Emerald Ridge Estate – 6:14 AM
The sky outside the reinforced glass dome shifted from navy blue to golden hue, the sun rising slowly over the glass-roofed eco-villas of Emerald Ridge. Inside the estate, the world was quiet, but not still.
Auron was already awake. Sitting in the family kitchen—not a virtual projection this time, but a real space. Smelled of toasted bread, warm spices, and ground coffee.
Across from him, Riva sat at the table wearing a large hoodie that dragged over her hands. Her feet swung back and forth, not touching the floor.
"You always wake up before the sun?" she asked, mouth full of toast.
"Only when I have something on my mind."
She narrowed her eyes, wiping jam off her cheek with the sleeve. "You always have something on your mind."
Auron smiled faintly.
She hopped off her chair and walked over to him, then pulled at his sleeve. "Can we do the stars tonight again? The ceiling ones?"
"Yeah," he said. "We'll sleep under them."
"And read the story again?"
He nodded. "Three chapters."
"Deal."
She kissed his cheek and walked out with her juice. Auron stayed, eyes fixed on the faint shimmer of a red alert ping quietly flashing on his internal HUD.
Command Room – 7:05 AM
CrowJaw's face appeared in the corner of the room, projected by the desk's holopad.
"Got movement in Sector 3. Omega cells."
"How many?" Auron asked.
"Two confirmed. One tailing our broker near Tower Delta. The other just entered city customs under a blank ID."
Kara folded her arms, tense. "They're scoping the city."
"For what?" Patch asked, cleaning his sniper rifle.
"Me," Auron said.
CrowJaw added, "They've been bouncing queries on old Seedline logs. One name came up again."
"Elan Riven," Kara murmured.
"No," CrowJaw corrected. "Riva Riven."
The Room Fell Silent
Auron stepped away, rubbing his eyes.
"They think she's inherited it," he whispered. "The system… maybe it passed."
"Is that even possible?" Kara asked.
"She's my blood," he said. "And my father's. If the system sees her as viable—"
"They'll take her," Patch said darkly. "Harvest or convert."
"No," Auron said. "They won't touch her."
Kara pulled him aside. "You know this changes everything. You can't just protect her from shadows anymore. You need to start explaining to her—"
"She's six," Auron snapped.
"She's not stupid. She dreams of things no child should see. She draws rooms she's never entered. She saw her own death two nights ago, Auron."
He looked down.
"I know."
Flashback – 12 Years Ago – The Fall of Sector 12
Auron was barely eight. Smoke choked the sky. Alarms screamed in pulses across Sector 12.
He ran through the alley behind his father. Elan Riven was limping, his left arm cyber-splintered, trailing red.
"They found us," Elan rasped.
Auron didn't cry. He just held tighter to his father's coat.
Behind them, shadows flickered. Omega agents. Elan stopped at a ruined wall, pulled his son close, and whispered:
"If they catch me, you run. Never use the system unless you're ready to become someone else. Someone cold."
"Will you die?" Auron asked.
His father smiled, even bleeding. "Not before I teach you how to burn the world and still love what's left."
Auron never saw him again.
Emerald Ridge – Present
Later that day, Auron walked into Riva's room. She was on her rug, surrounded by sketchbooks.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
"Is it about the dream?" she said, looking up.
He paused. "You remember?"
"Yes. There were men with black rings. I wasn't scared. But I knew they weren't here for me. They were here for what's inside me."
His throat tightened.
"You don't have to worry," he said, kneeling. "I'll keep you safe. Always."
She tilted her head. "But what if I want to help you?"
"You already do. Just by being here."
"I mean help-fight. Like you and Kara."
Auron placed a hand on her head. "One day, if you really want that… I'll train you. But for now, your job is to smile, eat your toast, and remind me why I don't blow up this city."
She giggled.
"I can do that."
Underground Weapons Expo – Sector 2 – Midnight
Spindle and Kara attended a rogue-market disguised as a tech expo. Over 800 syndicate members. Hidden auctions. Laser defense rings.
Kara watched as a seller displayed a prototype neuro-suppressor rifle.
"It paralyzes without trace. One pulse, system user goes blank for five minutes."
Kara's jaw tightened. "How many?"
"Eight in stock. Selling to the Index, though."
"Change of plan," she said.
They hit the seller before dawn.
Back at the Vault – 4:30 AM
Kara stormed in, dropped the crate.
"Eight weapons. Yours now. No tags."
Auron opened the case. Sleek design. Prototype-level.
"These aren't just paralyzers," he muttered. "They're designed to extract."
"You think…?"
"They were going to use these on Riva."
Kara whispered, "Then we go first."
Two Days Later – Omega Ping Confirmed
CrowJaw intercepted a secure line. An Omega cell had embedded a signal tag under Riva's school ID—placed during a hospital checkup last month.
Auron's eyes burned.
"They got that close?"
Kara paced. "We burn the entire trail. Hospital staff. Data clerks. Everything."
"No," Auron said. "We flip it."
"Flip?"
"We plant new data. Make it look like we moved her to the outer colonies. When they go searching…"
"We ambush."
Auron nodded. "Exactly."
Preparation Sequence Initiated – 9:00 PM
Patch rigged the docks.
Spindle deployed false flags on Omega trackers.
CrowJaw launched a viral backdoor inside Omega's comms—code named: "Cradle Collapse."
Kara and Auron loaded the rifles.
Outside, the night turned colder. Inside, war was breathing.
And in the center of it all… was Riva.
Smiling in her sleep. A flower painted on her cheek. Oblivious to the blood her existence would soon spill.