Chapter 12

The fire flickered and faded. The oppressive heat that had threatened to incinerate Kellan and Lira disappeared as Ryn lowered his hands, the inferno in his palms dying out. At the same time, Mira's shadows slithered away like living smoke, releasing their stranglehold on the two traitors.

Kellan and Lira collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath, their bodies trembling from the sheer intensity of their near-death experience. Their faces were pale, drenched in sweat, eyes wide with terror as they stared up at their executioners-turned-saviors.

Elena exhaled sharply, stepping forward. She wasn't as physically imposing as Ryn or as terrifying as Mira, but there was something about the look in her eye—firm, unwavering—that made Kellan and Lira freeze.

"You were on our side," she said, her voice sharp but not unkind. "I don't care what happened before. I don't care why you betrayed us. You have another chance."

Kellan and Lira exchanged a look. Then, almost at the same time, they broke down.

Tears welled in Lira's eyes as she choked on a sob. "I—I was scared! I didn't know what to do! I thought we were going to die, so I—"

Kellan swallowed hard, his voice rough. "Catapony… he promised us things. We thought he was unstoppable. But… but what you did back there… you slaughtered them like they were nothing. We were wrong."

Ryn rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

Mira scoffed, arms crossed, unimpressed by their display of emotions.

Elena, however, softened. They were human. People made mistakes. If she condemned them forever, she'd be no better than the villains they were fighting.

She sighed. "Then prove it."

Kellan and Lira nodded frantically. "Yes! We'll fight with you! We'll do whatever it takes to make things right!"

Elena wanted to believe them. She wanted to believe that, deep down, they were still heroes—that the fear and desperation had only momentarily swayed them to the wrong side.

She turned to Dax, their telepath, and gave him a simple order:

"Check their minds."

That was her mistake.

Dax's mind expanded, stretching out like invisible tendrils that slithered into Kellan's consciousness. The first thing he heard wasn't guilt.

It was Kellan's voice, calm and composed, whispering directly to him.

"Dax, don't panic. Just listen to me first."

Dax's breath hitched, but outwardly, he remained composed. His response was equally mental, equally hidden from the others.

"I'm listening. But you'd better have a good explanation, because I can still sense betrayal all over you."

Kellan's voice in his head was steady.

"Elena has no future, Dax. Neither do any of us if we stay with her. Catapony knows everything. He knows where we are. He knows what we're planning. If we keep following Elena, we're dead."

Dax felt a pit form in his stomach.

"So what? You're just handing her over?"

"Think about it," Kellan pressed. "Catapony doesn't care about us. He only wants Elena. The rest of us? He's willing to welcome us into his ranks. And not just that—he's offering money. Power. Protection. We don't have to die for a losing battle."

Dax hesitated.

The world had changed. Heroes weren't winning. No matter how much they fought, no matter how many plans they made, they were losing ground.

Just because Ryn and Mira had shown up didn't mean they were suddenly invincible. They were strong, sure. But they weren't gods.

The supervillains had S-rankers. SS-rankers.

Kellan's voice became softer, more persuasive. "Dax, you're smart. You know the odds. Just because we killed some weaklings back there doesn't mean we've won. We'll never win."

Dax clenched his fists.

"And you're saying Catapony is just going to accept us? Just like that?"

Kellan's mental voice smirked.

"Already confirmed. He's expecting us. He's willing to let you and Soren join too—better pay, better benefits. All we have to do is hand over Elena."

Dax's heart pounded in his chest.

This was it.

The choice.

He'd always been unsure. Even back when everything was fine—when heroes were still winning—he had never been certain about where he stood. He had seen the world fall apart in real time.

And he had no desire to die for it.

Dax took a slow breath.

"...What do you need me to do?"

Kellan's voice was pleased. "First, let Soren know. Then confirm with Lira. Once we're all in agreement, we'll make our move."

Dax nodded slightly, sending out a mental link to Soren. He didn't need to speak much—she understood immediately.

She had always been pragmatic. She had never been the type to throw away her life for a failing cause.

Her response was simple.

"I'm in."

The next link was Lira.

Her reaction was joy.

She had been afraid that she and Kellan would be alone in their betrayal. But now? Now they had Dax and Soren too.

She was practically giddy as she mentally whispered back.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now."

Dax exhaled, keeping his composure.

Kellan's voice returned. "Good. Here's the plan: We continue pretending we're on their side. We'll get Elena to walk straight into Catapony's hideout, and I'll send a signal before we arrive so he can prepare. That way, there'll be enough people in the ground floor to restrain her, Ryn, and Mira before they even have a chance to fight back."

Dax felt a chill go through him.

This was it.

The final betrayal.

But he didn't hesitate.

He was choosing survival.

With one final breath, Dax cut the telepathic connection.

He turned to Elena, his face a perfect mask of reassurance.

"They're clean," he said. "Neither Kellan nor Lira hold any more thoughts about joining the supervillains."

Elena bought it.

She nodded, her expression relieved.

Mira said nothing, but she watched.

Her dark eyes flickered between each of them, something calculating lurking behind them or she was just angry that Dax was done before she could give Ryn her dessert.

Ryn, on the other hand, didn't seem concerned at all. He just grinned, amused by all the dramatics.

But they didn't know.

None of them knew.

Dax had chosen his side.

Soren had chosen hers.

Kellan and Lira had secured their escape.

And Elena was walking straight into a trap.