Ashes of Our Flame
Episode 20: "The Voice in the Flames"
Three days later, the world was still reeling.
A leak had rocked the media—a teaser from the Black Ledger. Just enough to ignite outrage. Not enough to reveal Kara's full hand.
The city was boiling.
Protests filled the streets.
Investigators scrambled.
And the Vale empire? It roared with silent panic.
---
Kara watched the chaos from an old rooftop apartment safehouse. Her fingers traced the edges of the ledger. Her mother's name—Lilia Voss—was etched in her memory now. In ink. In pain.
Adrian stood by the broken window, watching the flashing sirens below.
"We need to be careful," he said, arms crossed.
"You're still here," Kara replied without looking up. "Why?"
He turned to her. "Because I still don't know if you're going to save me… or destroy me."
She glanced at him. "What if I do both?"
Adrian smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Then let it be you."
---
Later that night, Tessa's laptop buzzed.
She'd decrypted another section of the ledger. What she found turned Kara cold.
"They didn't just experiment on your parents," Tessa whispered. "They bred survivors. Children."
Kara's heart pounded. "What are you saying?"
"There's a name here… another Voss. Subject V13. Transferred to Blackridge twelve years ago. A survivor. A sibling?"
Kara's breath hitched.
"I don't have a sibling."
Tessa looked up, pale. "You might."
Before Kara could respond, her burner phone rang.
A voice—digitally distorted.
"You don't know the full story, Kara Voss."
She froze.
"Who is this?"
"They lied to you. All of them. Even Adrian."
The line went dead.
Kara turned to Adrian.
He looked just as shocked.
Or did he?
"Was that you?" she demanded.
"No," he said instantly. "I swear."
"You lied about the ledger."
"I didn't—"
"You knew it existed. You knew it was hidden in Blackridge."
Adrian stepped closer. "Yes. But I didn't know your family was in it."
She stared into his eyes, her voice low. "I want the truth, Adrian. All of it."
"I gave you everything I had."
"Not enough."
"Then take what's left of me."
---
That night, Kara couldn't sleep.
She wandered to the rooftop.
The wind was sharp. The city glowed below, burning slowly in rebellion.
And then…
Footsteps.
She turned fast—knife in hand.
But it wasn't an attacker.
It was Marcus Vale.
Standing before her in a sleek black coat, calm and cold as stone.
"Hello, Kara."
Her blood ran ice.
"How did you find me?"
"I built this city, girl. There's not a corner I don't own."
She raised the knife.
He didn't flinch.
"I should kill you."
"But you won't."
"Why not?"
"Because you want something more than my death," Marcus said smoothly. "You want answers."
She gritted her teeth.
"Come with me," he offered. "One meeting. One night. Learn what you're really up against."
"I'd rather burn alive."
"You already are," he said, stepping backward. "You just don't know who lit the match."
Then he disappeared into the shadows.
---
Back inside, Kara slammed the door behind her.
Adrian stood by the sink, cleaning his gun.
"What happened?"
"Your father," she whispered. "He found me."
Adrian stiffened. "What did he say?"
"That I'm not ready for the truth."
Tessa entered with her tablet. "Guys… we've got bigger problems."
She turned the screen.
A security feed showed Marcus in a secret meeting—with a woman.
Kara's heart stopped.
It was her mother.
Alive.
Bruised. Changed. But alive.
Tessa zoomed in. "This was taken an hour ago."
Adrian looked between them, confused. "She's supposed to be dead."
"She was," Kara whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"Then who did we bury?"
---
The flames inside her roared now.
Truth had lied.
Lies had bled.
And love?
Love had become a weapon.
But Kara was done hiding.
Done running.
It was time to bury the past.
Or let it burn.
---
To be continued in Episode 21…
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