Pitch black. The vault lights had died in an instant, swallowing Marcus and Ronald into an oppressive darkness. All that remained were the glowing red slices of molten metal still hissing along the broken door.Marcus inhaled sharply. “Ronald?”A hand gripped his arm, steady and firm. “I’m here,” Ronald whispered. “Stay behind me.”But the darkness didn’t hide the approaching danger. A faint click Boots stepping over the fallen steel slab. Breathing. Controlled. Predatory.Walter Hilton’s voice cut through the dark like a sharpened blade. “Marcus you were supposed to die quietly.”Marcus fought the urge to move. “You tried to erase me once already. Didn’t work.”Walter chuckled, low and cold. “You think survival was an achievement? It was a mistake. My mistake.”Ronald took a step forward, voice unshaken. “You shouldn’t have come here, Walter.”“And you should’ve stayed loyal,” Walter answered, “instead of protecting the bastard who never should’ve been born.”Marcus’s blood boiled. “

The oath still burned on the air long after the room fell silent. No one moved. No one breathed. It was as if the house itself old, storied, and stained with Hilton bloodwas waiting to see what came next.Aiden’s hands were still trembling, though he hid them behind his back. The cut on his palm had dried into a dark line, the sting lingering like the imprint of a brand. He hadn’t just spoken vows. He had chained himself to a legacy that had nearly destroyed him.Yet there was no turning back now. The patriarch rose first. His cane thudded once against the stone floor, the sound echoing like a command.The others followed not out of loyalty, not yet, but out of wariness. Because for the first time in decades, a Hilton heir had taken the oath without being forced, bribed, or broken into obedience.Aiden could feel their eyes on him. Measuring him. Calculating the threat he now represented.Leona stepped to his side, her fingers brushing his sleeve, grounding him before the emotion coul

The explosion punched the air out of the chamber. Glass rained inward like a storm of razors, shards skittering across the stone floor. Leona threw her arms over her face, but Aiden yanked her behind the pedestal just as another shockwave rocked the room.Boots hit the ground outside. Heavy. Coordinated. Armed.Not Hilton security. Not part of the Trial.These were invaders. Leona hissed, “Aiden how the hell did they get in? This entire wing is sealed!”“Meaning someone opened it for them,” he growled.A dry, metallic laugh answered from the hall. “Well deduced, heir.”Aiden stiffened. Leona’s eyes widened. That voice wasn’t unfamiliar just unwelcome. The first intruder stepped through the shattered frame. Black tactical suit. Masked. But the emblem on his shoulder was unmistakable, A serpent wrapped around a burning crown.Leona whispered, horrified, “the Breaker Unit.”Aiden’s jaw clenched. “They’re not supposed to operate on Hilton grounds.”“Oh, we go where we’re paid to go,” the

The platform snapped with a metallic scream. Aiden grabbed Leona and twisted mid air as the slab of steel dropped out from under them. For a heartbeat they were weightless, suspended above an abyss of grinding gears and screaming machinery.Then gravity seized them. Leona cried out. Aiden locked his arms around her and reached, His fingers scraped metal Caught a hanging cable Pain ripped through his shoulder as their bodies snapped to a halt.Leona clung to him, shaking. “Aiden, Aiden, don’t don’t let go”“I’m not going anywhere,” he hissed through clenched teeth.Above them, debris rained from collapsing platforms, And then, The Breaker Unit leader dropped into sight. Landing cat-light on a beam just five meters above them. His mask was half shattered, revealing a slashed cheek and a crooked, murderous grin.He aimed his rifle at Aiden’s head. “End of the line.”Leona gasped. “Aiden!”Aiden lifted his gaze but not to the rifle. To the ceiling. To the cables. To the pulsing rhythm of

The roar of the Heart Engine was deafening. Steam hissed through fractured conduits, carrying the scent of hot metal and ozone. Aiden and Leona hung from the edge of the lowest platform, muscles screaming, every breath a fight.Below, the gears churned like the jaws of some living beast, each tooth capable of tearing them apart in a heartbeat. The red glow of the warning lights reflected in the sweat on Aiden’s brow.Leona clung to him tightly. “Aiden I can’t look.”“You have to,” he said, voice low, steady. “You need to know where to step next.”She lifted her eyes, trembling. The Heart Engine spread out beneath them like a city of steel platforms, cogs, pistons, and spiraling conduits that disappeared into shadows too deep to see. Every movement they made would have consequences. Every misstep could be their last.The Breaker Unit was already below, navigating the structure with lethal efficiency. Their leader’s red laser sights cut through the steam like knives, tracking every subt