The morning broke over the hills in a haze of gold and ash.
Evan watched from the hideout's edge, arms crossed, telekinetic barriers faintly shimmering around him. Every day, the outside world edged a little closer — drawn by the myths Gravemind was weaving.
They didn't have much time.
---
Inside, Aidan tinkered with an old communication rig, rewiring it with delicate precision. Sera sharpened her blades again, the rhythmic scrape filling the silent gaps between them.
The tension was growing.
Even Aidan could feel it now.
---
A sharp crackle of static cut through the air.
The radio.
Sera stiffened. Aidan quickly turned up the volume.
A voice spoke, urgent and unfamiliar:
> "—requesting any survivors. Repeat, this is Solaris Reach. Non-hostile. Seeking contact."
Evan's brow furrowed.
Solaris Reach.
Aidan's old home — the group of enhanced beings who had raised him, hidden from the Academy's reach.
If they were reaching out now, it meant they were desperate.
Or clever.
Or both.
---
> "Answer them," Evan said curtly.
Aidan hesitated for only a second before leaning into the mic.
> "This is Aidan. I'm with allies. Who's calling?"
There was a long, crackling pause before a new voice answered — steady, strong, female.
> "Aidan. It's Captain Mara Solis. We thought you were dead. The world's falling apart, kid."
> "I know," Aidan said quietly, glancing at Evan. "That's why we're still standing."
> "We need to meet. Face to face. We have information about the one using the Reaper's name."
Evan's jaw tightened.
Gravemind.
---
> "Evan?" Aidan asked softly.
Evan nodded once.
> "Tell them where to find us."
---
By noon, the Solaris Reach ship streaked across the sky, cutting through the clouds like a silver blade.
They met just outside the hideout, on a scorched plateau.
Captain Mara Solis stood tall — her armor gleaming, her expression wary. Behind her, two others: a burly man with shockwave gauntlets and a woman whose eyes glowed faintly blue.
They were armed, but their weapons were lowered.
For now.
---
Mara's eyes locked on Evan immediately.
She didn't flinch.
Didn't draw a weapon.
She simply said:
> "Psychic Reaper."
> "Retired," Evan replied smoothly, masking the tension with a half-smile.
> "No such thing," Mara said.
They stared each other down for a long, silent moment.
Then, to Aidan's visible relief, Mara broke the stalemate with a grim nod.
> "Fine. We have bigger problems."
---
Inside the hideout, Mara laid it out.
Gravemind wasn't just rallying remnants of the Academy's old enemies.
It was awakening something older.
Something buried deep beneath the world's ruins — ancient programs, forgotten experiments, things meant to stay dead.
---
> "Gravemind's not just pretending to be the Reaper," Mara said grimly. "It's building an army."
> "And the world thinks it's you," Sera added, crossing her arms.
> "Exactly," Mara said. "If we don't stop this, it won't just be your reputation that burns. It'll be everything."
---
Evan absorbed it all in silence.
He had run from his legacy.
Buried it under layers of self-control and masking and denial.
But Gravemind was unearthing it — dragging the Reaper back into the light.
Maybe it was time to stop running.
---
> "What do you want from us?" Evan asked finally.
> "An alliance," Mara said simply. "We fight this together. Or we all fall."
---
Evan looked at Aidan.
At Sera.
At the battered, rebuilt walls of their fragile home.
Then back at Mara.
The old Evan — the Reaper — would have laughed. Would have crushed them all to ash.
But now...
Now, he just sighed.
> "Fine," Evan said. "But on one condition."
Mara raised an eyebrow.
> "We do this my way."
---
The first uneasy alliance had been formed.
And somewhere deep underground, Gravemind smiled.
The pieces were moving.
The game had truly begun.
---
End of Chapter 17