Chapter 63: Last Resort
Ace and Zia ran out of the forest and boarded the cab that had brought them there.
Throughout the journey, no one spoke a word to each other.
Zia had her eyes outside the window while Ace continued to tap his thighs.
It was obvious that what they saw had left them shocked beyond words. How would they explain to people that their Captain... One of the best heroes is nothing but a monster?!
They had always looked up to him not only as a mentor but as brother and friend. Zia had always had feelings for him but recently, she decided to let go of her worldly feelings and look at the bigger picture.
But now... Things were different.
"We can’t keep quiet," Ace whispered.
Zia turned and glanced at him, he was staring at her. Their eyes met and Zia saw the look in his eyes.
He had made up his mind already.
"What do you want to do?" She asked him.
"We report to the headquarters," Ace replied.
Zia fell silent, though she was surprised. She had not expected Ace to come up with such idea.
"We can’t allow him to continue being a hero. He’s a monster."
Zia sighed and looked away once more.
Ace understood her behavior but said nothing. He was hero and a hero he should act like — it was his job so he must do it.
Soon, the cab pulled up in front of the apartment and they came down. They both walked into house and went straight to their rooms.
"We pack up and leave before he returns," Ace said and Zia gave a silent nod before retreating to her own room.
Shoulders dropped. Tears gathering in her eyes. Yet, she said nothing. She couldn’t say no to her brother, after all — her only family member.
After the duo had finished packing, Ace dropped a letter on the table and they left the apartment, not forgetting to take everything that was theirs, leaving the house almost empty.
Alex barely had properties.
"We’ll go straight to the headquarters and report," Ace said and Zia gave a silent nod while following behind.
The ride to headquarters was long and heavy.
They sat in the back of a transport unit, silent once more, though the air between them was different now. Not stunned like before—resolute. Tense.
Zia kept her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. She hadn’t shed another tear since they left, but her expression hadn’t softened either. Ace, beside her, stared at his hands. They were clenched the entire trip.
It wasn’t just about reporting Alex.
It was about ending something that once felt unshakable.
The city outside blurred past them, grey towers and neon signs glowing in the dim light of early evening. When the vehicle finally pulled up to the outer gates of HQ, they didn’t move right away.
"You sure about this?" Zia asked quietly.
Ace nodded, not looking at her. "He left us no choice."
They stepped out, bags slung over their shoulders, and headed toward the entrance. As they walked into the facility, familiar faces nodded their way—none of them aware of what the two were about to say.
The corridors were sterile and bright. Monitors on the walls flashed mission updates, headlines, alerts. None of it mattered right now.
They reached the central command wing and paused outside the office of Hero Hollen—the man in charge of field operations.
Ace turned to Zia.
"If you want to wait outside, I’ll do the talking."
"No," Zia said, her voice firm for the first time in hours. "I’ll stand beside you. Like always."
Ace gave a small nod, then pressed the buzzer.
A second later, the door slid open.
Hero Hollen sat behind his desk, skimming over a report. He looked up, raising a brow when he saw them.
"You’re back early," he said. "Where’s your captain?"
Ace stepped forward. "That’s why we’re here, sir."
Hollen leaned back, sensing the shift in tone. "What happened?"
Zia took a breath, steadying herself.
"We have something to report. It’s about Captain Alex."
Hollen sat up straight. "Go on."
Ace hesitated for only a second before he spoke.
"He used an unregistered ability. Necromancy. High-tier. He raised the dead. And he drained a civilian... completely. We saw it with our own eyes."
For a moment, the room was silent except for the faint hum of the overhead lights.
Then Hollen leaned forward, expression unreadable.
"You’re sure?"
"We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t," Ace said.
Zia nodded beside him. "He didn’t even hesitate. He said the man knew too much... and just killed him."
Hollen was quiet. His fingers tapped slowly on the desk. Then he reached for the console.
"Stay here."
He made a call—coded, quiet. They couldn’t hear the full conversation, but a few words came through.
"I need you... Here... Immediately..."
Ace and Zia exchanged a look.
When Hollen ended the call, he turned back to them.
"You did the right thing," he said.
But his voice wasn’t reassuring.
It was cold. Measured and too calm for someone who had just heard a great piece of information.
Zia’s stomach tightened.
"What’s going to happen to him?" she asked.
Hollen didn’t answer right away.
Then: "That depends on how fast we find him."
"Perhaps, we should start going?" Ace stood up and pulled Zia. As they turned to leave, Hollen stopped them.
"Why so fast? Don’t you want to know what will happen to your captain when he gets here?" He asked them.
The siblings glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.
"Sit back and relax, he’s on his way here."
------
Back at the apartment, Alex was seated on one of the couches in the sitting room.
