Chapter 12 - BLOOD AND ASHES

Zenithar – Industrial Sector – Liara's hideout

7 December, 1077 – 05:15 AM

Liara and Hanna staggered into the hideout, their bodies barely holding together. The moment they crossed the threshold, they collapsed against the walls, breathless and trembling. With the last of their strength, they barricaded the entrance, sealing themselves inside—safe, for now.

Without wasting time, they grabbed what little medical supplies they had and got to work.

Hanna helped Liara with her leg, tightening the makeshift bandages, trying to slow the bleeding. Liara gritted her teeth and did the same for Hanna's ribs, wrapping them as tight as she could without worsening the pain.

For a moment, they just sat there, backs against the cold concrete, their bodies trembling from shock and blood loss.

Then—Liara's breath hitched.

The weight of everything hit her at once.

"…They're all dead," she whispered.

Hanna didn't answer.

Liara clenched her fists. "Kael. Allen. Tasha. Kian. The others. They're all gone."

Her voice cracked.

She sucked in a sharp breath, pressing her fingers to her temples, trying to force herself to stay together.

Hanna swallowed hard, her own hands shaking. "We can't lose it now, Liara."

Liara exhaled sharply, nodding, forcing herself to breathe.

A moment of silence.

Then—she reached for her communicator.

She clicked the secured line, the one directly linked to Raiga.

Static.

No response.

Her heart pounded. She tried again.

Nothing.

Panic began creeping in.

She switched channels, dialing another frequency.

A click.

Then—

"Liara?"

Her breath caught.

"Garret! You're alive!"

"Yeah…" his voice came back, rough, strained. "Where are you?"

Liara inhaled sharply. "Industrial sector. The hideout."

A pause.

Then—"We're coming to you."

There was something off in his tone. Something heavy.

Liara swallowed. "What happened? Where's Raiga?"

Silence.

Then Garret exhaled, his voice dropping.

"He's alive."

Liara's heart slammed against her ribs. "But?"

"He's in bad shape, Liara. He took a sniper round to the back. Lost a lot of blood. He's… he's barely holding on."

Her fingers tightened around the radio.

Hanna's eyes met hers, searching. Liara forced herself to speak. "How long until you're here?"

"Five minutes. Hold tight."

Then the line cut.

Liara let out a slow breath. Five minutes.

They had to hold on for five more minutes.

She clenched her jaw and glanced toward the safehouse door.

Time crawled at an agonizing pace. Every minute stretched into an eternity. But finally, after what felt like forever, they arrived.

Footsteps.

Heavy. Unsteady.

Then—the door burst open.

Liara barely had time to react before two figures stumbled inside.

Garret. Bloodied, battered.

And Raiga.

Her breath hitched.

His face was pale, almost deathly white. His body swayed, his good arm gripping Garret's shoulder for support, his wounded arm limp at his side. Blood soaked his clothes, his chest barely rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Then his blue eyes found her.

And the last of his strength left him.

His knees buckled.

Liara ignored the searing pain in her leg as she lunged forward.

She caught him just before he hit the ground, his weight nearly knocking her over. A sharp, unbearable agony shot up her thigh, but she didn't care.

She clutched him tight, her heart hammering in her chest. "Raiga!"

His forehead pressed against her shoulder, his breath hot and uneven.

She could feel him trembling. Could feel the exhaustion in his body.

And then—he exhaled. A slow, shuddering breath.

Relief.

She was alive.

She was safe.

Liara's vision blurred as she held onto him, her fingers gripping his torn clothes.

Then—his body gave out completely.

His weight collapsed against her.

And this time, he didn't get back up.

"Raiga—?!"

Panic surged through her veins. She pulled back, pressing her hands against his face.

Garret was already moving. He crouched beside them, fingers pressing against Raiga's neck.

A beat.

Then—"He's still breathing."

Liara choked on a sob. "Then why—?!"

Garret's face was grim. "He's bleeding out."

Hanna forced herself forward, voice tight. "We need to stop it. Now."

Garret moved fast, voice sharp and commanding. "We need to stabilize him before it's too late."

Liara grabbed the med-kit from her pack, her hands shaking but steady.

"We have to stop the bleeding first," Garret said, pulling Raiga onto his side to assess the wound. His shirt was completely soaked, the exit wound jagged and ugly. "Liara, what do you have?"

She spread out the supplies on the floor. "Sutures, a transfusion kit, morphine."

Garret nodded. "Good. We're closing this wound now."

Hanna swallowed. "How bad is it?"

Garret's jaw clenched. "Bad. Bullet went clean through, but he's lost too much blood. If we don't seal this now, he won't last another hour."

