Chapter 115 (Part 06)
Alok watched the video again. For the third time. His eyes fixed on the screen, his jaw tight, his fingers resting motionless on the keyboard.
The recording was grainy, clearly not meant for public release. The audio crackled at the edges, and the lighting was poor somewhere underground, in a room that looked more like a laboratory than an office.
The walls were bare concrete, and the only visible equipment was a single monitor and a desk cluttered with papers.
Dr. Ovenel Morvane sat in the frame, his face half lit by the harsh glow of the screen behind him.
His voice was calm, almost clinical, as if he were reading a shopping list instead of describing something that could change lives or end them.
"The B.O.R. compound is stable. Initial trials show significant enhancement in physical capabilities. However, the cognitive effects require further monitoring. The neural network integration is... unpredictable."
He paused, glancing at something off-camera. A shadow moved in the background someone else in the room, listening, watching.
"We are proceeding with the next phase. The subjects are responding well. We will begin public distribution within the month."
The video ended. Alok stared at the frozen screen. The image of Morvane's face lingered, cold and detached.
Neural network integration. Cognitive effects. Subjects. He leaned back, his mind racing, the words echoing in his skull like a warning bell. This isn't a treatment. It's an experiment. They're using people as test subjects.
He had found the video buried in an old article on Castrone News Network (CNN). It had been posted months ago, then quietly archived. No one had paid attention to it at the time. But someone had dug it up and reposted it the same video, the same words, the same cold indifference.
Alok closed the laptop and stood up. The room felt smaller than it had moments before. He needed to get out. He needed to talk to Rihan.
The café was quiet, tucked away on a side street where the noise of the city faded to a low hum.
The air smelled of coffee and old wood, and the only other customer was an old man reading a newspaper in the corner.
Rihan was already there when Alok arrived, nursing a cup of tea that had gone cold. He looked up as Alok sat down, his eyes scanning Alok's face.
"You look like you haven't slept."
"I haven't," Alok admitted. "I found something."
Rihan set the cup down. "What kind of something?"
Alok pulled out his phone and placed it on the table. The video was still open, paused on Morvane's face.
"Watch this."
Rihan leaned forward, his brow furrowing as the video played. His expression shifted from curiosity to concern, then to something darker. When the video ended, he sat back, his jaw tight.
"That's... not what I expected."
"It's what they're hiding." Alok's voice was sharp, cutting through the quiet of the café. "This isn't a cure. It's an experiment. They're testing something on people. Something that changes them."
Rihan was silent for a moment. "Do you have proof? Real proof?"
"Just this video. And the fact that the government locked the media out of their meeting." Alok shook his head. "It's not enough. Not yet. But it's a start."
Rihan leaned back. "What do you need?"
"I need to get to Feilw Land. I need to find Ceya. And I need to figure out what Vaelia is planning." Alok met his gaze. "Will you come with me?"
Rihan didn't hesitate.
"Always."
POV SHIFT – Castrone News Network (CNN)
The newsroom was buzzing with activity, but Jack Mosed's office was silent.
He sat behind his desk, staring at the screen of his computer. The video was ready to go the same video Alok had just watched. It was an old recording, buried in the archives, but he had found it. And now he was going to use it.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard, then stopped. He leaned back, his eyes still fixed on the frozen image of Morvane's face.
They locked us out. They thought they could control the narrative.
His secretary, Miss Guwea, stood by the door, her expression uneasy. She had been with him for years, and she had never seen him like this.
"Sir, are you sure about this? This could have serious consequences."
Jack turned to look at her, his face cold, his voice flat.
"They locked us out of that meeting. They refused to let us ask questions. They thought they could control the narrative." He stood up, his voice rising. "Well, they were wrong. This is our response."
He gestured to the screen, his hand trembling slightly.
"This video is the truth. We're going to air it. And we're going to see how they like it when the public starts asking questions."
Miss Guwea hesitated. "And if they accuse us of spreading misinformation? If they shut us down?"
Jack smiled a thin, humorless smile.
"Then we'll say we're just reporting the news. That's what they wanted, isn't it? Transparency?" He turned back to the screen. "Prepare the broadcast. We go live in an hour."
Miss Guwea lingered for a moment, then nodded and left the room.
Jack stared at the video one last time.
Let them try to stop me.
POV SHIFT – Alok (That Night)
The city stretched out below him, a sea of lights against the dark sky.
Alok stood on the rooftop of his apartment building, the wind cold against his face, carrying the smell of rain and distant traffic. His hands rested on the railing, and his eyes traced the horizon where the lights of Castrone faded into black.
He thought about the video. About Morvane's cold, clinical voice. About the words that had echoed in his mind: Subjects. Neural network. Enhancement.
They're building an army, he realized. They're turning people into weapons. And they're making them volunteer for it.
His hand moved to the pendant beneath his shirt. It was warm, pulsing faintly, as if it were alive.
I need to move faster. I can't wait any longer.
He heard footsteps behind him.
Ravel emerged from the shadows, his face pale, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He looked smaller than Alok remembered less angry, more tired.
"Rihan said you were looking for me."
Alok turned to face him. "I'm going to Feilw Land. Tomorrow."
Ravel nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground. "I know. I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to."
"I know." Ravel met his gaze. "But I want to. I owe you that much."
Alok studied him for a moment, searching for the lie, the hesitation. He found neither.
"Fine. Be ready at dawn."
Ravel turned to leave.
"Ravel."
He stopped.
"This isn't about paying off a debt. If you're coming, you're coming because you want to help. Not because you feel guilty."
Ravel was silent for a long moment. Then he said, quietly:
"I want to help."
He walked away, his footsteps fading into the night.
Alok turned back to the city.
One strand at a time, he thought. Tomorrow, I start weaving.
POV SHIFT – Extera (Whisper)
The pendant pulsed against Alok's chest, warm and alive.
A voice stirred in the back of his mind faint, distant, but unmistakable. It coiled around his thoughts like smoke.
"You're getting closer, Alok. But you still don't see the full picture."
Alok's hand tightened around the pendant.
"I'll see it soon enough."
The voice faded, leaving only silence and the cold night wind.
But the warmth of the pendant lingered, a reminder that something ancient and patient was still watching.
Waiting.