The air was heavy with the stench of mineral oil and rust. Wind howled through the ruined buildings like wandering spirits mourning a forgotten age.
Tiflos stepped out of the vehicle and moved quickly, not wasting time. He searched through the abandoned warehouses at a relentless pace, his inhuman speed followed by the sharp whistle of his sound waves cutting through the silence.
Then—
in a brief flicker of perception—
he saw him.
Kiran was inside an extremely old warehouse, seated with his head lowered, trying to repair a broken communication device. He was so focused that he didn't hear Tiflos slipping inside.
"Don't move," Tiflos said, drawing his red blade—merged with his visual power.
His voice was rough, strained by tension.
Kiran turned slowly.
His eyes reflected an eerie calm.
There was no fear in them—only a quiet, inevitable acceptance of a moment he had always known would come.
"…Those features… that hair…" Kiran said softly.
"You must be Tiflos. I've heard a lot about you—from Liam. You and Nour… you've joined us."
The words made everything harder.
"You're the man who saved Nour during the Mist People incident," Tiflos replied, struggling to steady his trembling hands.
Kiran smiled—a sad smile filled with painful memories.
"That's true. I was also the one who changed her family name… gave her another identity."
He paused.
"But in truth, she saved me too. That night—when I saw her small eyes shining in the darkness—I understood that there is always another choice. A better one than violence and hatred."
The conversation stretched on for minutes.
Every word pushed Tiflos closer to certainty—
he could not kill this man.
Kiran spoke of the Resistance.
Of their attempts to save others from the organization's grip.
Of the fragile hope they still carried, despite everything.
"I left the organization because I couldn't watch innocents die anymore," Kiran said, faith burning in his eyes.
"And I know that you—deep down—you can't either."
But Tiflos was scanning the area.
He knew Cain would be watching.
He knew failure would bring devastating consequences—not only for him, but for Nour.
Suddenly, floodlights ignited, flooding the warehouse with blinding white light.
Phoenix stepped out from a vehicle at the entrance, surrounded by guards.
Behind him stood Selina, an eighteen-year-old girl,
and Raiden—Tiflos's former instructor.
"You took too long," Phoenix said, his voice shaking the space.
"Do you need help making your decision, Tiflos?"
Tiflos looked at Kiran.
Then at Phoenix and the others.
The choice was clear—
protect the man who saved the woman he loved,
or prove his loyalty to the organization and secure Nour's safety by another means.
In that moment, something in Kiran's eyes told him the truth.
"They're testing you…" Kiran whispered, barely audible.
"Cain will kill those close to you if you fail. I know his methods. And it's possible he already knows the truth about Nour… or at least suspects it."
Tiflos moved.
His blade slashed—
but not toward Kiran.
It struck the ground beside him.
A deliberate miss.
A clear signal.
A chance to escape—
and a slow suicide of Tiflos's conscience.
Kiran met Tiflos's eyes and understood instantly.
He turned to run—
even if it meant dying by the hands of the others.
But Raiden was faster.
A surge of electricity erupted from his hand, freezing Kiran in place, trapping him inside a cage of crackling energy. There was no escape.
"The choice is yours, Tiflos," Phoenix said, his eyes glowing with authority.
"Prove that you deserve to be among the organization's leaders. Prove that you can sacrifice for the greater picture."
Tiflos raised his sword again.
His hands were shaking—violently, uncontrollably.
He looked at Kiran.
Kiran nodded, understanding completely.
His eyes carried a single message:
Do it.
"Do what must be done," Kiran whispered, his voice firm despite everything.
"Protect them for me. Protect the hope the Resistance represents."
Phoenix pulled out his communicator and raised it to his ear.
Tiflos watched him—and felt danger coil tighter around his chest.
---
The second strike landed.
This time, it did not miss.
The red blade pierced Kiran's chest, tearing through his ribs.
Kiran dropped to his knees, blood filling his mouth and spilling across the floor—
yet a peaceful smile appeared on his lips.
"Thank you…" Kiran whispered as he collapsed.
"You've freed me…"
Tiflos's breathing became ragged.
His face was that of a man who knew he had committed a sin that would weigh on his soul forever.
He turned to face Phoenix.
A faint smile of satisfaction rested on Phoenix's face.
Phoenix stepped forward, placing a hand on Tiflos's shoulder.
"You must get used to sacrifice," he said calmly.
"For the sake of the organization."
But inside Tiflos's eyes—
the light was fading.
Dimming.
Nearly extinguished.
He entered his vehicle in silence, started the engine, and drove back toward the organization's facility—
knowing that the next meeting would be far more complicated than any before it.
And that the sin he had committed…
would never leave him.