The forest burned quietly behind them.
Ares led the group through mist and ash, his coat streaked with soot, his mind fixed on the coordinates Clarke transmitted. The crash site wasn't far—half a day's march southeast.
But the smoke column twisting into the sky would draw attention.
Too much attention.
"Grounders will see that fire," Octavia said.
"Let them," Ares replied. "Fear is the best warning flare."
Kael grunted in approval, carrying two salvaged shields over one shoulder.
Anya followed a few paces back, still unbound but willingly trailing behind them—a warrior testing her leash. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes never left Ares.
By the time they reached the ridge, the scent of burning fuel filled the air.
The shuttle lay crumpled in a gully—twisted metal, half-buried in the mud, its engines still smoldering.
One wing had been torn clean off in the fall, lodged between two trees like a broken bird.
And beside it, half-buried under wreckage and vines, a woman was still breathing.
Raven Reyes.
Her suit was torn, leg pinned beneath a shattered panel. Her hands trembled as she tried to pry herself free.
Ares approached without hesitation.
"Easy," he said, crouching. "You'll make it worse."
She blinked up at him—confused, dazed, but stubborn. "Who the hell are you?"
"Your best chance at not dying."
"Comforting," she muttered, wincing as he lifted the metal with one hand.
Her eyes widened. "You shouldn't be able to—"
"I'm not most people."
She didn't argue after that.
By nightfall, they'd hauled her back to camp.
Clarke met them at the gate, relief breaking across her face. "Raven—"
Raven managed a weak grin. "You again. Guess I didn't miss the apocalypse."
They brought her into Clarke's tent, where she quickly took command of her own diagnosis—half-conscious but defiant. Within minutes, she was already barking technical questions about oxygen scrubbers and battery reserves.
Ares watched, silent.
She was different—sharp, irreverent, alive in a way few of the others were. There was no fear in her tone when she looked at him. Only curiosity.
"You the guy running this place?" she asked.
"Something like that."
She eyed him. "They talk about you like you're some kind of god."
He tilted his head. "Maybe they're right."
Raven smirked. "Sure. Until you need me to fix your generators."
SYSTEM LOG:
New Ally Detected: Raven Reyes
Role Potential: Engineer / Inventor / Strategic Support
Compatibility Scan: 95% – High mental synchronization likelihood
Bond Condition: Physical proximity + mutual trust or shared goal achievement
For three days, the camp buzzed with life.
Raven repaired two broken solar panels, reactivated the radio array, and scavenged the crashed shuttle for usable alloys.
Clarke assisted her at first—but as Raven's confidence grew, so did the tension.
One morning, Clarke confronted Ares outside the forge tent.
"She's already building a transmitter. If she gets it working, we could contact the Ark."
"We're not ready for that."
"Since when do you decide when we're ready?"
Ares turned slowly. "Since I'm the reason we're still alive."
Her jaw tightened. "That's not leadership. That's control."
He stepped closer. "We've been over this. Survival isn't democracy."
"And what about freedom?"
He met her gaze without flinching. "Freedom doesn't matter if everyone's dead."
She had no answer for that.
But the silence between them felt heavier than argument.
That night, Raven found him by the perimeter, staring at the stars.
"Clarke told me you used to be… normal," she said.
He chuckled. "Define normal."
"You weren't some muscle-bound god with a fan club."
He looked at her. "No. I was worse. I was weak."
She studied him in the firelight. "You don't sound weak now."
"I learned fast."
Raven leaned against the railing beside him. "You think this is permanent? Whatever's inside you?"
"I don't think," Ares said. "I know."
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then, quietly, she said, "You scare her, you know. Clarke."
"I scare everyone."
"Maybe that's the problem."
He glanced at her. "You don't seem scared."
She smiled faintly. "I've been through worse crashes."
SYSTEM PROMPT:
Bond Opportunity Detected
Subject: Raven Reyes
Compatibility: 95% (High)
Emotional Trigger: Mutual respect, shared innovation, adrenaline exposure
Bonus: Technical Evolution Path – Bond may unlock "Machine Domain" skill tree
They stood in silence, the night wind brushing against them.
When he reached for her, it wasn't hunger—it was inevitability.
Her breath hitched once, but she didn't pull away.
And when the system flared behind his eyes, neither resisted.
SYSTEM NOTICE: "Blood of the Gods" Activated
Subject: Raven Reyes – Bonded
Stat Transfer: 10% of Host Stats Applied
New Status: Loyal (Devoted)
Subject Gains Passive: "Iron Mind" – Boosted intelligence, resistance to pain and panic, machine empathy
Linked Skill: "Neural Interface" – Bonded pair can share visual and technical data through mental link
Raven exhaled slowly, eyes unfocused for a moment as the connection took hold.
"What… was that?"
"Power," Ares said simply. "And purpose."
Her lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Guess I can work with that."
The next morning, the camp hummed with new energy.
The repaired transmitter flickered to life, its weak signal reaching far beyond the valley.
But someone else heard it too.
SYSTEM ALERT:
Incoming Intercept Detected – Unknown Grounder Source
Message Fragment: "Tell the Commander… the sky king builds his army."
Ares stared at the static, expression unreadable.
Raven looked up. "What does it mean?"
"It means Lexa's listening."
He turned toward the trees.
"The next move is hers."