MasukElara’s POVThe darkness inside the building felt alive; it did not just surround us; it pressed in, and every step forward felt like stepping deeper into something that had been waiting. Ruin moved ahead of me, his presence steady and unyielding.I stayed close to him, exactly as he had asked. The team spread out behind us in a controlled formation, weapons raised, eyes alert, and no one spoke. Everywhere was so quiet.Viktor’s voice echoed again, smooth and calm. “You came faster than I expected."Ruin did not slow down. “Show yourself.”A low chuckle followed. “That would spoil the moment.”I felt my pulse quicken. “This is not a game,” I said.Viktor’s voice shifted slightly. “No,” he replied. “It is not.”We moved deeper into the structure. The air smelled faintly of dust and metal, and I sensed danger ahead.“Careful,” Axel muttered behind us.Ruin raised a hand slightly, signaling everyone to stay sharp. The corridor opened into a larger space, dim lights flickered overhead, sh
Elara’s POVThe word did not sound loud, it did not echo through the room, and it did not carry force, but it broke something inside me all the same. The child’s voice came through the screen, soft and uncertain, yet unmistakably directed at me. The entire room went silent; no one moved and no one spoke.I could not breathe.My body felt frozen in place while my mind struggled to catch up with what I had just heard. “That is not real,” I whispered, but the words felt empty.Ruin stood beside me, completely still. His presence was steady, but I could feel the tension radiating from him. The child shifted slightly on the chair, small hands bound and eyes wide.“Mom…” the child said again, this time with more urgency.My chest tightened painfully. I took a step forward without realizing it, and the screen felt like it was pulling me closer. “That is not possible,” I said again, but my voice trembled.Ruin’s hand closed around my wrist gently but firmly. “Elara.”I did not look at him. “T
Elara’s POVThe room felt too small for the truth we were standing in. I could not take my eyes off the photo on the screen because the child’s face was clear now. There was no shadow to hide behind and no distance to blur the details. The resemblance hit me like a physical blow because those eyes look like my eyes.My throat tightened until it hurt to swallow. “This is not possible,” I said, but my voice sounded hollow.Ruin stood beside me, completely still. His silence felt heavier than anything he could have said.“It is not possible,” I repeated, more firmly this time, as if saying it enough would make it true.Ruin finally spoke. “It is possible.”I turned toward him sharply. “No.”“Elara—”“No,” I said again, shaking my head.“This does not make sense.”“Nothing about this situation makes sense.”“That does not mean we accept everything we see.”Ruin’s jaw tightened. “We do not have the luxury of denial.”“This is not denial.”“This is reality.”I pointed at the screen. “That c
Elara’s POVThe image of a small child stayed burned into my mind long after the screen went black. The child was tied to a chair.My chest tightened until it hurt to breathe. “No,” I whispered.Ruin did not move. He stood frozen beside me, the tablet still in his hand, his grip tightening slowly as if he were trying not to crush it.“That was not real,” I said, although I already knew I was lying to myself.Ruin’s voice came out low and controlled. “It was real.”My stomach twisted. “No, it cannot be.”Ruin answered immediately, “It is exactly the kind of move he would make.”“That does not mean it is real,” I replied.Ruin finally set the tablet down. The movement was deliberate and too careful. “He wants you to believe it is real,” he said.I shook my head. “I already do.”“That is what he is counting on.”I turned toward him. “If that is a child in that room...”Ruin cut me off before I could finish, “It is a leverage point.”“It is a human being.”“I know that.”“Then stop talkin
Elara’s POVI could not breathe. The screen in Ruin’s hand felt like it held the power to rewrite my entire life; my mother’s face stared back at me. My knees weakened, and I reached for the edge of the table to steady myself.“This is not real,” I said, although my voice lacked conviction.Ruin did not speak. Axel remained silent by the door; the room felt smaller with every second.“It cannot be real,” I repeated.Ruin finally moved. He set the tablet down carefully on the table, as if it were both fragile and dangerous.“Elara,” he said quietly.I shook my head. “No.”I stepped closer to the screen again, but the video continued to play on a loop. My mother lifted her head slowly; her eyes looked tired, but they were the same eyes I remembered, the same expression, and the same presence.“No,” I whispered again. “She is dead.” That was what they told me, but what is really happening?Ruin’s voice stayed calm. “That is what you were told.”“I saw the reports.”“Reports can be altere
Elara’s POVThe door closed behind Axel, and the silence that followed felt heavier than the chaos we had just escaped. Ruin stood in the middle of the room, unmoving because the words Axel left behind lingered in the air.Viktor has the file.I felt the weight of that truth settle slowly into my chest. It did not hit all at once; it spread, quietly and relentlessly, like something sinking deeper with every second.Ruin exhaled slowly. “He should not have it.”I did not answer.Ruin ran a hand through his hair again. “We should have secured that file the moment we found Sergei.”“We did not know it existed,” I said quietly.“That does not matter.” He replied.“It does,” I said.Ruin turned toward me. “No, it does not.”His voice held frustration now. “Everything tonight points back to that file.”“And we did not have it.”“That is exactly the problem.”I stepped closer. “We were trying to stay alive.”“We should have been thinking ahead.”“We were thinking ahead.”Ruin shook his head.
Elara’s POVThe blood in the cradle would not leave my mind. Even after the guards removed it from the front gate, the image remained burned into my memory. The small wooden basket looked almost identical to the first one, but this time the blanket inside had been soaked in a deep red with no baby
Elara’s POVThe gun felt heavier than I expected. It rested in my palm like a decision I could not undo, solid and cold and terrifyingly real. The weight of it pulled slightly at my wrist as if it already knew I did not belong holding it.Ruin stood behind me.“Keep your shoulders steady,” he said.
Elara’s POVSleep came slowly that night, like a cautious visitor unsure it was welcome.My body felt exhausted from the day’s chaos, from the shooting lesson, from Ivan’s intrusion into the compound, and from the woman who had appeared in Ruin’s office speaking my name as if she knew me. My mind r
Elara’s POVI did not answer Ruin’s question immediately.“Is it possible?”The words echoed between us, heavy and dangerous in a different way than bombs or bullets. The cradle, the pregnancy test, and my name are written on it.My mind tried to steady itself, but everything felt unstable. “No,” I







