The electric blue flash faded, and suddenly, the city was alive again—neon lights, distant sirens, the humid scent of rain-soaked pavement.
We were back. 2024.
Serina ran a hand through her hair, adjusting to the change. "It feels… unreal."
Peter exhaled sharply. "Yeah. But no time for that. We need to find them."
And then it hit me—Oscar.
I turned to Peter. "Before I met you, my friend Oscar went missing. Right before all this started."
Peter's expression darkened. "You think they took him?"
I nodded. "Kevin is dead. We couldn't stop that. But Oscar—he's still alive. We bring these bastards down now."
Serina looked between us, hesitation flickering across her face. This wasn't her fight anymore. But she didn't walk away.She didn't needed the rathadium anymore
She had changed.
So had I.
Back at my apartment, I spread out everything I had—Kevin's case file, Oscar's last known location, and the strange symbols photographed from kevin's house
Serina sat across from me, studying the mess.
She tapped her fingers against a half-burned note.
"This symbol…" she murmured. "It was in 1958 too. On the walls of the cult's hideout."
Peter frowned. "You sure?"
Serina nodded. "I memorized it."
I grabbed the paper and compared it to an old photo from Kevin's house.
It was the same symbol.
I looked at Serina. "What else do you remember?"
She hesitated. "There was an address written under it."
Peter and I exchanged glances. A lead.
Serina bit her lip. "I didn't think much of it before, but if they've been using the same hideouts for decades…"
I was already on my laptop, typing it in. The address still existed.
And it was still in use.
An abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
"That's where they are," I said.
Peter grabbed my gun from the table. "Then let's pay them a visit."
"We should wait till night,we don't know what's waiting for us" serina grabbed the gun from him
We decided to rest for sometime
Serina sat on the edge of my couch, her fingers brushing over an old photo frame.
It was my wife. My son. Before everything.
I didn't stop her.
She glanced up at me. "You never talk about them."
I exhaled. "Not much to say."
Her eyes softened. "But you still keep this."
I sat down beside her, resting my elbows on my knees. "They were my whole world."
She didn't push. She just… sat there. Close.
After a moment, she whispered, "You know you don't have to do this alone, right?"
I turned to her, searching her face.
For the first time in years, someone looked at me like I was more than just a cop, more than just a man chasing ghosts.
I reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I know," I murmured.
She didn't pull away.
Neither did I.
Her breath warmed my skin. I glanced at her lips, and she did the same. The space between us felt smaller, the air charged.
For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, almost at the same time, we pulled back—slowly, hesitantly—leaving the tension hanging between us.
Peter came back from the room. "I think we should move now"
The warehouse loomed before us, dark and silent.
We moved in fast.
Peter took point, gun raised. I followed. Serina kept close, her breath steady.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of chemicals and metal.
And then we saw it—rows of glass cylinders.
Each one filled with a glowing blue liquid.
Rathadium.
Peter clenched his fists. "That's why they killed Kevin."
Serina whispered "and that's why they need Arthur"
Serina swallowed. "Because Rathadium wasn't just passed down in your bloodline. Arthur's body is producing it naturally. That's why they need him."
My stomach twisted.
Peter muttered, "They don't just want to extract it. They want to figure out how to make more."
I stared at the rows of containers, realization settling in.
They weren't just harvesting Rathadium.
They were trying to mass-produce it.
Before I could react, a gun clicked behind us.
A voice I recognized.
"Too late, detective."
I turned, heart hammering.
And there he was.
The man behind it all.
The real enemy.
And he was smiling.
The Final Showdown
The man standing in front of us was someone I had seen once before. But it wasn't just a passing glance.
He was Victor Cardigan,husband of Vanessa. The man who had orchestrated everything behind the scenes.
"Surprised to see me, Arthur?" he said, his grin widening. "I see you've met my associates. They were always a bit too eager. But now, I'll make sure you don't walk away from this."
I felt the weight of the gun in his hand aimed directly at me.
Serina stepped forward, her expression calm but intense. "We know what you're doing, Victor. It's over."
Victor scoffed. "You think you can stop this? You think I would let you get away with it?"
Peter, standing beside me, tightened his grip on his own weapon. "You're not getting away with it. Not this time."
Victor's smile remained cold, unyielding. "You really don't get it, do you? You're all expendable. This isn't just about you. It's about power, about controlling the future. I need Rathadium in its purest form, and Arthur... well, you're the key."
I gritted my teeth. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."
Serina stepped closer to me, her voice low, "Arthur, this is the moment. You have to make it count."
Her words hit me hard. I felt a deep connection with her—a bond that had grown out of the chaos and pain we had all faced together.
Victor smirked at our exchange. "Such touching moments. Too bad it's all going to be wasted."
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and we were surrounded by his men. I didn't have time to think. The air crackled with tension.
It was now or never.
I lunged forward, knocking the gun out of Victor's hand. The others followed suit. A chaotic fight erupted in the dark, the sound of gunshots and grunts filling the air.
I caught a glimpse of Serina dodging a punch, her eyes locked onto mine, unwavering. We were in this together.
In the chaos, Victor made a break for it, sprinting toward the back exit. Without thinking, I charged after him, adrenaline surging through my veins.
This was my last chance.
I tackled him just before he reached the door. We crashed to the ground, fists flying. He was strong, but I was fueled by something more than anger now—something raw, something real.
I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. "This ends now."
Victor choked, his hands clawing at mine, but I squeezed tighter. I could hear the faint sounds of Serina and Peter handling the others behind me.
Finally, with a last, desperate move, I slammed his head against the concrete floor. His body went limp, and the fight was over.
The police arrived within minutes, sweeping the warehouse and taking the men into custody. They took oscar to the hospital, It was done.
We had won.
But something inside me felt hollow.
I looked at Serina. She was talking to one of the officers, her back to me, but I saw her glance over her shoulder—catching my eye.
She smiled softly.
And for the first time in what felt like years, I smiled back.
I couldn't let go of the past, not yet. But for the first time, I had hope—hope for a future that didn't feel so empty.
I walked over to her.
Serina stood tall, her eyes not filled with pity but understanding. She wasn't scared of the darkness I carried inside. She knew.
"I'm glad we made it through," she said quietly.
"Yeah, me too." I stepped closer, my heart pounding in my chest. "But I… I need to tell you something."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know what happens after this. But I know this…" I hesitated, then took her hand gently. "I don't want to face it alone anymore."
She squeezed my hand, her lips curving into a soft smile. "Arthur…"
Without saying anything more, I closed the gap between us. I leaned in, pressing my lips against hers in a kiss that was full of everything I had felt in these past few days—the fear, the pain, and now, the relief.
She kissed me back, tender but certain, as if we had both found something we hadn't even known we were looking for.
When we finally pulled away, her forehead rested against mine.
"We've been through hell," she whispered. "But we survived."
I nodded. "We did. Together."
It was time to end this once and for all. We had taken down Victor Cardigan and his cult. We had stopped their plan to manipulate time, to control the future with Rathadium.
But the cost had been high. The battles we fought—internally and externally—left marks that would never fade.
I knew I had little time left. My disease was still there, lingering in the background.
But right now, it didn't matter. Because I had Serina.
And no matter what comes next, I knew we would face it together.
This was the beginning of something new, something worth fighting for.
She held my face and I held her's,her smile settled to one side making it look odd. I knew I was holding her face but I didn't feel a thing.
Why serina feels so far all of a sudden
"What happened" she doubted. "Noth–" my voice muffled itself even for me. I couldn't hear anything around me–just muffled noises.I'm still holding her face but it felt so much far. "Serina...." She stood there–not moving a single hair strand
To be continued