The cold steel halls of the Syndicate's fortress echoed with each step Kade took. His grip tightened around the hilt of his blade, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. This was it. The moment he had spent his entire life preparing for.
Nathaniel Ronin sat in a high-backed chair at the center of the war room, his face cast in the dim glow of holographic battle maps. He didn't look surprised to see Kade standing there, weapons drawn.
"So, you finally made it," Nathaniel said, his voice calm, almost amused. "I was wondering when you'd come home."
Kade felt his stomach twist at the word. Home. This place was nothing but a cage built on blood and control.
"You built all of this," Kade said, his voice laced with anger. "You created the Syndicate, enslaved people, wiped out entire cities. And you expect me to see you as family?"
Nathaniel leaned forward, folding his hands together. "Family is more than just blood, Kade. It is legacy. You think I did all this out of greed? No. I did it to fix a broken world. You have seen the chaos out there. Governments fell. Law became meaningless. Someone had to take control."
Kade's jaw clenched. "You didn't take control. You crushed everyone who stood in your way. You took innocent lives. You destroyed everything I ever loved."
Nathaniel exhaled, shaking his head. "You are still thinking like a child. The world is not built on kindness, Kade. It is built on strength. And you are stronger than you know. You are my son. You were meant to rule this world by my side."
Kade's fingers twitched around his blade. "You expect me to join you?"
Nathaniel stood slowly, his towering presence casting a shadow over the room. "I expect you to wake up. To see that the world cannot be saved by mercy alone. You could tear down the Syndicate, but what then? The world will fall into ruin again. You will only be delaying the inevitable."
Kade took a step forward, his glare unwavering. "I'd rather let the world burn than let you control it."
A slow smirk crept across Nathaniel's lips. "Then you are a fool. And I cannot allow you to continue this childish war."
Before Kade could react, Nathaniel moved like lightning, drawing a sleek energy blade from his coat. Their weapons clashed in a shower of sparks, the force of the impact sending Kade staggering back.
Nathaniel was fast—too fast for his age. Every strike was calculated, every move precise. Kade barely had time to block the onslaught.
"You were always strong," Nathaniel said, parrying a strike and countering with a brutal kick to Kade's ribs. "But you never learned to control your anger."
Kade crashed into a table, knocking over stacks of data drives. Pain exploded through his side, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, slashing toward his father's chest. Nathaniel sidestepped effortlessly, his blade slicing across Kade's arm.
Blood dripped onto the metal floor.
Kade panted, wiping sweat from his brow. "You talk too much."
Nathaniel tilted his head. "And you hesitate too much."
In an instant, he lunged, grabbing Kade by the throat and slamming him against the wall. Kade gasped for air, his vision blurring as Nathaniel tightened his grip.
"I could have raised you to be a king," Nathaniel said, his voice cold. "But you chose to be a rebel. And rebels die."
Kade's vision darkened. His fingers clawed at Nathaniel's arm, but the strength was fading from his body.
Then, a gunshot rang through the room.
Nathaniel grunted, stumbling back. A bullet had grazed his shoulder.
Kade fell to his knees, gasping for breath as he looked up to see Lyra standing in the doorway, gun smoking in her hand.
"Sorry to interrupt your little family reunion," she said. "But I'm not letting him die today."
Nathaniel's expression darkened as he wiped the blood from his shoulder. "You just made a mistake."
Lyra smirked. "So have you."
Before he could react, Kade lunged forward, driving his blade straight toward his father's chest.