Omniscient's POV

Jeanine demanded Grace's head. She no longer cared about being the one to open the box. She felt vulnerable, admitted the brunette's skill, and was surprised by her survival ability. This had led to certain rumors of weakness. How was it possible that Jeanine Matthews couldn't defeat a Divergent?

And worse, how was it possible that Jeanine hadn't seen the divergence in the woman she had so eagerly let into the faction?

It wasn't intellect that detonated within her, it was divergence. Jeanine thought this every night before falling asleep.

But in that moment, she craved her head with even greater desire. She wanted her dead. She wasn't worried about running out of Divergents, she still had Beatrice Prior in mind, and the deaths of those she had found in Amity were just collateral damage.

She felt powerful having Eric on her side. Her vanity prevented her from seeing the betrayals the blonde man committed against her. She couldn't see that Eric was changing.

So, once she realized Grace had been seen in Candor, she demanded that Dauntless go after her. Her irrational behavior pushed her to ask Eric to imprison Grace and bring her before her. This is when Jeanine's theory made sense: emotions weaken humans. Her pride was wounded, and her hatred toward the woman who had trusted her led her to act foolishly. And Eric would take advantage of that weakness. Because of the love he had for Grace, he found his strength. He wouldn't hand her over. It was easier to give Jeanine another target to distract her from the brunette, and who better than her number one enemy and his girlfriend, Tris?

But Eric's mistake was carelessly leaving the tablet in the hands of the most curious and stubborn woman he had ever known. Grace had already figured out where she would be and acted immediately.

"What are you thinking about?" Zeke asked impatiently. He was about to run to the Candor faction when the brunette stopped him.

"We need to be smarter than Eric." Grace murmured, though she immediately answered her own thought: impossible, she concluded. "You have connections. I need you to bring a few people, we'll need their help."

"There's no one in Dauntless who would go against Eric's orders to save a Divergent."Zeke announced.

"I know at least two women who would defy him for their protection. Maybe three, I don't know yet. I haven't decided." Grace muttered, indecision creeping into her voice as she thought about that redhead—after all, she might actually need her.

"What are you talking about?"

"We can't let Eric attack Candor, it would be a massacre, just like what happened in Amity. Uriah is there, and there are a couple of idiots who will fight back. I can't let both sides defend themselves."

Zeke understood Grace's concern. He didn't know her well, but he was aware of the love she had for Eric and the need to do the right thing, which repeatedly contradicted her.
"I get it, but you have no idea what kind of team Eric has. His technology is advanced and lethal. The only thing we can do is extract Uriah."

Grace's gaze was distant, what else could she do? She couldn't trust that Four would keep his word, not when Eric would be willing to kill him. Going in and intervening was the most sensible option at that moment, but she couldn't do it alone.
"Zeke, you must have connections. Friends who would do what we ask. People who can defend Uriah without attacking Eric's group." Grace pleaded with her eyes.

"You're asking for the impossible."

"We have to make it possible." Grace's pleading eyes made it hard for him to refuse. "You can't go alone, Eric will see it as a betrayal. Ugh! I don't know what to do." She grasped her hair with both hands.

Grace believed she would have more time to think things through, to find a way for Eric to coexist with the Divergents. He had said he would fix things with her, they would resolve it, and for a few minutes, she thought Eric would agree to her request. But again, he was doing what he thought was right. For Eric, Grace came first, and only then would he consider fulfilling her requests. He cared little if she ended up hating him because, at the end of the day, she would be alive.

Now, Grace felt her heart pounding in her throat, sensing that Uriah might disappear, or Molly, or even her biggest concern—Eric.

Was what she was asking for truly impossible?

They were like cats and dogs. No matter how much she tried, mixing oil and water was impossible. But she had to try again. She couldn't bear to stay in the room waiting for Eric to come back with blood on his hands, knowing that the man she loved had left Molly and Uriah in Erudite. To be honest, she didn't know if she could forgive him.

