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

The next few days blurred into a ruthless cycle of training. Ember barely had time to breathe before Commander pushed her into another fight, another drill, another test designed to strip away everything weak and unprepared inside her.

She trained until her muscles burned, until her lungs ached, until sweat dripped into her eyes and blurred her vision..... But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

Because stopping meant weakness. And weakness meant death.

The training room became her battlefield. Every hit, every dodge, every sparring session shaped her into something sharper, stronger. Rhea trained beside her, though not as intensely—Commander had made it clear that Ember was the priority.

Ember barely had time to react before a wooden staff whistled through the air toward her head. She ducked, rolling across the mat as her opponent struck again, aiming for her ribs.

She barely twisted in time. Pain exploded through her side as the staff grazed her, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay standing.

Her opponent was the same man from before—the one she had beaten in their first fight. His name was Axel, and he had been pissed about losing to her.

Ember feinted left, then spun to the right, lashing out with a sharp kick to his knee. He stumbled, but only for a second.

"You're improving," Axel said, swinging again. Ember blocked with her own staff, their weapons clashing with a sharp crack. "But not fast enough."

She didn't just block his next strike—she met it head-on, pushing forward instead of retreating. Their weapons locked, the force of the impact sending vibrations up her arms.

Ember didn't give him a chance to gloat. She twisted under his staff, yanked his leg out from under him, and brought her weapon down in a lightning-fast strike toward his throat—only stopping an inch away.

Commander clapped from the sidelines. "That's more like it."

Ember stepped back, breathing hard. The fire inside her burned brighter than ever, a controlled inferno.

Commander approached, eyes sharp. "You're learning to stop hesitating. Good. But you still think too much. In a real fight, that'll get you killed."

Ember wiped sweat from her forehead. "So what do you want me to do? Act without thinking?"

Commander shook her head. "No. I want you to think faster."

Before Ember could reply, a siren blared through the underground base. The walls vibrated with the sound, red emergency lights flashing along the ceilings.

Rhea cursed. "What the hell is that?"

Commander's expression darkened. "We've been found."

The air in the room shifted—something electric, something dangerous. Ember felt her pulse quicken.

Chapter Twenty-Three