Chapter 10: Into the Shadows

The streets of Pasadianka were eerily quiet, bathed in the amber glow of flickering streetlights. Ikran moved like a shadow, keeping to the edges of buildings as he guided Maria toward the safehouse. The air was thick with tension, each step weighted with the possibility of an ambush.

“This way,” Ikran whispered, gesturing toward an alleyway.

Maria followed, clutching her bag tightly. Her mind raced with questions, but she knew better than to break the silence. She had barely known Ikran for an hour, and while his knowledge of Kentofes seemed invaluable, trust was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

They reached a nondescript building, its facade blending seamlessly with the surrounding architecture. Ikran unlocked the door with a series of rapid keystrokes on a hidden panel, and they slipped inside.

The interior was stark, the walls lined with maps, monitors, and files. It felt like stepping into the lair of a conspiracy theorist.

“Sit,” Ikran said, gesturing to a worn-out chair near the center of the room.

Maria hesitated but complied, watching as he began pulling up files on a nearby monitor.

“Where’s Julia?” she asked, her voice breaking the silence.

“Safe for now,” Ikran replied without looking at her. “Kentofes hasn’t made their move yet, but it’s only a matter of time. She’s at the edge of their net.”

Maria frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

Ikran finally turned to face her, his expression grim. “Kentofes doesn’t work like a typical organization. They don’t go after people outright. They manipulate, coerce, and isolate. By the time they strike, their targets are already trapped.”

“And Julia’s their next target?” Maria asked, her voice trembling.

“She’s one of many,” Ikran said. “But she’s important. Her father’s work on Dunnorage, your connection to Alex—it all points to her being a threat they can’t ignore.”

Maria clenched her fists. “Then we can’t wait. We have to warn her.”

Ikran shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Kentofes is watching. If we make a move without a plan, we’ll lead them straight to her.”

Maria stood, her frustration boiling over. “Then what’s the plan? Sit here and wait until they take her?”

Ikran’s gaze softened, and for a moment, Maria thought she saw a flicker of guilt. “The plan,” he said slowly, “is to gather enough evidence to expose them. To make it so they can’t operate in the shadows anymore.”

Maria folded her arms, her skepticism clear. “And how do we do that?”

Ikran turned back to the monitor, pulling up a video file. “We start with this.”

The screen flickered to life, revealing grainy footage of a man and a woman sitting across from each other in a sterile laboratory. Maria’s breath hitched as she recognized the man from the photos in Dr. Raufal’s files—Dr. Fendi.

The woman was different, her posture softer, her expression filled with concern.

“That’s Sarah,” Ikran said, as though reading Maria’s thoughts.

Maria stared at the screen, her mind struggling to reconcile what she was seeing. “But... they’re the same person?”

“Two sides of the same coin,” Ikran replied. “Fendi and Sarah were brilliant, but their brilliance came with a cost. This video was taken during the early days of Dunnorage. Watch.”

The recording began to play, the audio crackling with age.

“Fendi, this isn’t right,” Sarah said, her voice firm but gentle. “We’re not ready. The risks—”

“The risks are necessary,” Fendi interrupted, his tone cold. “If we don’t push forward, someone else will. At least this way, we can control it.”

“Control?” Sarah echoed, her frustration evident. “You’re not controlling anything. You’re letting them dictate the terms, letting Kentofes turn this into something it was never meant to be.”

Fendi leaned forward, his expression hard. “And what would you have me do, Sarah? Walk away? Let years of work amount to nothing?”

“I’d have you remember why we started this,” Sarah shot back. “It was never about control. It was about connection. About bridging divides, not creating them.”

The video froze as Ikran paused it, his jaw tightening.

“That,” he said, pointing to the screen, “is the core of their conflict. Fendi wanted progress at any cost. Sarah wanted to protect what little humanity was left in their work.”

Maria’s eyes remained fixed on the screen. “What happened to them?”

Ikran hesitated, his voice quieter when he finally spoke. “Fendi stayed. Sarah... faded. By the time Kentofes fully took over, there wasn’t much of her left.”

A heavy silence filled the room, the weight of the revelation pressing down on them.

Maria turned to Ikran, her resolve hardening. “Then we don’t let their work go to waste. We stop Kentofes, no matter what it takes.”

Ikran nodded, a flicker of respect in his gaze. “Agreed. But we need Julia. And we need to move fast.”

As they began to plan their next steps, Maria couldn’t shake the image of Fendi and Sarah from her mind—their faces a haunting reminder of what was at stake.