And what if, in her waiting, Eric didn't return? What if the next day he was gone? What if Jessica knocked on her door and told her he was dead?

Just thinking about it sent chills down her spine. The urge to cry consumed her. She was just a woman who wanted a story with a happy ending.

——————-

"We can't interfere in an operation, it's the rule," Jessica said with a grimace. "Unless he asks for it, there's no way to go in without him cutting off our heads."

Grace had let six people into the room: Jessica, Allison, and four others she didn't know. But they were all trusted, or at least

Zeke assured her of that.

They all had one thing in common—a loved one about to enter a battle. And all of them had witnessed the two lives lost in Amity, thanks to Four and Tris.

"I don't care about the rules, I can't let them get hurt."

"In that case, let's go and help them," Allison suggested.

"No, we have to stop them from even getting near the faction," Grace immediately refused.

Jessica let out a laugh. "You're asking for the impossible, we can't just disobey."

"Who else do you want to save?" Rosa asked, seeing the famous Grace in person for the first time.

Alex wasn't there—she was part of the operation to attack Candor. Knowing Rosa would do anything for her friend, Zeke thought it was wise to bring her. The black-haired woman had researched so much about Grace that she felt like she already knew her. She sensed they had a lot in common—their gestures, postures, even the humor Grace displayed when she entered the room.

Grace didn't want to reveal it, but she couldn't keep hiding the truth. It was time to be honest and hope the others would agree to follow her.

"Eight months ago, I helped Erudite overthrow Abnegation. Jeanine was the mastermind behind that massacre. Max helped her, and that's how she gained power, even in Dauntless. She created a serum, one that numbs the brain and makes people susceptible to control. They woke up in Abnegation because Jeanine had the goal of killing them. I helped because I'm Divergent, and I had to pretend to be one of them," Grace began explaining. "In Candor, there are Divergents I care about. And before they rise up, I want them to stop being afraid of us. Put aside that stupid education—a Divergent is not a danger, we are not monsters. The real monster is Jeanine, and that's why I became a fugitive. Because I refuse to follow her in her total control of the city. I don't want more people to die. And Eric is the most important thing to me—he's about to attack Candor and deliver Divergents to Jeanine."

The room fell silent.

It was no surprise that Grace was Divergent, the real surprise was how naturally she expressed it, to the point of making others uncomfortable.

"Uriah, my brother, is Divergent," Zeke spoke with a grimace. "My younger brother is in Candor, and he's still alive thanks to Grace, who helped him get through the stages." He sighed. "Everyone here knows Uriah—he's a good kid. He didn't choose to be born this way, and he doesn't deserve the fate that awaits all those like him." He crossed his arms.

Zeke's words softened the group. Everyone knew little Uriah, the innocent boy who became a man constantly looking over his shoulder, condemned to a life of danger, uncertainty, and pain because of people like Jeanine.

"We can coexist with all of you. And the people we care about are about to fight in a war where more than one will get hurt. They're just defending themselves. And that's what I want to avoid—no more deaths," Grace said.

"Did Eric know you were Divergent?" Jake, the initiate Grace had trained, asked.

"Yes, he always knew, from my initiation," Grace replied.

Jessica sighed, swayed by the emotional speech. She had no one to fight for, and yet, she agreed because Grace asked her to. She would follow her simply because the brunette asked, and because Eric, despite knowing her divergence, had protected her from all the cruelty.

"I'm in," the blonde agreed, and with her, everyone else in the room nodded.

"But it's too late, we can't get to Candor before they do," Rosa pointed out.

"Erudite equipped them with new technology, they went to them first," Jessica confirmed.

"So what's the plan? Get there and rescue the Divergents, or intervene before they attack?" Jake asked.

"No, they'll see that as a betrayal," Grace shook her head.

"They'll see everything we do as a betrayal, Grace," Allison said with a grimace. "If you can assure us Eric won't end up killing us... there may be a way," the blonde added.