It was approaching daybreak but he didn’t care. He had been sitting there for hours, by his side were about twenty sticks of cigarettes already consumed by him.
The silence in the apartment wasn’t empty, it was loud. Screaming with absence.
His mind was all over the place but one thing his mind was yet to accept was the fact that he was about to get betrayed.
They wouldn’t.
Right?
Those were the people he saved during one of his missions. They had promised to serve him loyally without any compromise so they should keep that in mind and not think of betraying him.
Right?
Phone vibrates in his pocket.
He pulls it out and glanced at it.
Hero Hollen.
"Hello," he said after picking it up.
"Your presence is needed now. I need you here immediately!"
With that the call was ended.
His face darkened. But yet, he refused to accept it. Not yet... It was too early to conclude.
He quenched the cigarette and rose to his feet. He didn’t bother to change his clothes which reeked of both blood, sweat, alcohol and smoke and, climbed into his bike once more.
Three hours later....
The sound of the engine echoed louder than it should’ve as Alex pulled into the HQ lot. He didn’t bother with the private entrance. Let them all see. Let them all know he was here.
He parked the bike and swung his leg off, the kickstand clanking down. The helmet stayed on a second longer than it needed to. He could already feel their stares.
Even through the thick visor, he knew eyes were on him—agents, juniors, officers. All the quiet conversations near the gate faded into silence as he passed.
He walked like a man with nothing to lose. Reeking of ash and blood and nights with no sleep. He didn’t even care.
The security scanners at the main door buzzed softly as he passed through, unchallenged. No one dared stop a captain—at least, not yet.
The building was just as sterile as ever. White lights. Polished floors. Cold air. He hated this place.
He knew where they were.
Hollen’s office.
Same as always.
Each step toward that door felt longer than the last. He didn’t know why—wasn’t like he had anything to fear. Right?
The door loomed ahead. A quiet hum behind it. The presence of people.
He didn’t knock.
The door slid open automatically.
And there they were.
Ace.
Zia.
Sitting across from Hollen like a pair of statues. Their eyes snapped toward him.
Zia flinched. Ace tensed.
Both stood slowly.
Alex stepped inside.
He didn’t say a word. Neither did they.
Hollen leaned back in his chair. "Captain Alex. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Alex didn’t sit. He stood just inside the door, helmet still tucked under one arm. "What’s this about?"
Hollen gestured to the empty seat across from him. "Please."
"I am fine standing," Alex replied.
"Still as stubborn as ever," Hollen said and sighed. "Well, I have heard the report. Necromancy, is it?"
Zia flinched.
Ace’s jaw tightened.
Alex’s fingers twitched at the name. He didn’t deny it. There was no point now.
"I’m not here to debate ethics," Hollen said. "Power is power. And I admire those who use it... effectively."
He stepped out from behind the desk, hands behind his back, pacing slowly.
"You’ve always been exceptional, Alex. Efficient. Merciless when necessary. That’s why I chose you."
Alex’s eyes narrowed. "Chose me for what?"
Hollen stopped beside him. "To survive. To evolve."
He turned to Ace and Zia.
"They don’t understand you," he said. "They fear you. They report you behind your back. Betray your trust. And yet... you spared them."
Zia looked up sharply. "What?"
Hollen ignored her. "That’s weakness, Alex. They betrayed a necromancer and expected mercy."
Alex’s voice was low. "What are you suggesting?"
Hollen leaned closer. "That you correct your mistake."
The room went silent.
Zia stared in disbelief. Ace shifted, unsettled.
"You want me to kill them," Alex said flatly.
"I want you to claim your place," Hollen replied. "They’ve proven unworthy of your trust. You’ve outgrown them. And we... we have bigger plans."
Alex looked at the two of them. They weren’t even denying it. The guilt in their eyes said it all.
He’d known it deep down. Felt the shift in the way they looked at him. But hearing it confirmed was still a knife to the gut.
"They were family," Alex muttered.
"They were weak," Hollen said. "You are not."
Ace took a step forward. "Alex, you don’t have to listen to him—"
"Silence," Hollen snapped.
And to Alex, he said, "You’re a predator among sheep, and I’ve spent too long watching you pretend to graze."
Zia’s voice trembled. "He’s manipulating you—he’s using you!"
"Of course I am," Hollen said without shame. "But only because you’re worth using."
The room pulsed with tension.
Alex’s hand slowly moved to his belt—where his dagger waited. The one that hummed with the magic of the dead.
Ace stepped forward, fists clenched, but didn’t attack.
Zia’s eyes were wet now. "Please... don’t do this."
Hollen’s voice cut through like ice.
"Make your choice, Alex. Are you the blade we forged... or the mistake we should’ve burned?"
Alex stood there, expression unreadable, shadows stirring faintly at his feet.
And then...
