The afternoon slipped by slowly at the Rossi mansion. Pale light filtered through thick, expensive curtains, casting a muted glow. Nicco lay on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, as if waiting for something—anything—to rescue him from this gilded prison.

  It wasn't a miracle.

  It was Enrique.

  The butler entered with his usual solemnity, walking firmly into the room. Without saying a word, he approached, placed a small folded piece of paper on the desk, and left, closing the door softly behind him.

  Nicco shot upright. He recognized the way the paper was folded. That pen. That handwriting.

  Kali.

  With trembling hands, he unfolded the note and read:

  "Nicco. I know you're there. You're not alone. We'll find you. Don't give up. I love you —K."

  A hot pang pierced his chest. His breath escaped in a sharp gasp. He wasn't alone. Kali... she remembered him. She was fighting for him. Again.

  And now he would too.

  He wouldn't be the caged child anymore. Not this time.

  With a new resolve coursing through his veins, he stood and walked toward his father's office. He had an excuse—something about dropping off documents—but as he opened the door, something stopped him.

  A creak.

  Soft. Metallic. A drawer. Opening by itself.

  He turned.

  The afternoon light softly touched a desk at the back. A half-open drawer. As if it had been waiting for him.

  Nicco stepped closer. Hesitated. Then gently pulled the drawer open.

  Documents. Folders. One word stood out on a cover: "Aiden."

  He frowned. Opened it. Scientific papers, genetic analysis, experimental tech. One name appeared again and again:

  AIDEN. Scientist. Linked to the Astra Foundation.

  He flipped through the pages quickly until another folder fell sideways. What he saw froze him to the core.

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  "SUBJECT: VIKI WENTWORTH."

  His hands tensed. He opened it. Inside were detailed reports. Photographs. Biomedical records. Viki was alive. Kidnapped. Used as a test subject. In Aiden's hands. All this time...

  "Bastards..." he whispered, rage tightening his throat.

  He read more carefully. Notes about energy inhibitors, about a serum—the same one they had given him to suppress his powers. Aiden's work. His father had made a deal.

  Nicco pulled out his phone and photographed every page, quickly, like every second mattered.

  When he finished, he closed the drawer without leaving a trace, slipped the phone into his pocket... and exploded.

  He stormed out of the office. A hallway guard stepped in his path.

  "Mr. Rossi, you're not allowed to—"

  A spark. ZAP.

  The man dropped to the floor, stunned, his muscles twitching slightly. Nicco hadn't killed him. Just a warning.

  Another employee tried to stop him.

  ZAP.

  Electricity flowed through his skin. He wasn't out for revenge. Not yet. Just escape.

  He crossed the main entrance. The security system whined, but it didn't matter. He burst through the gate and sprinted down the street.

  He had only one destination.

  Kali. Dahlia. Their apartment.

  They had to know. They had to read what he had read. They had to help him save Viki.

  And now, he was dangerous again.

  Free.

  And furious.

  ...

  The apartment door burst open with a flash of energy.

  Kali jumped. She was in the living room, laptop on her lap, a cold coffee in her hand. Dahlia, sitting on the rug, immediately looked up.

  And there he was.

  Nicco.

  Disheveled, sweaty, his eyes burning from within. He was breathing hard, hands still crackling with static.

  "Nicco..." Kali whispered, rising to her feet.

  He didn't say a word. He looked at her. And in a second, he ran to her. Hugged her so tightly he nearly lifted her off the floor.

  "You're okay..." he murmured, voice breaking.

  Kali wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on like he might vanish if she let go.

  "You're okay. I thought..." Her voice cracked.

  "I know. I'm sorry. They locked me away. Again. But not anymore," Nicco said, pulling back just enough to see her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Thank you for the note. You saved me. Like always."

  Dahlia approached, cautiously, watching closely.

  "What happened? How did you get out?"

  Nicco took out his phone, unlocking it with shaking hands.

  "No time for long stories. Look."

  He showed them the photos.

  Pages with Aiden's name. Medical records. Power suppressors. Diagrams. And then, the hardest folder to look at:

  "Subject: VIKI WENTWORTH."

  Kali brought a hand to her mouth. Dahlia leaned in, eyes wide.

  "She's alive..." Dahlia murmured. "All this time..."

  "Kidnapped. By that Aiden guy. A scientist. My father's made deals with him. He's using Viki to... to experiment. Like she's not even human."

  Kali felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

  "And you?" she asked. "Did they use you too?"

  "They injected me with something. That's why I couldn't use my powers. The serum... that's Aiden's as well." Nicco clenched his fist. "But that ends now."

  The room grew heavy. Tense.

  Dahlia was the first to speak.

  "We have to get her out."

  "Yes," Nicco said firmly. "Not tomorrow. Now."

  "Do you know where she is?"

  "Not exactly. But there's an address in the documents. A lab on the outskirts. Supposedly abandoned."

  Kali looked at the two of them.

  "Then let's go. We can't wait."

  "Not a second," Nicco agreed.

  Dahlia went for her jacket. Kali pulled on her boots. Nicco steadied his breath.

  There were three of them.

  And they were heading straight into the darkness.

  But this time, they weren't victims.

  They were the storm.