Ashes Of The Throne | Part I

Chapter 165 | The Mother Of All Betrayals

Eko found herself standing near the café she once loved—a place that had only opened a few months ago—now reduced to a blazing ruin. The building was swallowed by roaring flames; its windows were shattered, and its walls were charred beyond recognition. Scattered across the ground were the remnants of its staff—beaten, mangled, and grotesquely torn apart.

Despite the overwhelming horror, Eko pressed on, unleashing bursts of raw energy from her hands in a desperate bid to fend off the encroaching monsters. Her powers flared like brief, defiant sparks against the relentless tide of terror.

Then the deep, earth-shaking rumble of a collapsing skyscraper split the morning light. Eko's heart pounded as she watched the Allegiant HQ buckle and crumble like a fragile structure under immense pressure. She clamped a hand over her mouth, dread seizing her as she prayed that Matthew had managed to escape—he was the one person who truly understood survival like no one else.

Nearby, another building erupted in flames, spewing thick, choking smoke into the sky. Through the inferno, Eko could see civilians huddled in terror, their faces pale under the flickering light. Everywhere, the city was in chaos—fires roared unchecked, aircraft and helicopters fell from the sky, and an oppressive darkness and smoke swallowed everything. The heat was so intense that a stray step could scorch her skin.

Determined to regroup with the others, Eko forced herself to move forward. But the acrid smoke overwhelmed her; she coughed violently, her stomach twisting in agony. Doubling over, she clutched her abdomen and vomited onto the scorched pavement. The virus ravaging her body drained her strength by the second, and she spat out another mouthful of bile as she fought desperately for each breath.

She didn't notice the monstrous figures closing in until a pair of oversized boots entered her vision. They didn't belong to any Allegiant soldier she knew.

Eko's eyes snapped upward, her heart pounding like a bass drum in her chest. Even as terror constricted her lungs, she let out a sardonic laugh. "Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me," she drawled, her tone dripping with derision. Cid stood before her, that self-satisfied grin in place as always.

"Where's your husband?" he asked coolly.

She snorted. "He went and grabbed a coffee—took a break just to watch me kick your sorry asses around." Her smirk was razor-sharp, laced with biting wit and mocking challenge.

Cid chuckled, but his laughter died abruptly when Isis materialized beside him, clutching her side to stem the fresh blood oozing between trembling fingers. She looked battered, off-balance—rage radiating from every bruise. Eko figured Matthew had given her that parting gift, and she doubted Isis was any happier about it.

"Guess he handed you your ass, huh?" Eko taunted, raising a cocky eyebrow. In an instant, her jibe earned her a brutal backhand from Cid that sent her sprawling onto the scorched earth. The impact burned like wildfire as she dug her fingers into the dirt to steady herself, even as her ribs screamed in protest.

"You hit like a bitch," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Cid's cold sneer remained fixed. "That virus is devouring you from the inside," he said, each word slicing through the chaos like a sharpened blade. "It won't be long before all your precious little soldiers follow."

Rage and horror twisted in Eko's gut. Forcing the words out through shaking lips, she spat, "So it's you..." A raw cough tore from her throat. "You did this?"

"That it was," came his voice, Cid's laughter slithering through the night like a shard of ice. "Now, get up," he commanded, each word dripping with menace. A wave of nausea churned in Eko's gut, but she forced her trembling limbs to obey, rising unsteadily until she stood defiant before him.