Pianist_Frea

They told her she was just another orphan. Another runaway. Another nobody.

They lied.

When Ember is captured during a high-stakes escape, the Regime’s system scans her—and does something impossible. It lets her in.

The machines obey her. The code bends to her will. And a voice inside her head whispers secrets she was never meant to remember.

She isn’t just part of the system.

She is the system.

Now, both the Regime and the rebels want her—one to control her, the other to destroy her. But Ember has her own plan: BURN IT DOWN.

If the world made her a weapon, it’s about time she started acting like one.

Echoes of the System

Kai led Ember and Rhea deeper into the underground tunnels. The damp walls closed in around them, the air thick with the scent of rust and decay. Their footsteps echoed softly, swallowed by the darkness stretching ahead.

Ember's mind was still reeling. The Regime had spent years perfecting their experiment—perfecting her. And all this time, she had been playing right into their hands without even realizing it.

She clenched her fists, anger burning through her veins. No more.

"Where are we going?" Rhea asked, her voice hushed but steady.

Kai didn't look back. "To someone who can tell you what the Regime doesn't want you to know."

Ember narrowed her eyes. "And why do I get the feeling you should've taken me there sooner?"

Kai finally glanced over his shoulder, something unreadable flashing in his gaze. "Because before now, you weren't ready to hear the truth."

That should have pissed her off. Maybe a part of her wanted to snap at him for keeping things from her. But she knew he was right. She had been running, fighting, barely surviving. Now, though?

Now she was ready to destroy them.

The tunnels stretched endlessly, each turn identical to the last. Ember kept count of every corridor they passed, every rusted ladder leading to unseen streets above. If this was a trap, she wasn't going down without a fight.

Finally, Kai stopped in front of a massive steel door embedded in the stone. He knocked three times, a deliberate rhythm. A few seconds passed before a mechanical click echoed through the space, and the door creaked open.

A woman stood in the entryway, her sharp gaze sweeping over them. Short-cropped silver hair framed a face lined with experience, her eyes a piercing gray that missed nothing. She wore a reinforced vest over a simple black shirt, weapons strapped to her belt like she expected a fight at any moment.

And judging by the way her eyes narrowed on Ember, she knew exactly who she was.

"So," the woman said, voice cool and measured. "You finally brought her."

The woman didn't seem convinced. She crossed her arms. "We'll see about that."

Ember met her gaze, refusing to look away. Whoever this woman was, she wasn't about to be intimidated.

A slow smirk tugged at the woman's lips.

"The one who's going to teach you how to burn the Regime to the ground."

This was what she had been waiting for.

This was where the war truly began.

Chapter Twenty-one