As the arena descended further into chaos, Sophie found herself facing her mother across the blood-spattered floor. Kendall Reign—not a ghost, not a memory, but flesh and blood in Purge uniform. The woman who had abandoned her family years ago now stood before her daughter, alive and aligned with the enemy.
"You should stand down, Sophie," Kendall said, methodically removing her tactical gloves finger by finger. Her movements were precise, unhurried despite the destruction surrounding them. "This doesn't have to involve you."
Sophie's jaw clenched as she widened her stance, distributing her weight perfectly between both feet—a fighting posture her mother had taught her before disappearing from her life. "Doesn't involve me? You're attacking my school mates, my friends. You left us for years, and now you're back to what—destroy everything I care about?"
