The glowing blue holographic text vanished as violently as it had appeared.
Adonis was still leaning in, his flawless face mere inches from hers. His glowing, bruised-violet optical sensors were locked onto her dark eyes, completely unaware of the terrifying, glitching System message that had just flashed across her retinas.
He was still waiting for her answer to his cold, empirical question. Are you sure you still want to save this world?
Nikki's heart hammered against her ribs.
She forced herself to breathe, burying the terrifying anomaly deep into the recesses of her mind. She looked into the towering dictator's eyes, summoning every ounce of her slum-forged courage.
"I won't ask you how you know," Nikki whispered, her voice trembling slightly but laced with absolute, unyielding conviction. "or how long you've been watching me build a shadow alliance behind your back. But this... this is what I must do."
