Chapter 78: The Pawn’s Gambit
Zak had never felt loneliness like this before.
He was everywhere and nowhere—a presence stretched across dimensions, untethered from time. Yet still, he missed his family. The world he had fought to save now felt like a distant echo, unreachable across the multiverse. Despite surviving wars, revelations, and the rewriting of reality, Zak would give anything just to hear Maya’s voice again. To see Liam and Noah squabbling over cereal in the morning, to feel the pull of the ordinary.
He was free.
But freedom, he realised, came with a price.
And Dominion knew it.
<hr>
Dominion’s Next Move
<blockquote>
DOMINION BLACK FILE // OPERATION: FALSE RETURNTARGET: MAYA, LIAM, NOAH CARTEROBJECTIVE: LURE AND ACQUIRE ZAK CARTER</blockquote>
Agent Connors stood alone in the darkened Dominion war room, eyes locked on a flickering surveillance screen.
“Zak Carter’s not gone,” Dr. Raines muttered, fingers massaging his temples. “He’s just out of reach.”
Connors didn’t respond.
“We don’t need to find him,” Raines continued. “We just need to give him a reason to come back.”
Connors’ jaw tightened. “His family.”
Raines hesitated. “Are we really doing this?”
“This isn’t a choice,” Connors replied, voice cold. “It’s strategy.”
And with that, the trap was set.
<hr>
Zak Feels the Pull
The harmonic frequencies around Zak fluctuated.
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He felt it immediately—a ripple in the structure of reality, like a discordant note in an otherwise perfect melody. It wasn’t natural.
And worse… it was targeted.
He focused. The distortion pointed to one place.
His family.
The Silent Ones spoke to him, a calm whisper threading through the void.
<blockquote>
“This is a deception, Zak Carter. They seek to manipulate your bond.”</blockquote>
But it was no use. He already knew.
Deception or not, if Maya and the boys were in danger—he had no choice.
“Then I’ll play their game,” Zak whispered.
And for the first time since disappearing into resonance, he began stepping back into reality.
<hr>
The Family as Bait
Maya Carter sat at the kitchen table, gripping a chipped mug, her gaze fixed on the overcast sky outside the window.
Something felt wrong. The pressure in the air. The silence in the house. The presence of black SUVs parked just beyond the driveway.
Liam was on the sofa, phone in hand, his brow furrowed.
“They’re watching us,” he muttered.
Noah was quieter, sitting across the room, but Maya could feel the anxiety radiating off him. His eyes betrayed what he couldn’t say.
She reached out and placed her hand over his.
“It’s going to be okay,” she said, forcing a soft smile.
Noah didn’t look up. “You think Dad’s out there?”
Maya’s voice cracked. “I know he is.”
And somewhere, across space, Zak heard her.
“I’m coming,” he said.
And just like that—the hunt began.
<hr>
Dominion’s Trap Springs Shut
<blockquote>
LIVE OPERATION STATUS: CARTER HOMEALL UNITS ON HIGH ALERTTARGET LIKELY TO INTERVENEPREPARE FOR EXTRACTION</blockquote>
Connors reviewed the live feed. Inside, Maya sipped coffee while trying to remain calm. The children were close, visibly uneasy.
“He’ll come,” Raines said.
Connors didn’t blink. “We’re not here to kill him. We’re here to break him.”
Because Zak Carter couldn’t be fought.
But maybe… he could be bound.
<hr>
Zak Returns
Reality folded.
The harmonic waves swelled, then collapsed into stillness.
And Zak stepped forward.
He was home.
The wind whipped against his face. The sky hung heavy with stormclouds. Streetlights flickered. The air smelled of rain and static.
Ahead, he saw the house.
And he saw the trap.
He didn’t flinch.
Zak took a breath and stepped forward.
“You want me?” he said, under his breath.
“Then come and get me.”
From the rooftop, a drone captured the moment he returned.
Dominion’s trap had been sprung.
But they hadn’t accounted for one variable.
Zak Carter was no longer just human.
He was resonance made flesh.
And this time, he wasn’t going to run.