The room suddenly felt smaller, colder. Elena's tactical awareness—inherited from her father along with his stubbornness—catalogued exit routes and defensive positions. But every calculation came back to the same conclusion: they were outmatched. Iris could maybe take two of the enhanced operatives. Elena and Isabella together might handle another one or two if they manifested, which would prove Victoria's point about them being dangerous."You're bluffing." Iris's voice carried certainty that felt more like hope. "Damon Blackwood is the God of War. You attack his daughters, and he'll tear the Covenant apart brick by brick.""Damon Blackwood is in Berlin right now, negotiating a merger that will make him the richest man in Europe." Victoria showed them another tablet screen displaying real-time tracking of Damon's location. "We made sure he'd be occupied when we made our move. By the time he gets back to New York, his daughters will be safely in Covenant custody or voluntarily supp

"Maybe." Damon moved to stand with his daughters, one hand on each of their shoulders. "But at least they'll have had the chance to choose their own path. Which is more than the Covenant ever offered."Victoria left without further argument, her enhanced operatives melting into whatever shadows they'd emerged from. Federal marshals secured the facility while Senator Williams began the process of documenting Covenant violations that would probably fuel congressional hearings for years.And Elena stood there with her sister and her father, feeling the weight of choices she'd almost been forced to make, understanding exactly how close they'd come to losing everything."How did you get here so fast?" Isabella asked what they were both thinking. "You said you were in Berlin.""I was. Twelve hours ago." Damon's smile carried edges that suggested he'd been several steps ahead of Victoria's planning. "The merger negotiation was concluded yesterday. I spent last night on a private jet specif

Elena felt her birthmark pulse stronger as they moved deeper into the cave, responding to the reduced suppression field. The pressure that had been building for five days suddenly felt immediate, urgent, demanding release through manifestation that had been denied too long."We start small. Just summoning energy spheres. Nothing fancy." She reached for her power carefully, feeling it respond with enthusiasm that suggested divine inheritance had missed being used. "On three. One. Two. Three."Both girls manifested simultaneously, energy spheres materializing above their palms with the ease of three months' practice. The cave lit up with silver-crimson light that painted the rock formations in colors that looked like molten metal.For about five seconds, everything was perfect. Controlled manifestation. Pressure releasing. Both girls maintaining independent power without merging into the dangerous synchronization that multiplied their capabilities.Then Isabella's manifestation spike

"Elena and Isabella Blackwood are now classified as 'enhanced minors under federal guardianship with retained parental rights.' Essentially, they're wards of the state who get to live at home. Gives us legal framework to protect them from international acquisition while maintaining family integrity.""How generous." Damon's voice dripped with sarcasm despite understanding that Williams was actually trying to help. "The federal government claims my daughters as property while graciously allowing them to sleep in their own beds.""The federal government is preventing every other nation from making similar claims with less generous terms." Williams's patience was clearly wearing thin. "China wants to classify them as supernatural weapons requiring international oversight. Russia is proposing they be held in neutral custody until reaching legal adulthood. The European Union is debating whether dual inheritance qualifies as weapons of mass destruction under existing treaties. This classif

"They need to make that choice repeatedly. Every day. Every hour during the final weeks before Convergence. And then they need to maintain that choice during the transformation itself." Margaret's expression suggested this was where previous inheritors had failed. "Most people can sacrifice themselves once. The moment feels heroic. But maintaining that sacrifice while power whispers that you could just take what you want instead? While divine nature suggests mortal concerns are beneath gods? That's where humanity gets lost."Elena felt her birthmark pulse in synchronization with her racing heartbeat. Ninety-three days. Thirteen weeks to learn how to become a god without losing herself. To somehow maintain everything that made her Elena Blackwood while power tried to overwrite her consciousness with divine imperatives."What if we fail?" The question came out before she could stop it. "What if we can't maintain humanity during transformation?"Margaret's expression shifted to somet