The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning metal and scorched earth. Smoke curled in lazy tendrils through the ruins, carrying with it the echoes of destruction. The once-thriving sector was now reduced to rubble, littered with shattered buildings, twisted steel, and the unrecognizable remains of what had once been lives full of promise.
Council Member Zero stood in silence, hands bound, his face devoid of emotion. The officers had taken him into custody moments ago, but none of them could ignore the sheer horror surrounding them. One officer, a grizzled veteran with lines etched deep into his face, exhaled sharply and shook his head.
"This... this is the worst atrocity I have ever seen," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. His gloved hand tightened around his rifle as he surveyed the devastation. "What have they done?"
Another officer, younger and visibly shaken, swallowed hard. His eyes darted from one blood-soaked corner to the next, the crimson stains painting a grotesque picture. "It looks like a war zone," he muttered. "Like they dropped a dozen missiles right here. There's nothing left. Just... blood. Everywhere."
He turned away, nausea creeping up his throat. "I don't want to be here. I need to get out of here. Fast."
The commanding officer, a man of few words and an iron will, shot him a steely glare. "Enough. We have a job to do. You either get to work, or you might just end up becoming part of this place yourself."
The warning was enough to silence the younger officer, who quickly straightened up and joined the others in securing the area. They moved with precision, sweeping through the wreckage, their boots crunching over debris, glass, and remnants of the lives lost. The grim reality of their work weighed heavily upon them, but they could not afford to hesitate.
Meanwhile, Council Member Zero remained motionless, his expression unreadable. There was no fear, no remorse, not even a hint of defiance. He simply waited, as if he had already accepted his fate. The officers wasted no time; within moments, he was ushered into a heavily armored transport vehicle, his final destination—prison.
As the convoy prepared to leave, the lead officer cast one last glance at the wasteland before him.
"This wasn't just an attack," he said grimly. "This was a message."
And as the smoke continued to rise into the darkening sky, he couldn't shake the feeling that the true nightmare was only just beginning.
(The scene switches to Isaac's car)
Kazen stirred, his body aching as he slowly regained consciousness. His vision blurred before sharpening, revealing the dim interior of a moving vehicle. The steady hum of the engine filled his ears, and as he took in his surroundings, realization struck him—he was still alive. The war was over.
A gasp escaped his lips. "I'm still alive!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief and relief. He turned to the others in the car, his heart pounding. "Thank you… thank you for saving me."
Isaac, gripping the steering wheel tightly, didn't turn to face him. His knuckles were white, his face streaked with tears. "We lost Captain Zenix," he said, his voice hoarse and raw. "How can we be happy, Kazen? They may be dead or captured, but we lost him."
Silence settled over the car, heavy and suffocating. The weight of loss pressed down on them, stealing away any sense of victory.
Kazen's gratitude faded into grief. He looked at Isaac, seeing the pain etched into his features.
Isaac took a shaky breath, wiping his eyes quickly. "And don't think we're safe. The cops will start hunting us soon. We can't stay out here. We need to get back to base."
His voice wavered, but his hands remained steady on the wheel. He pressed down on the accelerator, the car speeding toward whatever lay ahead. Behind them, the echoes of war still lingered, and the scars it left would never truly fade.
They reached the base, exhaustion weighing heavily on them. The moment they arrived, doctors rushed in, immediately administering medical treatment. Hellesa, despite suffering from torn muscles, could move without pain. It was unnatural—her wounds should have rendered her immobile. The doctors murmured among themselves, speculating that her genetics might be the key. Perhaps she possessed infinite potential.
Meanwhile, Izaki sat beside Maria, his expression serious. He hesitated before speaking. "Maria, there's something I need to tell you about Hellesa. When she was taken over by that mysterious spirit... it changed her."
Maria frowned, recalling something from the past. "That's exactly how Makima was," she muttered. "Is this some kind of genetic ability?"
