The figure's head tilted, just a little. "You will be given missions. Tasks to help you pay off your debt. If you do well, you will be rewarded. If you fail, there will be consequences. Once your debt is cleared, you will have a choice. You can renew your contract and work for us... or you can walk away and return to your old life."
The words sank in like cold water.
Missions. Tasks. Rewards. Consequences.
It sounded more like a trap than an offer. But Shepherd knew the truth. He had no way out. Not yet.
His fingers curled into a tight fist.
"I'll do it," he said quietly.
The figure gave a small nod. Not surprised. Almost like he had expected Shepherd to say yes.
"Training will begin soon," the man said. "You will be taught how to serve the Syndicate. You must understand the work before you are sent into the field."
Shepherd gave a small nod, even though his stomach twisted. He did not know what they planned for him. He did not know what kind of world he was stepping into. But none of that mattered.
Zoya was alive.
That was all that mattered.
And soon, he would have his revenge.
They led him into a smaller room after that. The lights were dim. The walls were smooth and gray. A narrow bed sat in the corner, next to a small cabinet. There was nothing else. No window. No clock. Just silence.
The door closed behind him.
He was alone.
He sat himself on the bed, but his thoughts were louder than ever. They smashed within him like waves. Zoya. Arielle. Darion. The betrayal. The Syndicate.
Each hit different.
The room was cage-like but the metal doors and walls were not the worst part. It was the truth. He had been saved at the cost of his freedom.
He shut his eyes and heard the gentle buzz of the machines about him. He drew a long breath. His body was recovering. Now he had good vision. More powerful than ever. The hollowness was acute, however, within.
The Syndicate had made him live. They had also given Zoya a second chance.
Nothing was free though.
His mind drew him away. To his former life. Life before the Syndicate. Life before Arielle. Life before everything took the worst turn.
To the day he met her.
Zoya.
They were both foster children who lived in different homes. Not homes built from love,Just dumping grounds for unwanted children until someone thought about them. The majority never did.
Shepherd did not even know his parents. They had died when he was a baby. Nobody explained to him how. Nobody even provided him with pictures. Just files. Nothing but words in a report. He was taken from one house to another, like a suitcase without a tag.
He recalled the Wilsons. They were nice, but their home reeked of medicine and rotten food. It was not a place where a child could develop. It was simply silent. Too quiet.
And then there were other houses. More faces. Some nice. Most tired.
Then the third home.
There was where he found her.
Zoya.
She was only twelve . Her hair was red like fire and always tied to the back of her head in a tight bun. Her hazel eyes and long dark eyelashes were a sharp contrast to her fiery hair.She was a calm child. Never angry, only watchful. She did not speak to anyone she didn't trust.
But Shepherd saw it. The fire in her. The strength.
She had lost her parents in a car crash. She had been tossed into the system like him. But she never let it break her.
The family had tried to tame her. Get her to be their perfect daughter . But Zoya never listened. She had walls built high, and no one could climb them. No one except Shepherd.
He sat with her every day. Shared food with her. Gave her space when she needed it. And little by little, the walls came down.
They became family. Not because the system said so. Because they chose each other.
They protected each other.
They grew up side by side. Went through school together. Worked small jobs. Laughed, fought, survived.
But life was never easy. Especially when Zoya's health began to fail. Her heart was weak. She grew tired faster. Some days she could not even stand without help.
He was in his second year of college when she had experienced her second attack. That call had shattered his entire universe. He couldn't believe that she had been suffering all by herself while she had been helping him chase his dreams to become a chemical engineer.
That cold winter night seeing her hooked to those wires struggling to stay alive. Shepherd had promised never to leave her again. He never went back to college. He had instead taken up jobs to take care of her.
Shepherd remembered the nights he had to stay awake, just to listen to her breathing. To make sure she made it to morning.
He had made a promise.And he wanted to keep it.
But promises were hard to keep in a world that gave you nothing.
He had No education No future and No power. He was just a struggling bartender whose earnings were barely enough to keep him afloat.
So when the Syndicate reached out and offered help, he took it.
Not for himself.
For her.
And now, he owed them everything. His life.And Zoyas
He sat in the cold room, hands clenched, chest heavy with dark emotions.
"I won't let you down again, Zoya," he whispered.
His eyes were closed, but tears still burned the corners.
His voice was soft. It was barely a breath. But it was a vow.
And he meant every word.