Hope

Captured

Ash fell like snow as Riven, Nyra, and Eloen walked through the ruins of Epsilon. The place was quiet — too quiet. Broken buildings leaned against each other, and cold wind whistled through empty streets.

No one talked.

No one needed to.

They had lost too much already — Lio, Dray, and the others. The silence hurt more than words.

Riven held the small drive tight in his hand. It was the only clue they had left — the one that might lead to his sister, Mira. Every step felt heavier than the last.

“We’re close,” Nyra whispered, crouching behind a rusted car. She pointed to a line of floodlights ahead. “That’s the outer wall. Raiders guard this place night and day. We move when the lights sweep left.”

Riven nodded. His hands shook a little, but he kept his face steady.

When the light turned away, they ran.

They slipped through shadows and broken fences, crawling under pipes and climbing through old vents. Riven’s heart beat fast in his ears. Every sound made him freeze — even the creak of his own boots.

After what felt like hours, they found an old service door. Nyra kicked it open, and the three of them slipped inside. The hallway smelled like dust and oil. Rusted lights flickered weakly on the ceiling.

“This place is huge,” Eloen whispered. “How are we going to find anything?”

“We start small,” Nyra said. “Storage rooms, labs, anything with data.”

They moved down the hallway quietly. Riven could hear faint voices ahead — guards talking and laughing. He leaned closer to the wall, trying to listen. The words were hard to make out, but he caught one name — Overseer.

“Who’s that?” he whispered.

“Leader of the Raiders,” Nyra said. “Or so they say. No one’s seen him and lived to tell.”

They turned a corner — and froze.

Three Raiders stood at the end of the hall, guns slung over their shoulders. For one short second, no one moved. Then Eloen accidentally kicked a loose can on the floor. The noise echoed like thunder.

“Hey!” one of the Raiders shouted. “Who’s there?!”

“Run!” Nyra yelled.

They sprinted back the way they came. Gunshots cracked behind them. Sparks flew as bullets hit the walls. Riven ducked, grabbed Eloen’s arm, and pulled her through another door.

But before they could get far, something heavy shot from the ceiling — a net made of metal wires. It wrapped around them, dragging them to the ground.

“Get it off!” Riven shouted, struggling. But the more he fought, the tighter it pulled.

Boots stomped around them. The Raiders surrounded them, laughing. One of them hit Nyra with the butt of his gun when she tried to bite him. Eloen screamed as a rough hand yanked her up.

“Looks like we caught some rats,” one of the men said.

A taller figure stepped out from the shadows. His armor looked cleaner, his mask covered with metal plates. His voice was calm but cold.

“Don’t hurt them. The Overseer will want to see them alive.”

Riven glared at him. “Who are you?”

The man smiled behind the mask. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

They were dragged through a maze of halls and metal gates. Everywhere they looked, there were cages — filled with people. Some were weak and sick, others half-crazed, whispering to themselves. The air stank of blood and rust.

“What is this place?” Eloen whispered.

Nyra’s voice was low and angry. “It’s a prison.”

The Raiders pushed them into a large room with walls made of old steel. At the far end, someone sat on a raised platform — a man in a long coat, with scars across his face. His eyes were sharp, cold, and tired.

The tall Raider dropped to one knee. “Overseer, we caught these three sneaking in.”

The Overseer stood. “Bring them closer.”

They were shoved to the front. Riven tried to keep his head high even as fear crawled in his chest. The Overseer studied them one by one.

“So… people from the Deep,” he said. “I was starting to think none of you were left.”

Nyra’s voice was steady. “We came for someone. A girl. Mira.”

At the sound of the name, the Overseer paused for a second. “Ah. Mira. You’re too late.”

Riven’s heart stopped. “What do you mean?”

The Overseer turned away. “All will be explained. For now, take them to the Pit.”

“Wait—” Riven started, but a blow to the back of his head cut him off.

The last thing he saw was Eloen reaching toward him, shouting his name, before everything went black.