The battlefield smelled of copper and smoke. Shards of ruined buildings jutted like broken teeth across the streets of Thorne Hallow, fires licking at the edges of the night. The Cyclop’s roar still rang in the survivors’ ears, even as silence now pressed against the ruin. The silence of too many bodies lying still. Captain Idris lay face down in the rubble, his ribs screaming every time he drew breath. He clawed for his glaive, fingers trembling, vision spotted with black. Above him, the night rippled with a faint hum, the last vestiges of the portal slowly collapsing. His squad’s screams replayed in his skull. Jason’s broken body. Yara’s last cry. Too many gone. Too many.But Beta wasn’t the only one.***Command Center, Necrus CentralGeneral Holbrook’s voice was iron, but his eyes betrayed the weight. “Status report. Beta?” Static answered first. Then a broken, ragged voice cut through. “This is Idris… Captain Idris… Beta’s engaged… Cyclop class… casualties heavy… repeat… casu

Kyle’s POVThe shriek of the alarm was merciless. That sound ripped through the air, cutting the room in half. The red emergency light painted all of us in violent flashes, our bodies still tangled but our souls suddenly ripped back to reality. For a second none of us moved. We just stared at each other, chests rising and falling, sweat cooling too fast under the harsh pulse of that light. The haze of what we’d just done lingered like smoke, heavy, suffocating, undeniable. Then instinct slammed back into me. “Get up,” I barked, my voice rougher than I intended. “Now.” Katherine smirked, the remnants of her recklessness still burning in her eyes, but even she scrambled off the bed. Carter clutched the sheets to her chest, shaking. Samantha was the only one who didn’t look panicked — her expression was steel, her shame tucked behind the same calm I’d always known her for. But I couldn’t ignore the way she refused to meet my eyes. The guilt twisted sharp inside me, but I forced it

The sky tore open like flesh. At first, it was just the alarm. That shrill, unnatural wail that blared across Necrus, echoing in every district. My chest tightened the moment it screamed, because I could already see them—hearts. Thousands of them. Small lights blooming across my vision, as if my gift had been forced wide open. They pulsed erratically, thundering with panic, despair, and the sharp stabs of fear. And then came the cracks. Above the city, the clouds bled black. Splits like jagged glass ripped across the horizon, glowing veins of violet burning through them. Portals. Dozens. No—hundreds. “Shit…” Carter muttered beside me, her blade already half-drawn. Her own aura was steady, her heartbeat calm like always, but the way her jaw locked told me everything I needed. She knew we weren’t ready. Katherine’s hand slid into mine for just a second. Her heart thumped warm and wild, not from fear—but from adrenaline. From wanting to fight beside me. “We hold together, Kyle. No m

The battlefield was fire. The air split apart with the roar of tearing portals, each one cracking like glass shattering against stone. From their jagged mouths crawled monsters the world had no name for. Cyclopes, their single yellow eyes glowing like molten iron, stumbled into the city, swinging tree-trunk clubs that flattened buildings. Behind them, pale arachnid-beasts with crystal spines—Shrykals—skittered through the wreckage, spitting acid that melted metal and flesh alike. Overhead, leathery-winged horrors called Veyliths screeched, raining down shards of bone from their wings like arrow storms. And everywhere, people screamed. Commoners ran blindly, their terror pounding in my skull like thunder. Their fear wasn’t just noise—I could see it. Above every fleeing head, jagged hearts flared red and black, pulsing with despair so strong it made my chest burn. My fists clenched. My breath trembled. The last thing I’d seen of my sister was the bright white flash on the horizon.

Kyle's POVThe silence was worse than the battle. No roars. No collapsing buildings. No screams. Just fire crackling in the ruins, smoke drifting against a sky bruised purple with ash. I stood in the crater where the beast had fallen, my body still glowing faintly. Every breath rattled like broken glass. My fists trembled, silver light crawling across my veins in twitching bursts. They were all staring. Survivors. Soldiers. Even my squad. Not at the monster’s ashes. At me. “...Kyle?” Samantha’s voice cracked like she wasn’t sure I was still me. Her hands hovered near her med bag, but she didn’t move closer. Katherine struggled to her feet, blood streaking her face, one hand clutching her side. Carter limped beside her, blade snapped in half, eyes narrowed. “Was that you?” Carter’s voice was sharp, hard, edged with something I didn’t want to name. “That light. That… whatever the hell that was.” I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. Because I didn’t know. I remembered the heat