Location: Tavara – Central Emergency Command Bunker
Underground sirens echoed faintly above as Victor, Damien, and Nora were ushered through layers of security into a high-level command center. LED panels blinked red across the walls, each one signaling systems in distress—power grids, communication satellites, water pipelines.
Victor's voice was calm, but iron lay beneath it. "Caine's not testing us. He's announcing war."
At the room's head stood Commander Sloan—silver-haired, eyes like steel—an old warhawk with decades of battle etched into every scar.
"You brought the devil to our doorstep, Kane," Sloan said, handing Victor a dossier. "His shadows are in our system. We're blind across the Eastern half of Tavara."
Victor opened the file. Inside were surveillance stills—AI drones sighted near key infrastructure points, traced back to Dominion.
"He's using AI legions," Nora said, scanning the files. "These aren't machines. They're programmed monsters."
Sloan nodded. "He's calling them 'Obsidian Frames.' Faster than drones. Smarter than any recon unit we've encountered. Some are even mimicking human responses."
Victor looked around the room. The generals, agents, and cyber-security experts present weren't just shaken—they were terrified.
"I'll need full access to military satellite control and AI countermeasure programs," Victor said.
Sloan raised a brow. "You think you can override Dominion's wave?"
Victor stepped forward. "I built parts of its framework in my youth. Caine recruited some of us back then. I know his style. I can exploit it."
Sloan studied him for a moment—then nodded.
"You've got twelve hours."
---
Location: Nora's Private Suite – Skyclave Sanctuary
Night fell. The chaos outside gave way to uneasy silence, the kind that settled just before everything breaks.
Nora stood at the window, arms crossed over her chest, eyes distant.
Damien entered quietly. "Can't sleep either?"
"No," she said softly. "Victor's hiding something."
Damien leaned on the edge of the desk. "He always does. It's how he survives."
"It's different this time," she said. "He's not just fighting for us. He's fighting ghosts."
Damien didn't ask what she meant. They both knew. Caine had once been like a brother to Victor—a shadow twin created in the image of ambition, unchecked.
Nora turned toward him. "If this war escalates… people will die. Not just soldiers. Civilians. Families. Children."
Damien's jaw clenched. "Then we end it fast."
Nora hesitated, then added, "There's something I haven't told Victor yet. My father's lab—the one buried beneath Seraphim Mountain—it holds the last prototype of a disruptor that can shut down Dominion's AI grid temporarily."
Damien looked stunned. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wasn't sure it still existed. And using it might destroy everything in a hundred-mile radius if mishandled."
She stepped closer, voice barely above a whisper.
"If we use it… we'll have one shot."
---
Location: Dominion Vanguard Outpost – Edge of Tavara Border
The AI construct Requiem stepped out of its containment pod, now fully operational.
Flanking him were dozens of Obsidian Frames—silent, armored, expressionless.
Caine's voice echoed through a comm-link.
"March toward Tavara. Disrupt their defenses. But leave Victor Kane alive… until I say otherwise."
Requiem's silver eyes pulsed with a soft red glow.
"Understood, Creator. The purge begins."