Chapter 7: Ghosts Don't Stay Buried
Iris wakes up to the sound of rain hitting metal.
Not the clean, distant kind.
The heavy kind—close.
She tries to move.
Pain answers.
"Easy."
The voice is low. Familiar.
Her eyes focus.
Kael sits across the room, mask off, jacket discarded, a fresh bandage wrapped tight around his ribs. The safehouse is different now—smaller, deeper underground. Emergency lights glow red.
"You were out for twelve hours," Kael says. "Concussion. Broken wrist. You'll live."
Iris exhales shakily. "That was… your idea of safe?"
"No," he replies. "That was Crowe's."
She remembers the explosion.
The fire.
Elias.
"You didn't kill them," she says suddenly.
Kael looks away.
"I could have," he admits. "Didn't."
Iris studies him—really studies him now.
Not a myth.
Not a symbol.
Just a man who looks permanently tired.
"You lost a family," she says.
Kael freezes.
She continues gently. "I saw the pattern. The way you react when kids are involved. The way you shield instead of strike."
Silence stretches.
Then Kael reaches into his pocket and places the photo on the table.
Mara. Lina.
Iris's breath catches.
"They didn't die in a crossfire," Kael says. "They were executed."
Her stomach drops. "Crowe?"
Kael nods. "But he didn't give the order."
Across the city, Darius Crowe pours himself a drink.
"Bring him in," he says.
A man steps forward from the shadows.
Police uniform.
Captain's insignia.
"Detective Thorn is getting suspicious," the captain says.
Crowe smiles. "Good. Then he's learning."
The captain hesitates. "And the Voss family?"
Crowe's eyes harden.
"You did what you were paid to do," he says. "Don't start regretting it now."
Back underground, Iris grips the edge of the table.
"You're saying someone above Crowe ordered it?"
"Yes," Kael replies. "Someone who wanted me gone quietly."
Iris's mind races.
"Your last mission," she says slowly. "The one you thought was off."
Kael looks at her sharply.
"That operation exposed a weapons pipeline," Iris continues. "One protected by city officials. Military contracts. Police signatures."
She swallows.
"My brother wasn't a victim," she whispers. "He was a loose end."
Kael closes his eyes.
"They didn't kill my family to punish me," he says. "They did it to warn others."
Iris feels something cold settle in her chest.
"This city isn't broken," she says. "It's engineered."
Elsewhere, Detective Elias Thorn stands alone in the precinct locker room.
He stares at his reflection.
Then at an old photo in his wallet.
Him. Kael. Same unit. Same war.
Same lies.
His phone buzzes.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
You let him go.
Elias types back with shaking hands.
ELIAS:
Who is this?
The reply comes instantly.
UNKNOWN:
Someone who made you a hero.
Elias's blood runs cold.
Kael straps on his gear.
New routes. New rules.
No more warnings.
Iris watches him.
"You go after them," she says, "they'll erase you."
Kael puts the mask back on.
"They already tried."
He pauses at the door.
"You should leave Nocturne."
Iris meets his gaze. "I'm done running."
A beat.
Then Kael nods.
"Then stay behind me."
High above the city, Crowe stands on his balcony, watching Nocturne pulse with light.
"Release the name," he orders.
Screens flicker on.
A file opens.
TARGET STATUS: ACTIVE
NAME: KAEL VOSS
Crowe smiles.
"Let's see how long the city protects its ghost."
Rain falls harder.
The hunt is no longer secret.
And the war for Nocturne has begun.
END OF CHAPTER 7