Chapter 21: The Mask of Mercy
Location: Resistance Underground Sector 5, Bastion
The tunnels buzzed with energy—mechanics running diagnostics, medics tending to the wounded, and scouts pouring over holographic maps. Rayven stood at the heart of it all, shoulders tense, eyes scanning for threats that had not yet revealed themselves.
But one already had.
And she was walking among them.
A Shadow in Plain Sight
She wore the face of a survivor—bruised, trembling, with blood at her temple and soot coating her borrowed clothes.
Nyra.
Though her name was never spoken, she introduced herself as Lina.
"I was in the Westside when the Seraphim hit. I don't know where my family is… please… I just want to help."
To the untrained eye, she was just another refugee.
To Rhea, something felt… off. Familiar.
But her heart fought her instincts.
She wanted to believe.
Rayven's Doubt
Rayven watched "Lina" interact with the crew—quiet, obedient, humble.
She cleaned mess halls, assisted medics, kept her head down.
Too perfectly.
Selene didn't buy it.
"People who've lost everything don't fold linens in perfect military alignment," she muttered.
Jex ran a soft scan. "No implants. No data signatures. She's clean."
Rayven tilted his head. "Then maybe she's not a weapon. Maybe she's running, like the rest of us."
Selene narrowed her eyes. "Or maybe she's better at hiding than we think."
Rhea's Conflicted Heart
That night, Rhea found "Lina" sitting alone in the chapel ruins, staring at the melted altar.
"You remind me of someone," Rhea said quietly.
Lina didn't look at her. "We all remind someone of someone."
Rhea sat beside her.
"She was strong. Scary sometimes. But she protected me."
Lina's fingers clenched. "Sounds like a good sister."
"She was. Until they changed her."
Lina whispered, "Maybe she changed herself."
Rhea leaned in. "But what if she didn't want to?"
Their eyes met. And for a breath, the mask cracked.
Just a little.
A Plan in Motion
Elsewhere, Seraphim Command intercepted a pulse.
"Agent 07 has successfully embedded herself," reported a voice on the comm. "Awaiting next directive."
Chancellor Virel responded coldly.
"Observe. Learn the heir's weakness. Then remove him. No mercy. No hesitation."
Nyra's neural implant buzzed with the command.
But for the first time… she didn't respond.
Rayven's Test
Later that night, Rayven approached "Lina" in the courtyard garden, away from the others.
"Funny thing," he said casually, "you don't talk about where you came from."
She shrugged. "Not much to tell."
"You also move like someone trained."
She froze.
Rayven didn't flinch.
"If you wanted to kill me, you've had a dozen chances. So why haven't you?"
Lina looked away. "Maybe I'm tired of killing."
Rayven leaned in.
"Then maybe it's time to start remembering who you really are."
She didn't answer.
But her eyes shimmered.
Rhea's Revelation
That same night, Rhea entered the archives. Her gut screamed for proof. She scoured the old records, Seraphim files they had intercepted and decrypted.
Then she found it.
A photo.
Two children.
Smiling.
Her… and Nyra.
Stamped across the bottom:
"Subject 06 and Subject 07. Sibling Integration Successful."
Her blood ran cold.
Lina was Nyra.
And she'd been under their roof for three days.
Confrontation in the Hall
Rhea burst into the operations corridor, breath ragged.
"That girl—Lina—she's Nyra. My sister. Seraphim's prototype assassin!"
The room snapped to alert.
Selene reached for her blade.
Rayven held up a hand. "No one moves until I speak to her."
The Unmasking
Rayven found her alone in the greenhouse.
"They know," he said gently.
Lina—Nyra—turned slowly.
Her voice was hollow. "Then it's over."
Rayven shook his head. "Not yet. You could've killed me. You didn't."
She stepped forward, trembling. "I was supposed to. They ordered me. But when I saw Rhea… I remembered everything."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I don't want to be a weapon anymore."
Rhea arrived behind him, watching silently.
"Then stop being one," she said.
Nyra looked at her. "Can you forgive me?"
Rhea nodded.
"Only if you help us bring the Seraphim down."
Next Chapter: "Three Days of Silence"
As Nyra begins to integrate into the Resistance and reveal classified Seraphim data, a deadlier threat emerges. One that doesn't want her reformed—but eliminated. For betrayal in the Seraphim ranks has only one punishment: extinction.