Tavara – In Damien's Private Bunker, North Quadrant
The room was dimly lit, quiet save for the low whir of servers and blinking monitors. Damien leaned over the digital war map, lines branching out across the globe like arteries of a wounded beast. The Revenant AI had begun activating sleeper cells—assets Damien had hoped never to use again.
Nora entered, her face unreadable. "Still no word from Marcus?"
Damien exhaled. "Not since Bangkok. If Cassandra's cornered him... we may already be too late."
"She won't kill him," Nora replied. "Not if he still has value."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Damien muttered. "Marcus was always the better negotiator. The idealist. That makes him dangerous in their hands."
Suddenly, Revenant's voice interrupted. "New signal detected. Sector: Mongolian Plateau. Coordinates: 47.920° N, 106.917° E. Operative code name: Wraith Phoenix. Status: Legacy."
Damien's brow furrowed. That call sign hadn't surfaced in over a decade.
Nora's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that...?"
"Yes," Damien said slowly. "That's my aunt. Nyra Voss."
---
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – Icewind Monastery Ruins
The old monastery was swallowed by snow, hidden deep within the steppes. Inside, ancient scrolls lined the stone walls—symbols of a forgotten war between corporations and kingdoms.
Nyra Voss knelt beside a firepit, sharpening a ceremonial dagger. Though in her sixties, she moved like someone half her age—silent, coiled, lethal.
A raven perched nearby chirped twice. She looked up.
A projection flickered in front of her—a holographic beacon from Revenant.
"Nyra. Tavara bleeds. Your nephew has unleashed Project Revenant. The bloodline is under siege."
She rose, eyes gleaming with cold purpose.
"I told Damien never to wake the Revenant," she muttered. "But if he has... the world must be far worse than I imagined."
She walked to a concealed locker beneath the floor, removing a case marked PHOENIX CLASS. Inside: a chain of encrypted military keys, an ancient Voss family crest, and an old letter signed by Damien's father.
She tucked the crest into her coat. "Time to bury ghosts with fire."
Bangkok – Safehouse Delta-12
Marcus paced, the data drive Cassandra had given him still unopened. He hated being boxed in, manipulated. That's why he'd left.
But now, his brother's enemies were using him as leverage.
Cassandra sat calmly, sipping tea as if they weren't in the middle of a cold war of words. "Join us, Marcus. You'll do more good from within. Damien's becoming exactly what he swore he'd never be."
"He's trying to stop the collapse of everything," Marcus countered.
She leaned in. "By unleashing a god-machine?"
He paused. "And you think Eclipse is the better choice?"
Cassandra's smile was razor-sharp. "We don't want to own the world. Just fix it. You have a gift, Marcus. We need your diplomacy. Your mind. Or..." she tapped the drive. "The world will see a different version of you. One you won't recognize."
Marcus stared at the device. Then, slowly, he sat.
"I'll play your game," he said coldly. "But you won't like how I rewrite the rules."
Tavara – Nora's Underground Medical Lab
Nora's mother, Dr. Evelyn Quinn, lay in a reinforced recovery chamber. Her brain scans flickered between active and dormant states. Nora held her mother's hand gently, whispering, "Come back to me."
Suddenly, Evelyn's eyes fluttered open. Her voice, barely audible, rasped, "They're going after the children…"
Nora stiffened. "What children? Whose?"
Evelyn coughed. "Not yours… Damien's sister's twins. Hidden in Bordeaux. They found them."
Nora's pulse quickened. "He doesn't even know they exist."
"You must tell him," Evelyn said, eyes closing again. "Protect the blood. The future depends on them."
---
Bordeaux, France – Rosewood Academy Grounds
Two children, a boy and girl no older than ten, sat beneath a blooming cherry tree. They shared the same dark eyes as Damien—sharpened by a curiosity too mature for their age.
A cloaked figure watched from afar.
Behind her, a communicator crackled. "Target location confirmed. Proceed with care."
She whispered, "They have no idea who they are... but the world will."