The team huddled in their cell, the holographic projection of the prison layout shimmering in the dim light. The activation of the Eden Mainframe was within their grasp, but the Blood Authenticator stood as a significant hurdle."Alright, so the Blood Authenticator requires a blood sample from the Tarkington lineage," Sterling said, his fingers flying across his makeshift keyboard. "That means royal blood, Damon."Damon sighed. "Great. Just what I needed. Another reminder of my past.""Is there any other way?" Juno asked, her hand instinctively reaching for her knife. "Can we bypass it, hack it, or something?""I wish," Sterling replied. "But the Blood Authenticator is designed to be foolproof. It requires a specific genetic marker, a unique code that can only be found in the Tarkington bloodline.""So, what are we supposed to do?" Nova asked, her voice filled with frustration. "We can't exactly walk into a royal palace and ask for a blood donation.""Actually," Damon said, his eyes n

The night inside the cell felt heavier than usual, like the air itself had weight. Damon sat on the edge of his bunk, elbows on his knees, staring at the dim panel across the wall. The fake sky above him flickered between dull gray and something darker, but he barely noticed anymore.What he did notice… was the sound.The hum had changed.At first, he thought it was just his mind playing tricks again. That had been happening more lately — hearing things, feeling things that weren’t there. But this was different. The rhythm wasn’t steady anymore. It stumbled. Broke. Came back.Damon’s head tilted slightly. “Yeah… that’s not normal,” he muttered under his breath.He stood slowly, walking toward the wall panel. The closer he got, the clearer it became. The static wasn’t random. It came in pulses. Short bursts. Then longer ones. Then silence.His eyes narrowed.“…Wait.”He stepped even closer, almost pressing his ear to the metal. The sound repeated again, and this time his breath caught.

Damon didn’t pull the cable out right away.His hand hovered near the port at the base of his neck, fingers tense, breathing still uneven from what he had just seen. The chapel around him felt quieter than before, like it was waiting.Sterling noticed.“You’re still in it,” he said calmly.Damon let out a slow breath. “Yeah… feels like it.”“Then don’t rush,” Sterling replied. “Mind tests don’t end when you think they do.”Damon gave a short, tired smile. “That’s comforting.”“It’s true.”Damon glanced at him. “You ever try this thing?”Sterling shook his head. “It wasn’t made for me.”“Lucky you.”“Not really.”Damon huffed lightly, then looked back at the altar. “Feels like it’s not done.”Sterling crossed his arms. “Then it’s not done.”Damon nodded once.“…Alright.”Without another word, he pressed his fingers to the interface again.And pushed deeper.---The world didn’t shatter this time.It… folded.Like everything around him bent inward, pulling him into something tighter. Da

The alarm didn’t stop.It followed them through every corridor, echoing off the walls like the prison itself was screaming. Red lights flashed above, painting everything in sharp bursts of color.Damon moved fast, leading the group through a narrow passage, his eyes scanning every turn. Juno stayed close behind him, steady, alert. Nova kept low, silent as ever. Emery walked with one hand brushing the wall, listening.Sterling, as usual, looked almost relaxed.Almost.“We’re running out of blind spots,” Emery said quietly.“I know,” Damon replied.Juno scoffed. “Yeah, the whole place is waking up. Guards, drones, everything.”Nova spoke for the first time in a while. “Then why are we still moving forward?”Damon didn’t slow. “Because turning back is worse.”Juno smirked slightly. “That’s not exactly a plan.”“It’s enough,” Damon said.Before anyone could reply—A loud metallic crash echoed from ahead.Damon stopped instantly, raising a hand.“Wait.”The others froze.Heavy footsteps fo

The alarm didn’t stop this time.It didn’t rise and fall like before. It stayed loud, sharp, constant. The kind of sound that got into your head and stayed there. Red lights kept flashing across every wall, every hallway, every face.Damon stood still in the middle of the control sector, his wrists still locked in restraints, his eyes fixed on the panels ahead. The vault behind him was open. The system had changed. He could feel it now, stronger than before. Not full, not complete, but awake enough to listen.Tolvar stood a few steps away, calm again, but not as calm as before. His eyes moved more. His fingers tapped once behind his back. Small signs, but Damon noticed.“You’ve made quite a mess,” Tolvar said, his voice even but colder now. “Do you understand what you’ve started?”Damon tilted his head slightly, a faint smile forming. “Yeah. Something you can’t control.”Tolvar’s lips pressed together for a moment. “You think chaos helps you?”“I think it helps everyone who’s been stu