Liara took a steadying breath. "I'll do the stitches. You handle the transfusion."

Garret met her eyes. "You sure?"

Her fingers curled around the needle. "I can do it."

Garret didn't argue.

He grabbed a tourniquet, wrapping it tightly around Raiga's upper arm to slow the bleeding. Then he prepped the IV, pulling a blood pack from the kit.

Liara leaned over Raiga, her heart hammering.

She had seen him fight through impossible odds. Had seen him take on enemies that should have killed him.

But right now, lying there, unconscious and vulnerable—

He looked human.

She swallowed hard, then pressed the forceps into the wound.

Raiga twitched violently, his body jerking.

Liara tightened her grip, voice shaking. "Hold him down."

Garret pinned Raiga's shoulder. "Do it."

Liara forced the needle through torn flesh, working as fast as she could while keeping her hands steady.

Every second mattered.

She looped the suture thread, pulling tight, sealing the wound layer by layer.

The moment she finished, Garret pushed the blood transfusion line into Raiga's arm, securing it.

They had stopped the bleeding.

But Raiga was still deathly pale.

Hanna exhaled shakily. "Is it enough?"

Garret ran a hand through his hair. "We'll know soon."

Liara let out a shaky breath, pressing her hands to her face. "Damn it, Raiga."

Silence fell.

Garret sat back, staring at the unconscious boy.

He should be dead.

That shot was meant to kill. No one should have survived that fall, let alone a firefight after.

But Raiga had.

Garret's fingers drummed against his knee.

Then it's true.

He looked at Raiga's face, the boy's breathing slow and weak.

A quiet thought passed through his mind.

"You really are… something else."

Then he stood.

Silence settled over the room, thick and suffocating.

Then—

"Tell me what happened."

Liara looked up. Garret's eyes were on her, sharp and unwavering.

She took a slow, measured breath.

And she told him everything.

The ambush. The massacre. The man who had killed them all—no, not a man.

"…He wasn't normal," Liara whispered.

Garret's brows furrowed.

"He moved faster than anything I've ever seen. Stronger, too." Her hands clenched against her knees. "We tried everything—guns, knives, explosives. Nothing stopped him."

Garret's face darkened.

"He was toying with us," she continued. "He barely used his full strength. Then—then he did something. Something…"

She hesitated.

Hanna looked away, her fingers curling against the fabric of her torn jacket.

Liara forced the words out. "He turned into smoke."

Garret froze.

Dead silent.

His entire body went rigid.

Liara's breath caught. She had never seen that look on him before.

Like something old and terrifying had just resurfaced in his mind.

Hanna noticed too. She leaned forward slightly. "…Commander?"

Garret didn't respond.

His hands tightened into fists. His breathing slowed. His gaze flicked to Raiga, unconscious on the mattress.

Then—

A thought.

A whisper in his mind.

Then it's true.

Garret's jaw clenched. You really are…

He didn't finish the thought.

"Stay with him," he said. "I need to make a call."

Liara blinked. "What? To who?"

Garret didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he turned to her, his voice calm, but heavy. "Someone who might be able to help."

She hesitated.

Then—she reached into her tactical pouch, pulling out a small encrypted phone.

Garret took it without a word and stepped outside.

The door shut behind him.

Liara swallowed hard, turning her gaze back to Raiga.

His chest rose and fell slowly, each breath unsteady.

She reached out, brushing his hair from his forehead.

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You better wake up, you idiot."

[Zenithar – Hideout Rooftop – 05:32 AM]

The wind howled against the steel beams, carrying the distant echoes of a city still drowning in its own misery. Garret stood alone on the rooftop, the encrypted phone cold in his palm. His thumb hovered over the call button.

He exhaled.

Then pressed it.

A moment of silence.

Then—a click. The line connected.

Garret didn't wait for greetings. His voice was low, controlled, but edged with something rare. Urgency.

"I need your help."

A pause. Then, a voice on the other end. Garret's grip tightened.

"…Yeah," he muttered. "I know it's been a long time."

Another pause. He let the wind fill it. His gaze drifted over the ruined skyline, the faint glow of fire still licking at the distant southern base.

"You always said I never ask for favors," Garret murmured. "Well, here I am."

His jaw clenched.

"We were ambushed." His voice dropped lower. "It was the Cult of Eternity."

Silence on the other end.

Garret's fingers drummed once against the phone casing. "They weren't just after the Resistance. This wasn't a suppression op. They were hunting someone."

He took a slow breath.

Then—his next words came carefully, deliberately.

"…Do you remember that pair of kids I told you about years ago?"

The wind carried the name even softer.

"The boy is special, Sein."

Another pause.

Garret's expression darkened. His next words were a quiet warning.

"They found him."