At the same moment Tiflos headed toward Cassanedr, Nour was making her way to the medical wing.
Doctor Lina stood waiting by the door, her serious expression signaling that this was no ordinary meeting.
"Come in," Lina said as she opened the door to a small examination room.
"Someone wishes to see you."
Inside, Doctor Elias stood beside the window.
When he turned, Nour saw eyes of silver—calm, wise, and carrying the same pain she herself bore.
"Nour… daughter of the Valley of Phantoms," Elias said softly.
"I know what happened to your people. And I know that Cain was responsible."
Nour tensed instantly, ready to fight. Her heart began to race.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"How do you know that? And how do you know who I am?"
"I treated you when you arrived with Kiran," Elias replied calmly.
"You were unconscious. Cain knows that… and he knows your identity as well."
Her heart jolted.
Her enemy knew who she was.
She had believed she was the one manipulating the situation—but now a single question echoed violently in her mind.
Why didn't he kill me?
Or… am I not even worth killing?
Nour bit her lower lip as Elias continued, explaining how he had reached Kiran, how Cain had conducted experiments on the survivors of the Mist People—attempting to extract their unique abilities. Kiran, he explained, was now part of the Resistance, one of its founders.
"But the powers were unstable," Elias said.
"So Cain chose to erase the entire people rather than expose his secret project."
Tears streamed down Nour's cheeks.
"Then why didn't you stop him?" she asked.
"And why did Cain spare me if he knew who I was?"
"I'm sorry, Nour," Elias said quietly.
"Kiran and I tried. But Cain is extraordinarily powerful—even on a continental scale. He is among the three strongest individuals alive."
He paused, his gaze steady.
"We need your help.
Yours… and Tiflos's as well."
Nour closed her eyes, trying to process everything.
Cain was always one step ahead. His goals were deeper, darker, and remaining here was no longer safe.
She took a slow breath.
"I'll help," she said.
"And I'll see if Tiflos… is with us."
---
On his way back to his room, Tiflos passed the empty training hall.
Something pulled him inside.
Perhaps it was the need to release the pressure building within him.
Or perhaps he was searching for clarity in combat—something reality had failed to provide.
Sound waves began to flow from him.
At first, they were chaotic—raw with anger and frustration.
Then, suddenly, in a rare moment of clarity… he saw the pattern.
The waves were not blind force.
They were a language.
A language that could be understood.
Tamed.
He began weaving them like threads of silk, forming interlocking patterns of energy.
"Wave Duel…" he murmured, the words leaving both his lips and his hands.
"It's not just a combat technique. It's kinetic resonance—a dance that merges power with control."
He inhaled deeply.
"The art isn't in strength…"
"…it's in understanding."
The waves intertwined and harmonized in the air before him.
In that moment, Tiflos realized something vital:
True power was not destruction.
It was mastery.
It was reaching a point where you no longer needed anyone.
And for the first time, he understood that his gift could be used for something greater than killing.
A cleaner entered the hall, breaking his focus.
Tiflos left quietly and returned to his room.
---
When he arrived, a small note lay beneath his door.
The handwriting was feminine—elegant, firm.
Eastern Wing.
Urgent.
He went immediately.
The location was empty—except for Nour, standing by the window, gazing at the sleeping city.
When she turned, he saw the same confusion and unease reflected in her eyes.
"I heard Minister Cassander spoke with you," she said.
Not as a question—but a statement.
Tiflos nodded, mild surprise flickering across his face.
"And I know you met someone named… Elias," he said carefully.
"Am I right?"
Silence stretched between them.
Then the truth spilled out.
Both had been searching for answers.
Both had reached the same conclusion.
Something had to be done—before it was too late.
"I joined the Resistance," Nour admitted, her voice low but unwavering.
"Elias, Liam, and others are with us. We're trying to save whoever we can… and bring Cain down."
Tiflos looked at her, then back at the city beyond the glass.
"I'll do something too," he said quietly.
"Something that might help. Something that can protect people… instead of destroying them."
---
The next day, Cain summoned them for a joint mission.
His face bore that familiar, unreadable expression.
"A Resistance cell has appeared in the industrial sector," he said.
"Eliminate it."
Neither Tiflos nor Nour spoke.
They exchanged a silent look.
Orion accompanied them in one of the organization's vehicles as they entered the nearly abandoned industrial zone, stopping near the designated coordinates.
When they arrived, the truth revealed itself.
It wasn't a militant cell.
It was a group of former instructors and their families—the same people Elias had been organizing and evacuating.
Orion was eager to prove his loyalty.
"We'll finish this in minutes," he said coldly.
"They don't even deserve the effort."
But Tiflos and Nour exchanged another glance.
This was a test.
A direct one.
Would they kill their hidden allies?
Or reveal their true allegiance?
"We can't kill them," Nour whispered, fear shining in her eyes.
Tiflos nodded, his mind racing.
"But we can't expose ourselves either. We need to outplay him."
They positioned the vehicle farther back and began their deception.
Tiflos wove a dense network of sound waves, mimicking explosions, combat clashes, and his familiar piercing whistle. Nour created visual spectrums—false corpses, artificial blood.
Her illusion wasn't perfect.
If Orion had been closer, he would have known.
But it was enough.
While Orion and the others believed they were witnessing a massacre, Tiflos and Nour guided the group through the hidden tunnels Elias had prepared in advance.
---
When they returned to the facility, Cain stood waiting at the main entrance.
His golden eyes examined their faces closely.
"Surveillance reports say the Resistance escaped," he said evenly.
"Strange… considering the force we deployed."
Tiflos kept his composure, though his heart pounded like a war drum.
"They were stronger than expected," he replied.
"And they used techniques and weapons we've never seen before."
Cain stared at them for a long moment.
Then he smiled—the kind of smile that never reached his eyes.
"Interesting," he said softly.
"The game is becoming more entertaining."
As they walked away, Tiflos and Nour exchanged a glance heavy with meaning.
They had succeeded… for now.
But they both knew Cain was unconvinced.
And the danger had only grown.
---
In the hidden chamber beneath the library, Elias and Lina celebrated the successful escape.
The Resistance had truly begun.
And Tiflos and Nour now stood at its heart—playing a deadly game of deception and hope.
When Tiflos and Nour entered through the gate, he spoke quietly:
"We're in a real war now," he said.
"A war within a war."
Nour took his hand.
"As long as we're together," she said,
"we can face anything."
Yet deep within them both, they knew the road ahead was long and perilous—and the cost might be far greater than they could imagine.
The labyrinth was growing more complex.
And its whispers were turning into screams—crying out to be saved.
Somewhere in the shadows, Cain watched it all.
Smiling.
The kind of smile that meant the real game… had only just begun.