Jace Caldwell’s scar burned, a jagged pulse ripping through his chest as NexTech’s neon-lit city trembled, the void-core—a massive machine, its surface etched with the company’s logo—pulsing like a diseased heart. Ethan lay wired to it, alive, his black eyes flickering, a silver Obsidian Heart embedded in his chest, its pulse a low thrum, like a storm trapped in iron. The white-eyed woman stood before the core, her scar blazing, holding a blacker-than-night Heart, her voice like a storm breaking: “You’re the sacrifice, Caldwell.” Lena Voss gripped Jace’s arm, her eyes human, tears cutting through blood-streaked grime, her betrayal still raw despite her whispered apologies. Aria, the young Marked girl, cowered behind a shattered spire, her red eyes streaming, clutching the fourth Heart’s shards. The air stung with the reek of molten steel and something acrid, like hope charred to ash. Jace’s Glock trembled, his heart a tangle of grief, rage, and doubt—Ethan’s wired form, Lena’s shak

Jace Caldwell’s scar burned, a jagged pulse ripping through his chest as NexTech’s neon-lit city quaked, the void-core—a massive, living machine etched with the company’s logo—pulsing like a heart ready to burst. The mirror-Lena stood before it, eyes white, scar blazing, her voice a twisted echo of Lena’s: “You’re not the pulse. I am.” Aria screamed, her small hands clutching a gold Obsidian Heart, its wild pulse cracking the ground, like a star fracturing under pressure. Ethan lay wired to the core, his black eyes flickering, a silver Heart embedded in his chest, his faint rasps barely human. Lena—the real Lena—gripped Jace’s arm, her eyes human, tears carving paths through blood-streaked grime, her redemption hanging by a thread. Azrael, the Void’s architect, loomed nearby, his void-black eyes glinting, the white Heart in his hand pulsing like a dying bone. The air reeked of molten steel and something sour, like loyalty charred to ash. Jace’s Glock trembled, his heart a snarl of