He said "kill them all." But he didn't an the soldiers. He ant the witnesses. The archivists. The civilians who dared to keep their eyes open.
Scene: Sector 3 – Independent Studio Loft, 2:08 a.m.
Callum hadn't slept in two days.
Not because of fear — not entirely.She'd been sketching again.
This ti, not faces. Not protests.
But buildings.
Falling.
Exploding.
And hands — reaching through static, clutching at light.
She didn't know why she drew them.
Only that her fingers moved like mory was bleeding through her bones.
She was midway through inking a rooftop skyline when her wrist twitched.
Not hers.
A reflex.
The sensation hit her like a panic attack — but it wasn't fear.
It was distance collapsing.
She turned toward the window.
And saw nothing.
But her pencils began to roll off the table.
She stood.Moved slowly to the window.Looked down.
Nothing on the street.
No motion.
No sound.
Just the flicker of a Concord-grade shimr field warping at the corner of the alley.
Then—
The lights cut out.
Scene: Studio Interior – Seconds Later
Callum didn't run.
She reached for her comm.
It sparked.
Disabled.
The door didn't slam open.
It fizzled.
As if it had never existed.
Two figures stepped through.
Unmarked. Armor matte black. No insignia — but she recognized the helts.
Zodiac Oga Unit.
Silent extraction team.
They didn't speak.
They didn't draw weapons.
One lifted a palm.
The stunner pulse hit her chest—
And stopped.
Because she scread.
But not a human scream.
A frequency.
And every light in the room shattered.
Scene: Rook's Safehouse — 2:10 a.m.
Rook sat bolt upright.
His comm lit before it buzzed.
Aya: "Studio loft breach. Oga protocol tag detected."
Tessa: "It's Callum."
Rook was already moving.
"No strike teams," he said. "They're not trying to scare us."
"They're erasing pieces," Aya muttered. "Starting with the mory girl."
Scene: Callum's Studio – Three Minutes Later
When Rook arrived, it wasn't with a team.
Just him.
He stepped through smoke.
Through ash.
Through the shattered lightglass and heat-warped steel.
No body.
No blood.
Just a sketchbook, charred at the edges.
He opened it.
Inside: one final drawing.
Not a person.
Not a Zodiac.
But a hand.
Reaching back through a wall of static.
Above it, she'd written:
"I saw you reaching for the fire.So I held the match first."
Scene: Zodiac War Room — Hero Tower
Zodiac Aries stood silent while Scorpio reviewed the scan data.
"No signature. No distress call."
"Perfect," Aries said.
Libra looked pale. "We should've gone for Vale himself."
"No," Aries said.
"You don't stab the assassin.You blind his historian."
He turned.
"Let's see how he performs when no one is left to record it."
Scene: Rooftop — That Night
Rook stood alone.
The sketchbook in his hand.
His face unreadable.
Aya behind him. Silent.
Tessa stepped forward. Laid a hand on his arm.
He didn't flinch.
Didn't speak.
He just opened the book again. Read the line one more ti.
Then said softly:
"This is war now."
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