The storm had gone quiet.
For the first time in months, the red haze above the city began to thin, revealing a pale sky. The lightning was gone. The air was still. But the silence wasn’t peace — it was aftershock.
Nova stood beside the ruins of the Spire, her rifle hanging loose at her side. She watched Leon as he walked to the edge of the crater, the wind catching his torn coat. His eyes glowed faintly — one blue, one red — pulsing in rhythm with the faint hum that filled the air.
He didn’t say a word.
“Leon,” she called softly. “Talk to me. Please.”
He didn’t turn around.
[System Active.]
[Network Integration: 43%.]
[Command Potential: 61%.]
He could feel everything — every circuit buried beneath the city, every machine whispering through the storm. The Apex wasn’t dead. It had
