Chapter 124

Chapter 124

For several seconds after Ares disappeared

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody breathed.

The storm continued raging outside.

Rain hammered against the aircraft.

Lightning illuminated the sky.

And below

The ocean burned.

Massive explosions tore through the darkness.

One defense tower after another erupted into flames.

Fire blossomed across the island's coastline.

Shockwaves rippled through the night.

The sight was impossible.

Unbelievable.

Yet it was happening.

Ares had betrayed Vale.

The realization refused to settle properly.

Because it didn't make sense.

Nothing about Ares suggested rebellion.

Nothing about him suggested hope.

Nothing about him suggested freedom.

Yet somehow

At the very end

He had chosen.

Just like Elena.

Just like Luca.

Just like Isabella.

Damon watched the burning towers through the aircraft window.

Thinking.

Always thinking.

Then something occurred to him.

Something important.

Something terrible.

"He knew."

Silence.

Everyone looked toward him.

"What?"

Nova asked.

Damon's gaze remained fixed on the fire below.

"He knew he wasn't coming back."

The realization settled heavily over the cabin.

Because it was true.

Ares hadn't jumped to escape.

He hadn't jumped to survive.

He had jumped to complete a suicide mission.

A final choice.

A final act of defiance.

For the first time in his life

Ares had chosen his own objective.

The thought made Luca's chest ache.

Unexpectedly.

Painfully.

Because despite everything

Despite the training.

Despite the violence.

Despite the fear.

Ares had been part of his childhood.

One of the constants.

One of the monsters.

And now he was gone.

Just like that.

The aircraft suddenly shook violently.

Everyone snapped back to reality.

Immediately.

Warning alarms continued screaming.

The pilot sounded ready to murder someone.

Probably everyone.

"We're going down!"

Nobody liked that announcement.

Not even a little.

The remaining engine sputtered.

Coughed.

Then screamed in protest.

The aircraft lost altitude rapidly.

The island rushed toward them.

Far too quickly.

Hale stared at the navigation systems.

Then swore.

"Brace for impact."

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

The cabin immediately erupted into activity.

Everyone securing equipment.

Checking weapons.

Preparing for a crash landing.

The countdown continued on the nearest monitor.

02:11:47

Less than three hours.

Less than three hours before Program Ascension.

Less than three hours before disaster.

Damon tightened the straps securing his gear.

His mind already moving ahead.

Landing.

Finding the children.

Stopping Vale.

Surviving.

Hopefully.

Though he wasn't making promises.

Across the cabin, Isabella suddenly stood.

A look of horror crossing her face.

"What is it?"

Mira asked immediately.

Isabella pointed through the window.

Toward the center of the island.

Everyone followed her gaze.

Then froze.

Because now they could see it.

The structure.

The real heart of Vale's kingdom.

A massive tower rose from the island's center.

Towering over everything.

Steel.

Glass.

Concrete.

Monstrous.

The building disappeared into the clouds above.

Like something built by giants.

Like something designed to intimidate.

To dominate.

To remind everyone who held power.

The sight made Isabella go pale.

"No."

Pure fear.

Immediate.

Genuine.

Damon looked at her.

"What?"

She swallowed.

Hard.

Then whispered:

"That's new."

Silence.

Nobody liked that answer.

Nobody.

Because Isabella had spent fifteen years on this island.

If she didn't recognize the tower

That meant Vale built it recently.

For Ascension.

For whatever came next.

The realization made everyone uneasy.

Then the aircraft suddenly broke through the cloud layer.

The island exploded into view beneath them.

And every single person froze.

Because the island wasn't just large.

It was enormous.

Cities.

Training compounds.

Laboratories.

Airfields.

Military bases.

Docks.

Barracks.

Observation towers.

Entire neighborhoods.

Thousands of people.

Thousands.

The scale was beyond imagination.

Vale hadn't built a facility.

She had built a nation.

A hidden nation.

One that answered only to her.

Nova stared.

Speechless.

A rare occurrence.

Cassian looked equally stunned.

"I take back every joke I've ever made."

No one responded.

Because they were all thinking the same thing.

How do you stop something this big?

How do you destroy an empire?

The answer came from Luca.

Quietly.

"You don't."

Everyone looked at him.

His expression was cold.

Focused.

Determined.

"You cut off the head."

Silence.

Because he was right.

Vale.

Everything came back to Vale.

The island.

The Program.

The children.

The army.

The tower.

Ascension.

Vale sat at the center of all of it.

And if they wanted any chance of winning

She had to fall.

Immediately.

The pilot's voice interrupted.

Again.

This time sounding genuinely terrified.

"Impact in sixty seconds."

The cabin erupted.

Everyone taking positions.

Preparing.

Bracing.

Outside

The island grew larger.

Closer.

Closer.

Closer.

The countdown flashed.

02:08:13

Then suddenly

Every screen inside the aircraft activated simultaneously.

Static.

One screen.

Two screens.

Ten screens.

Every monitor.

Every display.

Every device.

Static filled them all.

Then a familiar face appeared.

Vale.

Of course.

The woman smiled.

Calm.

Elegant.

Completely unbothered by the explosions destroying parts of her defenses.

As if she had expected them.

As if Ares' betrayal changed nothing.

Which was somehow terrifying.

Vale looked directly into the camera.

Then directly at Damon.

As though she could see him.

As though she were standing inside the cabin.

Then she spoke.

"Welcome home."

The words echoed through the aircraft.

Heavy.

Wrong.

Damon's jaw tightened.

Vale's smile widened.

Then her gaze shifted.

Toward Luca.

For a brief moment

Something dangerous appeared in her eyes.

Something personal.

Something furious.

Then it vanished.

Replaced by amusement.

"You brought him."

The statement wasn't directed at Damon.

It was directed at everyone.

At fate itself.

At the universe.

Vale looked delighted.

Genuinely delighted.

Which immediately terrified everyone.

Then she delivered one final message.

A message that turned the entire cabin cold.

"Don't worry."

A pause.

A smile.

Then:

"I've prepared a special welcome for Luca."

The transmission ended.

Every screen went black.

Silence filled the aircraft.

Dead silence.

Because every person onboard knew exactly what that meant.

Vale wasn't planning to kill Luca.

Not immediately.

No.

She wanted him to suffer first.

And somewhere deep within the tower at the center of the island

A steel door slowly opened.

Revealing a prisoner hidden for nearly twenty years.

A prisoner whose existence could destroy everything.

The figure lifted their head.

And whispered one name.

"Damon.”