We didn't have time for hesitation anymore.
Kazim slipped into the academy system like a ghost, avoiding deeper scans, moving only when the AI's attention drifted elsewhere. His face was pale, jaw tight, fingers moving faster than I thought possible.
"I found her," he whispered.
Those words hit harder than any weapon.
She was kept at the very top of the structure—an isolated locker tower meant for high-value assets. No guards posted outside. No noise. No witnesses. Alone.
That scared me more than chains.
Kazim didn't look at me when he spoke next. "If you go by yourself, you won't come back."
He created the mask quietly. Not something physical—something layered over my face, my presence, my identity. To the system, to the cameras, to anyone watching, I would be just another shadow passing through restricted halls.
When I put it on, the world felt distant. Like I had stepped half a step away from myself.
I reached her cell alone.
Monisha was sitting on the floor when I saw her.
Thinner. Pale. Her hands were trembling, resting on her knees like she was afraid to move too much. When she looked up, her eyes didn't light up at first.
They were tired.
"Moni.."I wasn' able to say. My mouth and eyes were watery
Then she recognized me.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She stood slowly, like her body didn't trust the moment.
"Kiyo…?" she whispered.
I wanted to hold her. I wanted to tell her everything would be okay.
But the words stuck.
She wasn't okay.
They hadn't beaten her—but they had broken her in quieter ways. Isolation. Hunger. Fear. Being treated like something valuable only because it could be sold.
"I'm getting you out," I said, my voice shaking despite myself. "I swear."
Her hands clenched into my shirt. "They said… they said I won't last long."
Something inside me snapped.
The anger came fast. Too fast.
Hot. Blinding.
The walls felt too close. My breathing turned sharp, uneven. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my skull. Tears falling without stopping.
Control slipped.
And then—
Applause.
Slow. Measured.
"You shouldn't be here," a calm voice said from behind.
The VIP stepped into the chamber like he owned the air itself. Soldiers followed, weapons raised—but relaxed. Confident.
"This is disappointing," he continued. "I expected the Queen to be more… contained."
My vision darkened.
Finally, a voice inside me whispered.
You broke. Let me take over …
The black liquid spilled from my hand before I could stop it. Thick. Alive. It wrapped around the chains of my axe, reshaping it—stretching, sharpening—until it wasn't an ordinary axe anymore.
I moved.
Each slash tore the space apart. Not cuts—collapses. Small black holes bloomed and vanished in seconds, dragging soldiers into nothingness. Screams cut off mid-sound. Walls cracked. The floor bent inward.
The VIP barely escaped—thrown back, bleeding, his calm finally shattered.
The prison shattered behind me.
Kazim saw everything.
I saw it in his eyes when he ran—fear, awe, horror—all at once. He didn't hesitate. He grabbed Aira and Ren, stole a vehicle straight from the inner bay, and drove it hard to the gate.
I grabbed Monisha's hand and ran.
She summoned something behind us—a creature born of panic and instinct. It tore into the pursuing soldiers, buying us seconds. Just seconds—but enough.
The gates burst open.
We jumped into the vehicle as alarms screamed across the academy.
We didn't look back.
Not once.