Maya's POV
The battle was chaos when Elias found her.
He appeared through the smoke and dust like a ghost. His armor was scorched. His face was bleeding. But his eyes were clear and focused.
And he was alone.
"We need to talk," he said, not attacking. Just standing there with his hands visible.
"Not a good time," Maya said. She could feel soldiers dying around them. Could feel the battlefield tilting toward Kaden's victory. Could feel everything accelerating toward something inevitable.
"Make time," Elias said. He moved closer but not threateningly. "Because I know what he is, and I know what you are. And you're both dangerous to the Sovereigns in ways they didn't anticipate."
Maya paused.
"I know about the reset cycles," Elias continued. His voice was urgent. "I know you're not human. I know Kaden is a Sovereign candidate. And I know that together, you two could actually break the system."
"How do you know that?"
