Inside the Infernal Lotus Hotel – Royal Suite , the golden doors of the elevator slid open with a low hiss, revealing the suite assigned to them—Ashen Sky Vault, highest tier. The moment they stepped inside, the four of them stopped and stared. The suite wasn't what they expected. They were Polished obsidian floors beneath their boots. A twin-arched window spanned the entire wall, overlooking the blazing skyline of the demon city. Blood-crystal chandeliers floated weightlessly above velvet divans and molten-gold inlays. A wide, curved hearth burned with blue infernal fire—strangely calming. Alternate Gwen blinked. “I… don’t even know how to process this. Demons live like this?” Gwen ran a hand along the carved table edge, whispering, “It’s like a palace. But with teeth.” Talon, still alert, scanned the suite. “No surveillance runes inside. We’re clean. For now.” Then a notification pulsed on the room’s reception glyph. “TWO PRIMARY ROOMS PREPARED: One assigned per couple unit.

Gwen hesitated for just a breath, then stepped aside. “Come in. You need to hear this.”Within moments, they were all seated around the infernal hearth, the low blue fire casting ripples of warped shadow across the floor.Talon recapped what Gwen had seen. Word for word. He didn’t add or soften anything.Alternate Gwen stiffened at the name. “Paxton.”“You know him?” Talon asked.“Too well,” she said, her voice tighter now. “He was our classmate. Same generation. Same academy. But not like the others.”Alternate Talon exhaled slowly. “He was a Wildborn and came from beyond the Arcane Dome—somewhere out in the Wilds. His family were time cultists. Obsessed with old clockwork gods and things no one talks about.”Gwen blinked. “Not a highborn?”“No,” Alternate Gwen said. “He wasn’t rich, but he was brilliant. He passed the Trials with a perfect score. Got into the Prime Academy through sheer force of will.”Alternate Talon nodded. “And hated anyone who got ahead without breaking themselv

The spiral staircase behind the velvet curtain was narrow and ancient. The walls were lined with demonic runes half-erased by time, pulsing with a weak, reddish light like blood beneath cracked glass. Vazzen moved ahead of them with calm certainty, his robes whispering against the stone steps. No words were spoken for a long time — only the faint hum of wards beneath their feet, and the distant echo of city sounds far above.Gwen stayed close to Talon, her hand brushing his as they walked. Alternate Talon trailed behind, his eyes scanning every line of the walls, while Alternate Gwen moved quietly but watched Vazzen with narrowed eyes — as if waiting for him to misstep.They descended deeper. After nearly five minutes of spiraling down, the tunnel widened — opening into a chamber beneath the Infernal Lotus.The floor was smooth obsidian, ringed with shattered pillars, and the walls were covered in a massive, ancient mural. Most of the images had faded beyond recognition, but what rema