Kael's bunker was buried beneath the foundations of an abandoned factory, far from the Order's surveillance routes. A thick door opened with a dull creak before sealing shut behind them, cutting off the outside world like a useless memory.
Inside, the air was dry.
Stable.
Silent.
Kael switched on a wall lamp. The light revealed a narrow space, but one organized with almost military rigor. Old maps pinned to the walls, off-grid screens, sealed metal crates. Nothing superfluous. Nothing decorative.
"I haven't always cleaned arenas," Kael said after a long silence.
Elias didn't answer. He observed. He listened.
"I used to be a soldier," Kael continued. "Not for the Order. Against it."
He paused, as if the word still carried weight.
"They called us rebels. Truth is… we were just the ones who refused to obey when the orders started to smell like death."
Kael moved toward a metal partition. He placed his hand on it, hesitated for a second, then slid it open.
The armory appeared.
Not massive.
But dense.
Weapons maintained with care. Modified rifles. Compact blades. Discreet explosives. Combat gear marked by use. Nothing flashy. Nothing unnecessary.
Tools made to break in… and not be expected.
Elias stepped closer.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't shaking.
He recognized it.
"I lost my war," Kael said. "I watched my people fall one by one. So I survived. Not out of courage. Out of exhaustion."
He looked up at Elias.
"You don't want to survive."
Elias picked up a dark chest plate and weighed it in his hands.
"No," he replied simply.
He began to gear up.
Each piece he put on sealed something inside him. Not armor—a return. The motions came back without effort: adjust, check, load. His body remembered. The Order too.
Kael watched in silence.
"The Tower," he said at last, "isn't a building. It's a trap. The levels are compartmentalized. Hybrid bodies are stored at the center. Data circulates constantly. Once you're inside… you control nothing."
Elias looked up.
"I know."
He secured a short blade to his thigh.
"But they still think they control me."
Kael remained still for a moment. Then he opened one last sealed crate and pulled out a heavier weapon. He set it on the table between them.
"Take it. After that… I won't be able to stop you."
Elias grabbed the weapon. His fingers closed around it without hesitation.
He took a slow breath.
"I'm not going back for revenge," he said. "I'm going back for her."
Kael nodded.
"Then do it fast. And do it dirty."
Elias headed for the exit.
Before leaving, he stopped for a second.
"Kael."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
The door closed behind him.
And in the silence of the bunker, a single certainty remained suspended:
When Elias walked out of there…
someone was going to die…
or everyone would.