Izaki scoffed. "If it's genetic, then why don't I have it?"
Maria studied him for a moment before responding, "I don't know. You resemble Zenix far more than Makima."
Izaki exhaled, nodding. "Yeah, you're right."
Maria hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I need to tell you the truth, Izaki."
His eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
She looked him straight in the eye. "Hellesa was never adopted."
Izaki's body tensed. "What?!"
Maria sighed. "Your mother didn't want anyone to know. And Council Member Zero... he is your father. Yours and Hellesa's."
Izaki's face twisted in disbelief. "You're lying. You're lying!"
His breath became uneven, and his mind reeled from the revelation. The words rang in his ears, but he refused to accept them. His vision blurred, and before he could protest further, exhaustion overtook him. He fell asleep, his body unable to bear the weight of the truth.
Maria sighed, shifting her gaze to Kazen, who was eating quietly. Her thoughts wandered. This guy seems odd. Why did Zenix warn me to stay away from him when he's mad? He doesn't seem dangerous... He looks harmless.
Breaking the silence, Isaac addressed them all. "Once you're healed, we start training."
Kazen raised an eyebrow. "Why training? We're out of trouble. There's no problem anymore."
Isaac's eyes darkened. "Don't you understand? The cops are searching for us. If they find us, we need to be strong enough to fight or run."
Maria crossed her arms. "Council Member Zero will come back. No one can contain him. He's a beast—far too strong. And then there's Akin. He'll come after us too. We're the reason the battle escalated so much."
Kazen scoffed. "Didn't we save him? The only reason he's still alive is because of us. He should help us. If he doesn't, we'll convince him. We're all fighting against Meteosity anyway."
Isaac's expression hardened. "I won't team up with BCB. Before the battle, I promised Zenix I wouldn't support or join the enemy. I won't break his promise."
Maria exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "And that's where the real problem begins."
A day had passed since Council Member Zero was captured and transported to a high-security prison. The authorities, well aware of his power, took no chances. He was placed in restraints reinforced with the strongest materials, and a dozen guards escorted him to a specially designed containment cell—one meant to hold the most dangerous individuals alive.
As the heavy steel doors groaned open, the guards moved cautiously, ushering him forward. But the moment he stepped inside, everything changed.
With a sudden burst of strength, Council Member Zero snapped his cuffs as if they were made of paper. The nearest guard barely had time to react before Zero grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground with bone-crushing force. The second guard lunged, trying to restrain him, but Zero's fist met his chest with devastating impact. The guard crumpled instantly, unconscious before he even hit the floor.
Alarms blared through the facility. The remaining officers scrambled, drawing their weapons, but Zero was already in motion. He darted down the corridor with unnatural speed, evading every attempt to slow him down. Gunfire echoed behind him, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off his skin. The guards' desperation grew as they realized conventional weapons were useless against him.
Reaching what he thought was the exit, Zero burst through a final set of doors—only to come to a sudden halt.
The open space before him was an illusion. Instead of freedom, he found himself standing in the heart of the prison, surrounded by towering walls that began to seal shut around him. He had not escaped. He had walked straight into a trap.
A voice crackled to life through the prison's intercom system. "Now that you've entered our real containment area, you will remain here until the day you die. Don't bother trying to break through the walls—they're reinforced beyond anything you've ever encountered. But if you want to waste your energy, go ahead. Just know, you'll only end up hurting yourself."
The voice carried a smug confidence, certain that the containment was impenetrable. But before the speaker could finish his sentence, a deafening crack echoed through the room.
The walls trembled.
Then, another impact. The thick, reinforced barrier buckled. Dust rained from the ceiling as a jagged fracture split across the surface.
The voice on the intercom sputtered in disbelief. "What the hell?! How did you—"
The sentence was never completed. The wall exploded outward, debris flying in all directions. Silence followed—stunned, horrified silence. The guards in the control room scrambled to their feet, their faces drained of color.
