Web of Shadows

Location: Selene Zhara's Bunker – Tavara Outskirts

The air inside the bunker was dense with tension. Damien leaned against the cold concrete wall, arms crossed, as Selene booted up a dusty terminal connected to a heavily shielded hard drive.

"This intel was buried after the Carthage Collapse," she said, fingers dancing across the keyboard. "Only three people ever accessed it—and two of them are dead."

"And the third?" Damien asked.

Selene glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "Me."

Lines of code scrolled rapidly on the screen until finally, a hidden directory popped up: Project Cerberus. A list of code names appeared—Ash Widow, Mantis Fog, Ravenlock, and at the bottom, one that made Damien's blood chill.

Specter 0: Nora Lennox.

"What the hell is this?" he growled.

Selene hesitated, then turned to him slowly. "She was marked from birth, Damien. Your Nora."

---

Flashback – 24 Years Ago

Location: Underground Lab – Tavara Highlands

A young couple stood in front of a sterile cradle. The man, stern and cold, wore a military uniform. The woman, visibly shaken, clutched a baby wrapped in a blue cloth.

"She will be the prototype," the man declared. "Not just beauty and brains—but instinct. Precision. Control."

"But… she's just a baby," the woman whispered.

He looked down at the child. "She'll forget. But her blood will remember."

---

Back to Present – Selene's Bunker

Damien paced, rage simmering beneath the surface. "Who did this to her?"

"A faction called Black Helix," Selene said. "They infiltrated old governments, created assets like Nora—assets with modified training paths from childhood."

He clenched his fists. "She doesn't even know."

"She will. And when she does…" Selene paused, eyes locking with his. "She might not forgive you for digging this deep."

Damien's eyes blazed. "Then she'll hate me. But I'll keep her alive."

---

Location: Lennox Family Estate – Tavara Highlands

A Hidden Room, Long Sealed

Nora stood in front of a reinforced door embedded into the wall of her late father's library. Her mother's old diary had led her here, page after page hinting at buried truths.

She placed her palm on the sensor pad. It blinked once—then the locks hissed open.

Inside was a sterile chamber, untouched by time. On the wall: medical charts, combat aptitude graphs, surveillance photos of herself from childhood—every birthday, every bruise, every victory.

She staggered back, a cold wave washing over her.

Her father hadn't just loved her.

He had built her.

---

Location: Damien's Command Base – Night

Vanessa rushed in with a file. "We intercepted chatter. A Black Helix transport is heading to the Tavara border. Reinforced cargo, multiple guards. And they mentioned a name."

"Whose?"

She hesitated. "Nora."

Damien's heart dropped. "Mobilize Ghost Team. We intercept at sunrise."