The hovercraft hummed steadily as it glided through the wasteland, its battered frame rattling with every gust of wind. Zane sat in the back, the Cipher Core resting in his lap, its faint glow reflected in his distant gaze. Kade was dozing beside him, his head tilted against the side of the craft, while Rhea focused on steering, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon.
For once, no one spoke. The quiet allowed the weight of the day to settle over them like a suffocating blanket. Zane felt it pressing down on him—the failures, the fear, the Core's persistent presence. But there was something else, too. The Sentinel's relentless pursuit had stirred something buried deep inside him, a memory he'd long since locked away. Now, as the craft rumbled onward, the past clawed its way to the surface.
Zane's earliest memories were of light—bright, warm, golden light streaming through the grand windows of a home so vast it felt like a world of its own. The Lumina of his childhood wasn't the suffocating machine it had become. It was alive, glittering with promise, a place where dreams were built and hope still thrived.
His parents, Lord Elias and Lady Serah Kael, were not just citizens of the Lumina—they were its royalty. His father, a charismatic statesman, had been the architect of the Lumina's greatest achievements, crafting policies that brought prosperity to its people. His mother, a renowned scientist, had been the mind behind some of the city's most groundbreaking technologies. Together, they were the Lumina's heart, its guiding light.
But even the brightest lights cast shadows.
Zane remembered the warmth of their smiles, the gentle touch of his mother's hand as she ruffled his hair, and the deep rumbling laughter of his father that could fill a room. They weren't perfect, but they were his, and they made him feel like the world was safe.
Then came the Fall.
It started subtly, like a storm building on the horizon. Zane had been too young to understand the political games being played in the upper echelons of the Lumina. All he knew was that his parents began to change. His father's laughter grew rarer, replaced by long silences and whispered arguments behind closed doors. His mother's hands, once steady and reassuring, began to tremble.
He'd overheard bits and pieces—words like Eidolon, resistance, and betrayal. But the full weight of what was happening didn't hit until the night the soldiers came.
Zane had been six years old, hiding under the grand dining table as his parents faced the intruders. The room, once a sanctuary, was filled with harsh voices and the cold gleam of weapons. His father's voice, calm but firm, cut through the chaos.
"You're making a mistake," Elias had said, his hands raised in surrender. "Eidolon's promises will destroy everything we've built."
The soldier leading the charge, a man with an artificial arm and a cruel smile, sneered. "Your idealism is outdated, Lord Kael. Eidolon represents the future, and you've chosen to stand in its way."
Zane had clutched the edge of the table, his small fingers digging into the wood as he watched his parents taken away. His mother's eyes had met his for the briefest moment, filled with a silent plea: Stay hidden. Stay safe. It was the last time he saw her alive.
What followed was a blur of chaos. The Kael estate was seized, its treasures dismantled and distributed to the city's new elite. Zane, too young to fight and too insignificant to be considered a threat, was left to fend for himself in the cold, unfamiliar streets of the Dregs.
He learned quickly that survival required more than just courage. It required cunning, adaptability, and the ability to let go of things that hurt too much to hold onto. The bright lights of the Lumina became a distant memory, replaced by the grim shadows of the Undercity.
For years, Zane buried his past beneath layers of grit and determination. He became a scavenger, piecing together scraps of metal and electronics to trade for food and shelter. The name Kael became a ghost, whispered only in the darkest corners of his mind.
But some ghosts refused to be silenced.
The Cipher Core had been like a spark in the dark, reigniting the embers of a life Zane had tried to forget. When he first held it, he felt something stir—a connection, as if the Core recognized him. He dismissed it at first, chalking it up to exhaustion or desperation. But now, as he sat in the hovercraft, staring at its faint glow, he couldn't ignore the truth.
The Core hadn't chosen him by accident.
"You're quiet," Kade said, breaking the silence. He stretched, cracking his neck as he glanced at Zane. "Thinking about the Sentinel?"
Zane shook his head. "No. Just… thinking."
"About what?" Kade asked, his tone light but curious.
Zane hesitated, his fingers tracing the edges of the Core. "About my parents."
Kade raised an eyebrow. "Didn't take you for the nostalgic type."
"I'm not," Zane said, a bitter edge creeping into his voice. "But this thing"—he held up the Core—"it's making me remember things I've tried to forget."
Rhea glanced over her shoulder, her expression unreadable. "The Core has a way of doing that. It digs into your mind and finds your weaknesses. Sometimes it's memories. Sometimes it's fears. Either way, it's never pleasant."
"Yeah, I'm getting that," Zane muttered.
Kade leaned back, his arms crossed. "So, what's the story? You've been dodging questions about your past since we met."
Zane hesitated, the words sticking in his throat. He didn't want to open that door, didn't want to relive the pain. But the Cipher Core pulsed faintly in his hands as if urging him to speak.
"My parents were… important," he began, his voice low. "They were part of the Lumina's leadership. My dad was a statesman, my mom was a scientist. They believed in progress, but the kind that helped people, not control them."
"What happened?" Kade asked, his tone unusually gentle.
"They stood against Eidolon," Zane said, his hands tightening around the Core. "Tried to stop it from taking over. And they paid for it."
Rhea's gaze softened, just slightly. "And you?"
Zane let out a bitter laugh. "I was a kid. They didn't care about me. I wasn't a threat, so they left me behind."
He looked down at the Core, its glow reflecting in his eyes. "For years, I thought I was just another scavenger. Another nobody trying to survive. But now…"
"Now you think the Core found you because of them," Rhea finished.
Zane nodded. "It doesn't make sense otherwise. Why me? Why not someone stronger? Smarter?"
"Because sometimes it's not about strength or intelligence," Rhea said. "Sometimes it's about resolve. And you've got more of that than you realize."
The hovercraft hit a bump, jolting Zane from his thoughts. He looked up, the weight of his past still heavy on his shoulders but tempered by something new—a flicker of determination.
"They wanted to stop Eidolon," he said quietly. "They couldn't. But maybe I can."
Kade clapped him on the shoulder, a grin spreading across his face. "Now that's the spirit. You might just survive this after all."
Rhea didn't say anything, but her silence carried a weight of its own. As the hovercraft sped into the night, Zane felt a strange sense of clarity. His parents' fight wasn't over—it had just passed to him. And for the first time, he felt like he might be ready to face it.