Katherine knew better than to betray Sylvester outright.She loved him.Not the naïve, starry-eyed kind of love that came with teenage crushes or fleeting infatuations. Hers was raw, aged, soaked in admiration and longing, buried deep in places she'd never dare speak of. Sylvester had saved her more than once. He saved her from herself, from the world, from the chaos in her head. That kind of debt bred obsession. Devotion.But Emily?Katherine’s jaw clenched at just the thought of her name. Emily, with her soft voice and saintly aura. Emily, who looked at Sylvester like he was more than a man…like he was her all. Yet, there was a time she despised him.Katherine knew of those times.Sylvester deserved someone better than her. Not the wet, soggy noodle that she was. She was of no use to Sylvester, and Katherine could almost guarantee that if Sylvester was ever going to lose his life, it would be to save Emily.Women like that annoyed Katherine. They offered nothing but their weak,

The flickering lights of the clinic hallway barely masked the tension in the air. Edrag dragged himself through the bleached looking hallway that looked like it sucked lives. Ironic, considering he was going in, trying to save his own.His breath came ragged, short. He clenched his fists as another wave of pain shot through his chest and down his spine. What was happening to him.He had a clue, but he didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want it to be…his dear weapon. His plan to a blissful world of control.No.It couldn’t be that.It couldn’t be the bringer.He pushed through the final door at the end of the hall and entered a small, cold room that smelled faintly of antiseptic and burning herbs.Dr. Harlen didn’t look up at first. His gloved hands moved carefully over vials of strange, dark liquids. Only when he noticed the sound of strained breathing did he lift his head.“Edrag,” he said slowly, his tone neither surprised nor welcoming. “I was expecting you.”Edrag said n

Sylvester stood in front of the wide tactical screen, arms folded, eyes darting across the moving data lines and flashing signals that showed unrest near the outer cities. The room buzzed faintly with quiet footsteps and rustling papers, but the voices in his head was louder, yelling battle plans and lines of action to take.He would be lying if he said he wasn’t exhausted, but that was a feeling he had to put aside…at least, for now…and focus on the task at hand.He looked out of the window and saw a pensive Katherine enter into the base. Over the last few days, something had been off about her.She always acted like there was someone watching her, and being the most skilled fighter in the team, it would have been excusable that she was always on alert.But this time, it was insurmountable. Something about the way she moved sent warning bells flying in Sylvester’s head.She tried to blend in during the meeting, nodding when necessary, scribbling in her notepad, but Sylvester saw it

Emily had barely settled into her office when the ping of a new email echoed from her laptop. It was early…too early for most staff to have clocked in. Her assistant hadn’t even arrived yet. She rolled her eyes, wondering why she was the unfortunate early bird that had to bear the brunt of the early morning mails.To be fair, she could absolutely just ignore it and wait for her assistant to get it when she came, but that would make her an irresponsible business owner.She didn’t build a business that grew to be hundreds of millions in evaluation to ignore an email.She took a frustrated breath, vowed to come in later the next day, reached for her coffee, still steaming, and clicked the message open.Sender: anonymous@securemail.netSubject: URGENT: Hidden truths behind Emily Holt CorpHer brows drew together. What truth about her own company didn’t she know? The body of the email was short, but what followed was a thick, zipped file. She hesitated. Opening anonymous emails was

The room seemed to stretch in silence after Edrag’s declaration. He stood there, triumphant and oblivious, convinced that his “inside woman” still worked in his favor. Sylvester didn’t correct him. He didn’t flinch. Everyone on his team understood their advantage.Edrag had no idea Katherine was gone. No idea she had betrayed him.It was a rare, delicate advantage and Sylvester knew it wouldn’t last.He turned slightly, just enough for Geral to catch the glint of decision in his eyes. With a subtle flick of his fingers, he signaled their weapons down.He was going to handle this part by himself.Geral furrowed his brow but obeyed, stepping back beside Verity and Otto, each one holding tight to their Amplifiers. The Rose of Life pulsed against Sylvester’s palm like it sensed what was coming. And that was the problem.It was too reactive.Too alive. Much like the bringer of death they sought to destroy, the rose of life was no sleeper either and was hungry for power.There was a ver