The Weight of Shadows

Location: Tavara – The Kane Private Bunker

The steel doors sealed behind them with a hiss, cutting out the muffled voices and murmurs of unrest that had broken out upstairs. Victor walked ahead, the glow from the wall panels casting flickering shadows across his clenched fists.

Damien followed at a measured pace, his gaze scanning every detail of the bunker he hadn't seen in over a decade. It had changed—grown more fortified, more secretive. Just like his brother.

Victor came to a stop in front of a biometric vault. He pressed his palm to the reader, and a quiet beep confirmed access. The door swung open, revealing a secure chamber lined with encrypted files, surveillance feeds, and weapons caches.

"This is where I rebuild what they tried to erase," Victor said. "Every name, every organization, every target tied to the collapse of our family's empire."

Damien walked inside and stopped in front of a flickering screen that displayed a looping video—grainy footage of their father's last moments before his car exploded.

"Who gave you this?" Damien asked, his voice low.

Victor studied his brother. "A contact from the Artemis Initiative. You remember them?"

Damien nodded. "Barely. They were dismantled after the Paris Disclosures."

Victor crossed his arms. "No. They went deeper underground. After mother died, I had nothing left to lose. I hunted them until they gave me the names. And one of those names… was yours."

Silence fell like a guillotine between them.

"I never betrayed him," Damien said. "I went rogue because I found out he planned to hand me over. A bargaining chip to secure a false truce with the Obsidian Circle."

Victor flinched.

"He wanted peace," Victor muttered.

Damien shook his head. "He wanted survival. There's a difference."

The two brothers stood on opposite ends of a war neither had truly understood until now. But one truth was becoming clear: everything they thought they knew was a lie wrapped in blood.

Victor reached into the drawer beneath the main console and tossed a file onto the desk. Damien caught it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Proof you were right about the infiltration," Victor said. "But if we're going to survive what's coming, I need you all in."

Damien opened the file, reading quickly. The names inside made his blood run cold.

"I'll need my team," he said finally.

Victor nodded. "They're already here."