Droplin stayed quiet for three days.
Too quiet.
Xin noticed it first. The way people stopped lingering outside. The way shutters stayed closed longer than usual. The way the streets felt watched without anyone actually being there.
Rion noticed it second. He always did.
"They are sweeping," he said one morning, standing near the window. "Not hunting yet. Mapping."
Xin exhaled slowly. "Dive."
That night, it happened.
They were moving through the lower market streets when the lights snapped on.
Harsh white beams cut through the dark, pinning them in place. Boots hit the ground in unison. At least a dozen Dive soldiers surrounded the square, rifles raised, armor humming faintly with Spinat reinforcement.
Xin tensed.
Rion's hand moved toward his sword.
Before either of them could act, another figure was shoved forward into the light.
A man.
Middle aged. Thin. Wearing a Dive technician coat instead of armor. His hands were bound behind his back. Blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow.
"Unauthorized personnel located," a Dive officer said coldly. "Execution authorized."
The man lifted his head.
His eyes locked onto Xin.
"Xin Stonen," he said quickly. "Don't move."
Xin froze.
Rion glanced at him sharply.
The officer frowned. "You know this target."
The man nodded. "Yes. And if you kill me, you will lose something your masters desperately want."
The officer hesitated.
Xin stepped forward half a step. "How do you know my name."
The man swallowed. "Because I knew your parents."
The square went silent.
The officer's eyes narrowed. "This is irrelevant."
"It isn't," the man said. "Maria and Arnold Stonen were not just assistants. They were architects of contingency."
Xin's heart started pounding.
Rion's posture shifted slightly, protective.
"Say their names again," Xin said quietly.
The man met his eyes. "Maria Stonen. Arnold Stonen. They worked under Dr. Alaric Ferrow before Ferrow defected. They built something the Dive never fully recovered."
The officer raised his weapon again. "Enough."
"Raxton," the man said.
The word hit Xin like a physical blow.
The officer stiffened.
Rion's eyes sharpened. "You are speaking out of turn."
The man leaned forward despite the gun at his head. "Your parents knew they were going to die. They prepared for it."
Xin's fists clenched. "Prepared how."
"They left you an armor," the man said. "Not a weapon. A safeguard. Something meant to keep you alive long enough to fight back."
The officer fired.
Rion moved.
Berzar flashed once.
The rifle split cleanly in half. Chaos erupted.
Xin and Rion did not hold back.
Rion dismantled the left flank in seconds, cutting weapons apart, disabling soldiers with precise strikes. Xin charged straight through the center, taking shots to the shoulder and ribs as he closed distance and broke formations with raw force.
Within moments, the square was silent again.
Bodies lay scattered.
Only the man remained standing, breathing hard.
Xin grabbed him by the collar. "Talk. Now."
The man nodded rapidly. "Your parents hid the Raxton armor before the Dive could seize it. Not here. Not at the base. Somewhere only you could access."
Rion stepped closer. "Where."
The man hesitated. "I don't know the exact location. But I know the trigger."
Xin's grip tightened. "Which is."
The man took a breath. "Your father encoded the access to your biometrics and neural pattern. The armor will not respond to anyone else. It was meant for you alone."
Xin let go slowly.
"They died trying to expose the Dive," the man continued. "When they realized exposure would fail, they switched to preparation. They knew the world would need time. And that you would need protection."
Xin looked away, jaw tight.
Rion asked the question Xin could not. "Why tell us this now."
The man gave a tired smile. "Because I'm done pretending the Dive is fixing anything. And because if you find that armor, it changes the board."
Sirens wailed in the distance.
The man looked at Xin. "You should move. Droplin won't stay invisible much longer."
Xin nodded once. "You're coming with us."
The man shook his head. "No. I won't slow you down."
He stepped back and turned toward a side alley.
"If you survive," he said, "remember that your parents never stopped believing in you."
Then he disappeared into the dark.
Xin stood there for a long moment.
Rion broke the silence. "Raxton."
Xin nodded slowly.
"They didn't leave me nothing," Xin said. "They left me a chance."
Above Droplin, unseen, Dive satellites adjusted their focus.
And somewhere deep in forgotten earth, something ancient waited to be awakened.