"Sound the alarm!" the officer in charge shouted. "Get every available guard down there—NOW!"
Within moments, a swarm of heavily armed personnel flooded the containment area. But when they arrived, they found nothing. The dust was still settling, the debris still shifting, but Council Member Zero was nowhere in sight.
One of the guards swallowed hard and activated his radio. "Boss… he's not here."
A cold chill swept through the room.
Before anyone could react, a shadow loomed behind the officer. Council Member Zero had materialized from nowhere. With a single, effortless strike, he knocked the guard unconscious, his body collapsing to the ground. Zero reached down, snatching the man's communication device. He lifted it to his lips and spoke in a calm, almost amused voice.
"Whatever you do, you can't restrain me."
Panic spread through the prison. The remaining guards raised their weapons and opened fire, but their bullets were useless. Zero walked through the hail of gunfire, unfazed. With swift, brutal efficiency, he dispatched every guard in his path. Bodies fell one by one, and within minutes, the once-secure prison had become a blood-soaked battleground.
Then, as the chaos reached its peak, a new presence arrived.
Other Council Members had come.
They entered the ruined prison, their expressions unreadable as they took in the scene before them. Council Member Zero stood amidst the wreckage, his eyes gleaming with quiet triumph. He knew why they had come.
They were not there to stop him.
They were there to take him back.
Council Member Zero emerged from the ruins of the prison, his presence exuding an aura of dominance. The other council members were already waiting for him, their expressions unreadable. Without a word, they escorted him to a waiting vehicle, its darkened windows shielding them from the outside world. The drive to headquarters was long and silent, the only sound being the low hum of the engine. Two hours later, they arrived at the heart of their operations—a towering fortress of power and secrecy.
Inside, they wasted no time and proceeded straight to the meeting room. The air was thick with tension as Council Member Zero took his seat at the head of the long, dimly lit table. His piercing gaze swept over the room before he finally spoke.
"This war has brought us great losses," he said, his voice cold and unwavering. "We've lost money, loyal agents, and invaluable weapons. We cannot afford to remain weakened. To recover, we will conduct another recruiting assembly." He leaned forward, his fingers tapping against the table. "Every applicant will pay a fee of one hundred dollars. The event will take place on the twenty-third of March. Additionally, our smugglers will be securing new weapons from overseas to replenish our arsenal."
Council Member One nodded, absorbing the information. "Understood, sir. I will draft and publish an advertisement announcing the recruitment assembly."
The others murmured in agreement, each contemplating their next move. They knew this was only the beginning. The war had left them vulnerable, but with the right strategy, they would rise stronger than ever before.
(The scene switches to BCB headquarters)
The atmosphere in the grand chamber of BCB headquarters was tense, the air thick with disappointment and unspoken fury. Akin stood before Merin, his superior, whose icy glare bore into him with unrelenting judgment. The other executives sat in silence, their expressions unreadable, but their lack of protest made it clear—they agreed with what was about to happen.
Merin's voice was cold, devoid of sympathy. "You have failed us, Akin. You were given resources, power, and authority. Yet, you squandered them. You did not achieve what was expected of you. Because of your incompetence, we have suffered losses. Now, you will be relieved of your position."
Akin's heart pounded. His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he fought to suppress the panic rising within him. "Please, sir, no!" he pleaded, his voice wavering. "I have tried my best. I did everything I could. Give me another chance! I won't fail again, I swear!"
Merin's expression remained unchanged. "You don't deserve to be here. You are no longer one of us. Leave now."
Silence followed. Akin's breath came in shallow gasps as he stared at the man who had once placed faith in him. But that faith was gone now, replaced by cold indifference. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut—there was no arguing, no persuading. He had been cast out.
With burning resentment in his eyes, he turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the BCB headquarters. Each step echoed in the vast halls, a painful reminder of what he had lost. His mind was consumed with fury, betrayal, and a single, burning desire.
Revenge.
They would regret what they had done to him.