Kael sat in the back of the military rover, watching the land roll by in silence.
The desert was fading behind them now, replaced by rocky hills and long stretches of blackened trees, scars from some old war. The sun hung low in the sky, a pale orb behind layers of ash-clouds. Even outside GenCore, the world felt damaged.
But not dead.
Not like the cells he came from.
Across from him sat Commander Aria Velar.
She hadn't said much since they took him in, only asked a few questions: his name, his age, and whether he could walk on his own. She didn't press further, didn't ask about the Spiral or why GenCore had listed him as a "biological risk."
Kael didn't answer much, either. He didn't trust anyone yet, not even the girl who had just saved his life.
But he watched her carefully.
Aria moved like someone trained from birth, disciplined, calm, aware of every sound and motion around her. Her squad obeyed her without question. Even the older soldiers.
"She's not just military", Kael thought.
"She's someone important."
The seven-winged crest on her chest plate, House Velar. One of the major families.
Kael had heard whispers about them even inside the mines. Some said they were the family in charge of border territories. Others claimed they trained their children to command armies before they could walk.
Whatever the truth was, Aria didn't act like the elite Kael imagined.
She glanced at him once, then spoke. "You're quieter than most people I rescue."
Kael didn't answer right away. "Most people you rescue aren't being hunted by GenCore."
She gave a small smile. "Fair point."
A long pause stretched between them. The only sound was the hum of the rover and the wind outside.
Finally, Kael asked, "Why did you really help me?"
She looked at him, this time more seriously. "Because I don't like the way GenCore moves in the shadows. And because I saw the scan."
"You saw what I am?"
"I saw something the database didn't understand," she said. "That means GenCore either lost control of something… or created something they regret."
Kael looked away.
"I didn't ask for this."
"No one ever does," Aria said softly. "But it's yours now."
They reached a hidden checkpoint by nightfall, one of Velar's private outposts built into the cliffs. Kael was led to a small room. Clean, warm, and quiet.
Too quiet.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands.
The Spiral was still weak. But it pulsed now and then, like a sleeping heart.
Aria had told him they'd leave for a new location in the morning. Safer. Further from GenCore's eyes.
But Kael knew nothing was safe anymore.
Especially not with what was inside him.
Still… for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like a prisoner.
He felt like someone who could maybe survive.
Maybe.
-------------------------------------------------------
End of Chapter 4 of volume 2