Location: Tavara – Kane Estate War Room
The estate trembled slightly as distant thunder cracked the early morning sky. Rain pelted the windows in a cold rhythm, but inside the war room, the air was charged with more than just electricity.
Victor stood at the head of the strategy table, the Vigilant Oath blade now sheathed in a black scabbard across his back. The room was filled with top advisors, generals, and Nora, who had just intercepted a new encrypted transmission.
She placed the data chip into the main console. The screen flickered to life.
Lucien's face appeared—calm, arrogant, and unmistakably Kane.
"Cousin," he said coolly, "It's been a long time. Tell me, how does it feel to bear the weight of a broken legacy on your shoulders?"
Victor didn't flinch.
"I've borne worse and risen higher. You abandoned the family, Lucien. You sold your blood for revenge."
Lucien chuckled. "No, Victor. I freed myself from it. The Kane legacy is rot disguised as honor. I'm here to burn it down and build something pure."
The screen cut to black.
Silence. Then Nora spoke, her voice low but firm.
"He's here, in Tavara. Operating underground. And from the signatures we just traced, he's not alone. He's working with Veyra."
Victor's eyes narrowed. "Then we end this before it spreads."
---
Location: Secret Facility – Outskirts of Tavara
Lucien moved through the lab corridor like a phantom. Dozens of operatives in black, branded with the sigil of a phoenix rising through flames, saluted him. His new faction—The Ascendants—had grown far beyond whispers.
In the central chamber, Veyra stood beside a sealed tube filled with crimson liquid. Within floated a suspended body—an enhanced clone with Victor's facial features.
She turned to Lucien. "He's perfect. The ultimate weapon to dismantle everything Kane built. And he'll answer to you alone."
Lucien stepped closer, staring into the clone's lifeless eyes.
"No," he whispered. "He'll answer to blood… and blood only."
---
Location: Safehouse – Outskirts of Tavara
Meanwhile, Nora and Victor regrouped with elite operatives from international allies. Included in the squad were:
Lt. Arin Velasquez, cyber warfare expert.
Major Salim Rhoades, demolitions and terrain tactician.
Dr. Emani Wekesa, former intelligence turncoat now loyal to Victor.
Emani dropped a file on the table. "Lucien's clone project isn't just about assassination. It's psychological warfare. He plans to replace you—to destroy your credibility before launching a coup."
Victor's jaw tightened. "Then he's underestimated what still flows in my veins."
He looked at the team. "We strike tonight."
---
Location: Midnight – Tavara Underground Grid**
Explosions rocked the subterranean chambers. Smoke, screams, and flashing lights filled the darkness as Victor's team descended into the facility through a hidden access point.
Gunfire echoed.
Nora took down a guard with surgical precision, while Lt. Arin disabled the grid's surveillance in seconds.
They pushed through corridors until Victor burst into the chamber where the clone was kept.
Lucien stood beside the tube, sword drawn.
"So this is it," Lucien said, smirking. "The prodigal heir versus the bastard son."
Victor drew the Vigilant Oath. "No, Lucien. This is a reckoning."
And then steel clashed.