RickAdams

A war-scarred military commander. A world-renowned doctor shrouded in mystery. Bound by secrets, hunted by enemies, and tied by a vow soaked in blood — together they must fight the forces that seek to tear them apart.
Love, power, and revenge converge in this spellbinding romance where nothing is as it seems.

Tactical Desires

Location: Tavara – Hidden Sanctum of the Silent Order

Deep beneath the cobbled streets of Old Tavara, where no sunlight reached and no surveillance could track, a roundtable of shrouded figures sat in meditation.

Each wore a mask of silver. Each bore a tattoo of an eye on their palm. And every one of them had just opened their eyes at the exact same time.

"He has awakened," murmured the elder in the center. Her voice cracked like brittle paper. "The First Flame has returned."

The others didn't speak. They didn't need to. Across continents, those connected to the Order received the same silent message: Prepare the Sight. Rebalance must begin.

A younger figure—barely in his twenties—raised a hand. "Should we act?"

The elder shook her head slowly. "Not yet. Let him believe he controls the fire. Only then will he understand the price of light."

Location: Kane Tower – Executive War Room

Victor Kane stood over the glowing 3D map projected above the table. Beside him, Nora analyzed the shifting lines of data streaming in. All across the globe, seismic activity was spiking. Weather was destabilizing. Old codes—forgotten scripts buried in defense systems—were triggering themselves.

"This can't just be Eli's awakening," Nora muttered. "There's a force reacting to him."

Peter Musyoki nodded. "Like something lying in wait."

Linda's voice dropped to a whisper. "The Silent Order."

Victor's jaw tightened. "I thought they were wiped out after the Grand Collapse."

"No," Linda said. "They just went deeper underground."

Location: Central Europe – A Forest Monastery

A blind monk sat in silence beside a pond. Without opening his eyes, he smiled.

"He has found the Flame. Let's see if he can find himself."

He reached into the water, pulled out a stone shaped like an eye, and tossed it gently into the ripples.

Location: Eli's Mind – The Flame Core

Though reborn, Eli's consciousness still floated between realms. The fire within him blazed but hadn't settled. It danced wildly—energized, chaotic, searching.

A figure in a silver mask appeared in the mindscape, standing amid a field of ash.

"I'm not here to fight," it said. "I'm here to warn you."

Eli's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

The figure tilted its head. "The ones who came before you called us the Watchers. But you… you will come to know us as the Balance."

"Your light casts too long a shadow, Flamebearer. For every sun you ignite, something in the dark awakens."

Eli clenched his fists. "Then I'll burn it all down."

"No," the Watcher said calmly. "If you do… she dies."

The Watcher didn't answer. It simply turned and vanished into black smoke.

Location: Hidden Chamber – Order's Vault of Sight

On its surface: Nora, standing on a cliff, staring into a swirling storm that hadn't yet formed.

One of the Order's seers touched the glass gently. "The girl is the key," she whispered.

The elder nodded. "Then we protect her… or we destroy her."

Eyes of the Silent Order