Enemies in the Shadows

Location: Tavara – Ravenport City, Underground Facility

Inside a sleek, concealed facility buried beneath the old train station in Ravenport, shadowy figures gathered around a conference table. Holograms of Nora, Victor, and the glowing altar swirled in the air above them.

A man with cold, steel-gray eyes—Commander Hael, one of the Silent Order's enforcers—spoke first. "She's awakened the Flame. Just as Ysra warned."

Another figure adjusted his coat. "Then we need to neutralize her… before she learns to control it."

"She's protected by Kane," Hael hissed. "We can't just walk into a war."

The woman beside him leaned forward. "We don't have to. The boy has enemies… and so does the girl. All we have to do is remind them."

---

Location: Bravane Desert – Military Encampment

Victor stood at the center of a rugged desert outpost, wind flapping against the tents as his elite unit gathered around. Eli briefed them quickly.

"We've identified movement from a rogue Blackfire syndicate cell—someone's funding their resurgence. And it's not random."

Victor's eyes narrowed. "They're being used. Pushed forward like pawns to draw us out."

"What's the play?" asked Leon, one of Victor's key operatives.

Victor's voice was firm. "Set the trap. And bait it with me."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"She's not fighting this alone," Victor said. "If they want me distracted, I'll give them a war they won't forget."

---

Location: Kane Estate – Nora's Safe Room

Nora was seated with Peter and Lena, the room quiet except for the soft buzz of energy emanating from the pendant she had retrieved from the box. Since the awakening, she hadn't been the same—her senses sharper, her presence more… commanding.

"What's happening to me?" she asked, looking at her trembling hands.

Lena gently took her pulse. "Your energy levels are off the charts. Whatever that chamber did, it unlocked something ancient inside you."

Peter, scrolling through an encrypted file stolen from a hidden server, looked up. "There's a pattern in all this. Every time someone with your bloodline awakened the Flame… enemies from all corners came to destroy them."

Nora stood slowly. "Then we'll destroy them first."

---

Location: Northern Tavara – Safehouse, 2 a.m.

In a dilapidated manor hidden in the mountains, an assassin received her orders. She had once worked for the Shadow Guild, but this time, the payment was beyond measure.

Target: Nora Elizabeth Ryker

Status: Alive, but silenced. Flame power extraction prioritized.

Handler: Hael

The assassin studied Nora's image.

"She's pretty," she said coldly. "Too bad she won't stay that way."

She closed the file, stepped out into the night, and vanished into the fog.

---

Location: Bravane Desert – The Next Morning

Victor stood outside the command tent, wind whipping through his coat. He could feel the change in the air. He wasn't just protecting a woman anymore—he was guarding a legacy, an ancient force that could reshape the world.

And now, the enemies were moving in.