The morning was quiet.
Too quiet.
A soft wind moved through the cemetery.
barely enough to make a sound.
Emma stood still.
In front of two graves.
Diana Demars.
Valeria Kross.
No guards.
No presence.
No emperor.
Just Emma.
Her hands rested inside her skirt pockets.
Her posture straight.
Unshaken.
But her eyes.
Fixed.
On the names.
"…Diana."
Silence.
"…Valeria."
Her voice was low.
Not broken.
Not soft.
Just… real.
Memories flickered.
Diana's support
The way she'd smile even in danger.
Valeria.
standing in front of her.
Protective.
Always.
Her Equal.
––
Emma's gaze didn't move.
"You both… interfered."
A pause.
"And died."
No emotion in her tone.
But her fingers.
tightened slightly in her pockets.
The wind passed again.
Her eyes softened.
Just a little.
"…Why."
Silence.
She stepped a little closer.
"…Everything is working."
A pause.
"The world you died for."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
"…It's stable."
"…For now."
Another silence.
Longer this time.
"…Vencor's grandson appeared."
Her expression hardened.
"He wants revenge."
A small breath.
"…I'll deal with him."
She stood there.
Unmoving.
"…So don't worry."
No response.
Of course.
Emma slowly raised her hand.
And gently brushed the top of Diana's grave.
Then Valeria's.
"…Stay dead."
A quiet pause.
"…That's enough."
Her hand lowered.
Her face returned to normal.
Cold.
Composed.
The emperor again.
She turned.
and walked away.
Not looking back.
Emma walked alone.
The morning air was intense , brushing against her skin, but she didn't react. Her steps were steady… quiet… almost mechanical.
Then—
A voice.
Not real.
Not present.
But clear.
---
"You're born a hero, Emma."
She stopped.
Just for a second.
Her eyes didn't widen. Her expression didn't change much… but something inside her shifted.
Her father's voice.
Ethan.
Calm. Certain. Proud.
"Born… a hero…"
"Yea..you always said that. Father."
She repeated it quietly under her breath.
The words felt… distant.
Like they didn't belong to her anymore.
----
A faint memory surfaced—
A younger Emma.
Smaller.
Standing in front of Ethan.
Her hands clean.
Her eyes… human.
---
"You're gonna help people. Build the world."
Emma's fingers slowly clenched.
Her current hands…
Not clean.
Never clean.
"Hero…"
She whispered again.
Then.
She exhaled softly.
"No."
Her voice was calm. Flat.
But not emotionless.
"I'm not."
She started walking again.
Same pace.
Same silence.
But now… there was weight behind each step.
"…I kill people."
A pause.
"…even the ones I care about."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
Not in shame.
Not fully.
But something close.
"Heroes don't do that."
For a moment… it almost sounded like she was arguing with him.
With a ghost.
With herself.
But then.
She remembered something else.
Not his words.
But his tone.
Not forcing.
Not commanding.
Just… believing.
Emma's steps slowed.
Just a little.
"…you were wrong, father."
She said it quietly.
But not harshly.
Not angrily.
Almost… gently.
Then after a few seconds—
"…or maybe…"
A small pause.
"…I changed."
The wind passed again.
Her hair moved slightly.
And just for a brief moment.
Her expression softened.
Not a smile.
Not sadness.
Just… something human.
Then it was gone.
Emma kept walking.
Into the streets
Alone.
With a title she no longer believed in.
But couldn't fully throw away.
----
Joseph sat quietly.
The room was dim, lit only by a weak lamp beside him. In his hands, he held a worn photograph.
His mother.
Her smile was soft… tired… but real.
His thumb gently brushed over the picture.
"…mom…"
His voice was low.
Almost afraid to exist.
She was gone.
A virus took her.
No warning. No goodbye that made sense.
Just… gone.
Joseph lowered his head slightly.
Then… slowly… his thoughts drifted.
To something she once told him.
"Your grandfather… Vencor…"
Her voice echoed in his mind.
