Episode 97
The silence in the cabin was louder than any storm.
Raian's family estate, hidden deep within Mount Seoraksan, sat like a ghost among the pines. Snow coated the roof, muffling every step, every whisper. The walls breathed history—of a boy born to kill and a woman who disappeared too soon.
Aria sat on the edge of a small wooden bed, wrapped in a thick shawl, watching the fireplace flicker. She could feel the weight in the air. Raian hadn't said a word since they arrived.
She knew something inside him had shifted.
He stood by the window, arms crossed, eyes on the dense forest. His mind was still back at the facility. Still replaying Malik's words. Still seeing that face.
His brother.
"Raian," Aria called gently.
He didn't turn.
"You don't have to hold it in."
"I'm not," he replied coldly.
She walked up behind him, resting a hand on his back. "You are."
Finally, he spoke, low and hoarse. "I remember hearing a baby crying once. In the labs. They told me I imagined it. That I was hallucinating from the training injections."
His jaw tightened.
"But it wasn't a hallucination. It was him."
Aria's eyes softened. "You weren't hallucinating. You were just a child."
"They made me believe I was broken. That I'd failed to save someone who never existed." He turned to her slowly. "And now they've turned him into something worse than me."
She reached for his hand. "You're not something, Raian. You're someone. That difference matters."
A shadow passed in his eyes. "Not to Malik."
---
Elsewhere in the Estate – Underground Bunker
Ayan and Lina examined the old command room. Though dusty, the system was still intact. The screens hummed to life, reconnecting them to satellite data and encrypted safe channels.
"Pull up heat scans from the southern quadrant," Ayan said.
Lina tapped the controls. "Got it. Wait…"
A cluster of red blips flickered on the screen.
Ayan leaned closer. "They're moving. West."
"Toward the ridge," Lina said. "That's only three miles from here."
Ayan clenched his jaw. "Malik's already tracking us."
Lina typed quickly, encrypting a secure message.
"We need to hide Raian and Aria," she said. "Now."
"No," came a voice from the doorway.
Raian stepped in, his presence sharp as ever.
"We fight."
---
In the forest — Midnight
The snowfall thickened. A gentle crunch echoed through the trees.
Ashen walked slowly, breathing in the air like it was new. He wore no jacket, no gloves. Just a simple combat suit. The cold didn't touch him.
Beside him, Malik's right-hand agent, Dr. Serris, whispered instructions.
"You must observe first. Learn his rhythm. His weaknesses."
Ashen didn't respond.
Serris glanced sideways. "Do you remember anything from before?"
Ashen stopped. "No. Only… sound."
"What kind of sound?"
Ashen turned his head to the distant hum of the river.
"A woman's voice."
Serris stiffened. "You mean Malik's?"
Ashen shook his head. "No. Warmer. Softer."
He closed his eyes.
A flash. A woman singing softly to a child. A lullaby. A dark-haired boy reaching for her hand.
He opened his eyes. "It wasn't Malik."
---
Inside the Estate – Secret Room
Aria wandered down the hallway, drawn by an old photo hanging crooked on the wall. It was dusty, but her fingers gently wiped it clean.
Two children stood beside a woman with long dark hair. The older child, about five, looked like Raian. The younger, barely a toddler, had the same sharp eyes but softer features.
Her breath caught.
There he was. The brother. Ashen.
She stepped back, startled.
Lina appeared behind her. "You found it."
Aria turned. "Why didn't he tell me?"
"He doesn't know this photo exists," Lina whispered. "It was hidden after the fire."
Aria's brow furrowed. "What fire?"
Lina hesitated, then pulled her aside. "Years ago, Raian's mother tried to smuggle both sons out of the compound. She was caught. They set the estate ablaze. She died in the fire. They told Raian she left him."
"No," Aria whispered.
"They lied to make him obedient," Lina continued. "They erased his mother's sacrifice, and Ashen's identity, from the records. But I kept this."
She handed Aria a worn notebook.
Raian's mother's journal.
---
Command Room – Just Before Dawn
The team gathered.
Ayan, Lina, Ishaan, and Raian stood around the map table.
Ayan pointed. "They've set up a pulse tower here. They're jamming every exit."
"They want to contain us," Ishaan said. "Trap us before striking."
Raian nodded. "Then we lead them in."
Lina frowned. "What?"
"We set a fake heat signature in the old greenhouse. They'll think we're hiding Aria there."
Ishaan caught on. "Then we ambush them from behind the ridge."
Ayan added, "And when they fall back, we cut their extraction route with the EMP mines."
Raian's voice was ice. "No survivors."
---
Meanwhile – Outside the Estate
Serris stood behind Ashen, watching the signal flare rise above the ridge.
"They're trying to distract us."
Ashen said nothing.
But something flickered in his mind—another voice. A younger one.
"Rai… an…?"
His hand twitched.
Serris tilted his head. "Do you feel something?"
Ashen blinked. "He's here."
"Who?"
Ashen's voice was flat.
"My brother."
He walked forward, eyes glowing faintly silver.
Serris smiled. "Good. Then let's make him bleed."