Location: Tavara – Ember HQ, Inner Vault
The air between them crackled with tension. Victor stared at the man before him—his supposed brother—his mind racing through memories that didn't exist. He had lived his entire life believing he was his mother's only son. Yet here stood a mirror of himself, sculpted by time and shaped by war.
The resemblance was undeniable.
"I don't believe it," Victor said, voice rough. "If this is a trick—"
"It's not," the man interrupted, stepping closer. "My name is Lucian. Lucian Kane. Our mother named us together before she died. But while you were taken in by the streets and the military, I was raised by those who wanted her dead. Archer found me, molded me, gave me purpose."
Reyes spoke from the shadows. "You both were born of greatness, but fate tore you down separate paths. Now those paths converge."
Nora, ever composed, stepped between the two men. "You think blood is enough to buy loyalty?" she asked Lucian. "If you're truly his brother, why stand with Archer—the man who's tried to destroy everything Victor has built?"
Lucian's expression didn't waver. "Because Archer didn't lie to me. He didn't abandon me. And he showed me what your precious legacy really costs—the lives of the innocent. Tavara doesn't need another Kane empire. It needs liberation."
Victor's voice was low. "And you plan to liberate it with fire and blood?"
"I plan to rebuild it," Lucian replied. "Without corruption. Without secrets. Without you."
A silence stretched between them—heavy, immovable. Then Victor stepped forward.
"If you're truly my brother," he said, "then look me in the eye and say you'd kill me for Archer's mission."
Lucian's gaze darkened. "If it means Tavara is freed from the curse of our family name… then yes. I would."
Nora reached for Victor, but he was already moving. His fist crashed into Lucian's jaw, sending the man staggering back. In an instant, Lucian retaliated. Fists flew, steel clashed, and the chamber became a storm of violence.
They weren't just fighting for survival. They were fighting for identity.
For the past that was stolen.
For the future that hung in the balance.
Nora stepped back, eyes wide, unable to intervene—not yet. This was between them. But she scanned the chamber for threats, alert. Reyes watched with a heavy heart, his loyalties uncertain, a storm behind his eyes.
Victor ducked, swept Lucian's legs, then pinned him to the ground. "You think you know pain?" he hissed. "I buried our mother in an unmarked grave. I built everything from nothing. And I won't let you take it from me."
Lucian spat blood. "You were given a choice. I was never even told her name."
Their fists slowed. Breathing ragged. Rage giving way to something older. Deeper.
Grief.
Victor slowly stood. "You want to fight Archer? Fine. But not as my enemy."
Lucian looked up, eyes gleaming. "And what makes you think I trust you?"
Victor extended a hand. "Because like it or not—we're all we have left."
A beat passed. Then Lucian took his hand.
But behind them, a cold voice echoed across the chamber.
"You always were too sentimental, Victor."
Archer.
Standing at the threshold, gun drawn, and an army behind him.