The bar was drenched in a heavy silence, broken only by the faint hum of the ceiling fan and the distant clink of a bartender wiping down already-clean glasses. But Miles and Dion sat still—two brothers, once inseparable, now divided by years of shadows, loss, and bitter truths.
Dion finally broke the silence.
"That year... when I got back from that mission," he began, his voice dry, cracking at the edges, "they told Flora was gone."
He didn’t look at Miles—his eyes were fixed on the table, the wood stained dark like old blood.
"I was broken," Dion whispered. "And angry. So angry I couldn’t think straight. They said her undercover op with Jehan got compromised... Graveyard claid the mission failed and we lost Flora in the field. Just like that. No closure. No body. No answers."
Miles’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent, listening.
"I wanted Jehan’s head," Dion continued. "You rember how furious I was. We both were."
Miles gave a silent nod, a flicker of pain in his eyes.
"But Graveyard had other plans. They wanted to capture him. Slow. Careful. thodical. And I—I couldn’t wait."
He exhaled, bitter and sharp. "The old commander tried to calm down. Pulled aside after I lashed out in the war room. Told to have faith. That justice would be served in ti."
Dion’s hands trembled as he reached for his glass, but didn’t drink. "And then... fate intervened. Or maybe it was sothing else. As I was storming out of the command center, a cleaner bumped into the shredder bin. The container tipped, paper scraps flying everywhere."
He paused, swallowing hard. "A strip of paper landed right at my feet. It had Flora’s na on it."
Miles’s eyes narrowed slightly, the mory echoing in his mind.
"I gathered as much of the shredded paper as I could, stuffed them into my jacket. That night, I sat in my room, piecing it all back together like so obsessed lunatic."
Dion’s voice cracked again. "What I found... it wasn’t everything, not even half. But enough. Enough to know that her death wasn’t so accident. It was a plan. A fucking blueprint."
He looked at Miles for the first ti.
"I knew soone from Graveyard orchestrated it. I didn’t know who. I didn’t trust anyone anymore. So I went rogue. I tracked Jehan down myself, confronted him in so run-down bar outside Kaldwin. I was ready to put a bullet in his skull right there."
Miles’s expression darkened, but he stayed still, unreadable.
"But Jehan didn’t fight back," Dion said, eyes now glassy with tears. "He said he didn’t kill Flora. Claid he didn’t even know she was a spy until she was already dead. He said she was... good. Sharp. Loyal. Said he respected her."
Dion’s hands were shaking now. "And then... he gave sothing. A sheet of paper. Said he found it in her room after she died. Miles—it was the sa one I tried to piece together. Sa texture. Sa tears. Except this was whole. One full page. Still not complete, but it confird what I feared."
He leaned forward, whispering now, like he couldn’t bear to speak it too loud.
"Graveyard planned her death, Ghost. They used her as bait. Sent her to die. That mission was never about success. It was a sacrifice."
A pause.
"I wanted revenge. I wanted to ask you for help, but I knew... I knew you wouldn’t believe . You were still loyal. So I kept quiet. I started working from the shadows. Raised money. Built connections. Waited."
Miles’s lips parted slightly, pain flickering across his face—but he still said nothing.
"I struck a deal with Jehan," Dion said. "Used him. Used his network. I didn’t trust him, but he was the only one who hated Graveyard enough to help without asking questions."
Dion lowered his head. "And today... was supposed to be the end of it. My last deal. My last act before cutting ties. I was going to move against Graveyard tomorrow."
A bitter laugh escaped him, empty and broken.
"But Jehan had other plans."
His fists clenched.
And today , just like that—he told he killed Flora. With his own hands. "
Dion broke down. The tears ca hard now, dripping silently onto the table.
"All these years... planning, surviving, sacrificing everything—for what? I was manipulated from the start. Used. Lied to. I betrayed my people, my brothers, for nothing."
He looked up at Miles, his eyes pleading, red and raw.
"I still dream of her, Ghost. Every night. Her laugh. Her eyes. I loved her, man. I never stopped."
Dion’s voice dropped to a whisper.
"I’m a ss. I’ve crossed too many lines. Burned too many bridges. But please..."
He leaned closer, desperation in his voice.
"Let finish this. Let end Jehan. At least let do that for her."
The silence returned. Heavy. But this ti it was filled with history, pain... and the weight of a decision Miles had to make.
The bar remained dim, cast in hues of amber and grey. Only the soft hum of an old ceiling fan stirred the silence as the truth hung heavy between them. Miles finally spoke, his voice low and controlled, like a storm waiting just behind his calm eyes.
