Location: Tavara – Victor's Private Research Lab, Under Blackstone Estate
The air inside the subterranean lab was sterile and cold, thick with the hum of biometric scanners and silent tension. Victor stood before a black titanium console, its screen flickering with ancient encryption codes tied to Project Ember's second chamber.
Across from him, Kael Vael sat calmly, cuffed to a reinforced chair. Despite the restraints, he seemed completely at ease.
"I'm only going to ask once," Victor said, voice like steel. "Why did you join Archer?"
Kael gave a half-smile. "Because power is lonely, and Archer… he speaks the same language. You were born into war, Victor. I chose it."
"I'm not interested in poetic confessions," Victor growled. "You have Vael blood. That means you're the only other person who can unlock the remaining chamber of Ember."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "And what do I get in return?"
"Your life," Damien said from the shadows, stepping closer, hand resting on the hilt of his concealed blade.
Nora entered then, lab coat fluttering behind her, her gaze resting firmly on Kael. "Or you could choose redemption. For Elandra. For everything your betrayal cost her."
At the mention of her name, something shifted in Kael's expression—a crack in the armor.
Victor watched closely. "She trusted you once. Even now, she left you a key piece of Ember's activation code. That means something."
Kael glanced at the biometric scanner—an ancient device coded to recognize living DNA from both Elandra's children and siblings.
He exhaled slowly. "She was the only one who ever believed I could be more than a weapon." Standing, he let Victor remove the cuffs. "I'll do it. But after this, I disappear."
Victor nodded. "You disappear when I say you do."
Kael stepped up to the scanner beside Victor. Both men pressed their hands to the DNA plates simultaneously. The machine whirred to life, emitting a deep hum that resonated through the lab walls.
Suddenly, a shimmering projection appeared in the center of the room. Elandra's face—an AI-embedded last message.
"To my sons," she began, "if you're seeing this, then the world I feared has come to pass."
Victor and Kael stared, motionless, as her voice continued.
"Ember isn't just data. It's a failsafe. Embedded in it are the locations of five hidden vaults containing everything the Kane family stole, concealed, or buried—including proof of international crimes and the serum Nora's DNA is based on."
Nora's breath hitched.
"If Archer gains access," Elandra continued, "he won't just destroy the Kanes—he'll reset the world order. You must decide: preserve the empire... or burn it all down."
The message ended, and silence filled the room.
Kael whispered, "She always gave impossible choices."
Victor turned to him. "Not anymore. We make our own path."
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the lab—dust and alarms everywhere.
Damien rushed forward. "We're under attack! Archer's men breached Sector Three."
Victor pulled Nora close. "Get to the panic vault. Now."
Kael drew a stolen weapon. "Let me earn my second chance."
Victor hesitated… then nodded. "Then fight like hell."