Rain pattered softly against the hospital windows as Mi Na lay unmoving, eyes closed but vitals stable. Guards flanked her room, but none dared speak. They’d seen what she could do when conscious.

Inside, machines beeped steadily—until one began to whine.

Her eyelids fluttered.

Mi Na opened her eyes.

She stared at the ceiling for a long moment, then sat up slowly, flexing her fingers. Her body ached, but her mind was razor-sharp.

A nurse outside the room noticed the monitor spike and leaned in to check. Mi Na locked eyes with her through the glass.

The nurse froze.

Mi Na smirked.

Elsewhere, Rin and Rae stood outside a secure conference chamber in the National Security Council.

An agent stepped out. “She’s conscious. Minimal speech. No aggression… yet.”

Rae cracked her knuckles. “She’s baiting us.”

“Probably,” Rin replied. “But we can’t ignore it. If she’s faking weakness, we have to know what her next move is.”

The agent nodded. “She asked for you specifically. Both of you.”

They entered the room to find Mi Na seated in a simple chair, no restraints—but still flanked by tranquilizer drones above.

She looked older. Tired. But her eyes were the same.

“Do sisters,” she greeted them. “Come to see if the devil’s still breathing?”

Rae didn’t respond. Rin sat across from her.

“We’re not here for games.”

Mi Na chuckled softly. “But everything is a game. You just finally started playing it well.”

Rin leaned in. “You lost. The world knows what you are.”

“But they don’t know what’s coming,” Mi Na said.

She leaned forward. “Project Omega was only one path. I had others. Not just tech. Not just strength. Ideas. Beliefs. Those don’t die when you pull a plug.”

Rae clenched her fists. “Then we’ll stomp them out wherever they crawl.”

Mi Na’s smile faded. “And become like me?”

The room fell silent.

“I know what I’ve done,” she continued. “I built something monstrous. But I also built you. You were forged by the fire I lit.”

Rin stood. “Then consider this your legacy: silence.”

She motioned to the guards. “She doesn’t speak to anyone unless we authorize it.”

As they walked out, Mi Na called after them, voice cool.

“Rin. Rae. Just remember… fire always leaves embers.”

Outside, Rae shivered.

“She’s bluffing.”

But Rin wasn’t so sure.