Liam's words struck a raw nerve.
Tiflos and Noor exchanged a trembling glance. In one fluid motion, Tiflos drew his sword while Noor raised her visual pistols, both ready to strike.
"What do you know?" Tiflos demanded sharply.
"Relax. I didn't come to harm you," Liam said calmly, though his voice carried steel beneath it.
"What I know is this—Cain killed my sister. And you may be the ones who can help stop him."
Noor looked at Tiflos. He stepped closer to Liam, every movement cautious.
"And why should we believe you?"
Liam slowly raised both hands. Very slowly.
"I'm unarmed. I'm clearly not a fighter. I don't even have a combat ability," he said evenly.
"You can tie me up if you want while we talk."
Tiflos glanced at Noor again. She nodded—subtly, but decisively. The nod of someone who desperately wanted a way out of Cain's shadow.
They stood facing Liam as he sat down in one of the office chairs. Then he began to speak.
He told them about his sister—a professor who had worked inside the organization. How she had discovered Cain's secrets. How she had tried to expose them. And how Cain had silenced her.
"She was trying to save people," Liam said quietly.
"People like you. She believed there was another way… a way that didn't require all this blood."
Tiflos felt something shift inside him. Liam didn't move like a trained combatant. His posture, his breathing—nothing about him suggested danger. He was suspicious, yes, but not threatening. And the weight of responsibility pressed down on Tiflos's chest.
"Why trust us?" Tiflos asked.
Liam smiled faintly.
"My ability allows me to see a person's data window," he said.
"And I've seen yours. You're different… You still have some of your humanity left."
He went on to explain that a resistance was forming—built by people from within the organization itself. Not Cain's creation. Not a trap. A real resistance, formed by those who truly wanted to stop him.
"Some want to bring him back to the right path," Liam said.
"Others want him judged. But the final goal is the same—to stop the organization from going too far."
Noor felt a spark of hope ignite inside her. She had long abandoned the idea of killing Cain outright. Fighting a golden-eyed was suicide—golden eyes were geniuses by nature, forces of calculation and foresight. A silver-eyed individual could never underestimate them.
But a full resistance force?
That meant hope.
That meant revenge.
The problem… was Tiflos.
"I can't join the resistance right now," he said quietly.
Noor looked at him—and understood immediately why.
Liam tilted his head.
"Is this because of Orion?"
Tiflos's eyes sharpened.
"You know my brother too?"
Liam scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
"Actually, I know both of you. You just wouldn't remember me—you were too young back when I used to come here."
Tiflos studied him carefully. It was obvious Liam wasn't telling them everything. But Tiflos also knew better than to force answers. Anyone trying to stop Cain wouldn't reveal all their cards—especially to people still working under him.
Noor smiled softly and placed a hand on Tiflos's shoulder.
"It's fine," she said gently.
"We'll stay until we can get Orion out of this place. Then we'll escape—and join the resistance."
"There is… something else," Liam said hesitantly.
"There's an entity that could stop Cain in a single day. Without any chaos. But…"
Noor practically jumped.
"What?! Someone who can stop Cain—in one day? Who is it?!"
Tiflos stared at Liam in shock. Cain wasn't alone, true—he had multiple special-operation teams, most notably the original Phoenix Team, known as the Seventh Unit. But a single golden-eyed individual was equivalent to the entire organization itself.
The organization existed because of Cain.
"…The state," Liam said.
Silence fell.
"But we can't go to them."
"Why?" Tiflos cut in.
"If they can stop Cain, why not tell them?"
"That's the problem," Liam replied as he stood.
"We don't know whether the state supports Cain or not. There are deep connections between them. And until we're certain… we can't trust them."
Tiflos and Noor exchanged looks. They both understood now.
They were standing in a forest where every shadow could be an enemy. Every faction might be playing the same game. Trust was a luxury they no longer had.
Liam handed them a small device.
"This might help. It gives you limited access to surveillance systems. Use it carefully. Cain isn't stupid… and he's watching everything."
---
When they returned to the facility, Liam assisted them in searching for documents related to Project Phoenix. To Tiflos's shock, Liam knew every hidden compartment in the mansion.
Every single one.
That alone confirmed it—Liam had been far closer to Agabius than Cain ever was.
The mysterious box was handed to Tiflos.
"One day, you'll be able to open it," Liam said quietly.
"Agabius left it for you… and for Orion."
Tiflos tried everything. Every technique. Every analytical wave. The box resisted them all.
"It's made of a material I don't recognize," Tiflos said in frustration.
"Even my waves can't penetrate it. It's like it was designed specifically to counter my abilities."
Noor attempted to use her visual spectrums—but failed.
"Your father was hiding something extremely dangerous," she said.
"Something he didn't want anyone to know."
The documents related to Project Phoenix were encrypted. Liam took a copy, while Tiflos kept the originals to hand over to Cain.
The box remained sealed.
A riddle from the past.
A symbol of a hidden truth.
A promise—or a warning.
Every failed attempt to open it reminded Tiflos how little he truly knew about his father… and how deep the unseen war beneath their world truly ran.