Morning wrapped the facility in a dense fog, swallowing the outlines of its buildings as if nature itself were trying to conceal what was happening inside.
Tiflos stood before the mirror in his room, staring into his silver eyes—eyes that had grown colder, their light dimmer than before. The days following his meeting with Cassander had turned into a sequence of solitary missions assigned by Cain. Each mission was more isolating than the last, each step pulling him further away from the human he once was, and closer to the machine Cain wanted him to become.
"You need to get used to working alone," Cain had said during their last meeting, his golden eyes studying Tiflos with surgical precision.
"True leaders need no one. Emotions create bonds, and bonds restrict one's ascent in the hierarchy."
But Tiflos felt that this isolation was yet another test—
a test of loyalty,
and a test of how far he was willing to cross the boundaries he had once set for himself.
In recent nights, he had been waking from nightmares where he slaughtered everyone he loved, one by one, until he stood alone in a world of ash and blood.
At midday, Cain summoned him to his office.
The room was dark, as always—except for a single beam of light illuminating a chair at the center, like a stage prepared for tragedy.
"A special mission," Cain said, handing him a file in a neutral tone that concealed a current of cold intent.
"A member of the Resistance has been located in the industrial sector. His name is Kiran."
Tiflos opened the file with a trembling hand.
A man in his forties.
Blue eyes.
A warm smile that reminded him painfully of his father.
Something about the man's features stirred a distant memory deep within him.
And the name—
the name was far too familiar.
"Who is he?" Tiflos asked, forcing his voice to remain steady.
"He was once a guard within the organization," Cain replied, never taking his eyes off Tiflos.
"He fled years ago. We've now confirmed his location. He's working with the Resistance and leaking highly sensitive information."
Something in Cain's gaze made Tiflos deeply uneasy.
There was a hint of concealed triumph—as if this mission was far more than a routine assassination.
There was a deeper design at play.
A chessboard where Tiflos was merely a piece.
"Why me?" Tiflos asked, trying to understand Cain's true motives.
"Because you need to prove that you've moved beyond the past," Cain answered, his voice carrying the weight of a final lesson.
"That your loyalty to the organization transcends all personal connections. Leadership demands sacrifice. And now, Tiflos… it's time for yours."
When Tiflos left Cain's office, an unfamiliar weight pressed down on his shoulders.
Something about the name Kiran echoed in his mind like a forgotten memory clawing its way back to the surface.
Instead of heading directly for the mission, he diverted toward the organization's secret archives.
He knew this could cost him dearly.
But his doubts were stronger than his fear.
---
Hours passed as he combed through encrypted files and classified reports.
Then he found it.
Within the disaster records of the Fog Catastrophe that annihilated the Valley of Phantoms, there was mention of a guard who had vanished—escaped.
The name listed was Kiran.
Suddenly, memories surged back to him—
the moment his ability had resonated with Nour's.
He had seen Kiran.
He was the man who saved her.
The one who raised her after she became the sole survivor of the massacre.
She had spoken his name to Tiflos many times.
His heart began to race violently.
Kiran wasn't just a Resistance member.
He was the man who saved Nour's life.
The man who gave her a second chance to live.
And now Cain was ordering Tiflos to kill him.
"That's right…" Tiflos whispered, pressing a trembling hand to his face.
"Nour said he knew she was from the Mist People."
He rushed out of the archives and headed toward Nour's room—
—but she wasn't there.
At the gate, he stopped one of the guards and asked about her.
The guard looked startled.
Then, hesitantly, he spoke.
"Commander Cain anticipated you might ask," the guard said.
"She's been sent on a mission. And we were instructed that if you asked about her, we should tell you this:
Finish your mission… or Nour may not return at all."
Tiflos froze.
Cain had planned everything from the very beginning.
There was no choice left.
Either he went and killed Kiran—
—or pretended to.
But could he risk Nour's life for Kiran?
The answer was painfully clear.
Tiflos returned inside the organization, retrieved his sword and all mission equipment, and prepared himself for the operation that would change everything—
especially his bond with Nour.
---
He drove the organization's vehicle toward the industrial sector, his mind locked in brutal conflict.
Should he kill Kiran to erase Cain's suspicions and protect Nour?
Or let him escape—
the man who had saved her life?
The struggle tore at him the entire way.
By the time he arrived, the industrial zone stretched before him—abandoned, silent, littered with the remains of dead factories and rusted machinery.
And there, in that wasteland—
the sin awaited him.