The first rays of sunlight spilled through the cracked blinds.
Elias sat at the kitchen table, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands, staring at nothing.
Sophia entered, her hair a mess, yawning loudly.
"Well," she said, plopping into the seat across from him, "that was the most traumatizing sleepover I've ever had."
Elias managed a weak chuckle.
It wasn't much, but it was something.
Sophia smiled a little, pushing a plate of burnt toast toward him.
"You're welcome," she said. "I'm a terrible cook, but my therapy sessions come with breakfast."
Elias smiled faintly but didn't move to eat. His mind churned with everything that had happened.
---
Suddenly, the familiar soft chime echoed from his wrist.
The watch screen lit up:
> New Task Available: 'Find Your Inner Strength.'
Reward: Enhanced Healing, Emotional Resilience, and Improved Reflexes.
Elias frowned.
Inner strength?
As if sensing his thoughts, Sophia leaned in.
"What's it saying now?" she asked curiously.
He showed her.
She whistled low.
"Sounds like therapy on steroids," she teased, winking.
"Yeah," Elias muttered, "except therapy usually doesn't involve getting shot at."
---
Sophia sprawled across the couch, sketching on a worn-out notebook.
Callum, awake and groggy, slurped instant noodles like a starving animal.
Elias paced the floor, deep in thought.
"We can't stay here," he said finally. "Adrian knows too much. Kane's people might regroup."
"Agreed," Sophia said, twirling her pen. "We need a real plan. Something bigger than running."
Callum looked up, noodles dangling from his mouth.
"I might... know a guy," he said sheepishly.
Sophia raised an eyebrow.
"Is it one of your shady internet friends?"
Callum nodded proudly.
"Best hacker in the Midwest. Goes by 'Glitch.' Real name's Henry Ortega. Thirty, Hispanic, skinny, with wild curly hair, and a bad habit of vaping every five seconds."
Sophia smirked.
"Sounds charming."
Callum shrugged.
"He's a genius. He could wipe Kane's accounts. Find their safehouses. Hell, he could probably fake us new identities if needed."
Elias thought for a moment.
"Set up a meeting."
--
Miles away, in a cold, corporate office tower, Kane sat in the dark.
On the table before him: files, photos of Elias, Sophia, Callum.
He stared at them with burning hatred.
"You think you've won, Elias?" he murmured.
A woman entered the room — tall, athletic, dark-skinned, late twenties, with piercing green eyes and a cold aura.
Her name was Draya King, Kane's top enforcer.
"Find them," Kane ordered.
"And if I do?" she asked, voice like silk and steel.
Kane smiled cruelly.
"Bring me their heads."
---
That night, the watch buzzed again.
> Optional Side Task: "Reconnect with Humanity."
Reward: Unlock Minor Charm Boost + Understanding Hidden Emotions.
Elias stared at it.
Reconnect with humanity?
He didn't even know if he belonged to humanity anymore.
Sophia caught him brooding and threw a pillow at his face.
"Hey, Mr. Emo, lighten up," she grinned. "You're not saving the world by being sad."
Callum cackled from the couch.
"Yeah, bro! You gotta smile once in a while. It won't kill you... probably."
Despite himself, Elias laughed.
And for a brief moment…
the world didn't feel so broken after all.
---