Seven Days Of Redemption

"When you chase the past, make sure it doesn't bury you."

---

Luminis City — Three Days Later

The city never truly slept.

Luminis sparkled with neon and headlights, with streets filled by lives too busy to notice one girl watching the world from a window. Elena sat curled in the corner of a small apartment Milo had found for her, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes hollow.

The couch creaked when she shifted, her hand slipping into her pocket.

She pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Aiden's last message.

"Live. Please, live. Far from them. You made me feel human again. Don't try to find me."

She had memorized every word, every curve of his writing. But it wasn't enough. Not after everything they had shared. Not after the moments that still played in her dreams.

She held onto that note like it was his heartbeat.

But she couldn't pretend forever.

"I'm not safe," she whispered. "Not really."

---

That Morning — Milo's Bag

While Milo was out, she searched his duffle for answers. She wasn't proud of it. But she had to know more. There was too much silence. Too many missing pieces.

She found it hidden behind a false lining.

A photo. Old, worn at the edges. Two men stood side by side. One, she recognized instantly — her father, Arthur Valemore. The other, she didn't. Cold eyes. Pale hair. A sharp grin.

On the back, written in black ink:

Lucien.

Her chest tightened.

Lucien… Aiden's mentor.

---

Old Quarter, Luminis — The Abandoned Chapel

She found him exactly where rumors whispered he might be — behind the ruins of a burned-down chapel turned into a garden, full of overgrown vines and broken statues.

Lucien sat on a bench like he belonged there. Calm. Composed. Watching the sky.

"You came," he said before she even spoke.

Elena stopped at the gate. "You were expecting me?"

"Your father would've come here, too. Eventually, truth becomes louder than fear."

She didn't move closer.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Lucien looked up. "To remember. Or to wait. Perhaps both."

She took a careful breath. "You knew my father."

Lucien smiled faintly. "Arthur was brilliant. Idealistic. That made him dangerous."

"To the Syndicate?" she asked.

"To people who profit from silence."

Elena's fists trembled. "They want me dead."

"Yes."

"And you're not stopping them?"

Lucien stood slowly. "You think it's that simple?"

"You trained Aiden to kill me."

"I trained Aiden to survive," Lucien replied. "What he does with that training… is his rebellion."

"You didn't answer me."

"I'm not going to harm you. Not yet."

"Why not?"

Lucien gave a chilling smile. "Because I want to see what kind of woman Arthur's daughter becomes. Before the game ends."

---

Meanwhile — Aiden's Hideout, Outer Sector

Aiden leaned over a cracked screen, Milo's laptop glowing with encrypted files. His wound throbbed with every movement, but pain didn't matter. Not now.

Project Lucentia.

He stared at it. That name again.

The more he decrypted, the more horrifying it became.

A virus designed to suppress free will. A mind-control experiment buried by the government, later stolen by the Syndicate.

Elena's father had created a counter-agent. A serum. A genetic resistance.

And he tested it… on his daughter.

Aiden dropped the mouse. Sat back.

"She's the cure," he whispered. "Her presence… weakens their control."

He remembered how his thoughts changed around her. The guilt. The clarity. The pain.

Not because he was broken.

But because she made him feel human.

---

That Night — Elena's Apartment

Elena didn't sleep. Couldn't.

She stared at the violin case by her bed. It used to be a piece of her world. Now it felt like a memory from someone else's life.

Lucien's words echoed in her mind.

"You're not just his daughter. You're the key."

She didn't know if she believed him.

But she knew one thing.

This wasn't just about Aiden anymore.

It was about truth.

---

Later — Milo Confronts Aiden

"You look like hell," Milo muttered, tossing a packet of antiseptic wipes on the table.

Aiden ignored it. "She's not answering."

"She's doing what you asked."

"No," Aiden said, eyes narrowed. "She's digging. I know her. She's following clues."

Milo crossed his arms. "And what if she is? You left her, remember?"

"I left her to protect her."

Milo leaned forward. "From Lucien? Or from you?"

Aiden went quiet.

"You think she's safe?" Milo continued. "She's walking into the spider's web. You know how Lucien plays."

Aiden's voice dropped. "He won't touch her."

"And what if he lets someone else?"

Aiden's jaw clenched. "Then I'll end them all."

---

Somewhere Dark — Syndicate Surveillance Room

Lucien stood before rows of screens.

One showed Elena entering her apartment.

Another — Aiden in a worn-out building, pacing like a caged wolf.

Behind him, a voice broke the silence.

"She came to you?"

Lucien didn't turn. "Yes."

"Why didn't you silence her?"

Lucien's hand hovered over a control panel. "Because fear is louder than blood. Let her run. Let her feel watched. Hunted. It'll push Aiden out."

"You're using her."

"She's the perfect pressure point," Lucien said. "He'll come to save her. And when he does… he'll finally break."

---

Elena's Thoughts — Window Scene

The city lights shimmered like stars fallen to the ground.

Elena touched the glass gently, her breath fogging the pane.

She held Aiden's note again.

"Don't try to find me."

But she already had.

And she knew now: Aiden hadn't been sent to kill her because of who she was…

But because of what she represented.

A hope the Syndicate couldn't control.

A spark they couldn't extinguish.

---

Final Scene — Aiden Loads His Weapon

Aiden locked the last round into the chamber.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. The scars. The blood. The tired eyes.

"I was born to be their weapon," he whispered.

He slid the gun into his holster.

"But I'm choosing my own war now."

As he walked into the night, the rain began to fall again.

Not to wash away the blood…

…but to signal the beginning of something new.

---

To be continued...