By the time Neo and Aiden were dropped off at home, the sky had already turned dark.
Not fully night yet.
But close enough.
The ride back had been quieter than usual, the exhaustion finally settling into both of their bodies after everything that had happened earlier in the day. The training alone had drained them physically, but what truly exhausted them was everything that came with it, the memories, the emotions, the realization that no matter how far they had run from the past…
the past still knew how to find them.
The car stopped in front of the house.
Neither Neo nor Aiden moved immediately.
Aiden finally leaned his head back against the seat and groaned dramatically.
"I think my bones are filing complaints against me."
Neo snorted softly beside him.
"That's because Kellan beat you up."
"He did not beat me up," Aiden defended immediately before pausing. "…Okay maybe a little."
That finally earned a tired laugh from Neo.
Small.
But real.
Aiden glanced toward him after hearing it and felt some of the tightness in his chest loosen slightly.
Because after what happened in the training room earlier…
he had genuinely been worried.
Neo noticed him staring and rolled his eyes lightly.
"Stop looking at me like I almost died."
"You kinda looked like it earlier."
Neo looked away toward the car window.
"…Yeah."
That one word carried enough weight to make Aiden stop joking immediately.
Silence settled again.
Then softly, "You scared me, idiot."
Neo looked back at him.
Aiden wasn't smiling anymore.
"I'm serious," he continued quietly. "I know what that kind of breakdown feels like. Once it starts, it feels impossible to stop."
Neo swallowed slightly.
"I didn't mean to lose control."
"Who cares if you did?" Aiden frowned. "You're not a machine."
Neo didn't answer.
Because deep down, sometimes he felt like he was supposed to be one.
Aiden noticed the look in his eyes immediately.
And sighed.
"You know," he muttered while opening the car door, "for someone who acts emotionally intelligent half the time, you really suck at being kind to yourself."
Neo huffed softly.
"Shut up." "Make me."
Both boys finally stepped out of the car, shoulders brushing slightly as they headed toward the house together.
The moment they entered, Pia's voice echoed almost immediately from upstairs.
"THE TRAUMA TWINS ARE BACK!"
Aiden blinked slowly.
"…Did she just call us trauma twins?"
"She absolutely did," Neo muttered tiredly.
Pia appeared at the top of the stairs holding a bag of chips dramatically.
"You both look emotionally constipated."
"Please never say that sentence again," Aiden deadpanned.
She ignored him completely and narrowed her eyes at Neo instead.
"You cried today."
Neo froze. "…What?"
"You have post-cry face."
Aiden immediately burst out laughing.
Neo looked horrified.
"There's no such thing as post-cry face!"
"There absolutely is," Pia nodded confidently while walking downstairs. "Your eyes get all glossy and sad-looking."
Aiden was still laughing beside him.
"Oh my God she's right."
Neo groaned loudly and covered his face.
"This family is evil."
Pia grinned before wrapping her arms around him suddenly.
"Still love you though."
Neo paused slightly before relaxing into the hug despite himself.
"…Yeah," he muttered quietly. "Love you too."
For a moment, everything almost felt normal again.
Almost.
Later that night, after dinner and conversations and pretending things were okay.
Neo finally went to bed.
His room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains softly, painting pale shadows across the walls while Neo laid flat on his back staring at the ceiling.
Sleep didn't come easily anymore.
Not after today.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw movements. Patterns. Commands.
D'uther and Lucas.
Everything overlapping until his chest felt tight again.
Neo turned to his side with a frustrated sigh.
"Get a grip," he muttered to himself.
Eventually exhaustion won.
Slowly, his eyes closed.
And the darkness swallowed him whole.
At first, it was quiet.
Then came the sound.
A sharp clap.Echoing. Cold.
"Again."
Neo's body moved instantly.
Not by choice.
By instinct.
The room around him was dark, massive, empty except for harsh overhead lights that burned into his eyes.
His chest heaved violently as he tried to breathe.
His arms hurt. Everything hurt.
"Again."
That voice. Neo froze.
No.No no no
"Again!"
Pain exploded across his shoulder suddenly and Neo stumbled hard against the floor, gasping.
"You hesitate too much."
Neo's breathing turned uneven immediately.
He knew this room.
He knew it. The smell. The walls.
The cold floor beneath his knees.
His hands started shaking violently.