"I'll handle it," Grace agreed, despite having no idea how to control an Eric who would be frustrated by having his plan ruined.

"The best idea would be to let them capture the Divergents first. From what I've read in their plan, they don't intend to kill them, just secure them and take them to Erudite. We can wait for them below, take some darts from the armory, and knock them out—you'll be able to save your people," Jessica suggested.

"But there will be those who fight back. What I want is to avoid a confrontation." Grace's skin tingled, she felt like time was running out.

Jessica smiled. "Eric learns from his mistakes, Grace. After Amity, he requested several 'toys' from Erudite. He'll put everyone to sleep—no deaths, just sedation. And when they wake up, there won't be any Divergents left."

"It's a good plan, considering there may be more people involved than you think. There could be a few hidden Divergents in Candor," Allison supported.

"And where would you hide them?" Jake asked with curiosity, though he tried to feign disinterest and failed miserably.

Jake was the only one from their group who chose to stay in the faction, in his comfort zone, afraid to go after his friends. And now, Grace, their leader and trainer, was asking them to fight, and of course, he was on board.

"I have a couple of options—it all depends on Eric," Grace said, scratching her head in clear worry.

"Are you in?" the blonde asked, looking at Grace, waiting for approval.

Grace couldn't help but feel like it was the old days again, that sense of leadership. Everyone was looking at her, expecting a secondary plan. Despite knowing she was Divergent, it didn't matter to them—they had already chosen to follow her. "I'm in," Grace nodded, and everyone left the room.

As they walked down the hallway with Grace in the lead and Zeke by her side, two girls suddenly appeared, blocking their path. Both stood with their arms crossed, their expressions hardened, clearly looking for the blonde.

"Where's Eric?" asked Victoria, Eric's personal tattoo artist, who had once considered him a friend. But after her mother's disappearance, he was nothing but an idiot to her.

"Who are they?" Grace asked, frowning as she crossed her arms.

Jessica was the first to step between Grace and the two girls, ready to defend against any potential attack.

"This isn't the time," the blonde said, her tone dead serious.

Victoria scoffed. "It's never the time, and I'm tired of all of you. Where is Eric?" she growled.

The brunette's anger was off the charts. She hated her leader now. Any respect she once had for him was gone. He wasn't her friend anymore, and she felt stupid for ever thinking he was. A friend wouldn't have kidnapped her mother.

She barely acknowledged Grace, aware of her presence but consumed by the need to find her mother.

"He's not here," Jessica responded.

"He took my mother!" Victoria shouted furiously. "I just want to see her! There's no charge against her, and suddenly she's gone—it's absurd!" she growled.

"Your mother is Monica?" Grace interjected with interest.

The question caught Victoria and Samantha's attention. "Yes," they answered in unison.

Grace smiled. "She's fine—better than fine, actually," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Where is she?" Victoria asked.

"She's safe. Let's make a deal: help us, and I'll take you to her," Grace proposed. "We'll protect the ideals your mother fights for."

The two sisters exchanged glances, trying to communicate telepathically. Sam knew their mother fought for Divergent protection and supported the cause. Victoria, on the other hand, had never cared to fight for anyone—but if it was for her mother, she'd do anything.

And that's how Grace took Eric's faction from him—because in chess, the queen holds the real power.

———————

"Sam?" Grace spoke through the earpiece communicator. "What floor are you on?"

"Fifth floor," Sam responded through the device.

The group circled the vans, each in position, ready to shoot and render unconscious anyone who emerged. Each person was assigned to someone, and Grace's nerves were getting the best of her. She had drugged Eric once before, and now she was about to do it again. The first time, he had held a grudge, and she could only hope that wouldn't be the case this time.

Samantha, Monica's daughter, was one of the most skilled Dauntless members when it came to technology. Jessica had simply given her the authorization, and they managed to extract the infrared radars. Sam was stationed in a building near the roof, where she had a good view of the surroundings.

