Chapter 20: The Queen's Gambit
Location: Seraphim High Citadel, Core Level
Darkness pulsed through the command chamber as Supreme Chancellor Virel watched the collapse of the Source Temple on her holoscreen.
Her expression remained unreadable—until the feed cut to black.
"So… the boy shattered the throne."
"As you predicted," said General Kael, bowing low.
Virel turned slowly, her crimson robes trailing behind her like coiled smoke.
"Then it's time we play our queen."
She raised a single hand.
And deep in a cryo-vault beneath the Citadel, Subject 07—Code Name: Nyra—awoke.
Awakened Weapon
Steam hissed as the pod doors opened.
Nyra stepped out, eyes glowing violet, body enhanced beyond natural limits. Tattoos of old code ran across her spine and collarbone. But it was her face that stunned the technicians.
"She's… beautiful," one whispered.
"She's deadly," another corrected.
Nyra said nothing. Her thoughts were calm. Sharp. Precise.
Memories slid into place: combat training, infiltration simulations, adaptive mind hacking. But one image kept burning through the haze—
Rhea.
The girl who once called her sister.
Back in Bastion
Rayven stood before a crowd of underground dwellers, his cloak singed, his boots coated in ash.
He spoke plainly.
"The Seraphim lied to you. They bred replacements, erased your pasts, called it mercy. But I found the truth beneath their lies. And now I need you."
The people listened.
Some doubted.
Others believed.
Rhea stepped beside him, her voice steady.
"This is not about rebellion anymore. It's about awakening. Not just for Rayven. For all of us."
The air crackled with potential.
Selene's Warning
Later, on the rooftop of the old Resistance hideout, Selene paced.
"We broke a hornet's nest wide open. You know what happens now, right?"
Rayven nodded. "They send something worse."
Jex interrupted, pulling up intercepted Seraphim data.
"They already did."
He projected an image into the air.
Nyra.
Selene froze. "Who the hell is that?"
Rhea stepped forward, eyes locked on the hologram.
She whispered, "She was my friend. My sister. We escaped Seraphim labs together as kids… but they recaptured her."
Rayven turned slowly to face her. "And now they've turned her into a weapon."
Assault on Bastion
That night, the sky over Bastion lit up in streaks of white.
Seraphim shock troops descended like wraiths.
And in the center of them… Nyra.
She moved like a shadow—silent, lethal, and terrifyingly fast. Whole squads were disabled before they even registered her presence.
Her target was clear.
Rayven.
But it was Rhea who found her first.
Sister Against Sister
In the remains of the old Bastion church, amidst stained glass and crumbling altars, Rhea stepped into Nyra's path.
"Nyra… it's me. Rhea."
Nyra paused.
Something flickered in her expression—pain? Memory?
Then it vanished.
"That name means nothing to me," she said. "Only my mission does."
Rhea held her ground. "They used you. Just like they used me. But you still have a choice."
Nyra's eyes narrowed. Her voice was hollow.
"Choice is an illusion for the Awakened."
Then she attacked.
The Duel
What followed was a flurry of strikes and counters. Rhea fought not just for survival—but for connection.
"You used to sing in the ventilation shafts!"
"Irrelevant."
"You braided my hair when I cried!"
"Noise."
"You held my hand when they branded me!"
That made Nyra flinch.
For one moment—just one—her blade stopped.
But the moment passed.
Nyra flung Rhea aside and vanished into the night.
Regroup and Resolve
Back at the Resistance base, Rhea nursed a cracked rib and a bleeding lip.
Rayven knelt beside her.
"You alright?"
She nodded weakly. "Physically, yes. Emotionally… no."
Selene crossed her arms. "This Nyra—if she's as dangerous as she looks, we need to put her down before she rips through our entire network."
Rayven looked torn. "She's not just a weapon. She's someone Rhea knew. There may still be a way to save her."
Jex sighed. "Or she's bait, meant to get you killed."
Rayven rose, staring out the window at the burning skyline.
"Then let's not fall for their gambit."
Next Chapter: "The Mask of Mercy"
Nyra infiltrates the Resistance stronghold in disguise, posing as a survivor. As trust fractures and betrayal looms, Rayven must uncover her before she gets close enough to finish what she started. But what if she doesn't want to finish it anymore?