CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTYThe echo of Hades’ voice died away, leaving silence in the vast amphitheater. The walls seemed to stall, their glossy surfaces reflecting the erratic beating of the yellow crystals above.Hades slowly shook his head, a dark chuckle vibrating through his chest.“You mortals are fascinatingly consistent,” Hades murmured, leaning back into his void-iron throne.His mismatched eyes fixed entirely on Zane. “When you first descended here as a mere, broken soul, I gave you a choice to leave. Do you remember? Your little companion here screamed and cried so fiercely it bored me into mercy. I breathed life back into that pathetic, ruined time machine your friend had completely botched. It wouldn't have functioned even if the mechanics were flawless. I gave you a second chance at flesh.”The god of the deep let out a long sigh, gesturing to the heavy iron chains binding Zane’s wrists.“And now, here you are again. Right back in my turf, wearing my iron. Tell me, b

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWOHades’ portal spat them out onto the solid, vibrant soil of Aethelgard with a deafening crack. The thick pressure of the deep vanished instantly, replaced by the crisp, life-giving atmosphere of the upper realm.Waiting anxiously at the edge of the clearing was a large group. Travis stood at the forefront, his eyes scanning the horizon, flanked by Marylyn and Madelyn. Behind them stood Trigger’s parents and Jinx’s parents, their faces etched with centuries of worry.As the portal collapsed into nothingness, the four travelers stepped forward. But there was no triumph in their stride. Their shoulders sagged, their heads hung low, and an oppressive silence surrounded them.Travis’s sharp eyes instantly caught the strange atmosphere. He stepped forward, his boots crunching on the grass. “What happened down there? Did you manage to get the forbidden weather manipulation manual? why do you look like you’re walking to a scaffold?”Zane kept his gaze fixed

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOURThe silence in the crumbling stairwell was broken only by the ragged breathing of Trigger, Edgar, and Jinx. They stood a few steps below Zane, watching him freeze like a statue carved from the permafrost consuming the world.Subconsciously, the neon-blue interface flared with blinding intensity, and the synthesized, near-human resonance of the BITS Core voice vibrated directly against his auditory nerves.[Analyzing neural latency... Sync complete. Zane, don’t just stand there staring into space. We don’t have the luxury of time, and frankly, the numbers I’m looking at are grotesque.]Zane kept his face completely blank, his eyes locked onto the cracked concrete wall ahead. Internally, his mind fired back.‘Give it to me straight. Everything that had happened this past years,’[Where do you want the knife to twist first?] Bits' voice carried a bitter, electronic edge.[Let’s start with the compound. Nova Domicile is gone. Teddy Vaughn managed to bui

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX“Everyone, let's move down.” Zane suggested, noticing the betterment of the weather. “We still have to check on the remaining 992 people left and gather as many people as possible for the return of civilization.”The descent through the Section 8 complex became an eerie trek through a transforming world. Level by level, floor by floor, they watched the death of the old world. On the upper residential tiers, massive blocks of black permafrost slid off the reinforced concrete like shedding skin, dissolving into steam before they even hit the lower ledges. By the time they reached the middle logistics decks, the air was humid, and smelling heavily of damp earth and ozone.The dark, corrupted water didn't pool anywhere. Every crack in the foundation, every structural seam in the floors acted as a siphon. The concrete itself seemed to sweat the poison out, casting it down into the insatiable throat of the planet.When they finally breached the heavy, warp

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHTThe five of them walked slowly down the cracked highway. The bright sun beat down on their faces, a warmth they were all still trying to get used to after so many years of darkness.Zane walked a few paces ahead of the group. Adjusting the heavy leather bag of wealth on his shoulder, he focused inward, speaking directly to the digital entity inside his mind.‘BITS CORE, give me a status report,’ Zane thought. ‘We need to find the people who are still out here.’[Acknowledged. Running a short-range thermal scan,] the robotic voice replied inside his head.[Two living signatures detected four hundred meters to the northeast. Biological data indicates they are young juveniles. The scan shows two siblings trapped inside a hollow steel shipping container beneath a collapsed bridge.]Zane continued walking, but his expression turned solemn.‘What about the rest of the planet? Give me a report on Earth's current condition. We also need food. How are we su