Grace sighed. Everything seemed too quiet, not a soul outside, and a racing heartbeat gave her the feeling that something was off. She couldn't shake the unease, and her hands trembled, forcing her to lower her weapon.

"Something's wrong," Grace murmured.

"What are you talking about? Divergent extractions are never peaceful," Jessica muttered beside her.

"There were more screams at Amity," Grace whispered, dissatisfied. "Something's wrong."

"Grace, it hasn't even been 15 minutes since we've been here," Allison spoke, standing next to her.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out. The echo of the distant shots sent Grace's heart plummeting, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Sam? What do you see?" Grace asked urgently into the communicator. But the signal was weakening, and Sam's broken, garbled voice only heightened everyone's tension. "Sam?"

"The signal's gone," Jessica murmured with a sigh.

"I have to go up," Grace declared.

"You won't," Jessica stepped in front of her firmly. "You need to stick to the plan."

"I've already heard three shots!" Grace growled in frustration.

Jessica turned to Zeke, seeking his help. With a sigh, he walked up to Grace, gently grabbing her arms. "If you go up there, you might ruin not only our plan but theirs too. You'll endanger their lives and your own," Zeke spoke carefully. "This is a good plan. Uriah will see how we save him, and he'll forgive me for not looking for him sooner."

"And if Eric sees you going up there alone and something happens to you, he'll kill all of us," Jessica added with a nod.

Grace nodded, sighed, and tried to relax her tense muscles, which would certainly take a toll once she calmed down. She bit her lips, attempting to show Zeke that she was calm enough for him to let go and take his position.

She waited patiently for everyone to stop paying attention to her, even though she was screaming inside. She bit down hard on her lips to distract herself, trying to suppress the urge to run.

Should she trust her intuition? Or listen to Zeke and Jessica? She hated not being in control of the situation, hated feeling powerless to stop the conflict. She wanted to rush in, grab everyone by the ears, and shout at them for being so foolish.

To hell with it, Grace thought.

"I can't," were the last words she said before she took off in a sprint, running for her life.

And by now, she was used to hearing her name being called and ignoring it. So Zeke's shout behind her did nothing to stop her from chasing after her objective.

What unsettled Grace the most, sending a chill down her spine, was how swiftly she pressed the elevator button and how no one from Candor tried to stop her from getting in. The doors opened, and she stepped in, pressing the button for the fifth floor. As the doors were about to close, she caught sight of her unexpected team trying to catch up, but they didn't make it in time.

She felt lost when she reached the fifth floor, wandering the hallways. Endless black-and-white rooms with bodies scattered on the ground made her nauseous. But she didn't stop. When she rounded a corner and reached one of the main lobbies, the place was filled with people, none of whom paid attention to her, so she weaved through the crowd.

She couldn't hear much—the pounding of her own heart drowned out the male voices in the background—but it didn't stop her from seeing and acting immediately.

Without a word, she sprinted toward Four, lowering his hand, which was holding a gun pointed at Eric. She knocked the gun to the ground with a shot that missed its target. But Grace wasn't done. She hit Four's nose with her fist and kicked him in the chest, forcing him to stumble back. Then she took his gun and pointed it at him, placing herself between Four and Eric. Her hands shook—not from fear, but from anger. Her brows furrowed, and her lips parted slightly as she stared at him, her face full of questions.

"Grace..." Four started.

"You were going to shoot him," Grace whispered, cutting him off. She shook her head slowly. "You were going to kill him."

The tension in the room skyrocketed. The Candor guards who had stopped Tris' kidnapping and were following Four aimed their weapons at Grace. However, the arrival of Jessica, Zeke, and the other Dauntless—sweaty and exhausted from running up the stairs—prevented a massacre. They subdued the guards, freeing Eric's team.

Rosa was the first to rush to the red-haired girl, who was trembling with fear, tears streaming down her face, struggling to regulate her breathing. Relief washed over her when she saw that Grace had prevented Eric's death.

"Grace, listen to me," Four pleaded calmly.

