13 Days Since the Warborn Accord
The world was no longer silent.
Across ruined cities and blackened skies, whispers spread—of a rebellion beyond HALIX, beyond sponsors. Of a ghost named Kael. Of a Citadel reborn. And of a woman long thought lost.
Alina Veyr. The Queen of the Uncoded.
---
Underground Rail Hub — Beneath the Alps
It had once moved high-speed trains between Vienna and Milan. Now, it moved whispers, weapons, and the Uncoded.
Kael followed Alina deeper into the labyrinth, past automated sentry guns and analog traps. Every corridor was a time capsule of resistance—no digital signals, no AI. Just old steel and brilliant minds.
At the core of the hub sat "The Lattice"—an AI-mimic system powered by human intuition alone. It processed battlefield simulations using the collective thinking of the Uncoded—a living, breathing war algorithm.
Astra stared at it in disbelief.
> "You built all this without HALIX?"
Alina nodded. "Because HALIX was never the future. It was a leash."
---
Briefing Chamber — Later That Night
Alina stood before a screen projecting Earth's map—one marked not by borders, but algorithmic blind spots: zones Jian's simulations couldn't predict or control.
> "He's using Reclaimed Players to lock down major regions, creating zones of forced stasis. The next stage? Neural sync expansion—he'll overwrite the minds of civilians next."
She looked at Kael.
> "There are seven Uncoded left. I know where six are."
Kael stepped forward. "And the seventh?"
Her jaw tensed.
> "He's already with Jian."
> "He was our tactician. Our original leader. And he sold us out."
The screen flashed a name: Lior Senn. Player Codename: "Cipher."
Kael read the file.
> "This guy predicted sponsor movements before the wars even started."
> "What can he do now?"
Alina's voice was low. Cold.
> "Whatever Jian wants."
---
Meanwhile — Reclaimed Operations Base, Ex-Russian Airfield
Cipher stood beside Jian as a new strike team of Reclaimed was calibrated. Unlike Kairo Vex, Cipher wasn't a brawler. He was a controller—rewriting entire war doctrines from the shadows.
> "They've found the Uncoded," Jian said.
Cipher didn't look away from the board.
> "I let them."
Jian arched a brow. "You're feeding them intel?"
> "Let the Queen feel like she's winning," Cipher said. "That's when she's most exposed."
A pause.
> "And Kael?"
Cipher's lips curled faintly.
> "He's not her shield."
> "He's the checkmate she hasn't seen yet."
---
Back in the Alps
Kael and Alina shared a quiet moment in the observation wing. The weight of the coming battles pressed on both of them.
> "You trust me?" she asked suddenly.
Kael met her gaze. "No."
> "But I believe in what you're building."
She smiled at that.
> "Good. Because if we get this wrong… the world won't just fall."
> "It'll forget it ever resisted."
---
End of Chapter Thirteen
Next: Chapter Fourteen — "Cipher's Web"