PROLOGUE "Some secrets are buried for a reason... But no matter how deep you hide them... The past always finds its way back." The night smelled of blood and gunpowder. Explosions echoed through the forest as bullets tore through the darkness. "Run!" a man shouted. A woman clutched a newborn baby tightly against her chest, her breathing uneven as tears streamed down her face. "Take her..." she whispered, placing the baby into the man's trembling arms. "Zara, no..." he pleaded. "You have to leave." "I'll come back for you." She smiled sadly. "You know that's a lie." The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. There wasn't much time left. She gently touched the baby's tiny cheek. "My angel..." "If fate is kind..." "We'll meet again." The man gritted his teeth, holding back tears as he hugged the baby closer. "I promise..." "I'll protect her." Another explosion shook the ground. The woman stepped back, raising her weapon toward the approaching enemies. "GO!" That was the last time he ever saw her. •••••• Seventeen years later... Somewhere in the city... A seventeen-year-old girl laughed as she chased her best friend down the street, completely unaware that the war which stole her mother... ...had finally found her again. The shadows were returning.