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- Boston, USA -
- January 18, 1940 (Later that night) -
The meeting room had quieted after Margaret's report. The candles burned lower now, soft wax trails glistening down their sides. The storm outside still rumbled faintly, but the air inside had shifted — heavier, cautious.
Agatha sat back in her chair, eyes half-closed, as if listening to something beyond sound. Harriet had dismissed the others for a moment, leaving just the two of them and Margaret. The young agent's fingers tapped lightly on the table, a habit she'd never shaken from her training days.
Harriet spoke first, her deep voice calm but edged with thought. "You did well, child. Britain's in peril, but we've faced worse storms. What matters now is clarity."
Margaret nodded, but she hesitated, eyes flicking between them. "There's something else," she said after a pause. "Something I didn't include in the formal report — it didn't fit the… usual definitions."
Agatha straightened slightly. "Go on."
Margaret took a breath. "During one of my last operations in France — just before I returned here — we intercepted a group that was attacking a Hydra convoy. At first, I thought they were Allied special units. But they weren't. Their suits looked… futuristic, nothing I've ever seen. Sleek black with faint silver lines that glowed when they moved. Helmets covered their faces completely."
She frowned, remembering. "They fought Hydra like they knew them — every move calculated, surgical. And when we tried to approach after the fight, they were gone. Not vanished, not teleported — just gone. No trace left behind. Not even footprints."
Harriet's brows drew together. "You're certain they weren't one of ours?"
Margaret shook her head. "Positive. MI6, OSS, even the Soviets — no one has gear like that. I've heard similar whispers from contacts in Belgium and Switzerland. There are sightings — small teams, operating in silence, taking down Hydra bases and vanishing again. And now…" She hesitated, lowering her voice, "…some reports are coming in from America too. A few agents claim they've seen them near old Hydra safehouses in New York and Chicago."
Agatha's eyes opened fully now, their calm surface rippling with quiet unease. "Futuristic suits," she repeated softly. "You're certain of what you saw?"
Margaret nodded. "I've seen soldiers all my life, witches too — but these weren't ordinary. Their movements were too precise. Too… practiced. As if they already knew what was going to happen."
Harriet's gaze shifted toward Agatha. "You warned her about Hydra and its related organizations long ago," she said gently. "Do you think these strangers are connected?"
Agatha didn't answer right away. Her fingers brushed the table's surface, tracing faint runes carved into the old wood. The candlelight flickered with her pulse.
"I warned her because Hydra isn't just a network of men," Agatha said slowly. "It's a serpent that sheds skins across centuries. Every time it dies, something darker grows in its place. If someone — or something — has started hunting them now, it means they've drawn attention from powers beyond the usual."
Margaret leaned forward. "You think they're magical?"
Agatha shook her head. "No. Not entirely. The way you describe them — precise, tactical, silent — it feels… different. Like they come from a world where magic and science walk hand in hand."
For a moment, the hall was silent except for the distant thunder. Then Harriet spoke, her voice steady. "What do you want us to do?"
Agatha looked thoughtful. "Watch them. But do not interfere. Not yet."
Margaret blinked. "You think they might be allies?"
Agatha's lips curved faintly, though her eyes remained cautious. "Or enemies who haven't realized we exist yet. Either way, they're moving against Hydra, and that makes them important. If their purpose aligns with ours, they may unknowingly be holding back something far worse."
Harriet nodded. "Then we monitor quietly. The Daughters have eyes everywhere — I'll send word to our watchers in Europe and the eastern states."
Margaret hesitated. "And if they make contact?"
Agatha looked toward the window, where a flash of lightning briefly illuminated her face. "Then we listen before we act. I've learned that the ones who walk between light and shadow often carry truths neither side can see."
For a long moment, no one spoke. The storm rolled over the city again, the sound of rain mingling with the faint hiss of candle flames.
Finally, Harriet rose, drawing her cloak around her shoulders. "It seems the world is waking up again," she said softly. "Old wars, new faces, and the same fight for the soul of mankind."
Margaret gave a small, weary smile. "Then I suppose I came back with the report at the right time."
Agatha's eyes softened. "Perhaps..."
As the young agent turned to leave, Agatha's gaze lingered on the storm outside. Her instincts — that ancient, quiet sense she'd learned never to ignore — whispered that these new players were more than coincidence. Something unseen was stirring beneath the layers of history, moving faster than any prophecy could follow.
And in the distance — far from Boston, far from Europe — unseen eyes watched from the shadows.
The Hidden Flame had already begun to move.
—
- Hidden Flame European Headquarters — Alps Mountain Range -
- January 20, 1940 -
The snowstorm outside howled across the jagged peaks of the Alps, burying the world beneath a thick silence. Beneath that frozen wilderness, hidden deep within the mountain's heart, lay a fortress of light and steel — the Hidden Flame's European Headquarters.
The corridors were alive with a quiet hum. Crystalline lights pulsed along the walls, powered by magi-tech cores that shimmered like trapped stars. Every sound echoed with precision — footsteps, low voices, the occasional metallic hiss of machinery adjusting pressure.
