Location: The Archive Chamber – Core Vault Sector
POV: Lia
Lia gripped her blade tighter, blood dripping from her fingers.
Zeyren stood just a few steps away, his arm still bleeding where she struck him.
He didn't flinch.
Didn't retaliate.
Instead, he looked at her like someone remembering an old, beautiful song.
"Do you know why you feel so angry?" he asked softly. "Why the fire inside you burns brighter than anyone else?"
Lia didn't respond.
"I gave you that fire," he continued. "You're not just their child. You're mine, too."
Silence.
A pin-drop moment of absolute disbelief.
"You're lying," she said, but her voice cracked.
"No. I'm not your father," Zeyren replied. "But I'm the reason you were born. I orchestrated everything. Your parents meeting. The timing. The exposure to Genesis during Ada's pregnancy…"
He stepped forward, arms wide.
"You are the perfect heir. A weapon of legacy and love."
Lia's heart pounded.
"You made me?"
"I made you matter." Zeyren's voice dropped to a whisper. "And now I'm going to make the world kneel—with you at my side."
---
Lia's Fury Awakens
Her scream cut the air like thunder.
Blade igniting with a new, unstable fire—part Genesis, part something else.
Zeyren smiled.
"I've been waiting for this side of you."
He opened his arms.
"Show me."