"…he loves you."
Joseph's grip on the photo tightened just a little.
"…he doesn't even know I exist."
He muttered.
Flat.
But underneath that… there was something else.
Confusion.
Maybe even a quiet kind of hope he didn't want to admit.
Vencor.
A name people didn't say lightly.
Ruthless.
Cold.
A man who took what he wanted and never looked back.
That's what Joseph had heard.
That's what the world said.
"…someone like that…"
Joseph stared at the picture again.
"…can't love anyone."
But then.
Her voice again.
Gentler this time.
"He just doesn't know you're here."
Joseph closed his eyes.
For a moment… he imagined it.
A man who didn't know.
Not a monster.
Not fully.
Just… unaware.
"…if he knew…"
Joseph whispered.
Then stopped.
He didn't finish the sentence.
Didn't want to.
Because he didn't know the answer.
Would Vencor care?
Or would he look at him…
And see nothing?
Joseph exhaled slowly.
Opening his eyes again.
"…I don't need him."
He said it.
Quiet.
Trying to make it true.
But his hand… still held the picture tighter.
"…but…"
A pause.
"…I want to know."
The room fell silent again.
Only the faint sound of his breathing remained.
Joseph stood up slowly.
The chair scraped softly against the floor.
The photo… still in his hand.
His expression changed.
No hesitation.
No confusion anymore.
Only something sharp.
Focused.
"…that's why."
His voice was low.
Cold.
He looked down at the picture one last time.
At his mother's gentle smile.
"…I'll take revenge."
A pause.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… absolute.
His fingers tightened.
The photo slightly crumpling at the edges.
"Emma… Elarat."
He said her name like it meant something personal.
Not just an enemy.
Not just a target.
Something deeper.
Joseph walked toward the window.
City lights flickering in the distance.
"She killed Vencor…"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…my blood."
Silence again.
"I don't care what kind of 'emperor' you are."
A faint… almost invisible smile appeared.
Not of joy.
But of intent.
"…we're going to meet again."
He turned away from the window.
Stepping into the darkness of the room.
"And next time…"
A pause.
"…I won't walk away."
He walks to the other door.
slammed open.
Joseph stepped in.
Not calm this time.
Not silent.
"ATTENTION."
His voice cut through the entire room.
Sharp. Commanding.
Absolute.
Anthony straightened immediately.
Leo stopped what he was doing.
Maya and Marcus, despite their injuries, forced themselves upright.
Elena turned fully toward him, eyes locked.
No one spoke.
Not a word.
Joseph walked forward slowly.
Each step deliberate.
Heavy.
"We're done playing."
His gaze moved across all of them.
One by one.
"You saw it."
A pause.
"Her."
No need to say the name.
They all knew.
"The 'Emperor.'"
Marcus clenched his jaw.
Maya looked down slightly.
Anthony wiped the dried blood near his nose.
Elena… just smirked faintly.
Joseph continued.
Cold.
Controlled.
"She's not just strong."
A step forward.
"She's a system."
His eyes sharpened.
"And those around her…"
A small pause.
"…aren't allies."
"They're weapons."
Kane.
Mostang.
And whoever else stood behind her.
Joseph stopped.
Right in front of them.
"So we adapt."
His voice dropped slightly.
More dangerous now.
"We don't rush her."
"We don't underestimate her."
"And we don't fight like idiots."
Anthony nodded.
Leo crossed his arms, focused.
Maya and Marcus listened closely now.
Even Elena's smirk faded—just a little.
Joseph raised his hand slightly.
"We plan."
A pause.
"A war."
The word lingered in the air.
Heavy.
Real.
"Between us…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…and the Emperor."
A slight tilt of his head.
"Her… and her dogs."
Silence.
Then.
A faint, cold smile.
"And when it starts…"
His eyes glinted.
"We don't stop."
No one questioned him.
No one hesitated.
Because they all felt it.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was war.
Chapter end