Panic rippled through the underground command room like a shockwave.
Screens flickered with maps of the city. Camera feeds jumped from alley to alley, street to street, soldiers sprinting through the footage. A dozen operatives scanned screens, clicking through surveillance routes as fast as their hands could move.
Captain Chaxti stood in the middle, fists pressed against the table, jaw tight enough to crack.
"We just recovered her… and now she's gone AGAIN?!"
Sweat beaded on the brows of nearby soldiers. No one dared answer.
A staff member jogged up, panting.
"Sir! Sectors 8 and 9—no sign of Starlink Sniper. We've expanded the search radius—"
"Then expand it again!" Chaxti snapped. "Sweep every market, every checkpoint, every blind spot! I don't care if you search the sewer systems—FIND HER!"
The soldier saluted and scrambled away.
Chaxti rubbed his forehead. "By the ancestors… HQ is going to tear me apart at this rate…"
Another soldier flinched when Chaxti slammed a hand on the console.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
And then—
The door hissed open.
Volt entered the base, still in waiter uniform, wiping nervous sweat off his brow.
Chaxti whirled on him. "Volt! What is it now?! We're drowning here—you should be upstairs serving customers like everyone else!"
Volt swallowed. "About the customers…"
He pointed to the main monitor.
Chaxti raised an eyebrow, annoyed.
"What? A table is dirty? Someone complained that their soup is too hot? Volt, I swear—"
But then he looked at the screen.
His irritation vanished instantly.
On the live feed from the restaurant above…SK the Reaper was calmly taking her seat.
And across from her—the unknown figure she had been following since the void incident.
Chaxti's eyes widened.
"...Oh."
Volt leaned closer, voice strained. "Sir… that's SK the Reaper. A frontline officer. One of the Empire's elites."
Chaxti waved him off. "And? She hasn't noticed anything suspicious. If anything, I'm impressed she's eating here at all."
Volt shook his head urgently.
"Sir. I'm not worried about her."
He pointed sharply to the man sitting beside SK.
"That's Blaze."
Chaxti blinked. "Blaze?"
Volt's voice dropped to a whisper.
"SkyRealm veteran."
That word made the entire room freeze.
Chaxti grabbed a folder from a nearby pile and flipped it open. A file with Blaze's picture stared back at him, next to a long list of classified notes.
"Survived the void…" Chaxti murmured. "Fought the shard… rescued SK and the resistance girl…"
Volt crossed his arms. "We're already overwhelmed with searching for Ryze. And now we have TWO Empire heavyweights sitting right above our base."
Chaxti nodded slowly.
"Well… maybe we could use a little help?"
Volt nearly choked. "HELP?! Sir, he's EMPIRE! He works for the other side!"
"Yet his report says he treated Ryze like a companion, not a prisoner."
Volt hesitated.
He knew that was true. Blaze had acted strangely—protective even.
Before Volt could respond, an operator called from the kitchen comms panel.
"Volt! The two customers are ready to order!"
Volt exhaled the longest, most exhausted breath of his life.
"…Yeah. I'm coming."
As he walked toward the stairs, he muttered under his breath:
"Ryze… wherever you are… please don't die before I get back."
Empire Containment Facility
The coldness of the floor seeped into my bones.
The pain in my arm pulsed, each heartbeat sending a wave of burning heat through the wound. My breath came shallow, ragged.
Is Blaze really going to save me again?
Even thinking that made me feel… weak.
I'm so useless…
No.No more useless thoughts.I forced myself to breathe deeper.
I wasn't dead yet.
"Okay… beginning healing technique… now," I whispered.
I gathered the little magical energy I still had. A faint green glow formed around my arm—tiny particles drifting like falling dust.
"Come on… come on…"
The magic stitched the wound slowly, painfully. It wouldn't fully heal—I wasn't SK or some high-tier healer—but it slowed the bleeding, dulled the pain.
It was enough to keep me conscious.
I let out a shaky sigh.
Then—
The door slammed open.
My head jerked up.
Cass stepped inside, smirking.
"Well, well. Looks like you patched yourself up."
She crouched down beside me, poking the half-healed wound just to watch me flinch.
"Commander Frostbyte ordered me to treat you," she said. "But I guess you just love doing things alone."
I forced a smile despite the pain.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to waste your precious time."
Cass narrowed her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I lifted my head slightly, meeting her glare with my own.
"It means you're late."
Cass grabbed my chin sharply, forcing my head up.
"You've got guts, Starborn," she said coldly. "But let's stop pretending." Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me something."
I didn't answer.
"What exactly are you to the SkyRealm veteran?" she asked. "And to Reaper SK."
My heart skipped.
She leaned closer. "Because from where I'm standing, an Empire elite and a Void-surviving veteran don't just protect a Resistance sniper for no reason."
I scoffed weakly. "Protect? You're reading too much into it."
Cass tightened her grip. "Am I? Blaze breaks open your cell. SK keeps you close instead of handing you over. You walk around the city like you're under escort, not arrest."
Her voice dropped. "So talk. What's your real relationship with them?"
I forced myself to laugh—dry, strained."There isn't one."
Cass stared at me.
"They don't know me," I continued quickly. "I don't know them. We just happened to survive the same mess. That's it."
She searched my face, clearly unconvinced.
"A coincidence?" she said. "A Resistance sniper, a SkyRealm legend, and the Empire's Reaper?"
"Yes," I snapped. "A coincidence."
My pulse hammered in my ears. I knew I sounded defensive. I was terrible at lying—but it was all I had.
Cass released my chin slowly.
"You expect me to believe that two of the Empire's most dangerous assets would risk their reputation for a stranger?" she asked.
"They didn't," I said. "They're just doing what benefits them."
Cass studied me for a long moment, then clicked her tongue.
"Interesting," she muttered. "Because from what I see, they act like you matter."
I looked away. "You're wrong."
She reached behind her back and pulled out a thin blade, the edge glinting under the lights.
"Let me rephrase," she said calmly. "Are they coming to save you?"
My chest tightened.
I didn't answer.
Cass smiled faintly. "Thought so."
Before she could move—
A sharp tone echoed through the facility speakers.
BEEP—BEEP—
"Attention all officers. Reminder: Empire weekly strategic meeting begins in ten minutes. Mandatory attendance."
Cass froze.
"…Tch." She straightened, sliding the blade back into its sheath.
She shot me one last look. "We're not done, Starborn. Not even close."
Then she turned and walked out.
The door slammed shut.
And I was alone again.
Bleeding… but alive.
Barely.