"When did you beco so stupid?" he said, looking Dion straight in the eye."You made wrong decisions. You could’ve told about the paper back then—if you had, none of this would’ve happened."
Dion flinched as if struck.His voice cracked. "You knew? You knew about the paper... and the plan already, Ghost?"
Miles’s jaw tightened. "My na is Miles."
Dion’s eyes widened. His breath hitched. "You... you rember your na now?"
Miles gave a faint nod, eyes dark with mory. "That’s a long story."He leaned forward, voice turning grave. "There was a rule in Graveyard—or at least, there used to be one."
Dion sat still, listening as if the world was about to shift again.
"Once you beco a part of Graveyard, you cannot leave it. Ever."Miles’s voice was sharp with bitterness."Flora loved you. More than anything. She dread of a life with you—away from the missions, the blood, the shadows."His voice softened, just a touch."She wanted peace. She wanted forever with you."
Dion lowered his eyes, the weight of guilt dragging down his shoulders.
"She shared that wish with Ray," Miles continued. "He was our father in every way that counted. And he wanted us—his kids—to be free, happy. But the Commander back then... he’d never allow it."
Miles exhaled deeply. His fingers tapped slowly on the wooden table.
"So Ray devised a plan. A plan to fake our deaths and give us new lives. The paper you found wasn’t just about Flora’s supposed death—it had your na. Mine, too. We were all ant to disappear and start over."
Dion’s eyes were distant now. Haunted. His lips trembled with the mory of Flora’s laughter, her touch.
"But her last mission went wrong," Miles said, quieter now. "She was compromised. And then everything fell apart."
Dion shook his head slowly, as if trying to hold back the ocean crashing inside."It’s my fault... what have I done...?" he murmured."I let anger blind . I turned against my family... against you..."
Miles leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on his brother."I have sothing to tell you," he said. "Sothing even Graveyard doesn’t know."
Dion looked up slowly, confused. "What is it?"
Miles didn’t blink. His words dropped like thunder.
"Flora is alive."
Dion froze.
For a heartbeat, he didn’t breathe. The world around him fell silent—utterly, completely silent. Then his lips parted, but no words ca. His throat worked as if trying to speak, but emotion choked the sound.
His hands clenched the edge of the table. His shoulders trembled.
"What...?" he whispered. "No... that can’t... she... you’re lying."
But he saw it in Miles’s eyes. The unwavering truth. The calm certainty.
Tears filled Dion’s eyes, but he didn’t let them fall. He shook his head slowly, as if resisting the very hope that tried to rise within him.
"All these years... all this pain... she’s... alive?"
He looked like a man shattered and reborn at once. A storm of grief, guilt, love, and disbelief flooding his face.
Then, barely audible—
"Where is she...?"
Miles stood slowly, eyes heavy with everything he still hadn’t said.
Dion’s voice trembled. "Where is she...?"He barely got the words out, as if afraid they’d vanish into the silence.
Miles nodded slowly, his tone softening."After that night... we never found her body. All we knew was that she fell from the cliff."He paused, eyes distant."But sothing didn’t sit right with . I asked soone I trusted to investigate quietly."
Miles took a step closer to Dion."You had already left the Graveyard. You’d joined Mullins, cut contact. But I kept looking. Then one day, I got a call... A woman, in a coma, found in a small village not far from the mission site."
He swallowed."I went there myself."
Dion’s eyes locked with his, searching for lies—but found none.
"I couldn’t believe it," Miles whispered. "It was her. Flora. She was alive. Broken, but breathing."He exhaled slowly. "I arranged everything—doctors, care, all of it. I told no one. Not even Ray. The Graveyard couldn’t know."
Dion’s voice cracked."She... she’s okay?"
Miles smiled faintly."She ca out of the coma last year. Her first thought was you. She wanted to find you, imdiately.""But I told her to wait. You weren’t ready... And honestly, neither was I."
Miles took a step back and looked up at the morning light filtering through the window."I’ve changed, Dion. I’m not the Ghost of the Graveyard anymore. I was relieved of duty a month ago. I found my family—my real family. A mother. Two younger siblings. A reason to live, beyond the blood."
Dion wiped his face with the back of his hand, blinking rapidly."I... I can’t believe it."
"It’s true."Miles reached into his coat pocket and handed Dion a small black card.
"My contact. You’ll need it soon."
Dion looked down at it, unsure what to say.
"You have to answer to the Graveyard," Miles said calmly. "They’re already on the way. Go with them. Face the truth. Commander Ray will listen. I’ll make sure of it."
He placed a firm hand on Dion’s shoulder."When it’s done... contact ."
He stepped away, turning toward the door."We’ll go see Flora. Together."
A long silence settled between the brothers.
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