This wasn't supposed to happen.
Not now. Not like this.
We were in the chamber—the place where people were floated. That cold, merciless room where the airlock opened and life ended. And my father… my father was standing right there in the center of it.
Ray Voss, my father—the man who raised me, trained with me, protected me—was now the accused.
The Chancellor stood before the gathered crowd, flanked by Ark Guards and Council members. The air was tense, every eye fixed on the man who had always served them. The Chancellor's voice echoed like a hammer striking metal:
"Ray Voss has been found guilty of aiding and hiding a known offender. This is a violation of Ark law. By unanimous council decision… he will be floated."
My breath caught in my throat. I stood frozen.
No. No. This can't be real.
I shouted, forcing my way forward through the guards. "Please! Don't do this! He's innocent! He's one of you!"
They ignored me. Every. Single. One.
The council didn't even glance my way. Not the people. Not the guards. Not even the Chancellor. It was like I was invisible—as if a child's pain didn't matter in the face of their precious laws.
They took him to the adjacent chamber while I begged and screamed.
I managed to reach him through the glass. My father looked at me—calm, steady—even as I broke down in tears.
"It's alright, son," he said softly, voice trembling. "It's going to be alright. You hear me? You're strong. You'll survive this. I've tried… I really tried to change their minds… but they wouldn't listen.
The rules… they follow rules, not reason."
"No! No, Dad, please… don't leave me. Not you." I pounded on the glass, the ache in my chest threatening to rip me apart. "I need you!"
And then—
I saw it.
I saw my father take his final breath as the airlock hissed open behind him.
And he was gone.
Just like that.
The man who raised me with kindness and discipline, the only person I had in this world—floated like a criminal.
I fell to my knees, shaking, sobbing, broken.
But fate wasn't done with me yet.
Another name was called.
Another person escorted into the chamber.
A woman this time. Her face was tired but defiant. Her eyes full of grief, not fear.
It hit me.
That's... Bellamy and Octavia's mother. Aurora Blake.
She looked at the crowd with the same fire in her eyes my father once had. And just like that… she was gone too.
I couldn't take it anymore. I ran.
I sprinted through the sterile halls of the Ark, past the stares, past the whispers.
I reached our home.
I collapsed inside. My father's scent was still there. His things. His uniform. His touch in every corner.
And then something inside me snapped.
The sadness twisted into rage. Blinding, unforgiving rage.
They took him from me.
They took everything.
"I'll make you pay," I whispered through clenched teeth, wiping my tears away. "You'll all pay. Chancellor, council—rules be damned."
I stormed to the corner where I kept my weapons—my sword and spear. I grabbed them with trembling hands, breathing heavily.
I didn't care about the timeline anymore.
To hell with canon. To hell with destiny.
They made this personal.
And I was done watching from the sidelines.
I didn't hesitate.
Sword strapped to my back. Spear in hand. Grief burning in my chest like a wildfire.
I stormed through the corridors of the Ark, each step louder than the last. I wasn't just a boy anymore. I was a weapon. And today—I was aimed at the heart of everything.
When I arrived at the Chancellor's platform—the place where judgment was passed—the crowd fell silent. Every eye turned to me, their whispers dying in their throats as they saw the weapons in my hands.
Gasps rippled through the gathered citizens. Panic. Confusion. Fear.
"I'll kill you, Chancellor!" I shouted, voice cracking with rage.
Chaos exploded around me.
Guards began to move.
I saw them all—Jaha, standing at the front, trying to remain composed. Beside him was Jake Griffin—Clarke's father—and Abby, her mother, eyes wide in disbelief. And near them stood Marcus Kane, always cold, always watching.
Jaha barked the command.
"Arrest him! Take the weapons! Now!"
They advanced.
But I didn't wait.
I spun and hurled my spear straight at the closest guard. It pierced his chest, dropping him instantly. The crowd screamed.
Another guard lunged for me. I moved fast, relying on the speed and precision I'd trained for over a decade. I drew my sword and stabbed him clean through the gut. He choked once—and fell.
People backed away in horror. Some tried to pull their children behind them. Others stood frozen.
Another guard tried to flank me.
Too slow.
I turned and with one smooth motion, swung my blade through his neck, decapitating him. Blood sprayed across the metal floor as I raised my sword high, letting them see.
"This is what justice looks like!"
The guards hesitated.
Jaha shouted again, louder this time. "Stop him! Subdue him now!"
But I was already moving.
I rushed forward, ripping the spear from the chest of the first guard I had killed. With a roar, I threw it with all my strength—aimed directly at Jaha.
It flew like a lightning bolt.
But just as it was about to strike him—someone jumped in the way.
Kane. One of Jaha's loyal men.
The spear burst through his back, just inches from Jaha's heart.
Screams rang out again.
"He's insane! Take him down!" Kane shouted.
A guard reached for me, but I twisted, using my sword to drive it deep into his side, another kill. But they kept coming.
They surrounded me.
Even I knew how this would end.
I'm just a boy. A skilled one. A dangerous one. But still a boy.
They shocked me, electricity ripping through my body. I dropped my sword. Then my knees hit the ground.
Darkness tugged at the edge of my vision as I collapsed.
"Kane, are you alright?" Abby called out, rushing to check on him.
"Arrest him. Now," she ordered coldly.
I was fading… my body twitching… my vision swimming. But before I passed out, my eyes caught movement in the crowd.
Four familiar faces.
Wells Jaha—his eyes wide, frozen.
Octavia and Bellamy Blake, standing close together, watching everything.
And then—Clarke Griffin.
She stared at me, horrified. Not afraid… just shocked. Maybe even sad.
And then everything went black.