Chapter 134

Chapter 134

00:24:57

The countdown glowed on every screen.

00:24:57

00:24:56

00:24:55

Each second felt like a hammer striking against Damon's chest.

Twenty-five minutes.

Less than twenty-five minutes.

That was all the time they had left to save thousands of children.

The reality settled heavily over the room.

Nobody spoke for several moments.

The monitors continued displaying live feeds from across the island.

Children being moved through underground tunnels.

Guardians securing checkpoints.

Emergency sirens echoing everywhere.

Ascension had already begun.

And somewhere beneath them, Vale was waiting.

Preparing.

Watching.

Smiling.

Damon hated that smile.

He hated how calm she always seemed.

How she could stand in the middle of unimaginable suffering and act as though everything was under control.

As though people were pieces on a board.

As though lives were numbers.

Sophia moved toward the central monitor.

Her expression hardened.

For the first time since they had met her, she didn't look like a grieving mother.

She looked like a scientist.

Focused.

Determined.

Dangerous.

"The Core is beneath the island."

Her voice immediately pulled everyone's attention back to the present.

"The entire facility was built around it."

She pressed several buttons.

A detailed blueprint appeared.

The structure of the island unfolded across the screen.

Layers upon layers of tunnels.

Laboratories.

Storage facilities.

Dormitories.

Security sectors.

Every section connected through a network leading toward the center.

Toward one massive underground chamber.

The Core.

Luca stared at the display.

"That's a fortress."

Sophia nodded.

"Because Vale designed it to be."

A pause.

"She expected one day someone would come for her."

The statement sounded disturbingly reasonable.

Because Vale trusted no one.

Not even her own people.

Sophia enlarged the image.

Several routes illuminated.

Most immediately turned red.

Blocked.

Collapsed.

Sealed.

Only one remained.

A narrow path cutting directly through the center of the island.

Straight toward the Core.

Isabella frowned.

"She left one route open?"

Sophia nodded.

"Because she wants you to take it."

Silence.

Everyone understood immediately.

It was a trap.

Of course it was a trap.

Everything on this island was a trap.

The question wasn't whether Vale had prepared something.

The question was how much.

Then another monitor flickered.

Nova appeared.

The nursery team was still fighting.

Cassian was arguing with what looked like three different people simultaneously.

Mira was helping injured children.

Seraphine stood on top of a vehicle holding two knives and looking terrifying.

Hale was directing evacuations.

Despite everything

They were alive.

The sight brought Damon some relief.

Not enough.

But some.

Then Sophia looked at him.

Really looked at him.

The way a grandmother might.

The way family should.

And suddenly her expression softened.

"Damon."

His attention shifted toward her.

For a moment she seemed unsure what to say.

Then she smiled sadly.

"You remind me of Elena."

The statement immediately made his chest tighten.

Sophia laughed softly.

"Not because of your face."

A pause.

"Because of your heart."

The room became quiet.

Even Luca looked away.

Giving them privacy.

Sophia stepped closer.

"When Elena was young, she always tried to save everyone."

A tear slid down her cheek.

"Even when she couldn't."

Her smile trembled.

"Even when it hurt her."

Damon listened silently.

Every story about his mother felt precious.

Rare.

A piece of someone he had lost before he ever truly knew her.

Sophia reached up and touched his cheek gently.

Exactly as she had before.

And for the first time in years

The gesture didn't feel unfamiliar.

It felt right.

"She would be proud of you."

The words hit him harder than any punch.

Harder than any weapon.

Harder than any truth.

Because for years he had wondered.

Wondered if his mother would have recognized him.

Wondered if she would have loved him.

Wondered if he had become someone worth loving.

Now he finally had an answer.

His eyes burned.

He looked away before anyone noticed.

Or at least before anyone except Luca noticed.

Because Luca always noticed.

Always.

Sophia smiled.

Then stepped back.

"Now go save those children."

The command carried all the authority of a mother.

A grandmother.

A survivor.

And Damon nodded.

Because there was nothing else to do.

Nothing else that mattered.

The time for answers was over.

Now came action.

Sophia turned toward Isabella.

"You should stay with me."

Isabella immediately shook her head.

"No."

Sophia blinked.

Surprised.

Isabella folded her arms.

"I'm going too."

Damon almost smiled.

That sounded exactly like Isabella.

Stubborn.

Fearless.

Impossible.

Sophia sighed.

Then laughed softly.

"You're all impossible."

Luca looked offended.

"I get that a lot."

That finally earned a laugh from Damon.

A real one.

Small.

Brief.

But real.

The sound surprised everyone.

Including Damon.

For a moment the tension eased.

Just slightly.

Then the countdown flashed again.

00:22:17

The moment disappeared instantly.

Reality returned.

Children were still in danger.

The island was still dying.

Vale was still waiting.

They had to move.

Sophia handed Damon a small access card.

He frowned.

"What's this?"

"The final security key."

The answer immediately caught everyone's attention.

Sophia smiled faintly.

"I stole it years ago."

Luca blinked.

"You stole from Vale?"

For the first time, Sophia looked genuinely pleased.

"Several times."

A surprised laugh escaped Isabella.

Even Damon smiled.

Perhaps greatness really did run in the family.

Sophia pressed the card into his hand.

"Use it to reach the Core."

Then her expression grew serious again.

"Finish what Elena started."

The words lingered.

Heavy.

Powerful.

Final.

Damon nodded.

"I will."

Sophia smiled.

Then stepped back.

Watching him.

Watching all of them.

Like she already knew this might be goodbye.

The thought hurt.

More than he expected.

Then the group left the Vault.

The elevator ride down felt different.

Not because the situation had improved.

It hadn't.

Not because they were safer.

They weren't.

But because Damon finally knew who he was.

Not Vale's creation.

Not Genesis.

Not a weapon.

Not a replacement for Elena.

Just Damon.

The realization brought a strange sense of peace.

Even now.

Even at the edge of disaster.

When the elevator doors opened, the corridor beyond was empty.

Dark.

Silent.

Waiting.

Damon stepped out first.

Luca beside him.

Isabella close behind.

For several moments they walked without speaking.

The weight of everything pressed heavily against them.

Then Isabella suddenly stopped.

She looked between the two men.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Like she was evaluating something.

Damon immediately became suspicious.

That expression never led anywhere good.

"What?"

Isabella rolled her eyes dramatically.

"What?"

She pointed between them.

"You two."

Silence.

Luca groaned immediately.

Damon looked confused.

Isabella folded her arms.

"We might die in twenty minutes."

"Hopefully not."

"You know what I mean."

Unfortunately, he did.

And so did Luca.

The silence that followed was painfully revealing.

Isabella stared.

Waiting.

Expecting.

Demanding.

Finally, Luca sighed.

"You're impossible."

"I learned from the best."

Luca muttered something under his breath.

Isabella ignored him.

Then she pointed toward Damon.

"You."

Damon frowned.

"What about me?"

She pointed toward Luca.

"You."

Luca already looked exhausted.

"What about me?"

Then Isabella threw her hands into the air.

"Oh, for God's sake."

Neither man liked where this was going.

Not one bit.

Unfortunately

She wasn't finished.

And somewhere ahead, beneath the island, the Core waited.

As did Vale.

As did the final battle.

But first

There were still things left unsaid.