Ashes fell like snow.
Facility Zeta, once the crown jewel of Solane's empire, now lay in ruin. Fire carved black veins through its halls. Broken machines sputtered and sparked, releasing the last dying gasps of a system designed to break immortals.
The world noticed.
Within minutes, images of the burning facility leaked across global darknets.
Aeria's unconscious body, held in Red's arms.
Ash walking through fire, untouched.
The Cutter standing on a pile of armored corpses, blade humming with raw defiance.
Flux, her stopwatch spinning endlessly, captured in a frame frozen in time.
It was more than a rebellion.
It was a declaration.
Elsewhere far above, in the Sky Citadel
Solane stood in his private command chamber, watching ten screens at once.
Zeta was gone.
Thousands of units, millions in resources, and Aeria his most valuable asset lost in one night.
But he didn't rage.
He didn't flinch.
He simply adjusted his tie and turned to his advisors.
"Activate Operation Glass Veil."
A general saluted, nervous. "That's... protocol for mass retaliation, sir. Planetary-scale response. We-"
"Do it."
Solane's voice cut sharper than the Cutter's blade.
"Find their hideouts. Burn them out. Use the sleeper gods. I want this rebellion buried."
Underground Rebellion Shelter Echo
Aeria lay in recovery.
Though she healed instantly, her mind was fractured memories severed by years of neural overrides. Red, Ash, and Flux sat by her, watching as she slowly blinked into the present.
Her voice was quiet, but clear.
"Why didn't I die?"
Red glanced at her. "Because you're not a weapon. You're alive."
Ash muttered, "You're free now. That's what matters."
She stared at them both, then down at her palms — blood still glowing faintly. "You don't understand... I can't die. Even when I wanted to." Her hands trembled. "They made me heal every wound. They made me watch."
Flux laid a hand on her shoulder. "You're with us now. You're not alone."
Elsewhere The Cutter
He trained silently in a chamber of steel and shadow, slicing boulders into particles with a single draw. His blade, forged by unknown laws, could cut through more than flesh. It severed rules.
And he would use it on every last chain this world had left.
Scene Shift Solane's Sleeper Gods
Hidden vaults across the world began to open.
Within them, massive entities stirred failed experiments twisted into pure destruction.
They had no names, only numbers.
Each had once been human.
Each had once believed they were chosen.
Now, they were weapons.
And Solane had just authorized full deployment.