He needed time to think.
Sable had let him go. That wasn’t a victory.
It was a statement.
You’re already caught. You just don’t know it yet.
John exhaled slowly, moving through the narrow alleys of the lower districts, his mind running through every possible angle.
Cain wanted something from him.
Eli’s father had been involved in something bigger.
And now?
Now, John was at the center of it.
John’s footsteps were silent against the rain-slick pavement.
His fingers twitched.
What does Cain think I have?
That was the question.
Sable’s words had made it clear—this wasn’t about Eli anymore.
Eli’s father had disappeared. His research? Lost.
But Cain still wanted something. And he thought John had it.
That meant one of two things:
- Eli’s father left something behind—something tied to John.
- John had always been part of the project. He just didn’t know it.
Neither option sat well.
John had spent his life as a nobody.
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So why did Cain think he was important?
John took a sharp turn into a side alley—and stopped.
Someone was waiting for him.
Not Cain’s men.
Not Vance.
Not even Sable.
Aria.
She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching him.
"You look like someone just told you your whole life was a lie," she said.
John exhaled. "Funny. That’s about how my day’s going."
Aria’s smirk faded slightly. "You met Sable."
John didn’t ask how she knew.
He just nodded.
Aria studied him. "And you’re still standing. That’s rare."
John clenched his jaw. "What do you know?"
Aria sighed. "More than you. And less than I’d like."
John wasn’t in the mood for riddles.
"Then stop wasting time and tell me what you do know," he said.
Aria’s eyes darkened.
"Alright," she said. "But you’re not going to like it."
John was already bracing himself.
"Try me."
Aria exhaled.
Then she said the words that changed everything.
"You’re not the first."
John’s stomach dropped.
Not the first?
What the hell did that mean?
John forced himself to stay still. To think.
Not the first.
Not the first what?
His mind raced. Aria was watching him carefully, as if gauging his reaction.
"Explain," John said, voice controlled.
Aria hesitated. Then—"Cain’s been looking for something for a long time. You’re not the first person he’s had his eye on. But you’re the only one left."
John’s pulse spiked.
"The only one left," he repeated.
Aria nodded. "The others… they disappeared."
John clenched his fists.
"Disappeared."
He didn’t need to ask what that meant.
It meant Cain had tested this before.
And everyone else had failed.
John exhaled. "So what makes me different?"
Aria shrugged. "That’s what you have to figure out. Because whatever it is? Cain’s betting everything on it."
John’s jaw tightened.
This was worse than he thought.
This wasn’t just about Eli’s father.
This was about John himself.
Something inside him Cain wanted.
Something no one else had survived.
John exhaled. "Then I guess I need to find out what that is."
Aria smirked slightly.
"Finally," she said. "You’re starting to think like a player."
John didn’t answer.
Because deep down, he knew.
This wasn’t just a game anymore.
This was a war.
And the next move?
Belonged to him.