### **Arc 4: The Gathering Storm**
**Chapter 14: Fractured Loyalties**
Kael sat tied to a chair in the safe house's interrogation room, his defiant gaze locked on Jae-min. His lips curled into a smirk as he looked around at the team gathered before him.
"You think you've won because I'm sitting here? You don't know the half of what's coming," Kael said, his voice laced with contempt.
Jae-min leaned forward, his expression calm but his eyes burning with intensity. "Then tell me. What's coming? What's your endgame, Kael?"
Kael chuckled, shaking his head. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. You're just a pawn in a game far bigger than you can imagine."
Riho slammed her hand on the table, her patience wearing thin. "Stop playing games and start talking, or you'll wish we left you in that collapsing vault."
Kael's smirk didn't falter, but there was a flicker of fear in his eyes. "You can threaten me all you want, but it won't change the fact that you're too late. The pieces are already in motion."
Jae-min exchanged a glance with Mia, who had been quietly working on her tablet. She gave a small nod, signaling that she had managed to decrypt some of Kael's files during the interrogation.
"I've got something," Mia said, her voice steady. "It looks like Kael wasn't just after the resources in the vault. He was trying to access classified information about a project called *Eclipse.*"
Kael's face darkened at the mention of the word, and Jae-min caught the subtle shift in his demeanor.
"Eclipse?" Jae-min repeated, his tone sharp. "What is it, Kael? What are you planning?"
Kael pressed his lips together, refusing to answer.
---
### **A Risky Move**
Jae-min turned to the system interface that hovered in his vision.
**"System, is there a way to extract the information from him without harming him?"**
The system's voice chimed in softly.
**"Host, I can deploy a *Mental Unveiling Protocol*. It will temporarily bypass his mental defenses, but it will require a significant amount of system energy. Are you sure you want to proceed?"**
"Do it," Jae-min said without hesitation.
A soft glow surrounded Jae-min's hand as he placed it on Kael's shoulder. Kael flinched, his eyes widening as the protocol took effect. His body tensed, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Riho watched cautiously. "Are you sure this is safe?"
Jae-min nodded. "It's our best shot at getting answers."
---
### **The Truth Revealed**
Kael's resistance began to falter, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "Eclipse… is a fail-safe. A weapon created long ago to control… or destroy everything. It's hidden in the Eastern Wastes, guarded by an ancient force."
Jae-min's heart sank as he processed the revelation. If Kael had been trying to access Eclipse, it meant his intentions were far worse than they had imagined.
Riho's expression hardened. "If this weapon is as powerful as you're saying, why would you risk unleashing it? What's your real goal, Kael?"
Kael's lips curled into a weak smile. "You think I'm the only one after it? There are others—stronger, smarter, more ruthless than me. If I don't get it, they will. And when they do, the world you know will cease to exist."
---
### **A New Threat**
Kael passed out from the strain of the protocol, leaving the team in stunned silence.
"We can't let this weapon fall into anyone's hands," Mia said, her voice trembling. "But if it's in the Eastern Wastes, it'll take weeks to even get there, let alone find it."
Jae-min clenched his fists. "Then we need to move fast. Kael isn't lying—if others are after Eclipse, we're in more danger than we thought."
The system chimed in again.
**"Host, I have detected encrypted communications from multiple parties regarding Eclipse. It appears the race has already begun."**
"Great," Riho muttered. "Just what we needed—a global scavenger hunt for a doomsday weapon."
---
### **The Team's Resolve**
As the team began to prepare for their next move, Jae-min gathered them around the table.
"This isn't just about us anymore," he said, his voice steady but firm. "If what Kael said is true, we're up against enemies who won't hesitate to burn the world to get what they want. But we have something they don't."
Hana raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"
"Each other," Jae-min replied. "We've faced impossible odds before, and we've come out stronger every time. This won't be any different."
The team exchanged determined nods, their resolve solidifying.
---
### **To the Eastern Wastes**
As the sun rose the next morning, the team set out for the Eastern Wastes, their mission clear but the path uncertain.
Jae-min glanced back at the safe house one last time before climbing into the vehicle.
"This is it," he thought. "The beginning of something much bigger than any of us."
And as the engine roared to life, the shadows of the Eastern Wastes loomed in the distance, waiting to test their strength and unity like never before.
**To Be Continued...**