Hours later, Henry's group finally emerged from the tunnels, exhausted but alive. They arrived back at the safehouse in the neon-lit night, their clothes dusty from the tunnels and their faces marked with tension.
Ronnie was already waiting for them at the table, his large frame leaning forward, hands clasped.
His eyes scanned them immediately, catching the faint signs of strain.
Ronnie: "You went deeper than planned."
Henry didn't sit. He placed a small data drive from Lenny's hacked terminal on the table.
Henry: "We saw their core. The Ascendant Grid. They're building a gravitational network under the entire city."
Ronnie's jaw tightened slightly.
Lenny stepped forward, explaining quickly.
Lenny: "It's not just a base. It's a city-wide weapon. If they activate it, they could collapse entire districts with Zorath's power."
Emilia crossed her arms.
Emilia: "And it's not just Zorath. There's someone else above him. Someone who told Ravenous to let us leave."
Ronnie's eyes flickered for just a second—but he hid it well.
Ronnie: "…Someone above Zorath?"
Henry looked at him directly.
Henry: "Yes. Whoever it was… they're the real mastermind."
Then Jack spoke, his tone casual but cutting.
Jack: "Oh, and by the way… We found something else. Your kid's name. Elion. He's on their records. Looks like they need him for… something."
The room went silent.
Ronnie's calm façade didn't crack, but his knuckles tightened slightly on the table.
Ronnie (carefully): "…They have him, then."
Emilia's sharp eyes caught the faintest flicker in his voice, but she didn't say anything yet.
Henry spoke steadily.
Henry: "They called him an 'offering.' That's all we know for now."
Ronnie nodded slowly, his voice deep.
Ronnie: "Then we don't have time to waste. If they're preparing something with my son at the center, we move faster. I'll get you what you need to hit them harder."
But inside, Ronnie's mind was racing.
"Offering? What are they planning? And why, Elion? He is a Soul Reaper after all. This all makes no sense."
As the group moved to rest, Emilia lingered, watching Ronnie carefully.
She didn't fully trust his reaction.
Henry noticed too—but didn't press it yet.
For now, they needed rest.
But the tension in the room told everyone this was only the beginning.
The city outside was quiet for once, the neon glow faint through the window. Most of the group were asleep or resting in their rooms, recovering from the tense hours in the tunnels.
But Henry was still awake.
He stood by the window, staring out at Neoterra Prime's skyline, lost in thought.
Behind him, soft footsteps approached. Emilia.
She didn't say anything at first, just stood beside him, her calm gaze fixed on the city.
Finally, she spoke, her voice soft but carrying an edge.
Emilia: "You shouldn't have taken us that far."
Henry didn't turn.
Henry: "We needed to see the truth. You saw what's waiting under this city. If we'd turned back earlier, we'd only have fragments."
Emilia folded her arms, her tone still calm but firmer now.
Emilia: "And what did it cost us? We faced a Guardian. Then Ravenous. And you still wanted to go deeper—even after it was clear they were letting us walk into their trap."
Henry finally glanced at her, his expression unreadable.
Henry: "And now we know it's a trap. We know how they work, what they're building, and that someone above Zorath is pulling strings. That matters."
She shook her head slightly.
Emilia: "It matters, but not at the cost of walking blind into their hands. You're taking risks that don't just fall on you. You're dragging all of us with you."
Henry stayed silent for a moment.
Henry: "Would you rather we stay on the surface while the Black Halo finishes their Grid? Let them slaughter Neoterra before we even know what hit us?"
Emilia's voice lowered, softer now but sharper than before.
Emilia: "I'd rather we survive long enough to actually stop them. You don't get it, Henry. You keep pushing, and one day you're going to push too far. And when you fall… we all fall with you. And then, when one of us dies, then you will come to your senses and realize that…it has been too late. That's why I beg you, come back to your damn senses— "
Henry (interrupting Emilia): "I am in my damn senses. Alright? I am doing what is necessary to lead this team so that events like those in Transylvania won't happen again…ever. Please, Emilia, as your brother I ask you to understand that I want to protect you and everyone else and that I am ready to do everything necessary for this group. Even if this means taking risks with you guys. That's what I have to do as the leader of this group."
There was a long pause.
Henry didn't respond right away. He turned his gaze back to the city, the faint hum of neon lights filling the silence.
Henry: "… I won't apologize for doing what needs to be done."
Emilia looked at him for a long moment, her eyes calm but searching.
Emilia: "… That's what I'm afraid of… You have changed, Henry, a lot. Mom wouldn't have wanted what has become of you; she never wanted for you to take all the responsibilities of the world on your shoulders and carry them all by yourself."
Henry doesn't respond; he tilts his head towards the window. Emilia shifted the topic slightly, her tone quieter now.
Emilia: "And what about Ronnie? Did you really believe his reaction when we told him about Elion?"
Henry's eyes flickered faintly.
Henry: "…No. He knew more than he said."
Emilia nodded slightly, confirming her own suspicion.
Emilia: "Exactly. He's hiding something. You felt it too."
Henry finally turned toward her, his expression steady.
Henry: "I did. But for now… we need him. Whatever he's hiding, it's tied to Elion. And that means it's tied to the Soul Reapers."
Emilia studied him carefully.
Emilia: "And when the truth comes out? What will you do then?"
Henry didn't answer immediately.
Henry: "…Whatever I have to."
Emilia held his gaze for another moment, then turned slightly away.
Emilia: "Don't forget, Henry… We're not invincible. And neither are you."
She walked toward the hall, leaving him by the window.
Henry watched her go, silent, before turning back to the city.
Outside, the neon lights of Neoterra Prime flickered faintly—like the calm before a storm.