Ashes of Our Flame
by RapwizzyDebaron
Episode 23: "Lions and Sons"
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The warehouse at the edge of the harbor had once been a shipping depot. Now it stood abandoned, cloaked in darkness, its broken windows staring out like blind eyes over the water.
Adrian stepped out of the car alone.
The night air bit at his skin. Cold. Still. Waiting.
Kara had wanted to come. So had Ronan and Tessa. But Adrian knew this was never meant for them.
This was between a father and his son.
Between two men raised by war—one forged in truth, the other in power.
Inside, Marcus Vale waited.
Adrian's boots echoed as he walked across the cracked cement floor. The place smelled of rust and oil. Shadows danced in corners, hiding ghosts of the past.
He stopped when he saw him.
Marcus sat in a leather chair, dressed in black as always. Unbothered. Unmoved. As if he had been expecting Adrian for years, not hours.
"I see you got my message," Marcus said calmly.
Adrian didn't sit. "You could've just called."
"But you wouldn't have come."
"You're right," Adrian said. "Because I don't make deals with monsters."
Marcus chuckled. "Is that what you see now? A monster? After everything I gave you?"
Adrian's voice was ice. "You gave me a name soaked in blood."
"A name that opened every door."
Adrian stepped closer. "And now I'm using that name to burn those doors down."
Marcus rose slowly. "Son… you don't know what you're doing."
Adrian narrowed his eyes. "No. You don't know what I've become."
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Outside, hidden on the rooftop across the street, Kara gritted her teeth. She was watching through a sniper scope, her finger resting near the trigger—not on it. Not yet.
Ronan's voice crackled softly in her earpiece. "You sure about this?"
"I wasn't going to let him walk in blind," she whispered. "Besides… if Vale tries anything, he won't walk out."
"I'd bet money he already knows you're watching."
"I'm counting on it."
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Inside the warehouse, Marcus began to pace.
"You think you're righteous," he said, voice deep and steady. "But righteousness without power is just noise. You can't save the world with your heart, Adrian."
"No," Adrian said. "But I can destroy yours with mine."
Marcus paused, eyes narrowing. "I made you who you are."
"You don't get to take credit for the part of me you didn't break."
For the first time, Marcus's voice sharpened. "Do you even understand what you've done? You've exposed centuries of legacy. You've ignited chaos."
"I revealed the truth."
"You started a war!"
Adrian took a step forward. "Then you better pick a side, father."
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The air between them crackled like lightning before a storm.
Marcus's eyes darkened. "This isn't over."
Adrian didn't flinch. "It never will be. Not until you're in chains. Or a grave."
A cold smile touched Marcus's lips. "Be careful what you wish for, son."
He turned, signaling to the shadows.
From behind the crates, five armed men stepped out.
Kara's voice shot into Adrian's ear. "Ambush. Five hostiles. Confirm visual?"
"Confirmed," Adrian whispered, then out loud, "So this is how you end it? With blood?"
"No," Marcus said, walking toward the exit. "This is how I begin again."
He vanished into the night.
The goons raised their weapons.
Adrian dropped smoke pellets at his feet, vanishing into fog just as Kara's first shot rang out.
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Gunfire erupted.
Adrian moved like a shadow through the smoke, taking down two men with precision. Kara picked off another from her perch.
Ronan and Tessa burst in from the rear door, guns blazing. The last two guards didn't stand a chance.
In less than sixty seconds, it was over.
But the war had only just begun.
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Back at the safehouse, Kara bandaged Adrian's arm silently.
"You could've died tonight," she said softly.
"So could you."
She met his eyes. "You scare me."
He tilted his head. "Why?"
"Because you walk straight into fire like you don't care if it burns you."
Adrian reached up, his fingers brushing her cheek. "I care. But I care more about ending this. So no one else has to burn."
Kara leaned into his touch. "We're in this together."
He nodded. "Until the end."
She whispered, "No… until we win."
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Far away, Marcus stood on the balcony of a glass tower, overlooking the city below.
Beside him stood a woman in a dark suit, her face half-hidden in shadows.
"Operation 'Phoenix' is in motion," she said. "Do you want the girl taken out next?"
Marcus stared down at the lights flickering in the dista
nce.
"No," he said coldly. "I want her broken. And I know just how to do it."
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To be continued…
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