The prison gate shrieked as it rolled open, metal grinding against metal, each groan louder than the last. Edmond Welder stood just beyond the threshold, the first rays of late-afternoon sun striking his face. He didn’t squint. Didn’t flinch. His eyes drank in the light as though it had been waiting for him.Two guards escorted him down the steps. Normally, convicts were spat out of the prison like refuse, no ceremony, no witnesses. But today, things were different.At the foot of the stairs, a black convoy of armored vehicles waited, engines purring like predators at rest. Soldiers stood in precise formation on either side of the path, their boots polished, their uniforms immaculate. Rifles gleamed in the sun, bayonets catching the light.And every last one of them stared at him. The younger of the two guards swallowed hard. “Sir… is it true? Seven stars?” His voice carried a hushed reverence, like a child whispering about a ghost story.The older guard shot him a glare. “Keep your m

The crack of gunfire tore the night apart. Glass shattered in the convoy’s windshield as Edmond shoved Maddox down, the world erupting in sparks and smoke. “Contact left!” Edmond barked, voice steady, commanding.Soldiers reacted instantly, training snapping into place. The convoy braked hard, screeching tires echoing against steel and concrete.More bullets rained, ricocheting off the armored vehicles, sparks showering like fireworks. Maddox drew his sidearm, eyes sharp. “Who the hell has the stones to pull this stunt downtown?”“Not amateurs,” Edmond growled. He flung the door open, rolling out onto the asphalt as more rounds chewed through the car frame.He moved with lethal grace, three years of chains unable to dull the instincts burned into his bones. Two soldiers followed, one taking a knee, the other scanning rooftops. “Multiple hostiles, high ground!”Edmond’s voice cut through the chaos. “Suppressing fire, three-second bursts, now!”Automatic rifles roared back, tracer roun

The scream still echoed in Selene’s ears as she dropped the phone. The photo stared back from the carpet: her face caught in perfect clarity, her body circled with crosshairs.Her pulse raced, every instinct screaming danger. She locked the doors, drew the curtains, paced her room like a caged animal. She wanted to call the police, but the thought of explaining Edmond, the divorce, the scandal, it froze her.And then she heard it. A low, steady knock at her front door. Selene’s heart plummeted. The knock came again, firm, deliberate. Not frantic like a neighbor. Not clumsy like a thief.Her phone buzzed. A text from the same unknown number: Open the door. It’s me. Selene’s blood chilled.She crept down the stairs, each step echoing in the cavernous Carter estate. Through the glass, she saw him. Broad shoulders. Dark uniform. Those eyes that saw through everything. Edmond.Selene pressed her palm against the glass, torn between slamming the lock and tearing it open. He knocked once mor

The Carter estate burned. Flames licked the night sky, smoke blotting the stars. Soldiers in black scattered through the ruins, shouts and gunfire echoing like thunder. The ground trembled with detonations.Edmond pulled Selene behind an overturned column, his pistol barking in measured bursts. Every shot was calculated, every kill precise. Beside him, Selene’s chest heaved, ash streaking her face.“Stay down,” he ordered.Her voice shook. “Where’s my father? My mother?”“Alive, for now.” Edmond’s eyes scanned the chaos. “Vincent’s men took them.”The words sank into her bones like ice. From the smoke emerged a figure. Tall. Broad. Armor black as midnight, marked with a crimson sigil that burned against the glow of fire.His face was hidden behind a jagged mask, but his presence carried like a storm. The soldiers fell silent as he advanced. Selene whispered, trembling. “Who is that?”Edmond’s expression hardened, a rare flicker of unease in his eyes. “Harbinger.”The name itself weigh

The doors of the Council chamber slammed open. Marcus was dragged inside, his body half-limp, veins glowing faintly with black fire that pulsed beneath his skin.Two knights struggled to restrain him as he thrashed against invisible chains of shadow. His screams were hoarse, raw, not entirely his own.Behind him, Eleanor’s shrouded body was carried on a bier of silver wood. The chamber smelled of blood, ash, and betrayal.Clifford Carter stormed forward, his greatcoat sweeping the floor, fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened. His eyes, cold, iron-gray, burned with barely controlled rage.“What in hell have you done to my children?” His voice shook the air like a cannon blast.Darius lifted a hand, though his face was grim. “Clifford, control yourself”“Don’t you dare tell me to control myself!” Clifford’s roar cracked across the chamber. He jabbed a finger toward Eleanor’s lifeless form. “My daughter is dead, my son is branded with corruption, and you tell me this is a Council