A younger version of Aiden stood nearby breathing heavily too, bruises scattered across his face while blood dripped slowly from the corner of his mouth.
Both of them looked so small.
Too small.
"Stand up."
Neo's chest tightened painfully.
No.
He didn't want this.
Didn't want to remember this.
But the dream wouldn't stop.
Another figure entered the room slowly.
Tall.Calm. Terrifying.
D'uther.
Younger than now.
But somehow worse.
Neo's stomach twisted violently.
"Again," D'uther repeated calmly.
Neo's younger self tried standing.
His legs gave out immediately.
D'uther sighed in disappointment.
Weakness.
That word echoed everywhere.
Weakness.
Weakness.
Weakness!!.
Neo woke up violently.
A gasp tore out of him as he shot upright in bed, sweat clinging heavily to his skin while his chest rose and fell uncontrollably.
For a second, he didn't know where he was.
His room blurred.
His breathing became sharp.
And worst of all he panicked.
Neo grabbed at his shirt instinctively like he couldn't get enough air.
"It's not real," he whispered shakily. "It's not real."
But his body didn't believe him.
His hands were trembling badly now.
His entire body felt cold.
Neo pressed both palms against his eyes tightly, trying to steady himself.
Trying to force the memories back down.
But all he could hear was
"Again."
A knock suddenly sounded at his door.
Neo froze.
"Neo?" Aiden's voice.
Soft and careful, "You awake?"
Neo quickly wiped at his face.
"…Yeah."
The door opened slowly.
Aiden stepped in wearing loose sweatpants and an oversized shirt, his expression immediately shifting the moment he saw Neo.
"Oh."
Neo looked away instantly.
"I'm fine."
Aiden sighed deeply.
"Wow," he muttered while walking further inside. "You're really committed to that lie."
Neo laughed weakly despite himself.
Aiden sat beside him quietly.
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then softly, "Nightmare?"
Neo nodded once.
Aiden leaned back slightly against the headboard.
"Me too."
Neo looked at him.
Aiden stared ahead quietly now.
"I remembered more today than I wanted to."
His voice sounded strange.
Heavy.
"The way he used to watch us train…" Aiden muttered quietly. "…like we weren't kids. Just projects."
Neo swallowed hard.
"Do you ever wonder if we're actually normal?"
Aiden looked at him immediately.
"What kind of question is that?"
Neo laughed weakly.
"I'm serious."
His fingers twisted slightly in the blanket.
"Most people don't react to movement patterns like they're reliving war trauma."
Aiden's expression softened.
"We survived something horrible," he said quietly. "That doesn't make us abnormal."
Neo looked down.
"Doesn't exactly make us okay either."
Silence settled heavily.
Then Aiden nudged him lightly with his shoulder.
"You know what I think?"
Neo glanced at him tiredly.
"What?"
"I think we deserved better adults."
Neo blinked once.
Then unexpectedly he laughed.
A real laugh this time.
Small.Broken.But real.
Aiden smiled slightly seeing it.
"Thought so."
Aiden didn't stay long after that.
Not because he wanted to leave.
But because he knew Neo needed space to breathe without feeling watched.
They sat together for nearly another hour after the nightmare, talking quietly about nothing and everything at the same time. School. Graduation. How weird it felt that they were already in their final semester after everything life had thrown at them.
It felt unreal.
Like they had skipped too many stages of life too quickly.
At some point Aiden had leaned back against the wall dramatically and sighed.
"Can you imagine us actually graduating?"
Neo laughed softly while rubbing his tired eyes.
"You say that like we didn't suffer for this."
"We DID suffer," Aiden defended immediately. "Do you know how many assignments almost killed me?"
"You almost died because you forgot deadlines existed."
"That's still academic suffering."
Neo shook his head with another small laugh.
And honestly,
Aiden stayed for exactly that reason.
Because the moment Neo laughed, even a little, it made the heaviness in the room less unbearable.
Eventually Aiden stood from the bed stretching slowly.
"I should go before my parents start thinking I got kidnapped."
Neo glanced up at him.
"…You sure it's rather late and even though your house is close it doesn't mean it isn't dangerous?"
Aiden immediately smirked.
"Awwww. You gonna miss me?"
"Get out."
"There he is," Aiden pointed dramatically. "That's the Neo I know."
Neo rolled his eyes while throwing a pillow at him.
