The black transport vessel didn't just land; it dominated the farmhouse, its heavy thrusters scorching the lavender fields into blackened ash. When the doors hissed open, Wane stepped out, her silver hair shimmering like a blade. The air around her didn't just feel cold—it felt empty, a localized vacuum of authority that made the twins' parents stumble back in instinctive terror.
The Hunter's FuryWane didn't wait for an invitation. She surged into the house, her boots striking the wooden floorboards with the rhythmic thud of a closing trap.
"Search every inch," she commanded her guards, her voice low and vibrating with a rare, jagged anger. "If they are hiding in the floorboards, burn the wood. If they are in the walls, tear them down."
She stormed into the back bedroom, her eyes scanning the rumpled blankets of the bed where Sofia had slept. She tore the pillows aside, her movements frantic and precise. Then, she stopped.
Tossed in the corner was Sofia's old tunic—the tattered, grey rag she had traded for Mira's emerald sweater.
Wane picked it up with trembling fingers. To anyone else, it was a piece of garbage. But as Wane pressed the fabric to her face, her eyes slid shut. The "Purity" hit her like a physical wave—a scent of rain, static, and a sweetness that defied the rot of the world. For a fleeting second, the cold void in Wane's mind was filled with a blinding, golden light.
She hugged the dirty cloth to her chest, her breath hitching. It's her, Wane thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. The absolute frequency. The one I have waited twenty years to find.
The Price of a MiracleWane turned back to her senior assistant, who stood in the doorway with a digital ledger. The anger was gone, replaced by a terrifying, focused clarity.
"The girl is not a recruit," Wane whispered, still clutching the old clothes. "She is the foundation. Without her, the High Wave is just a crumbling wall. With her, we are gods."
She stepped closer to the assistant, her eyes boring into his.
"Broadcast a planetary bounty. Use the High-Frequency bands. I want every scavenger, every deserter, and every citizen looking for them."
She paused, calculating the weight of greed. "For the older one—Jessica—the price is half a million Perl. She is the shield; we need her alive to ensure the girl's cooperation. But for the little one..."
Wane looked back at the scrap of fabric in her hand.
"For Sofia, the bounty is three million Perl."
The assistant gasped, his stylus hovering over the screen. In a world where a hardworking family earned barely three hundred thousand Perl a year, three million was more than wealth—it was a new life. It was enough to buy an entire sector. It was enough to turn a brother against a sister.
"Specify the conditions," Wane added, her voice dropping to a lethal silk. "Sofia must be returned unharmed. Not a scratch. Not a bruise. If she so much as sheds a tear because of their handling, I will execute the hunter and their entire lineage. And Jessica... keep her alive. She is the only tether the girl has. We break the tether later; for now, we need it intact."
The New RecruitsIn the hallway, Mira and Leo stood paralyzed. They had heard the numbers. They knew that their neighbors, their friends, and even the people in the Hub would now be hunting the sisters like animals for a life-changing fortune.
Mira looked at the door, her mind a scorched earth of jealousy and loss. She didn't care about the three million Perl. She only cared about the way the "Influence" had made her feel—the warmth, the light, the sense of being chosen.
"I know where the hidden paths are," Mira said, stepping into the room and looking Wane in the eye. "I know the places Jessica would hide because I know the places Sofia is afraid of. I don't want the money. I just want to be the one who brings her back."
Wane looked at the farm girl, seeing the dark, obsessive devotion in her eyes. It was a familiar look. It was the same look Wane saw in the mirror every morning.
"Fine," Wane said, tossing the old tunic to her assistant to be sealed in a vacuum case. "You and your brother will be our guides. But remember—Sofia belongs to the Wave now. And I do not like to share my treasures."