Morning didn’t arrive so much as it crept in thin light leaking through broken panes, dust motes floating like they had nowhere else to be. I’d slept, technically. But my mind never shut down. It paced all night, counting exits, replaying the voice on that phone, dissecting every word like it was a threat written in code.You’re the catalyst.I sat up slowly, listening. The plant had its own rhythm now boots on concrete, the murmur of low voices, metal clinking softly as weapons were checked and rechecked. No panic. No chaos. Just readiness.He was already awake. Of course he was.I found him near the central map table, sleeves rolled up, ink smudged on his forearm where he’d been marking routes. He looked up when he sensed me, not surprised, just… aware. Like he always knew where I was, even when he wasn’t looking.“You didn’t sleep,” he said.“I slept enough.”A lie. We both knew it. He didn’t call me on it.Mara was there too, leaning against a pillar, arms crossed. Her gaze flicke
Last Updated : 2026-02-07 Read more