the way her breath hitched every few seconds.
He tried again. "We've found Sura. She's safe—"
The line went dead.
Kaius stared at the device, confusion knotting in his stomach. "They picked up for a second, but then… nothing."
Sura didn't say anything. She just stared down at the floor, her expression unreadable. But there was something there—something in the way her jaw tightened, the way her shoulders stiffened. She wasn't telling them everything.
"Why did they hang up?" Kaius asked, his voice tinged with frustration. "Does she know something we don't?"
Sura's silence stretched on for what felt like minutes, the tension in the room growing thicker by the second. Then, finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "They're scared. They don't trust anyone. Not even me. It's a rule.."
Gareth's brow furrowed, but before he could respond, a strange, low hum began to fill the room. It started softly, like the distant rumble of thunder, but quickly grew louder, vibrating through the walls, through the floor, through their bones.
And then, without warning, the front door blew inward with a muffled explosion.
There was no loud bang, no shattering glass—just a sudden, deafening silence as the door was reduced to splinters. The air around them felt like it had been sucked out, the pressure in the room suddenly too much. Gareth's face went pale. "That's… a Vortex Dispersal Bomb," he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. "It's designed to suppress sound waves in a confined space."
Before Kaius could even process what his father was saying, three towering figures stepped through the wreckage of the door. Gravewalkers. Their bodies were massive, almost entirely made of cybernetic enhancements, their faces obscured by glowing visors. They were the type of men who looked more machine than human, each of them holding sleek, deadly-looking guns.
Kaius's breath caught in his throat. Oh no.
Gareth instinctively moved in front of him, his arms spread wide in a protective stance. His voice was firm, unshaken. "You want someone, take me. Leave my son out of this."
The lead Gravewalker tilted his head slightly, his glowing visor flickering. "We're not here for you, old man."
But before they could make another move, Sura shout from the couch, her voice sharp. "Stop!" she shouted.
"They saved my life! If it weren't for them, I'd be dead right now."
The Gravewalkers paused, their guns still aimed, but their leader hesitated, his head tilting slightly to the side as though assessing the situation. Kaius's heart pounded in his chest, the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears.
And then the air shifted.
Kaius blinked, and suddenly, those strange, glowing strings appeared again—five of them, twisting through the air like threads of light. Three were connected to the Gravewalkers, one to his father, and the last to Sura. But there was something different this time. One of the strings, a deep, pulsing red, seemed to vibrate with an energy that made his skin prickle.
....