Chapter 9: The Siblings’ Divide
Victory is never clean.Especially when it reveals the one thing you weren't prepared to question:Each other.
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Virell Safehouse – 2:13 AM
The rain hadn't stopped in two days.
Inside the safehouse, monitors buzzed with intercepted chatter. Dossiers, photos, and files were pinned across boards like a war crime investigation. The walls of secrecy were closing in—but the heart of this war was about to tear itself open.
Alex stood over the Blood Ledger.Lia sat across the table, reading a letter left behind by Kestrel—one that arrived just hours ago.
She didn't look up when she said:
"You knew about Julius, didn't you?"
Alex's fingers tightened around the table's edge.
"…Not for certain."
"That's not a denial."
"No."
She finally looked up. Her voice was quiet, but sharp.
"You had the chance to tell me days ago. Why didn't you?"
Alex looked at her—his twin, his partner, his only surviving family.
"Because I didn't want it to break you."
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Flashback – One Week Ago
Mira hands Alex the decrypted page from the Blood Ledger:Julius Virell's name.His seal.His signature approving the strike on the Virell estate.
Mira:
"Should we tell Lia?"
Alex:
"Not yet. She needs clarity. Not blood rage."
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Present
Lia stood now, slowly.
"You don't get to decide what I can handle, Alex."
"I wasn't trying to control you," he said.
"Yes, you were."
Silence.
"You're not the only one who lost something that night," she whispered. "He gave the order. Our own blood. And I had to find out from a letter Kestrel left in a dead drop."
Alex moved around the table.
"We're not done yet. We still have a mission—"
"Do we?" she cut in. "Or is this just your war now?"
He froze.
"You really think that?"
"I don't know what to think," she said. "Because lately, I feel like I'm watching you pull strings just like they did. You hide truths. You arrange outcomes. What's the difference between you and Celeste, Alex?"
His jaw tensed.
He didn't answer.
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Elsewhere – Mira's Quarters
Mira listened to the entire exchange through the wall—expression unreadable.On her screen: A blinking signal.
The Black Swan's ID.
A message:
"They're cracking. You'll have to choose soon."
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Meanwhile – Celeste's Estate
Celeste stood beside Julius Virell on a balcony overlooking her greenhouse.
"I've kept you safe," she said. "Now keep your word."
Julius nodded, hands shaking.He handed her a silver key.
"The vault beneath the old estate… it still exists."
Celeste smiled.
And beneath her breath, whispered:
"Then it's time we opened it."
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Virell Safehouse
Alex sat alone, staring at a blank wall.
The Blood Ledger was gone—taken by Lia.Her room was empty. No note.
Just one voice message left on the private comm:
"I need space.Don't follow me.If we're going to burn this world down…I need to know I'm not just burning for you."