The atmosphere in the warehouse was thick that late afternoon, the smell of oil and damp concrete seeping into Ezra Kane's skin as he confronted Nico Chen. His heart raced, still stinging from Talia's blade and the memory of that fateful meeting with Kael. His feelings for Kael had become a heated ache, intensifying dangerously. He had rushed to this part of the warehouse following Nico's urgent call, hoping for a way out, but was met with this.
Nico's smile faded, replaced by a steely coldness in his eyes. "You've really messed things up, Ezra," he said, his voice low and cutting, a bizarre smile curling on his lips as he approached him deliberately. "I sent you to sabotage Kael, and instead, you're pining over him?" The words struck Ezra hard, his knees nearly giving way under the weight of memories—Nico recruiting him months prior, that promise of freedom for taking down Kael's empire on behalf of the Morvyn. Tears welled in his eyes, a sob lodged in his throat. "I didn't realize it would turn out this way," he stammered, but before he could finish, Nico had a tight grip on his throat, thrusting a holo-device in front of him that flickered with damning evidence of his betrayal. "Finish the job, or I'll spill everything to Kael," Nico hissed, leaning close, kissing his cheek.
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the space—Veyra's drones?—and Ezra ducked for cover, his heart pounding as he struggled with his feelings, torn between love and the deception that threatened everything he had come to cherish. He left the chaos feeling dejected.
The weak morning light trickled through the cracked blinds of Ezra's tiny apartment, casting shadows over the cluttered room filled with the scent of stale takeout and regret. He perched on the edge of his sagging bed, the holo-device Nico had forced on him glowing faintly on the table, a constant reminder of his betrayal. His hands trembled, tears streaming down his face as he replayed Kael's kiss—warm, desperate, all-consuming.
Love for Kael ignited within him, a fierce blaze with every heartbeat, but the voice of his handler echoed in his mind: "Extract or die," a chilling reminder. What if Kael discovered that he had been sent to destroy him? Kael had opened his heart to him, and now Ezra felt like a thief. Burying his face in his hands, he caught sight of the unopened data pad on the floor, its silent judgement cutting deep. Guilt gnawed at him, a bitter feeling as he envisioned Kael's wrath, his affection turning to ashes.
A news alert pinged: "Voss Empire Faces Turmoil Amid Scandal"—the public turning against Kael. Ezra's stomach churned with the knowledge that he had played a part in it. A faint drone buzzed outside—Veyra's?—sending a chilling shiver down his spine. Then came his handler's next message, urgent and ominous: "Time's up." Alone in his room, he rocked back and forth, caught between the urge to confess and the instinct to run, the truth tightening around him like a noose with every breath he took.