Aiden caught it easily before tossing it back.
Then his expression softened slightly.
"Try sleeping again, okay?"
Neo nodded once.
"You too and if you're going home don't walk run, infact scream while running till you get home."
This made Aiden laugh so hard almost falling over "I will infact if possible I'll fly there"
Aiden walked toward the door before pausing halfway.
"…And Neo?"
"Hmm?"
Aiden looked back at him quietly.
"We're not there anymore."
Neo stilled slightly.
Aiden gave him one last reassuring look.
"Don't let him drag you back mentally."
Then he left.
The room became quiet again after the door shut.
Neo stared at the empty doorway for a long time.
Then slowly laid back down.
But sleep didn't come easily anymore.
Not tonight.
Far away from the warmth of that room,
inside the massive mansion hidden deep within the woods.
D'uther sat calmly in his chair while the four figures stood around him.
Each positioned differently.
Like wolves around a throne.
One leaned lazily against the wall spinning a knife between his fingers with effortless ease, silver piercings glinting beneath the dim lights.
His name was Rhael.
Dangerous.playful.
The type to smile while hurting someone.
Another sat calmly on the arm of a chair nearby, long fingers tapping slowly against his knee while his cold grey eyes stayed fixed on the footage playing on the screen.
Silas. Quiet.Observant.
Nothing escaped him.
Near the windows stood the girl.
Tall.
Elegant.
Terrifyingly calm.
Her dark curls framed sharp eyes filled with unsettling intelligence while she cleaned blood carefully from beneath her nails.
Diabla.
The most dangerous one according to rumor.
Because unlike the others, she enjoyed patience.
And the last figure stood directly beside D'uther himself.
Arms folded behind his back.
Expression unreadable.
A wall of pure silence.
Caius.
D'uther's shadow.
His executioner.
The screen in front of them replayed footage slowly.
Lucas. Neo.
The training room.
Every movement. Every reaction.
Rhael whistled softly.
"Well damn," he muttered. "The boss boy is skilled."
"He's more than skilled," Silas corrected calmly. "He adapts too quickly."
Seraphine finally spoke softly from near the window.
"But the interesting part isn't Lucas."
Her eyes narrowed slightly at the screen.
"It's Neo."
D'uther smiled faintly.
"Yes."
The footage paused directly on Neo's face during the breakdown.
Vulnerable. Shaking. Human.
Rhael tilted his head slightly.
"He still remembers."
"Of course he does," D'uther murmured calmly. "Trauma doesn't disappear simply because time passes."
Caius finally spoke.
Deep voice quiet. "So what now?"
D'uther leaned back slowly.
Now, his smile widened slightly.
"Now," he said softly, "we remind them that no matter where they run…"
His eyes stayed fixed on Neo's frozen image.
"…they still belong to me."
D'uther slowly swirled the drink in his hand before speaking casually into the quiet room.
"Do you know what I find amusing?"
The four figures remained positioned around him silently.
But their attention sharpened instantly.
Because whenever D'uther sounded calm,
it usually meant something dangerous was coming.
Rhael tilted his head from where he leaned lazily against the wall.
"What's that, pa'pa?"
D'uther's lips curved slightly.
"The boy thinks he's hidden well."
Silas' eyes flickered briefly toward one of the decorative lamps in the room.
Tiny.
Unnoticeable. Bugged.
Lucas' device.
Diabla noticed it too almost immediately and smiled faintly.
"So you're letting him listen," she murmured.
"Of course I am."
D'uther leaned back comfortably.
"Information becomes far more useful when people believe they stole it."
Caius remained silent near the window, arms folded behind his back like always.
D'uther's gaze shifted briefly toward the hidden device.
Then intentionally, he raised his voice just enough.
"I expected more from Lucas J. Luther honestly."
The room stayed quiet.
But beneath that silence, everyone understood the game now.
He was performing.
For Lucas.
Rhael grinned instantly.
"Oh this is evil," he laughed softly.
D'uther ignored him.
"He's intelligent," D'uther continued calmly. "Dangerously so. But intelligence without understanding creates blind spots."
Silas crossed one leg slowly over the other while watching the footage pause on Neo's face again.
"He's emotionally compromised," he noted quietly.
"Exactly."
D'uther smiled faintly.
"He's already attached."
The room fell into thoughtful silence after that.
Then finally Diabla spoke again.
