The Silent Win

Location: Unknown – Deep Under Tavara's Southern Forests

In a secret chamber beneath the canopy of Tavara's ancient southern forests, a heartbeat echoed through the stillness. The room was carved in obsidian, the walls pulsing with veins of light that shimmered like blood under moonlight.

A girl lay in the center of a ritual circle—eyes closed, skin glowing faintly, and symbols etched across her arms. Unlike Althea, whose power had bloomed violently, this one had been asleep for over a decade. Watched. Guarded. Hidden.

She was the Silent Twin.

Unknown to the world. Unknown even to herself.

Her name was Elara.

Above the chamber, a silent guardian watched from the shadows. Tall, cloaked in crimson, his face remained unseen. But he had one purpose: protect Elara until the time was right.

And time was running out.

---

Location: Damien's Estate, Tavara – Private War Room

Back at the estate, the silence was broken only by the flickering digital map before them. Damien and Nora stared at the data transmitted by the Oracle's disk. Layers of encrypted code unraveled like blooming flowers—symbols, coordinates, fragments of history scrubbed from all known records.

"She wasn't exaggerating," Nora murmured. "The Vault of Origin… it's real."

"And it's hidden under the old Dragoon Fortress," Xander confirmed, pointing at a high-resolution 3D scan of Tavara's oldest ruins. "But the problem is, it's a trap. Look at the radiation trails and the magnetic anomalies. Someone's guarding it."

Damien looked up. "Then we need someone who can get in… undetected."

Xander raised a brow. "You mean—?"

"Yes," Damien said. "It's time to wake Zaira."

---

Location: Istanbul – Black Market Vaults

In a fortified bunker beneath Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, Zaira—code-named Shadow Reign—was surrounded by laser mines, pressure plates, and encrypted safes. She wore a skin-tight stealth suit and a sarcastic smile as she deactivated the last security field.

"Too easy," she whispered.

Suddenly, a hologram flared to life. Damien's face appeared.

"I know you hate working for free, Zaira."

Her grin widened. "But you always pay in chaos, Damien."

"I need you in Tavara. A vault. An old fortress. High risk. Higher reward."

She licked her lips. "Say no more. The game's on."

---

Location: Unknown – Facility XIII

Meanwhile, Althea stood before a vat of liquid titanium, her eyes burning crimson. Around her were soldiers in full biomech armor—loyal, programmed, enhanced.

But one of them stepped forward with a file.

"We've located her," he said. "The second one. The twin."

Althea didn't blink. Her voice was a whisper laced with poison.

"Kill the protectors. Bring her to me."