Chapter 123

Chapter 123

The cabin fell silent.

Ares stood beneath the torn opening in the aircraft ceiling.

Rain poured through the gap.

Wind screamed around him.

Lightning flashed outside.

Yet none of it seemed to touch him.

He stood perfectly still.

Perfectly calm.

Like a king standing inside his throne room.

Not a man hanging thousands of feet above the ocean.

Not a man surrounded by enemies.

The confidence was terrifying.

But not as terrifying as his words.

"You're worth destroying the world for."

Damon's eyes narrowed.

The statement wasn't admiration.

It wasn't praise.

It sounded like a diagnosis.

Ares looked directly at him.

Studying him.

Evaluating him.

The same way Vale did.

And Damon hated it.

Across the cabin, Isabella had gone pale.

Very pale.

Because she recognized that look.

Ares wasn't looking at Damon as a person.

He was looking at him as an answer.

A solution.

An experiment.

A thing.

The exact same way Vale viewed people.

Luca stepped forward.

Immediately.

Placing himself completely between Damon and Ares.

The movement happened without thought.

Without hesitation.

Pure instinct.

Pure protection.

The moment it happened

Everyone noticed.

Including Ares.

Especially Ares.

For a brief second

Something almost resembling amusement crossed his face.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"Luca."

His voice remained calm.

"You always were predictable."

Luca's expression darkened.

"I learned from you."

Silence.

Then unexpectedly

Ares laughed.

A genuine laugh.

The sound unsettled everyone.

Because monsters weren't supposed to laugh.

Monsters weren't supposed to seem human.

Yet Ares somehow did.

Which made him even worse.

"That's fair."

The aircraft shook violently.

Another alarm sounded.

The pilot shouted something from the cockpit.

Nobody paid attention.

Because all attention remained fixed on Ares.

On the danger standing directly in front of them.

Damon's hand remained on his weapon.

Ready.

Prepared.

Waiting.

Ares noticed.

Of course he did.

Then he said something unexpected.

"If you're going to shoot me, do it now."

Nobody moved.

Not because they didn't want to.

Because the statement felt wrong.

Like a trap.

Like bait.

Ares tilted his head slightly.

Then sighed.

"See?"

Silence.

"You already know."

The words confused everyone.

Except Luca.

Luca understood immediately.

And his stomach dropped.

Because Ares was right.

Everyone already knew.

Shooting him wouldn't be enough.

It never had been.

Then Nova moved.

Fast.

Faster than most people could react.

Her weapon came up.

A single shot echoed through the cabin.

The bullet struck Ares directly in the shoulder.

Impact.

Blood.

The force should have staggered him.

Should have hurt him.

Should have done something.

Instead

Ares barely blinked.

The room froze.

No.

No.

No.

Blood slowly stained his black clothing.

Yet he remained standing.

Unbothered.

Almost disappointed.

Then he looked down at the wound.

Examined it.

Before lifting his eyes back toward Nova.

"Thank you."

Silence.

"What?"

Nova whispered.

Ares flexed his injured arm.

Once.

Twice.

Then nodded.

"It was becoming stiff."

Nobody liked that answer.

Nobody.

Cassian looked horrified.

"I officially resign."

The statement broke absolutely no tension.

Ares ignored him.

His gaze returned to Luca.

Then the amusement disappeared completely.

Replaced by something colder.

Something older.

Disappointment.

"Luca."

The name felt heavy.

Dangerous.

"You disappointed her."

Silence.

Everyone watched Luca carefully.

Because they could see it.

The old wounds.

The old scars.

The old fears.

Trying to crawl back.

Trying to reclaim him.

But something was different now.

This wasn't the same Luca.

Not anymore.

The Luca who obeyed orders had died a long time ago.

The Luca who feared punishment had died too.

Ares simply hadn't realized it yet.

"I know."

The answer surprised everyone.

Including Ares.

Luca's voice was calm.

Steady.

Certain.

"I disappointed her."

A pause.

Then:

"I'm proud of that."

Silence exploded through the cabin.

Because nobody expected those words.

Least of all Ares.

For the first time

A genuine crack appeared in the older man's composure.

Tiny.

Brief.

Yet visible.

Shock.

Actual shock.

Then something happened that surprised everyone even more.

Ares smiled.

Not mockingly.

Not cruelly.

Almost proudly.

The sight was disturbing.

Deeply disturbing.

Because pride should not look like that.

Then Ares spoke softly.

"Good."

Nobody understood.

Least of all Luca.

The confusion showed immediately.

Ares noticed.

Of course he did.

Then he delivered a truth no one expected.

"You're finally thinking for yourself."

Silence.

The words echoed through the aircraft.

Heavy.

Complicated.

Wrong.

Because this wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go.

Ares was supposed to be loyal.

Supposed to be obedient.

Supposed to worship Vale.

Instead

He sounded tired.

Very tired.

Damon noticed it.

Immediately.

And apparently so did Isabella.

Because both of them frowned at the exact same moment.

Ares saw.

Then laughed quietly.

"You think I came here to stop you."

Nobody answered.

Because they did.

Of course they did.

Then Ares shook his head.

Slowly.

"No."

The single word changed everything.

Luca's eyes widened.

"What?"

Ares looked toward the storm outside.

Toward the distant island.

Toward the kingdom Vale had built.

Then he whispered:

"I came to see if she was wrong."

Silence.

Complete silence.

Because suddenly

Nothing made sense anymore.

Then Ares looked directly at Damon.

Straight into his eyes.

And asked:

"Tell me something."

Damon said nothing.

Waiting.

Watching.

Ares continued.

"Why do they follow you?"

The question caught him off guard.

Not because it was difficult.

Because it sounded sincere.

Actually sincere.

Like Ares genuinely didn't understand.

Like Vale.

Exactly like Vale.

The realization hit Damon instantly.

For all their intelligence.

For all their power.

For all their manipulation

Neither of them understood love.

Or loyalty.

Or trust.

Not really.

Because nobody had ever given those things to them freely.

Then Damon answered.

Quietly.

"They choose to."

Silence.

Ares stared at him.

Processing.

Thinking.

Analyzing.

Then for the first time since boarding the aircraft

Real emotion crossed his face.

Sadness.

Just for a second.

Then it vanished.

The aircraft suddenly shook violently.

Harder than before.

Much harder.

Warning sirens erupted.

The pilot's voice exploded through the intercom.

"We've lost another engine!"

The cabin lurched.

Everyone stumbled.

The ocean appeared alarmingly close through the windows.

Far too close.

The island now dominated the horizon.

Massive.

Terrifying.

Near.

Very near.

Then Ares looked toward the cockpit.

And sighed.

"We're out of time."

His gaze shifted back to Damon.

Then Luca.

Then Isabella.

One after another.

As though memorizing them.

Then he said the one thing nobody expected.

"Save the children."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Because the words sounded genuine.

They sounded real.

Then Ares stepped backward.

Toward the hole in the aircraft ceiling.

Wind and rain immediately swallowed him.

Luca stared.

Confused.

"What are you doing?"

Ares paused.

For the first time in years

A small smile touched his face.

A human smile.

A sad one.

Then he answered.

"Finishing my last mission."

Before anyone could stop him

He jumped.

Disappearing into the storm.

And somewhere below

Near the island

A massive explosion suddenly lit up the darkness.

One of Vale's primary anti-air defense towers erupted into flames.

Then another.

And another.

The entire aircraft fell silent.

Because they finally understood.

Ares had never come to kill them.

He had come to give them a way in.