The night air was cold as Ethan and his team emerged from the wreckage of the facility. Smoke billowed behind them, the remains of Dorian Kane’s stronghold collapsing in on itself. The ground rumbled one last time, then—silence.


    Felix exhaled sharply, leaning against a rusted-out vehicle. “Tell me that’s finally over.”


    Lila glanced back at the ruins. “For now.”


    Jax was already scanning the area. “We need to move. If Kane had backup on the way, we don’t want to be standing here when they arrive.”


    Maya ran a hand through her sweat-dampened hair. “And go where? We don’t exactly have a safe house waiting for us.”


    “We do now,” Jax said. He pulled up a small holo-display, the faint blue light flickering as he adjusted the settings. “There’s an abandoned supply outpost a few miles from here. Used to belong to the Resistance before we lost contact.”


    Vance raised an eyebrow. “And you’re just telling us this now?”


    Jax smirked. “Didn’t seem relevant when we were running for our lives.”


    Ethan barely heard them. His mind was still reeling from everything that had happened. The Veil. The power that had surged through him. The look on Dorian’s face before the facility went under.


    He didn’t feel like he had won.


    Lila nudged him. “Hey. You good?”


    Ethan hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”


    <hr>


    The outpost was tucked away in the outskirts of a ruined industrial district. It was old, long abandoned, but still standing. Rusted metal walls, a half-collapsed tower, and a reinforced underground bunker—hidden enough to be useful.


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    Jax led them inside. “Welcome home.”


    It wasn’t much, but it was shelter.


    The team wasted no time setting up. Felix and Maya secured the entrances, ensuring no one had followed them. Lila worked on restoring power to the facility’s backup systems, while Jax scavenged for supplies. Vance checked the armory—most of it was looted, but a few supplies remained, including a small stash of med kits and a couple of firearms.


    Ethan sat on a crate, rolling his shoulders. His whole body ached. The fight had drained him in ways he couldn’t explain. He flexed his fingers, half-expecting the energy to still be there.


    But the power was quiet.


    Lila sat beside him, offering a ration bar. “Eat.”


    He took it without argument. As he chewed, she studied him. “Your mark hasn’t faded.”


    Ethan glanced down at his arm. The Veil Mark still pulsed faintly beneath his skin. “It feels… different.”


    Lila frowned. “Different how?”


    He struggled for the words. “It’s like… something is waiting.”


    She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she leaned back, exhaling slowly. “We should rest. Figure things out tomorrow.”


    Felix approached, tossing a bundle of blankets onto the ground. “Not the luxury suite, but it’ll do.” He looked at Ethan. “You holding up?”


    Ethan gave a half-shrug. “I don’t know.”


    Felix sat across from him. “You saved our asses back there.”


    “Yeah, and almost tore the whole place down doing it.” Ethan rubbed his temple. “I don’t even know how I did that.”


    Vance, sharpening his knife in the corner, spoke up. “You’re getting stronger. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, we’ll find out soon enough.”


    Jax returned from his scavenging, tossing a few protein bars onto the table. “We need a plan. Kane’s not dead, and I guarantee he’s already regrouping.”


    Maya, leaning against the doorway, crossed her arms. “So what do we do? Keep running?”


    “No,” Ethan said, his voice firmer than he expected.


    The room went quiet.


    Jax nodded slowly. “Then we’d better be ready for whatever comes next.”


    One by one, the team settled in for the night, exhaustion taking hold. Felix took first watch, his rifle balanced on his lap. Maya curled up in a corner, her tablet in hand as she continued scanning through their limited data on the Veil Mark. Vance dozed off with his knife still in hand. Lila lay close to the door, always ready to react.


    Ethan stayed awake the longest, staring at his mark, feeling the quiet hum of energy beneath his skin.


    He didn’t know what was coming next.


    But he knew they wouldn’t be able to hide forever.