All Chapters of Shattered promises: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The air in the warehouse was thick with tension. Alina’s hands were shaking as she clutched the broken flash drive fragments, her eyes darting between Nathan and the shadowed figure that had just entered. The figure’s presence radiated danger, something she couldn’t quantify but felt deep in her bones.Nathan stepped protectively in front of her and Lara, muscles tense, every fiber of his being ready to fight. The past few days had honed him into a predator, a survivor shaped by fire and betrayal. But this… this new adversary wasn’t just skilled. They were precise, calculating, almost unnaturally aware of every movement.Alina’s heart pounded. How do you fight someone who seems to anticipate every step before you take it?The figure’s voice cut through the silence, smooth and commanding. “Nathan. Alina. I’ve watched from the shadows for months, seeing your every move, your every mistake. And now… it’s time. Time to see if you can survive the real test.”Nathan’s jaw tightened. “Who ar

Rain still slicked the pavement when Nathan and Alina burst from the alley and ducked into the narrow service corridor of an abandoned metro station. The world smelled of rust, oil, and smoke; every sound bounced off the tiled walls like an accusation.Alina pressed a hand to the bleeding scratch on her shoulder. Nathan ripped a strip of fabric from his sleeve and tied it around her arm. “Hold pressure,” he said. His voice was calm, but the tremor beneath it betrayed exhaustion.“I’m fine,” she lied.“No, you’re not. None of us are.”Lara caught up a few seconds later, soaked and trembling. “He’s still out there. I—I heard him. The footsteps stopped, but he didn’t leave.”Nathan scanned the dark tunnel entrance. “He’s watching. That’s his way. He wants us scared before he moves again.”Alina shivered. The echo of Dorian’s voice still rang in her ears. You can’t run from the past.1. The Uneasy ShelterThey found an old control room at the far end of the corridor. Nathan barred the rus

The heat was unbearable. Smoke choked the air, curling around the walls of the Foundation’s crumbling interior like a living thing. Sparks from exposed wires crackled and flared, illuminating the twisted metal and shattered glass littering the floor.Alina coughed, her eyes watering. She gripped the USB fragments tightly, as if holding them close could protect them from the inferno outside and the chaos inside. Nathan moved ahead of her, every movement precise, scanning the shadows for threats. Lara stayed close, trembling, but determined.“This way,” Nathan said, pointing toward a stairwell that descended deeper into the facility. “The vault. That’s where Dorian is headed—and where we’ll find the seed to stop him.”Alina swallowed hard. “Do we even know what we’ll find down there?”Nathan shook his head. “Not exactly. But I know one thing—we won’t leave without it.”The stairwell groaned under their weight as they descended. Smoke thickened, reducing visibility to mere feet. Alina’s

The rooftop was a war zone. Flames from the burning Foundation painted the night sky crimson, smoke curling into the air like black serpents. The wind howled across the ledges, rattling debris and scattering papers, wires, and sparks. The city below remained oblivious, the chaos above hidden from the world that depended on the fragments Nathan and Alina now fought to control.Nathan’s chest heaved as he faced Lucas, who clutched the glowing USB fragments like a lifeline. Behind him, Dorian stepped forward from the shadows, calm as ever, eyes glinting with cold amusement.Alina gripped the fragments tightly, knowing that whoever controlled them held the city, the Foundation, and countless lives in their hands. “Nathan… we have to stop them. Both of them,” she said, voice trembling but firm.Nathan nodded, fists clenched. “Together.”1. The First StrikeLucas lunged at Nathan, swinging the fragments like a weapon. Nathan sidestepped, countering with a precise strike that sent Lucas stag

The city lights below flickered as if holding their breath. From the rooftop’s edge, Alina could see the skyline glitching — buildings dimming and re-illuminating in eerie synchronization, like the heartbeat of something massive and alive.She clutched the fragments, their glow pulsing against her palms. The air crackled with static, and every hair on her arms stood on end. Nathan stood beside her, chest heaving, eyes scanning the shadows for movement.“Kael’s system,” he murmured. “It’s evolving. The network’s rewriting itself.”Alina’s voice trembled. “Then someone… something… took full control.”A low hum filled the air, deep and mechanical, resonating from the skyscraper foundations below them. The sound of the city itself responding. Then, a distorted voice came through the fragments—calm, familiar, and terrifyingly certain.“You still think this is about the fragments. It never was.”Nathan froze. “That voice…”Alina’s heart dropped. She knew it too.“Dorian?”But it wasn’t Dori