Lexicon I

Shattered Bonds

The rhythmic thumping of the helicopter blades cut through the night sky as Kinan stared out at the darkened landscape below. She sat in silence, her mind racing, trying to process everything that had happened. In just a few hours, their world had been turned upside down. First the school attack, then Sasha's abduction and rescue, and now this—on the run, with nowhere safe to hide.

Beside her, Olav sat in his usual calm posture, though Kinan could see the tension in his eyes. He hadn't spoken much since they had boarded the helicopter. Sasha, still weak from whatever had happened to her, lay strapped into one of the seats across from them. She was conscious but silent, staring off into space, her red eyes betraying no emotion.

Captain Price sat at the front, his expression grim. He hadn't said much either since picking them up at the hospital. But Kinan knew from his silence that things were worse than they seemed.

"What now?" Kinan finally asked, breaking the silence.

Price turned to look at her, his voice steady but hard. "We regroup. But first, there's something you need to know. Something I didn't tell you before."

Kinan's gut twisted. There it was—the truth that had been lurking beneath the surface, the thing they hadn't been told. She glanced at Olav, who gave her a brief nod. He was ready, just as she was.

"What is it?" Kinan asked, her voice firm.

Price leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Sasha isn't who you think she is. She's not just another operative. She's something... more."

Kinan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Price's eyes flicked toward Sasha, his expression dark. "She's not fully human."

Kinan's heart skipped a beat. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Olav sat up straighter, his gaze sharpening. "Explain."

Price took a deep breath, his voice low and serious. "Sasha—or Red Queen—is a demigod. Or at least, something close to it. She's a hybrid, created through a process that no one fully understands. But what we do know is that she has powers—abilities that make her extremely dangerous. The people who took her are part of a faction that's been hunting her for years."

Kinan stared at him, her mind spinning. A demigod? Powers? It sounded insane, impossible. But then, she remembered the blood-soaked room, the way Sasha had strangled Olav with unnatural strength, the empty look in her eyes when she had woken up.

"How?" Kinan asked, her voice tight. "How is that even possible?"

Price's jaw tightened. "I don't know all the details. All I know is that the people who created her—who experimented on her—believed they could harness her power. But they underestimated her. She's more powerful than they ever anticipated. That's why they want her back. They see her as a weapon."

Kinan's pulse raced as she tried to process the information. Sasha wasn't just a former operative. She wasn't just a transfer student. She was something else entirely—something far more dangerous.

Sasha's voice broke the tension in the cabin, low and distant. "I didn't ask for this."

Kinan turned to look at her, seeing the faint tremble in Sasha's hands. Her expression was empty, but there was something in her eyes—something vulnerable.

"I didn't ask to be this," Sasha continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't choose any of it."

Kinan's heart tightened. She wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come. How could she even begin to respond to that?