Julius_Nicho

In a future ruled by surveillance and silence, one man’s fight for his daughter ignites a revolution.

Kirion, a war-scarred medic turned resistance strategist, has spent years battling a regime that turned truth into a weapon. When his daughter—Amaya, a gifted hacker—is captured and twisted into a tool of control, Kirion must risk everything to bring her back.

But saving her is only the beginning.

As the uprising spreads and the regime falls, Kirion and his allies must face a harder battle: rebuilding a broken world with justice, not vengeance. Through war, healing, and legacy, Young, Wired, and Raising Little Ones tells the story of a father, a daughter, and a nation learning not just how to survive—but how to lead, love, and raise the next generation in peace.

Young, Wired and Raising Little Ones

The stars were silent over the resistance camp that night, yet inside Kael, a storm churned. She sat alone atop the eastern lookout, overlooking the forest where shadows danced and memories clawed at the edges of her calm. Kirion found her there, legs dangling over the edge, her usual armor traded for quiet solitude.

"You don't usually miss a debrief," he said softly, settling beside her.

Kael shrugged, eyes still fixed on the horizon. "Tonight felt... heavier."

Kirion studied her in the moonlight. For all her strength and stoicism, Kael had always carried something buried deep—like a scar beneath the surface no one dared touch. Tonight, it was surfacing.

Finally, she spoke. "Do you know why I was off the grid when we first met?"

Kirion shook his head. "I figured you didn't want to be found."

"I didn't," she said, voice clipped. "Because I used to work for them."

That landed like a thunderclap between them. She didn't look at him, couldn't. Her voice remained steady, but her fingers clenched the metal railing.

"I was part of an elite unit. Psychological infiltration. We weren't assassins—we were ghosts. We turned people before they even knew they were targets. I thought I was making a difference… until I found out my last target was a 15-year-old who'd hacked a traffic signal to save a friend."

She exhaled shakily. "I didn't carry out the order. I defected that night. Burned my ID, vanished, and never looked back."

Kirion didn't interrupt. His mind raced, not with judgment, but understanding.

"You think that changes what I see in you?" he asked.

"I think it should," she replied bitterly. "You trust me with everything. But I lied about who I used to be."

He turned toward her. "No. You survived. You saw something ugly and chose to walk away. That takes more than courage—it takes conscience."

She looked at him finally, and for a moment, her hardened edges gave way to raw vulnerability. "I keep thinking... what if they find me again? What if I freeze in the field? What if someone in the resistance finds out who I really was?"

"They won't," Kirion said. "And if they do, I'll tell them the truth: You're the reason half of them are still alive. You've earned your place."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, letting the silence swallow her confessions.

Later that night, Zae knocked gently on Kael's cabin door with a satchel in hand.

"Heard you skipped dinner," Zae said with a lopsided smile. "Figured revolutionaries still need to eat."

Kael accepted it with a nod. "Thanks."

As Zae turned to leave, she paused. "You know... we've all done things we regret. What matters is what you do now."

Kael watched her go, the weight on her chest a little lighter.

In the days that followed, Kael moved differently—not with shame, but with purpose. She trained harder, led smarter, and allowed herself to lean into the partnership with Kirion fully. The past hadn't vanished—but it no longer defined her.

And in the war ahead, the resistance would need every part of her—even the broken pieces she'd finally stopped hiding.

Chapter 76: Old Wounds Reopened