The injector hissed.
Raine felt the fire crawl through her veins.
Lucian's blood, now hers.
[Kill Switch Transfer: 17%... 23%...]
Lucian snarled. "You insolent wretch."
He swung his plasma blade—clean, precise, lethal.
Raine ducked, the blade missing her throat by inches. She countered, neural lash in hand, cracking against his armored chest.
[Impact: Minimal][Warning: Adrenal Surge Detected – Subject: Lucian]
He was getting stronger.
The Battle
The room became a warzone.
Books ignited. Glass shattered. The floor scorched with every clash.
Lucian was no ordinary man—he had fused with the system long ago, becoming something more.
[Kill Switch Transfer: 41%...]
"You think stealing my blood gives you control?" he spat."This world bends to my will, girl."
Raine gritted her teeth, blood dripping from her mouth.
"Then let's see if your will bleeds."
She triggered her pulse blade—aimed for his core.
Nira's Crossroads
Across the room, Nira watched.
Frozen.
Lucian, the man who had rebuilt her, given her purpose.
And Raine—the woman breaking the cage they all lived in.
Voices echoed in her mind:
"Obey.""Conform.""Kill."
But under it all… a memory.
Her sister. Burned alive by Dominion drones.Lucian: "Weakness must be erased."
She'd smiled when she swore loyalty.
But inside, something had died.
Now, that something whispered:
"Choose."
The Twist
Lucian caught Raine's strike, his blade driving through her side.
She gasped.
[Kill Switch Transfer: 63%...]
Her fingers trembled.
Lucian leaned close. "You lose."
But then—
A pulse of light.
A shot.
Lucian staggered back.
Nira stood, plasma pistol shaking in her hands.Smoke trailed from the barrel.
"I didn't choose weakness," she said softly."I chose to stop being your weapon."
Final Countdown
Raine, bleeding, reached for the final command node on Lucian's console.
[Kill Switch Transfer: 98%...]
[99%...]
[ERROR: SYSTEM COLLISION DETECTED]
[WARNING: Dual Authority Conflict – Catastrophic Risk Level]
Lucian laughed, even with blood in his lungs.
"You'll burn it all trying to take it from me."
Raine met his eyes.
"Then we burn… together."