Mark and Ariel stood in silence beneath the twilight sky as the truth Risa revealed settled in his chest like gravity. He closed his eyes, and memories flickered—distant and fractured—as pieces of the past began knitting themselves into clarity.

Ten years ago in Chicago, a young Mark—innocent and kind—encountered a shy girl at a park. She introduced herself as “Roselet,” afraid to lead with her true name. That was Ariel’s middle name. They walked and talked until night fell, building a childhood bond before their lives twisted dark.

Fate drew them to I.R.I.S., the clandestine program targeting gifted children—Mark, Ariel, Light, Risa, Max, Garth, Heather, and a boy named Brandon. The experiments accelerated their cores, focusing only on power. None of them chose it. Ariel once sobbed, confessing she missed her mother. She blamed Mark. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “I’m sorry.” She clung to him until her tears ceased.

Slowly, their shared fear blossomed into affection. They knew—but never acted on it. Then Mark turned ten, and they forced something into him—a relentless driving force that unleashed a different personality: Spike. When his programmed self surfaced, it killed three heroes, including Ariel’s father, even as Mark fought not to. Ariel arrived too late, maimed by loss and guilt. She escaped, returning home after four harrowing years. Mark’s memory of Roselet vanished. Instead, he emerged calculative, cold, and nearly inhuman.

Now: present day. Mark inhaled as Ariel stepped forward, her voice brittle.

“I hate you,” she spat—and struck with blistering speed. Mark barely blocked her punch.

“You asked for this,” he replied.

Their eyes held decades of shared trauma and unspoken grief. They also held the faint ember of the connection they once shared. But this hit aimed deeper than betrayal—it was accusation. Mark braced himself.