The room beneath the restaurant felt unreal, like I had stepped into an entirely different world. Screens filled with maps, signal lines, and coded reports flickered in the dim light. At least a dozen Resistance operatives worked quietly, eyes on monitors, hands dancing across keyboards.
Captain Chaxti gestured to me.
"Welcome to our outpost, Ryze."
I still couldn't believe it.A Resistance base… inside the Empire's city.
"Do you… have any idea how lucky you were?" Chaxti said.
I opened my mouth to explain that luck had nothing to do with it—that Blaze practically shoved escape chances into my hands—but the captain continued before I could speak.
"We've been tracking your signal ever since you vanished into the void. None of us knew how you got out… or who else was with you."
I froze a little at those last words.
Good… they don't know about Blaze or SK.
"And we still don't know who pulled the strings on your escape," Chaxti muttered. "Somebody masked your trail. Somebody powerful."
I stayed silent.Better they stay in the dark—for now.
Chaxti clapped his hands once.
"Alright everyone, introduce yourselves to our guest."
The operatives looked over from their desks. Most offered a nod or a brief greeting. I caught fragments—
"Welcome back.""Heard a lot about you.""Starlink Sniper, huh?"
Typical Resistance unit: skilled, calm, used to danger. But one figure stood out from the group, stepping forward with a quiet confidence.
He looked a bit older than me by a year. Blonde hair, lightly tousled, eyes as sharp as a marksman's. He wore a hybrid loadout—a long rifle strapped to his back and a short sword at his waist, an unusual combination among Resistance fighters.
"Name's Volt," he said simply.
Volt.I had heard that name before among the Warpath squads—one of their elite assault sharpshooters.
He extended a hand.
"Glad you're alive. We lost two squads trying to locate your signal after the void incident."
My breath caught.
"…Thank you."
He shrugged. "Don't thank me. Just doing my job."
But I saw the relief in his expression. A quiet sincerity.
Chaxti stepped beside him.
"Volt is assigned to oversee your reintegration and mission coordination for now."
So he's basically my handler…
I nodded.
Still… I couldn't help glancing toward the ceiling—the city above us. The Empire. The barracks. Blaze and SK.
And I wondered—
What are they doing right now?
The Empire's main tactical conference room buzzed with activity. Dozens of officers in uniform discussed territorial reports, supply updates, and Void containment protocols. Maps projected across the walls. Swords and rifles rested against chairs.
Blaze was not sitting.He leaned casually against a wall in the corner, arms crossed, his presence impossible to ignore.
Commander Vortex stood at the head of the oval table.
"Meeting begins. First agenda: reinforcement distribution to the northern sectors."
Blaze watched, bored out of his mind.
He didn't belong here, and everyone knew it.
Some officers stole glances at him, unsure how to treat someone who survived the Void and handled Arctic Templar like a warm-up exercise. Others whispered.
"Why is he here?""Commander Vortex invited him.""So he joined us?""Not officially."
Blaze didn't respond to any of them.He didn't need to.
He wasn't here because he wanted to be.He was here because he was curious.
Curious about the Empire.Curious about his past.Curious if this invitation Vortex gave him could lead to answers.
The meeting droned on for an hour.
Supply chains.Border watch rotations.Portal stabilization.
Blaze zoned out halfway.
When it finally ended, the officers filed out, murmuring among themselves.
Commander SK—armor cleaned, helmet tucked under her arm—stood at the end of the hall as officers left the room. Her expression was calm, but her eyes held a storm of thoughts.
She checked the roster on her device.Ryze's name was still listed under transfer.
Good. They still think she's in another facility.
SK exhaled softly.
She wasn't surprised Ryze vanished.If anything… she expected it.
"Trust her," SK had told Ryze.
And she meant it.
Ryze was smart. Determined. Capable.And Blaze… Blaze was reckless enough to help her without thinking twice.
SK rubbed her forehead.
"If Blaze had something to do with it, I swear…"
She wasn't angry.More like… resigned.
This was always going to happen.
And she wasn't going to expose Ryze.
Not to the Empire.Not to Frostbyte.Not to anyone.
SK watched as Blaze stepped out from another meeting room down the hall. He was stretching, like someone who had just woken up from a long nap rather than attending a military briefing.
"Sir Blaze!" SK called.
Blaze turned, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, SK."
She jogged up to him, excitement barely contained.
"SIR! I heard the news—you joined the Empire ranks!"
He shrugged. "Joined? Mmm… more like showed up at the meeting."
"But still! Commander Vortex officially acknowledged you! That means you hold rank now!"
Blaze smirked. "If you say so."
SK beamed—genuinely thrilled.
"I knew it! I knew someone like you belonged with us!"
But her smile faded when she remembered something.
"Um… sir… about the resistance sniper… Ryze."
Blaze glanced away for a brief second.
SK's eyes narrowed."You know where she is, don't you?"
He didn't answer immediately.
So SK tried again, gentler.
"She's missing. But the Empire still thinks she was transferred… so no one is searching for her yet."
Blaze finally sighed.
"…I kinda lost her."
SK stiffened. "Lost her?"
"Yeah," Blaze said casually. "One moment she was behind a crate, next moment—bam—gone. Like dust. She's fast, you know?"
It was the most obvious lie in the world.He wasn't even trying.
SK pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Sir… that's not even a good excuse."
"Nope," Blaze admitted.
"So you helped her escape."
"Maybe," he said, smirking.
SK wanted to scold him—but she couldn't.Instead she sighed heavily.
"She trusted you… I knew this would happen."
Blaze looked at her quietly.
"Thanks," he said softly.
SK blinked. "For what?"
"For trusting her too."
SK froze, then looked away, flustered.
"I—I didn't say that!"
Blaze chuckled.
She slapped his arm lightly. "Stop teasing me!"
But she was smiling.
Somewhere deep inside her, she was relieved.Ryze was alive.Safe.And Blaze… Blaze made sure of it.