The message burned into Tyland's mind long after the screen went dark.
Come alone. Or she dies.
Simple.
Direct.
Calculated.
Kael watched him carefully, arms folded, his usual confidence now edged with something more cautious. "You're not actually considering it, are you?"
Tyland didn't answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on nothing, his thoughts moving faster than anything he could say.
"They want control," he said finally. "Not just of the city… of me."
Kael nodded slightly. "And walking in alone gives them exactly that."
Tyland slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Not if I change the rules."
Kael frowned. "You don't even know where they are."
Tyland looked at him now. "No," he said. "But they know where I'll be."
Silence.
Realization hit.
"You're going to use yourself as bait," Kael said.
Tyland didn't deny it.
Kael let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "That's not strategy," he said. "That's suicide."
Tyland's expression didn't change. "Only if I lose."
That confidence should have sounded reckless.
Instead
It sounded certain.
Kael studied him for a moment longer, then sighed. "You haven't changed," he muttered.
Tyland's voice was calm. "I have," he said. "I just learned when not to hesitate."
That hit deeper than expected.
Kael looked away briefly, then back. "If you walk into this," he said, "you don't get a second chance."
Tyland nodded once. "I know."
Another pause.
Then Kael made a decision.
"I'm coming with you."
Tyland's eyes narrowed slightly. "No."
Kael smirked faintly. "You don't get to decide that," he said. "This involves me whether you like it or not."
Tyland stepped closer, his voice low. "They said alone."
Kael leaned in slightly, unfazed. "And since when do you follow rules?"
Silence.
Because he had a point.
Tyland turned away, already moving toward the exit. "You stay out of sight," he said. "If they see you this ends before it starts."
Kael followed anyway, a faint smile returning. "You always did need backup."
Tyland didn't respond.
But he didn't stop him either.
The location came through minutes later.
A single pin.
An abandoned industrial district on the edge of the city.
Isolated.
Empty.
Perfect.
By the time Tyland arrived, the place was exactly what he expected quiet, still, and completely exposed. Broken buildings stretched into darkness, the wind echoing through rusted metal and shattered glass.
A place no one would hear anything.
Kael was already gone from sight.
Watching.
Waiting.
Tyland stepped forward alone, his movements steady, controlled, every sense alert.
"I'm here," he said into the silence.
Nothing.
Then
A slow clap echoed from somewhere ahead.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
Not rushed.
Not afraid.
Another followed.
Then another.
Three.
Then five.
All armed.
All silent.
All watching him like he had already lost.
Tyland didn't move.
"You learn fast," the familiar voice said, emerging from behind them.
Tyland's eyes lifted slightly.
Still hidden.
Still unseen.
"But not fast enough."
The circle tightened.
Weapons raised.
Kael remained unseen.
Waiting for the moment.
Tyland's voice stayed calm.
"You took something that belongs to me."
A pause.
Then the voice replied, colder than before
"No," it said.
A figure stepped forward, dragging someone into the dim light.
Elara.
Alive.
But restrained.
Her eyes locked onto Tyland instantly.
"Don't " she started again
A gun pressed to her head.
Silence snapped into place.
"Now," the voice continued smoothly, "you're exactly where we want you."
Tyland didn't react.
Didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Because in that moment
Everything depended on what he did next.
And for the first time
He was walking straight into a trap…
Knowing it was already closed.