Samuel forced himself to stay calm. His instincts screamed at him to move, to fight, but there was nothing to fight against—only the suffocating abyss that had replaced the corridor. He could hear Vincent’s breath hitch beside him, sharp and ragged, and Sophia’s fingers tapping against her tablet in frantic desperation.A voice cut through the void—smooth, controlled. Damian.“You’ve always thought of me as the villain, Samuel. But have you ever considered that maybe I’m the only one who truly understands what’s coming?”Samuel tightened his grip on his gun. He couldn’t see Damian, but he could feel him, lurking somewhere in the oppressive darkness. “Spare me the speech. If you think you’re some kind of savior, you’re delusional.”A soft chuckle. “You always were short-sighted. Do you even know what you’re fighting against?”The air shifted. The darkness twisted, swirling around them like a living entity. Then, suddenly, it pulled back. Light flickered into existence—not the sterile g

Pain was the first thing Samuel felt. A deep, searing pain radiated from his side, but it was nothing compared to the oppressive weight pressing down on his chest. He forced his eyes open, blinking through the haze of agony and disorientation.The world around him was distorted. The walls of the facility seemed to pulse, the shadows stretching and shifting like living entities. The creature that had attacked him stood over him, its grotesque form flickering between solid and ethereal. It was bigger now, feeding off the collapsing energy of the facility.Damian loomed over him, watching with that same eerie smile. “You feel it, don’t you? The shift? The boundaries between our world and theirs are thinning. Soon, there won’t be a difference at all.”Samuel clenched his jaw, forcing himself to sit up despite the sharp pain that lanced through his ribs. He wouldn’t give Damian the satisfaction of seeing him weak.Vincent and Sophia were still fighting, trying to hold back the remaining cr

Vincent poured himself a drink, the ice clinking against the glass. “You gonna stand there all night, or are you actually gonna celebrate with us?”Sophia was at the far end of the suite, tapping away on her tablet. She barely looked up. “I wouldn’t call this a celebration. We only stopped a single breach. There could be more.”Vincent rolled his eyes. “You two are exhausting. We saved the damn city. Take the win.”Samuel didn’t respond. He was focused on the reflection in the glass. Not his own—but something behind him.A flicker. A shadow.He turned sharply, but nothing was there.Vincent raised an eyebrow. “What?”Samuel shook his head, forcing himself to relax. “Nothing.”But it wasn’t nothing. He had seen something. And he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what it was.Sophia frowned, finally setting her tablet down. “If you’re still connected to the breach in any way, we need to run more tests.”Vincent groaned. “No offense, but I don’t think shoving needles into Samuel’s ar

The night had an eerie stillness, the kind that set every nerve on edge. Samuel stood by the window of his penthouse, gazing down at the glittering city below. It was a kingdom built on power, wealth, and secrets. But tonight, something in the air felt different.Behind him, Vincent poured himself a drink, the sound of ice clinking against glass breaking the silence. “So, how long do you think this so-called alliance is going to last?”Sophia, sitting on the couch with her laptop open, didn’t look up. “It won’t. Marcus is playing an angle, we just don’t know what it is yet.”Samuel didn’t respond immediately. He had spent years trying to keep his world under control, but now, cracks were forming in the foundation. The entity from the ruins, the ancient warning, and now Marcus Brook—these weren’t coincidences.“They need us as much as we need them,” he finally said. “For now, that keeps them in check.”Vincent scoffed. “Until they decide they don’t need us anymore.”Sophia sighed, her

Samuel knew they were far from safe. His palm still ached from where his blood had sealed the cracks, but that pain was nothing compared to the weight of what they had just done.Vincent leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “So what now? We just sit around and wait for it to wake up again?”Samuel turned to Evelyn, whose gaze remained fixed on the stone. “How long before the Leviathan tries to break free again?”She didn’t answer immediately. Her expression was unreadable, but there was something almost… distant about her, as if part of her wasn’t even in the room. Finally, she murmured, “It depends.”Sophia frowned. “On what?”Evelyn’s eyes flickered toward Samuel. “On him.”Sophia stepped closer, her patience wearing thin. “Enough with the riddles, Evelyn. If you know something, say it.”Evelyn’s lips curled slightly, but it wasn’t a smile. “The Leviathan is bound to the Blackthorn bloodline. That bond was weakened over centuries. But tonight, it tasted his blood again.”Vincent s