Bloodlines Awakened

Location: Hidden Laboratory – Southern Tavara, Underground Facility

Steam hissed from the metallic vents as Nora descended deeper into the clandestine lab once owned by Victor's late grandfather, Chancellor Donovan Kane. Few knew of its existence. Even fewer had stepped foot inside since the Great Tavaran Civil Reconciliation.

The walls bore inscriptions in Old Tavaran—a dialect so rare only five scholars were qualified to interpret it. And one of them was Nora.

"This place isn't just a lab," she murmured, tracing her fingers across a faded mural. "It's a genetic vault… a cradle of Tavara's forgotten bloodlines."

Kael appeared behind her, holding a decrypted tablet. "Encrypted files confirm it. They stored more than ancestral DNA here. They stored memories—neural imprints of the first royals. Embedded in blood."

Nora's heart raced. "If they awaken those sequences in the wrong host—"

"—they'll weaponize the entire bloodline," Kael finished grimly.

---

Location: Tavaran Skies – Blackcell Airship "Dominion Edge"

Victor stood before his elite operatives aboard the Dominion Edge, the wind roaring around them as the aircraft hovered above the ruins of Old Karez.

"We're not just fighting enemies with guns anymore," Victor addressed them. "We're fighting ideology. History twisted into a weapon."

Linda Okello stepped forward, a newly recruited tactical strategist. "They're moving toward the Equinox Citadel. If they reach the Heartstone before us—"

"They won't," Victor interrupted. His eyes were cold, but fire brewed beneath them. "Not while I breathe."

---

Location: Tavaran High Council – Emergency Assembly, Capital City

Inside the chamber, flames danced in the ceremonial braziers as elder council members convened.

"Victor Kane is awakening the old codes," one councilman barked.

"And he must," countered Elder Zimani. "Only the Kane lineage can open the Heartstone without bloodshed. It was written in the codices."

"But what if he becomes what we once feared?" another elder muttered. "Another emperor?"

From the shadows, Joseph Gumo stepped forth—an unexpected but powerful ally of Victor's. "Then we'll hold him accountable. But first, let the man save us."

---

Location: Equinox Citadel – Outer Rim

Nora and Victor reunited at the edge of the ancient citadel. Its golden spires shimmered against the night as energy pulsed from beneath the earth.

"Once we go in," Nora said, "we might not come out the same."

Victor touched her hand, his voice low. "If we don't go in, we lose Tavara."

The Heartstone's hum grew louder as the doors creaked open on their own. The power was calling—not to a people, but to a bloodline. And Victor Kane… was the key.