433 sat on the edge of his bed; fingers interlaced as he leaned forward, lost in thought. His room was quiet, the only sound being the soft hum of the air conditioning and the faint ticking of a clock on the wall. But inside his mind, it felt like a storm was brewing—a chaotic swirl of questions and confusion he couldn’t seem to quiet.

  He couldn’t shake the unsettling sensation within him. It was as if something foreign had taken root inside his very being, and it left a heavy weight in his chest. Ever since he woke up that day, alive after a bullet had shattered his skull, he had felt this persistent wrongness. It was like an itch in the back of his mind, a phantom pain that he couldn’t locate, let alone understand.

  ‘What happened to me?’ he wondered, staring down at his hands as if they held the answer. They looked the same—strong, calloused, trained to strike with lethal precision. But ever since that day in New York, something within him felt fundamentally different. ‘Why?’

  His thoughts turned to what the England Awakened had revealed to them: The Curse of Hades. James had spoken to them all about it after their debriefing. “Supposedly, he’s the god of death,” James had said, his tone grim and unwavering as if he were stating a simple fact. But the reality of what that meant left 433 with more questions than answers.

  "Hades, the god of death,” he murmured to himself. He wasn’t a religious man; he had never put much stock into legends or myths. To him, gods were just stories told to make sense of the chaos of the world. Yet here he was, being told that this Hades—this figure he’d only ever heard of—was real, and not just real, but involved in their lives. It made his head spin.

  ‘Do gods really exist?’ he questioned, feeling the weight of that realization pressing on his shoulders. If Hades was real, what about the others? Did that mean all the myths and all the stories had some basis in reality? Did gods walk the earth, wielding powers beyond their comprehension, treating them all like pawns in a cosmic game?

  And if so, where did that leave him?

  433 clenched his fists, a deep sense of unease gnawing at his core. Had he made some kind of unspoken pact with this so-called god of death without even knowing it? That voice he heard after he died—was it really Hades? He’d agreed to the offer out of desperation, but in doing so, had he tied his fate to something beyond his understanding?

  Was that why he was alive now despite dying? Had he been pulled back from the abyss by some ancient force?

  A shiver ran down his spine as the questions piled on top of each other, each one leading to more unsettling thoughts. ‘Who am I to these gods?’ he wondered. Was he just another piece on their chessboard, or was there something more at play?

  433 buried his face in his hands, trying to steady his breathing. He felt adrift, a small boat tossed around by waves he couldn’t control or see coming. All his training, all his preparation, seemed useless in the face of something so vast and unfathomable.

  But amidst the confusion, there was one clear thought in his mind: He couldn’t run from this. Ignoring these questions wasn’t going to help him find answers. He had to face them head-on, even if it meant diving deeper into the unknown.

  ‘I need to know the truth,’ he resolved, lifting his head with newfound determination. ‘If gods exist... if Hades is real... then I need to understand what role I play in all of this. And I need to find out what he wants from me.’

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  The ticking of the clock grew louder in the stillness of his room, and with every tick, 433’s resolve solidified. He couldn’t go back to being the person he was before—someone content with following orders without question. Not anymore. Too much had changed.

  Now, he needed to find answers and carve out his path, even if it meant standing against the gods themselves.

  ***

  Vera and Flint stood there, stunned by what they were hearing. “You can’t be serious,” Flint finally blurted out, his voice tinged with disbelief.

  “I’m dead serious, Flint,” 433 replied, meeting his gaze with unwavering resolve.

  “This isn’t bravery, 433—this is cowardice!” Flint’s voice rose with anger, and he jabbed his finger into 433’s chest as if to punctuate his words. “You’re just running away from your responsibilities!”

  433’s eyes narrowed, and without breaking eye contact, he firmly pushed Flint’s hand away. “No, Flint, it’s not cowardice. I’ve already told you that I think I had contact with Hades, and I need answers. Joining this war won’t give me what I’m looking for.”

  Flint shook his head, unable to comprehend. “Answers? Hades? Are you even hearing yourself? This isn’t some personal journey! We’re on the edge of war, and you’re going off to chase after gods?” His frustration was palpable, each word laced with a growing fury.

  Vera’s eyes flickered with an emotion 433 couldn’t quite place, but she quickly masked it. “You’re making a dangerous choice,” she said, her tone icy. “If you go off on your own, there’s no guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for—or that we’ll even be here when you get back.”

  Flint shook his head, clenching his fists at his sides. “This is not about understanding! This is about loyalty to the mission, to the boss.”

  “Loyalty?” 433 cut him off, his tone laced with frustration. “Flint, I’ve followed orders my whole life without question, just like you. But this—” he gestured to himself, “—this is beyond following orders. Something’s wrong with me. Something happened to me, and I can’t ignore it anymore.”

  Flint’s jaw clenched, and his eyes blazed with anger. He took a step closer, jabbing his finger into 433’s chest again. “So, what? Are you just going to go chase ghosts now? We’re at war, and you’re thinking about your problems?!”

  433’s hand shot up, grabbing Flint’s finger mid-poke. He didn’t forcefully push him away but held his hand in place, meeting Flint’s fiery gaze with a cold, steady stare. “This isn’t about bravery or cowardice,” 433 said, his voice firm. “This is about knowing who—or what—I’ve become. You and Vera might not understand, but I can’t go into battle while I’m still questioning what’s inside me.”

  Vera stayed silent, watching the exchange intently. She could see that 433 wasn’t going to back down, no matter what Flint threw at him. But that didn’t mean she was willing to let him off easily.

  “433,” Vera started, her voice low and measured. “We’ve all had our doubts and our fears. Why is this time different?”

  433 let go of Flint’s hand and turned to face Vera fully. “This time, it’s about finding out if I’m even the same person I was before—if I’m still me or if I’ve become something else.” He paused, searching for the right words. “Something happened when I died... something that I can’t ignore. If I stay with you all, it’ll just be a distraction from figuring out what’s really going on.”

  There was a heavy silence in the room, broken only by Flint’s ragged breathing as he tried to contain his anger. Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair.

  “So that’s it, then?” Flint muttered bitterly. “You’re just going to walk away from everything?”

  “I’m not walking away,” 433 said firmly. “I’m stepping back to find the answers I need. I need to know if Hades is involved in this and why. And the only way I can do that is by finding out what he wants from me.”

  Vera’s eyes softened for a moment before she quickly regained her composure. “If you really think this is the right decision, then fine. But if you end up regretting this later, don’t say we didn’t try to stop you.”

  “I won’t,” 433 replied quietly. “But I can’t stay and pretend that everything is fine when I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

  Vera and Flint exchanged a glance, each silently assessing the situation. They could see that 433’s mind was made up, and neither of them had the power to change it. Flint shook his head one last time, turning away in frustration.

  “Do what you want,” Flint said over his shoulder, his voice barely concealing his anger. “But if you leave, don’t expect us to come looking for you.”

  “I won’t,” 433 repeated, watching as Flint stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  Vera stayed behind, studying 433 for a moment longer. She didn’t say anything, but the look in her eyes told him that this wasn’t over—not for her, at least. She gave a curt nod and followed Flint out, leaving 433 alone with his thoughts once more.

  As the door closed, 433 let out a slow breath, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. He didn’t know what the future held, but he knew he couldn’t keep ignoring the questions that had been eating away at him since his return. If gods were truly interfering with mortals, if Hades had marked him in some way, he needed to know why.

  And he was willing to face whatever lay ahead to find those answers—no matter the cost.