"What role do you want us to play?"
D'uther's eyes darkened slightly with interest.
Now, that was the important conversation.
"Lucas believes this war will begin through force," he said calmly. "Weapons. Territory. Blood."
A soft chuckle left him.
"But fear works far better when introduced gently."
Rhael straightened slightly now, grin widening.
"Ohhhh," he dragged out dramatically. "Psychological warfare."
D'uther looked pleased.
"Precisely."
His fingers tapped slowly against the armrest.
"Neo and Aiden are strongest when together. Emotionally connected people become predictable."
Caius finally spoke quietly.
"So separate them."
D'uther nodded once.
"Not physically."
His smile widened slightly.
"Maybe mentally."
That made even Diabla's eyes sharpen with interest.
D'uther stood slowly from his chair and walked toward the massive windows overlooking the dark forest outside.
"Tomorrow," he said calmly, "they return to school."
Rhael groaned loudly.
"Ugh. School."
Seraphine shot him a look.
"You're twenty-one and still incapable of acting serious for five minutes."
"I am serious," he defended immediately. "Seriously annoyed."
Silas ignored them completely.
"You want us integrated into their environment."
D'uther nodded once.
"They're in their final semester. Their routines are stable now. Predictable. Which means introducing disruption there will affect them deeply."
His gaze darkened faintly.
"Especially Neo."
The room quieted again.
Because all four of them had seen the footage.
Seen the breakdown.
Seen the fear hidden beneath years of survival.
And unfortunately, that vulnerability made him easier to destabilize.
D'uther turned around fully now.
"Rhael."
The silver-haired male straightened slightly.
"You'll handle social infiltration."
Rhael grinned instantly.
"Finally. Something fun."
"Don't overdo it." "No promises."
D'uther ignored that response smoothly before looking toward Seraphine.
"You'll observe Neo directly."
She nodded once.
"What about interaction?"
"Minimal for now."
Diabla hummed thoughtfully.
Understood.
D'uther's gaze shifted next.
"Silas."
"Yes?"
"You'll monitor Lucas."
That caught everyone's attention slightly.
Even Silas looked surprised.
"Personally?"
"Yes."
D'uther's expression remained unreadable.
"He interests me."
And finally, his gaze landed on Caius.
"You stay close to me."
Caius bowed his head once.
"As always."
The assignments settled into the room quietly.
Like chess pieces being moved into position.
Then,
D'uther smiled faintly again.
And intentionally looked toward the exact location of the hidden bug.
"Let him hear this part too."
Rhael nearly laughed.
D'uther continued calmly.
"You see… people misunderstand trauma."
His voice lowered slightly.
"They think it weakens someone."
His eyes darkened.
"But trauma creates dependency. It creates instincts. Reactions. Needs."
The screen changed again.
Neo's face appeared.
Shaking. Crying. Broken open.
D'uther stared at it quietly.
"That boy still reacts exactly the same way he did years ago."
Silas observed the image carefully.
"He trusts Lucas."
D'uther smiled.
"Yes."
Then slowly, dangerously.
"Which means Lucas will become the perfect pressure point."
The room fell silent.
Even Rhael stopped smiling slightly at that tone.
D'uther's voice softened almost fondly.
"People become so vulnerable when they finally experience safety."
And somewhere else in the city, inside the underground office.
Lucas sat alone in the dark conference room while the hidden audio played quietly through the speakers.
Every word. Every laugh.
Every calculated sentence.
His expression remained unreadable throughout it all.
But when D'uther's final words echoed through the room.
Lucas' jaw tightened slightly.
Not visibly.
Barely even noticeable.
But enough.
"He's playing with us, he knows we're on to him" Kellan muttered quietly from beside him.
Lucas didn't respond immediately.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
Listening.Analyzing. Understanding.
Then finally,
A very slow smile appeared on his face.
Cold. Dangerous.
"Good, at least he bought all that show we gave him for him to think Neo's that weak" he said quietly.
Kellan glanced toward him.
Lucas leaned back slowly into the chair.
"Because now I know exactly what kind of war he wants."
And somehow,
that smile looked far more terrifying than anger ever could.
"So do we go on with the second plan" "of course we do but first get rid of anything that links back to him starting from Maggie's car to the house and office every door we've opened for them to be inside take it all out" Lucas said staring at the device that was replaying D'uther's words over and over again.