Scarlet chains

Chapter 28---The hidden truth part 1

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*Xara's Hidden Lair – Mountains Beyond the Clan Territories*

Xara stood over an old chest, dust motes swirling around her as she opened it. Inside: a blood-stained locket, a ripped cloak, and an old photo—*Cayden holding a dark-haired vampire woman… Nova's mother.*

Her eyes burned.

"So it's finally catching up to us," she murmured, tracing the woman's face. "Sister in law… I failed you."

*Flashback – 17 Years Ago*

Xara stood outside the *Wolf Council Chambers*, fists clenched. Inside, Cayden was shackled—accused of treason.

"She was a *vampire*, Cayden! You violated the one sacred law—no union between bloodlines."

"I loved her!" he growled. "She was carrying my child!"

While the council argued, *404 operatives* moved silently in the background. Their target: the hybrid child. Six-month-old Nova was sleeping beside her mother in a secluded safehouse, hidden by Xara's magic.

But Xara had left—*only for a moment*.

She returned to find *blood*.

Her sister—Nova's mother—was dead. Her throat slashed. The baby? Gone.

And no one listened.

The wolves blamed the vampires. The vampires accused Cayden. And the Council banned her from ever returning—calling her unfit to lead.

She disappeared… until now.

*Back to Present*

Xara stared at the flames. "They took her. They made her into *this*... and now they worship her."

She turned to her rebel husband. "It's time. The child lives. And she's more than they ever feared.And I am going to the 404's hidden lair to find the truth."

Then she left with determination in her heart.

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*Underground – Sector Delta, Area 404*

The hum of machines echoed around her. Xara moved like a shadow between laser beams, her breath steady, movements precise. Years of exile had sharpened her instincts—*she wasn't just a rebel*, she was a ghost.

Behind her mask, her fangs pressed tight with fury.

A wall panel clicked open after she sliced through the encryption—*she knew their codes*, she *made* it her mission to know everything after they murdered her sister and stole her niece.

Inside: a lab. Dark. Cold. Monitors buzzed with static. Suspended in glass tanks were failed experiments—*clones*, hybrids. And near the end of the room… a glowing case marked *"Project Hollow - SUBJECT 0001"*.

Nova.

Xara's eyes flared.

*Flashback:*

Twelve years ago, Xara posed as a low-level tech in 404 under an alias—"Dr. Miriam Cross." She worked in the shadows, stealing files, mapping corridors, planting magic-resistant sigils to help her future escape. She saw the horrors they inflicted: children caged, essence drained, bodies turned into vessels.

She found Nova's DNA in a vault—but the child was gone.

She opened a drawer. Inside, a familiar locket. Her sister's.

Her voice cracked.. "I will burn this place down."

But before she could move, red alarms flared. A distorted voice echoed:

*"Intruder in Sector Delta. Seal all doors."*

Xara hissed. "Too late, boys. I already got what I came for."

She dropped a rune—*BANG*. The lab exploded into fire as she vanished into shadow.

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