The first call rang out unanswered. The second too. On the third, the line clicked — a faint static hum before a voice came through, smooth and amused.“Selene Aurelius,” the voice drawled, “I was wondering when you’d remember how to dial.”Selene’s throat tightened. “Hello, D’Onyx.”A soft laugh. “Three missed calls? Either you’ve forgiven me or you’re finally in trouble.”“I wouldn’t say forgiven,” Selene replied, her tone even. “And trouble isn’t new to me.”“Then what’s this about?” D’Onyx asked, her tone bright with a sharp edge. “You don’t usually call unless the ghosts start whispering again.”Selene hesitated, glancing toward the bonsai she’d left half-trimmed. “We need to meet.”“Oh?” D’Onyx sounded intrigued. “After all these years?”“Things have begun to move again,” Selene said quietly. “I think you know why.”A pause. The faint rustle of fabric. Then D’Onyx replied, softer now, “You always were a woman of mystery and half sentences.”Selene didn’t answer.D’Onyx chuckled

The drive out of his compound felt quieter than it should have, he had returned to the house he had been avoiding for weeks to keep the drive in a place he was certain was safe. Eli kept his hands loose on the steering wheel, as if holding them too tight would anchor something in him that had to move. The Vault’s hiss and the memory of Leonhart’s voice — still sat in his chest. He hadn’t told Selene where he'd gone. He hadn’t told anyone.He told himself that secrecy was practical. That some truths should be handled alone at first. That he needed to think, to sort what he’d found before he allowed other people to touch it. The truth was simpler: the vault made him feel both smaller and older. It had lodged questions in him that wanted answers he didn’t know how to risk sharing.He felt a ping from his phone which sat in his pocket. He sighed, thinking the message was from Selene, instead D’onyx name flashed across his screen. Different thoughts on how she had gotten his number ran th

The television light flickered across the white walls. Eli had muted it an hour ago, but the footage kept looping — fire, smoke, flashing lights — all the things his mind refused to let rest. The ache behind his eyes had dulled to a steady throb, though the weight in his chest had only grown heavier with time.The door opened softly. At first, he thought it was another nurse coming to check his vitals, but the voices that followed weren’t hospital tones.“Damn,” Carlos muttered under his breath as he stepped in. “He looks like hell.”Lucia nudged him sharply. “You think that’s helpful?”Eli blinked, focusing. “Carlos?”“Yeah, man. It’s us.” Carlos’s voice was tight with something between worry and relief. He motioned to the others behind him — Lucia, Karim, and Bruno. “We heard what happened.”Bruno shut the door quietly while Karim lingered near the foot of the bed, his expression grim.“We saw the news,” Lucia said, walking closer, her dark hair tied back in its usual neat braid. “E

Eli felt his hair stand on ends as soon as he opened his eyes that morning. He ran his free hand through his bed checking to see if there was anything he could use as a weapon, sighing in defeat when he saw nothing. Blinking rapidly, trying to calm his nerves, he turned slightly to face the intruder.Clara rose from where she sat, moving closer to Eli’s bed. “I see you are awake, I thought you just might never wake up.” “What do you want, what are you doing here.” Eli asked, his fingers balled into fist. “Who let you in?” “Calm down Eli, I had to make sure my business partner and Leonhart's son was doing okay, although I can't say the same for Selene.” She finished with a slight smile displayed on her lips.Eli's first thought was why they would let Clara in when he hadn't said they should, then he remembered Carlos, Lucia, Karim and Bruno had also come for a visit unexpectedly, making him realise this hospital wasn't as safe as he had thought and keeping Selene here was starting

The quiet in the room didn’t feel like quiet anymore, – it felt unbearable like a cage sucking him in.He lowered himself slowly into the chair Lucia had dragged earlier, biting back a small wince as his ribs protested. He wasn’t supposed to be moving at all. He knew that. But he also knew he wasn’t staying in that hospital bed to stare at the ceiling and wait.Waiting made him feel helpless.And if there was one thing he refused to be right now, it was helpless.He leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, staring at the door as though Clara might choose that exact moment to reappear. He knew she wasn't though, she was going to give him time, – appear when he least expected.Still… he watched the doorway anyway.He didn’t know how many minutes had passed since Lucia and Carlos left with Selene. Five? Fifteen? Forty?Time had stopped making sense hours ago.He tried not to imagine anything going wrong.Tried to breathe evenly.Tried.His phone buzzed.Carlos: They’re prepping her