Inside the central command chamber, three figures stood around a wide table projecting a holographic map of Europe. Red points flickered across it — Hydra facilities, Nazi research labs, and new sites recently marked in a darker shade: demonic activity zones.
Rudra leaned over the table, his jaw tight. He was in his mid-twenties, but the weight of command sat on his shoulders like a veteran's burden. His sharp eyes moved between the glowing red marks. "They're spreading faster than we thought," he said quietly. "Hydra isn't just chasing weapons anymore. They're chasing something far darker."
Across from him, Karna stood with his arms folded. He was currently the second highest authority within this organization, and though only twenty, there was an intensity in him that made even seasoned agents pause before speaking. His presence radiated calm authority — the kind that came from both power and loyalty.
He studied the map in silence before speaking. "The latest reports confirm it," he said. "Our agents inside Hydra intercepted documents linking a man named Otto to the ritual shipments. He's been moving materials through military convoys — obsidian dust, bloodstones, runic metal, all of it connected to demonic summoning practices."
Nalini, standing beside them, frowned. Her long dark hair framed a face both graceful and unreadable, but her eyes — fierce and intelligent — betrayed her concern. She was not only Aryan's fiancée now, but also one of the few people in the world trusted with Special authority within Hidden Flame, equal to Shakti's. Her tone was calm, but the emotion beneath it was clear.
"Otto's name came up before," she said softly. "In Berlin's underground networks. He's been meeting Nazi scientists working on the Holocaust experiments. They think he's researching human purification methods. But if our readings are right… he's trying to merge their atrocities with arcane power."
Rudra's hands tightened against the table. "So he's not just following Nazi ideology — he's using it as a cover for something worse."
A soft hum filled the room as a blue light flickered to life above the table. A holographic figure materialized — a calm, graceful woman with silver eyes and a faint glow outlining her form.
"Vaani online," she said gently, her voice echoing like a whisper of wind through glass. Aryan's AI assistant — his voice when he wasn't here, his presence in every operation. And, also the Central Command of all Communications and Information Analysis department of the organization.
Karna nodded to her. "Vaani, compile a full report of Otto's recent movements and the last three Hydra shipments we intercepted. Correlate them with demonic runic patterns."
"Already done," Vaani replied. Streams of data floated above the map, forming intricate patterns — Hydra symbols mixed with ancient demonic sigils. "The resonance lines match a demonic ritual grid. It is now confirmed, according to my calculations they're trying to unseal someone, probably caged within some artifact. The energy signatures also indicate attempts to contact an extra-dimensional entity."
Nalini's eyes hardened. "A powerful demon…probably."
"Yes," Vaani said softly. "Or something far older."
The silence that followed was heavy. Only the distant thrum of the base's generators broke the tension.
Karna finally spoke. "We can't let them succeed. But if we act now — directly — we'll draw attention. Hydra will realize there's an organized counter-force working against them."
Rudra nodded grimly. "And the Americans, the British — even the Soviets — they'll start noticing too. If they detect us, even a little, although in long term it will not matter much for us, but at this moment, we will probably lose our greatest advantage."
Nalini glanced at the glowing projection, then back at them. "But if we stay quiet, if we keep hiding, Otto will succeed in unravelling that seal. Hydra will get what it wants, and the cost will be millions of lives."
Her voice cracked slightly, the weight of her words breaking through her usual composure. "We've seen what they're capable of already. We can't stand by again. Not when we have more than enough power already."
Vaani's tone was soft, but steady. "Master Aryan anticipated this dilemma. His last directive before departing for Bharat was clear — remain unseen, unless the threat surpasses the bounds of mortal intervention."
Rudra gave a tired smile. "And how do we measure that? When hell itself starts leaking into Europe?"
Karna looked up, his expression resolved. "Then maybe this is that moment."
The air in the room seemed to tighten, the low hum of machinery growing louder. Snow rumbled faintly outside, as if the mountain itself was listening.
Karna took a slow breath, eyes meeting Nalini's and then Vaani's holographic gaze. "We've operated in the shadows for years — gathering, infiltrating, learning. But Hydra's changed the game. Their obsession with power, their experiments, their cruelty… it's no longer just politics or war. It's corruption of the soul."
He straightened, the light of the holographic map casting a faint glow over his determined face. "If Aryan were here, he'd say the same thing: fire was never meant to stay hidden forever. Sometimes, it has to burn to protect what's left."
Nalini nodded slowly, her hand brushing the edge of the table. "Then we move. Quietly, but decisively. We strike Hydra's ritual sites before they complete the next phase. If we're careful, the world won't even know we exist."
Vaani's form flickered briefly, her tone warmer now. "Understood. I will coordinate communication silos through astral relays — minimal digital footprint, no traceable signal paths."
Rudra exhaled, tension giving way to focus. "Then it begins. We move before the next moonrise. The Hidden Flame will stay hidden — but this time, the shadows will strike back."
The map dimmed, leaving only faint red sparks hovering in the air — like embers waiting for a breath of wind.
Outside, the storm continued to rage across the Alps. Yet within that frozen heart, the secret fire of Aryan's unseen army burned quietly — a promise, a warning, and a beginning.
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