"You were going to kill him!" Grace shouted, her voice full of fury, her breath ragged as if she were releasing a bomb of emotions. "We made a damn deal. Where the hell is your word?"

She couldn't help but think that, after all, her intuition had been right. It was a matter of seconds. If Grace had taken the stairs or listened to Jessica and Zeke, or even waited a second longer, Eric would be dead, and she would be shattered.

"He was going to take Tris!" Four justified himself. "They were going to take her to Etudite!"

"Of course not! Nothing was going to happen to her. She was down below waiting to free all the Divergents because I keep my word!" Grace growled.

"What were you going to do?" Eric asked in surprise from behind them.

"You shut up!" Grace shouted hysterically, glancing at him from the corner of her eye before returning to Four. "I came here to protect them from him, I can't believe I came to protect you from him."

Grace felt disappointment coursing through her veins as she stepped back, positioning herself behind Eric while still aiming her weapon at Four.

"Grace, forgive me," Four pleaded, raising his hands in surrender. "But you have to understand. How many times does it have to happen before you realize he's on Jeanine's side?"

"No, I won't forgive you. I'll take care of him, no one is touching him. This is a warning, Four. If he gets so much as a scratch, you'll see it reflected in Tris." Grace spoke firmly. "Rosa, aim."

When the dark-haired girl had them in her sights, weapon raised, Grace lowered her own and crouched down to untie Eric. As soon as his hands were free, he let out a groan, and Grace noticed his arm was broken.

"We'll talk when you wake up," she whispered in Eric's ear.

"How..."

But the needle prick in his neck and the swift action of the drug caused Eric's body to go limp, leaving his question hanging in the air.

She left him on the floor gently and stood up, surveying everyone present: Hall, Molly, Uriah, Lynn, Marlene, and even Jane were witnessing this scene. But Grace could no longer muster the respect she once held for them, she could no longer trust people like them when they were witnessing the potential murder of Eric. Grace felt she had done so much for them, only to be met with their scorn. She had even sacrificed her freedom so that Four and Tris could escape alive, not knowing if she would ever see daylight again and almost dying at Max's hands.

But how could she leave a tyrant alive who was determined to make her suffer?

She frowned, deeply disappointed—even in Uriah, who should have known better. Everyone present had failed to realize the damage they were causing Grace by not trying to stop it.

Zeke approached, along with Jake and another man, who crouched down to carry Eric, their leader.

"Grace, let's go," Jessica's plea at her side left the brunette torn between two paths.

The boys looked at her with a faint glimmer of hope that she might stay, but for a woman who had been deeply hurt, who had almost lost the love of her life, the path she would choose was clear. She would return to the arms of the only man who had stood up for her, who had sacrificed himself so she could wake up and be free again.

Now she understood, and she knew that being with Eric was her best option. She turned to Jessica and nodded, and the blonde wrapped her arm around her, guiding her toward the elevator where the others were waiting. The pawns had lost the queen's trust, and they still didn't understand that without her, they had nothing.

Yet they feared that with Eric by her side, she would become their worst nightmare.

—————-

She didn't have the official title yet, but she felt like a leader, and she loved the feeling. She ordered everyone to tend to Eric's arm, and now he lay in bed, under the effects of the drug, with a cast on his arm and a bottle of water by his side—those types of sedatives made him extremely thirsty.

Grace had taken a walk through the faction, and with Jessica by her side, she entered Eric's office—the one that had once belonged to Max. Of course, Eric would put his own stamp on it, when she walked in, it was no longer the dark room she remembered. It was time for a change.

Jessica left Grace in Eric's office to let her think, as even the blonde knew that Grace would change things for the better. She spent the entire night immersed in thought, dedicating herself to reading.

She became an expert in resource management and Erudite governance, forcing herself into the habit of reading, and ultimately meditating on the implications of it all. One thing was clear: with Jeanine alive, there was no option. She wanted her dead, but she had come to the unmistakable conclusion that a faction system without a leader—no matter how flawed—was a terrible idea. Thanks to Eric's books, she understood that she didn't want anarchy in Chicago.

