Episode 88
The flash drive trembled slightly in Aria's palm.
So small — yet heavy with the weight of everything Raian had fought for. Names. Transactions. Secrets buried so deep that even breathing them out loud could kill someone. But in this tiny vessel, there was power.
She sat at the table now, Noah guiding her through its contents on an old laptop. Ayan stood behind her, eyes sharp, arms folded. Lina leaned against the far wall, silent, while Ishaan monitored the entrance.
"Each folder is encrypted," Noah explained. "But Raian knew you'd be the one to open it. He built the key using a pattern you'd recognize."
Aria frowned. "What kind of pattern?"
Noah tilted his head. "Check the first file name."
She clicked open the directory, and her breath caught.
"ORCHID_1125"
Her fingers trembled.
That was the name of the orchid she used to plant outside her orphanage. And 1125 — her birthdate.
"He used my memories to encrypt it," she whispered.
Noah nodded. "Only someone who knows your past could even begin to access this. Smart move. Even if it fell into the wrong hands, it'd be useless."
She bit her lip and began typing quickly. Memories surged like waves — childhood hiding places, nursery rhymes she used to sing, the name of her first teddy bear. One by one, the passwords unlocked.
The first file opened.
Bank logs. Government bribes. A direct link from Malik's private account to high-ranking law enforcement officers, politicians, and even international agents. It was enough to collapse regimes.
Ayan let out a slow breath. "Holy shit."
Aria scrolled further, her heart pounding.
She found names — some of which she recognized from newspapers, others from Raian's quiet mutterings during sleepless nights. But one name stopped her cold.
Dr. Eugene Han
Her hand froze.
"That's… that's my mentor from med school."
Noah narrowed his eyes. "He's on Malik's medical board. Oversaw human trials, weapon testing."
"No," Aria whispered, voice cracking. "He was kind to me. He helped me get my scholarship."
"He helped groom you into place," Ayan said bluntly. "You were always meant to be used."
She looked like someone had struck her. "All this time… I thought I made it on my own."
Lina walked over and gripped her shoulder. "You did. Don't let them steal your pride with their poison."
Aria blinked back tears, the old ache of betrayal slithering in.
But she didn't cry.
Instead, she copied the files onto a new drive and encrypted them again — this time with Raian's name.
"I'm going to release these," she said. "Publicly. To the right people."
Noah held up a cautioning hand. "Not all at once. You'll get burned. You have to be strategic. Tease the threat first — shake Malik's circle, make them question each other."
Ishaan finally spoke, his voice low. "We need chaos in their ranks before we make a kill shot."
Aria nodded. "Then let's start with the smallest leak."
Ayan smirked slightly. "She's becoming more like him."
"She is him," Lina said softly. "Just quieter."
---
Hours later, when the others had gone to sleep in rotations, Aria sat alone at the balcony, eyes unfocused.
The city below remained quiet, but her world was far from still.
Raian was alone in that prison, and she was here — with a war in her hands. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling both strong and fragile at once.
A quiet shuffle behind her made her turn.
Ayan stood there, a thermos in one hand, two cups in the other.
"You're awake," he said.
She offered a faint smile. "Couldn't sleep."
He poured her some tea and sat beside her on the cold railing.
For a few seconds, they just listened to the night.
"I used to think Raian was invincible," Aria said, staring at the stars. "That he'd always be the one protecting me."
Ayan exhaled slowly. "He still is. Just from behind bars now."
She turned her head. "Why do you trust me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then: "Because Raian does. And because… I see the way you look at him. Like he's the only light left in your world."
Aria looked down into her tea. "He is."
Ayan smirked. "Good. Because if you ever break his heart… Lina will murder you. And I'll help her."
Aria laughed — softly, brokenly.
"I wouldn't blame you."
---
The next morning, the plan began.
Noah leaked a minor file to a small but reputable independent journalist — anonymous, untraceable. It wasn't the core data, but just enough to cause ripples.
By noon, headlines blared across phones and laptops:
"Mysterious Source Exposes Government Bribe Chain—More to Come"
Malik's men scrambled. They tried tracing the leak — but the encryption led nowhere.
Inside his bunker, Malik smashed a glass against the wall.
"FIND HER!" he roared. "And bring me every rat who ever worked for Raian."
One of his lieutenants hesitated. "Sir, the girl—she's gaining sympathy. If we touch her now—"
"Then we don't touch her," Malik snarled. "We destroy her reputation. Discredit the leak before it spreads."
---
Back at the observatory, Aria watched her name trending.
Not as a doctor.
But as a traitor.
A falsified video circulated online — showing a distorted clip of her supposedly forging medical reports, overlaid with Malik's manipulated audio.
Within an hour, her old university emailed her an inquiry. The hospital board demanded a review. Her medical license was under threat.
Her hands clenched.
"I should have known he'd play dirty," she said through gritted teeth.
"Of course he did," Noah said. "Now you play smarter."
She stared at the screen. "He wants to erase my credibility, so when I release the real files, no one will believe me."
Ayan leaned forward. "Then don't release it under your name."
Aria blinked. "Then whose?"
Lina grinned. "Raian's."
---
The idea was simple.
Use Raian's growing cult-like image in the shadows — the martyr, the ghost, the man who stood against the beast.
Frame the leak as his legacy.
A video was made — edited and narrated by AI, masked voices, ghost symbols. It opened with a deep, distorted message:
> "If you are watching this, then you already know they're lying. I'm not here to save you. I'm here to wake you up. My name is Raian. And this is the truth."
Then came real footage. Just fragments. Just enough to fuel doubt.
Within six hours, it was trending.
Not under Aria's name.
But under Raian's Requiem.
---
Inside the shadows of the prison cell, Raian opened his eyes as the guard handed him a smuggled phone.
No name. No message. Just a video link.
He played it.
And watched.
Watched her fight.
Watched her become what he always feared she'd have to become — ruthless. Resilient.
A soft smile tugged at his lips.
"Beautiful little liar," he whispered.
Then leaned back against the wall, fire in his chest.
"You're ready."