When Tiflos's car arrived at the facility gate, Nour was already waiting.
Her eyes were filled with tears and fury.
She knew. She had known before he even stepped out.
Tiflos exited the vehicle with heavy steps—
but before he could approach her—
"You killed him!" she screamed, her voice shattering under the weight of pain.
"You killed the man who saved my life! The man who gave me a chance to live—to love—to exist!"
"I had no choice," Tiflos tried to explain, his voice broken.
"He would have died anyway. And if I hadn't done it, Cain would have punished all of us."
"There is always a choice!" Nour exploded, tears falling like rain.
"You could have refused! You could have run away with him! You could have died instead of losing your humanity!"
Tiflos reached for her hand—trying to explain, trying to share his own pain—
She yanked it away violently.
Disgust burned in her eyes.
His silence was an admission of guilt.
He couldn't speak.
He couldn't breathe.
All he could do was stand there—shattered—
watching the woman he loved look at him as if he were a monster.
---
Hours later, inside Tiflos's room, Nour faced him one last time.
She carried a small bag.
Her eyes were dry now—but the pain within them was deeper than any tears.
"You've changed," she said as she placed the last of her belongings into the bag.
"Or maybe this is who you always were… and I was the one seeing an illusion. I thought you were the man who could save me from the darkness—but in the end, you were the one who needed saving from yourself."
"Nour, please…" he tried to speak, his voice choking.
"You can leave—but Cain will hunt you. He'll do anything. He might even kill you."
"No," she cut him off, her gaze firm.
"Every step you took, you said it was to protect me. To protect your brother. But in the end, you became the very thing you claimed to protect us from.
You became Cain.
You became everything we were fighting against."
"What do you want me to do?!" he shouted in despair.
"To sacrifice you for my principles? To let you and Orion die just so I can feel like a hero?"
"Yes!" she screamed, spinning to face him.
Her silver eyes blazed with something sacred and terrifying.
"If principles are the only thing that separates us from them—then yes!
It's better for me to die by your hand than for you to become my enemy!
Better to die trying to remain human than to live accepting that you've become a monster!"
Silence fell—heavy, crushing.
Tiflos felt his heart fracture into a thousand pieces.
Each shard carried a memory.
Each memory became a blade in his chest.
"I'm leaving," she whispered, her voice carrying an irreversible decision.
"With Elias, Lina, and Liam. We'll build a real Resistance—not just against the organization, but against the darkness that threatens to consume every heart.
And against your darkness, too."
"Cain will chase you," Tiflos said quietly.
"And I'll be the one who sends him after you."
"Let him try," she replied, opening the door, defiance burning in her eyes.
"At least I'll die trying to be human—not a monster like you've become.
And when you look at yourself in the mirror… remember that you could have chosen to be better."
The door slammed shut behind her.
Tiflos sat down on his bed.
"Nour is gone," he murmured.
"And now… it's time to make Orion leave too."
His face twisted with grief.
"But… isn't this separation too cruel?"
---
Later that night, as Tiflos sat alone in his room—heart in ruins—he reviewed his plan.
Distance Nour and Orion from Cain.
Find a way to send them outside.
The separation was unbearable—but he had to endure it.
He wondered what would happen when he forced his brother to leave.
Would he survive that pain?
He had no choice.
After sending them away, he would try—
to kill Cain.
The plan was insane.
But not impossible.
Cain himself had once said it:
A Silver can kill a Gold—not through power, but through deception.
---
On the other side, Nour, Elias, and Lina moved through the secret tunnels beneath the facility.
The darkness was absolute.
The air was cold.
But their resolve burned brighter than fear.
Liam waited for them at the exit, a modified vehicle ready.
"The Resistance is waiting. We have a safe hideout on the city's edge."
Nour looked back one last time.
At the building she left behind—
along with her love… and her innocence.
At the man she loved—
the man who killed a part of her today.
"Are you ready?" Elias asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She nodded.
Her beautiful eyes were dry now—but her heart was bleeding.
"I buried my heart there… and now it's time to act.
Time to fight for what my heart believes in—even if I can't feel it anymore."
---
The next morning, Tiflos learned that they had escaped.
On his pillow, he found a photograph—
An image taken by the organization during training.
The night they became lovers.
The night he promised to protect her—and Orion—forever.
Attached to it was a short message.
Words that carved themselves into his soul:
> "When your humanity returns to you…
When you remember that the blood on your hands was once unbearable…
You'll know where to find us.
And I will wait—even if waiting means forever."
Orion entered the room without knocking.
"They escaped," he said flatly.
"Nour, Elias, and Lina. They left you."
"I know," Tiflos replied without turning around, gripping the photograph tightly.
"And will you go after them?" Orion asked.
"Will you betray us and abandon me—for a woman?"
Tiflos clenched the image, feeling its fragile coldness in his palm.
"No," he said quietly.
"They're trying to save the world.
And I… I'll stay here and protect you from the darkness.
I'll make sure Cain never touches you."
He turned to Orion, sorrow etched into his face.
"Even if you hate me.
Even if you see me as a monster—
I'll protect you both."
He paused.
"So, Orion… will you leave too?
Will you abandon me to handle what remains here alone?"
Orion stayed silent.
Then he left.
In his eyes was a storm of emotions—
brotherly love… and a thirst for power… and vengeance yet undefined.
---
Nour's team reached a hidden safehouse on the city's outskirts.
Inside, Nour stood before the large map at the center of the hideout with Elias and Lina.
Her eyes carried deep sorrow—
but also a new determination.
Strength born from the ruins of a shattered heart.
"We'll start small," Elias said, marking locations on the map.
"Slowly. One person at a time. One heart at a time."
Nour nodded, her fingers brushing a photograph identical to the one she left behind.
"I left everything behind…
my love, my innocence, my faith in the man I loved.
Now it's time to build something worth sacrificing for.
Something I won't regret when I look back."
---
At the same time, back at the facility—
Tiflos stood alone on the observatory balcony, staring at a city that suddenly felt colder… darker.
The photograph gleamed under the moonlight in his hand.
A reminder of what he had lost.
And what he might lose forever.
He had lost her.
Lost Nour.
Lost part of his humanity.
Lost hope for a different future.
But within his heart, a silent vow formed—
I will protect you… even if you hate me.
Even if the price is my soul.
I will remain here in hell… and ensure the flames never touch you.
Nour.
Orion.
From the shadows, Orion continued to watch Tiflos.
His eyes held understanding… and sympathy.
Because Orion, too, was paying the price of loyalty.
And he knew—
some losses could never be repaired.
But deep in his heart, one truth remained unbroken:
No matter their differences—
he would never allow his brother to die in this place.