The air grew colder.
A hush settled over the scorched ruins, as if the city itself braced for what came next. Kenji stepped forward, brows furrowed. "Sector K's deep. Reinforced.
We go in, there's no turning back."
Ren's voice was steady. "We've never turned back before."
Zane pocketed the vial and glanced at Jun, who trembled as a flicker of white light flashed beneath his skin—his veins glowing with unnatural energy. . "Hope this isn't one of your twisted Rebellion traps, Zane." Akito spat out.
Zane gave a tired shrug. "If it is, I'll walk into it first."
Ren nodded once, firmly. "Gear up." He spoke.
High Tower Citadel – Council Room of LunarisTime:Moments after Zane's defection and Ren's team's movements are reported
The marble walls of the council chamber pulsed with soft blue light—amplified by the floating projection of the continent below.
At the head of the chamber, seated atop crystalline thrones, were the Three Royals of Lunaris:Queen Vaelra, her face veiled in silver;Lord Caelus, the strategist—cold and ageless;And Princess Nira, the youngest, sharpest, and most dangerous.
And before them knelt Aragon Hunter, cloak draped in the dust of experiments, hands laced behind his back, gaze unshaken.
Queen Vaelra:"Zane defected. Fae still breathes. And Tanaka is alive. Your report drips of failure, Aragon."
Aragon (calmly):"You mistake repositioning for failure, Your Majesty. Every move we make now is part of the endgame."
Lord Caelus leaned forward, eyes like cut ice.
Lord Caelus:"Endgame? You've drained over forty sectors of resources, forced us to black-market our own technology, and yet Ren Tanaka still breathes."
Aragon:"Because he must suffer first."
Silence. The kind that could kill.
Aragon (stepping forward):"Ren Tanaka is not merely infected with fallen magic. He is the anomaly. The mutation that awakened it in its most primal form. His death isn't an act of war… it's the purging of a root." Princess Nira spoke now—lean, calculating, fingers tapping on the armrest of her throne. "And yet your soldiers fall. Your agents defect. Your serum corrupts. And now your experiments spiral out of control. Do you even control the Moonris catalyst anymore?" Princess Nira spoke out with harsh words. "I never intended to control it. I intended to unleash it. Let the world see what their tolerance of fallen magic breeds." Aragon protested. He tapped a button on his wrist, and a small projection emerged—a flickering image of Jun, unstable, his eyes split with feral glow. "Subject 9—Jun Takara. Now nearing collapse. A perfect example. Once a loyal rebel, now a weapon with a ticking fuse. They call themselves Liberators, but they are timebombs. There are two types of this serum, one that takes their magic away and the other that can amplify it. With too much of the serum it would do the opposite and destroy you," Aragon explained a calculated smirk on his face. The Queen stood now, her voice thunderous yet refined. "Enough philosophy. What is your next step, Aragon Hunter?" The queen asked. "We bait them. Sector K. Zane thought he was being smart showing his loyalty but i beg to differ, he's probably with them right now so they are aware of Fae." Aragon informed. "Let Ren come. Let him burn bright. And in that light… we will snuff out every last trace of what made him." The queen declares. "And if this fails?" Princess Nira spoke out with a rather curious tone. "Then we detonate it. Turn Sector K into a sacrificial tomb. Fae, Ren, Zane—all of them. Gone. The world will understand that Lunaris does not bend to chaos." Aragon replied sure of himself. Caelus nodded slowly, his cold approval finally aligning. "Make it look like they caused it. Like Ren's instability destroyed everything. Make him the villain history remembers." Lord Caelus orders. "Proceed, Aragon. Let the age of purging begin."
As Aragon turned and walked from the chamber, a faint shadow peeled from the pillar behind—an eavesdropper in the darkness.
Eyes glowing.
A whisper through comms:
"They're planning to wipe Sector K. Ren needs to know. Now."