The Infernal Lotus suite was warmer than it should’ve been, even by demonic standards. Gwen slipped her robe back over her shoulders, still feeling flushed from earlier.Talon lay half-asleep on the edge of the velvet-draped bed, his hair damp from the shared bath, a thin scar still visible across his ribs. She had kissed it absentmindedly while they were in the water. Neither of them had said much since. Words would’ve broken something they both weren’t ready to explain. They hadn’t planned for it to happen tonight.But it had and now her body still felt like it remembered every second of it—his breath, his apology, his trembling hands when he finally said her name like it was sacred again.She sat up, unable to sleep. She wasn’t restless because of guilt. She was restless because something still felt off her instincts wouldn’t let her fully rest.She crossed the room in silence and walked into the bathing chamber again, her robe tied loosely. Maybe another rinse would help clear her

“Three-point-seven percent fusion rate,” Talon muttered aloud. “And Agent Narek… 371 years ago.”Alternate Gwen folded her arms, troubled. “That confirms it. The Vault is active. Has been for centuries. The demons didn’t just evolve this — they’ve been incubating it.”“And we walked right into the test chamber,” Gwen added, voice quiet.Alternate Talon stood still, the data still cycling behind his eyes. “If Paxton really did push for this hybrid adaptation, then that Time Eater core wasn’t random. It was planted. It was meant to mutate us.”Talon nodded once. “And now we’re the ‘compatible hosts.’ Whether we want to be or not.”Suddenly, a loud gong rang through the walls — deep, resonant, and unmistakably official. A shimmer of red light passed over the ceiling, and a crystal-shaped sigil appeared above the door: an infernal seal of the city.BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.The resonance pulsed three times.Alternate Gwen’s head snapped toward it. “That’s a compulsory summon. From the House Court

“So, what will it be?” he had asked, his eyes glowing with that smug cruelty Talon had come to expect.Talon’s fists were clenched inside the flame-twine cuffs. He said nothing, his heart thudding against his ribs like a war drum. Behind him, Gwen strained against her restraints, eyes locked on the bloodied floor, refusing to cry. Alternate Talon glared up defiantly, lips curled. Alternate Gwen stood silent but trembling, as though preparing for the worst.Then— The chamber doors hissed.A red mist flowed in first, curling along the floor like a living thing. Then came the sound of slow, measured footsteps. A tall figure in a black-embroidered cloak entered through the fog, his presence sending a wave of unnatural silence across the throne room.The person stepped into the light. He was tall. Maybe 6’3". His coat was long and black, with glowing red symbols stitched into the fabric. A silver mask covered half his face, but the side you could see showed a sharp jaw, deep golden eyes, a

"It's been one year since the kids disappeared. Do you think they will ever come back?" Master Feng asked quietly, his fingers gliding across the glowing holographic screen floating at the center of the room. The circular chamber was filled with soft blue light, and he was surrounded by the other principals and their alternates, all absorbed in their individual tasks. Willy adjusted his glasses and replied almost immediately, "I don't think they’re dead. Entering the demonic plane doesn’t equate to instant death. If anything, it means they’ve slipped into a dimension with an unstable temporal frequency.” He tapped the side of his tablet thoughtfully. “And knowing Talon, especially considering we technically have two Talons...that’s double the cognitive processing. The kid is practically a walking anomaly of problem-solving. They’re alive… just displaced." Master Feng chuckled lightly at Willy’s confidence. “You always make it sound so simple.” Around the room, the other principals w

The Current bent ahead of him twisting, narrowing, then suddenly widening like a river about to spill into open land. Talon braced himself as the flow thickened under his feet. The air around him changed temperature, warming fast. Sand-colored light overtook the path. A pull stronger than before jerked him forward. The Temporal Current released him. Talon stumbled as his boots sank into loose earth. Heat struck him immediately. He steadied himself, blinking hard against a sun that felt too close, too bright. Before him stretched an endless desert. The sand was pale gold, almost white in some places, and wind swept across it in long, steady currents that carried dust like thin smoke. Far in the distance, jagged rocks rose like broken teeth. No structures. No roads. No sign of civilization, just a harsh, untouched world. His temporal body flickered at the edges as it adjusted to the environment. A faint vibration hummed through him. ‹TEMPORAL CONSTRUCT INTEGRATION: 89%› ‹WARNING: ST