That was why there could be no alliance with Evelyn. She was not fit for true leadership.

After a long night of contemplation, she reached a conclusion, and just as dawn broke, Jessica entered with the news that Eric had awakened and was angry. Determined, Grace went to calm the man who had almost lost his life because if he died, she would lose her sanity.

She entered the room, feeling the heaviness in her eyes and the overwhelming urge to sleep was inevitable. Her intention was to rest a bit so she could embark on that plan.

As she stepped inside, the first thing she saw was a guy with a furrowed brow, sitting on the bed, waiting for Grace.

"You chained me up? Seriously?" he asked with a scoff.

The bottle was empty, indicating he had drunk all the water. His left arm was in a cast, and a long chain was attached to his right wrist, tethering him to the bed's base.

"And I drugged you, yes," Grace admitted. "This is my plan, Eric. I need to keep you alive, and your stubbornness doesn't make it easy for me." She smiled at him, her expression devoid of teeth.

Eric scoffed again. "This is stupid. Just give me the damn key and stop acting like a child," he growled.

"No. Now, if you don't mind, I need to sleep. Want to join me?"

"I would never have tied you up, Grace!" he raised his voice in anger, struggling against the chain despite the redness on his wrist. "I should have done it a long time ago."

"You almost died!" Grace shouted, revealing her vulnerability. She wasn't sure if it was the feeling of nearly losing him or the fatigue of not having slept, but her eyes filled with tears. "I can't lose you; you're all I have left in Dauntless. If I have to tie you up to make you understand, I will."

"And what's your plan? Go to Erudite and kill them all?" Eric scoffed.

"Of course not, that's absurd. The only villain is Jeanine, and I intend to kill her. But that's not all—I have other plans."

"Like what? Keeping me as your prisoner?" he challenged. "With just one call, I can have a whole team here to free me."

"I don't think so; they're my team now," Grace countered, shaking her head. "They're following my lead. I laid out my plan, and they agreed. I'm going to open the box." She stated it simply.

Eric's face twisted in disbelief; this was precisely what he had been trying to avoid—Grace getting to Erudite and connecting to that box.

"You're crazy. You're not going," he insisted.

"Eric, it's a message from the founders, a promise of what future we deserve. And that's it. They're so desperate to eradicate the unknown that they think this box holds the solution to eliminate us. Think about it; maybe it's not what they believe," Grace explained with complete interest, having sacrificed her sleep to figure it out.

"I don't care; you're not going to find out," he growled.

"Maybe instead of being the problem, we're the solution. They're so afraid of the unknown that they won't open themselves up to the possibility of becoming part of it," she argued.

"Everyone has died trying to open that box!" Eric exclaimed violently. "No one can complete the simulations, and I don't want to find out if you can." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"What do you mean? How have they all died?" Grace murmured.

"Not all divergents are the same, some are stronger than others. And Tris is the one, she's the strongest," he said, his furrowed brow showing his displeasure at having this conversation.

"How do you know that?" Grace asked.

"Because they modified the aptitude tester," Eric murmured.

Grace stood up quickly, not waiting for another word from Eric, as the need to retrieve that device grew stronger within her. She had placed her things on the table, so she jogged over, grabbed the white reader, and returned to Eric, who watched her with alarm, understanding her intentions.

But Grace was unfazed. She held the reader up to her face, just as Max had done with her. She pressed the button, and the circle lit up, initiating the reading.
"Divergent, 100%."

She lowered the device and met Eric's desperate blue gaze, realizing the fear creeping down his spine.

"I can do it too," Grace murmured, shrugging.

"Don't do this, Grace, you'll die," Eric pleaded. "Don't be selfish, you're all I have left."

"I can't," Grace whispered, looking at him with sorrow. "Someone has to open the box. I need to show everyone they're wrong. It's time to take the lead before someone misguided does."