The screen went dark.
No countdown.
No voice.
No image.
Just silence.
Kael didn't move.
For a moment, it felt like time itself had stopped.
Then
The lights flickered.
A new screen came alive.
Not the same room.
Not the same angle.
This one was closer.
Too close.
Kael stepped forward slowly, his eyes locked onto the image.
His sister was still there.
But something had changed.
The ropes were gone.
The chair was empty.
A single drop of blood stained the floor beneath it.
Kael's breath caught.
"No…" he said quietly.
Elara's voice was tense. "That doesn't mean she's dead."
But even she didn't sound convinced.
Tyland didn't speak.
Because he understood what this was.
Not confirmation.
A message.
"They moved her," Tyland said calmly.
Kael turned sharply. "Or they killed her."
Tyland held his gaze. "If she was dead," he said, "they would show you."
A pause.
Because that made sense.
The voice always wanted impact.
Fear.
Control.
And uncertainty
Was far more powerful.
Kael exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself.
"They're playing with me."
Tyland nodded once.
"No," he said.
"They're controlling you."
The words hit harder than expected.
Kael looked away.
Because he knew it was true.
Elara stepped forward, her tone sharper now. "Then we stop reacting," she said. "We go after them."
Tyland's eyes shifted to her.
"And where exactly do we go?"
Silence.
Because for the first time
They didn't have a direction.
No location.
No lead.
Nothing.
Then
Kael spoke.
"I do."
Both Tyland and Elara turned to him.
Kael's expression had changed again.
Not panic.
Not anger.
Focus.
"They made a mistake," he said.
Tyland's brow furrowed slightly. "What mistake?"
Kael walked up to the main screen, replaying the last few seconds before it went dark.
Frame by frame.
Then he stopped it.
"There," he said.
Elara leaned in.
At first
Nothing.
Just shadows.
Then
A reflection.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But clear enough.
A symbol.
Tyland's expression darkened instantly.
"I've seen that before."
Kael nodded slowly.
"So have I."
Elara looked between them. "Where?"
Tyland didn't answer right away.
Because the memory wasn't recent.
It was older.
Buried.
"Before I disappeared," he said finally.
Kael continued.
"It was on the crates," he added. "Shipments that didn't belong to anyone."
Elara frowned. "You're saying this goes beyond the city?"
Tyland's voice dropped.
"Way beyond."
Silence settled again.
Because that changed everything.
This wasn't just about control of Blackridge.
This was something bigger.
Something organized.
Something global.
Kael stepped back.
"That symbol," he said, "it belongs to a place."
Tyland's eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
Kael hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then
"The docks."
Elara blinked. "That's too obvious."
Kael shook his head.
"Not the public ones," he said.
A pause.
Then
"The abandoned sector."
Tyland understood immediately.
"No one goes there."
Kael nodded.
"Exactly."
That's why it was perfect.
Hidden in plain sight.
Elara crossed her arms slightly. "Or it's a trap."
Tyland didn't disagree.
"It is a trap."
A beat.
"But it's also a lead."
Kael looked at both of them.
"For the first time," he said quietly, "we're not guessing."
Silence.
Because he was right.
This wasn't random.
This was something real.
Something they could reach.
Tyland stepped forward, decision already made.
"We move now."
Elara nodded once.
Kael didn't hesitate.
Because this wasn't just about the game anymore.
This was personal.
The screen behind them flickered one last time.
Unnoticed.
A hidden feed activating briefly.
Watching them leave.
Recording everything.
And somewhere
Far from Blackridge
The figure stood in silence.
Observing.
Calculating.
Waiting.
Because now
The real test was about to begin.