2026-03-29 14:10:31
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98 - Derek's Web (I)
Derek settled into his chair. Got comfortable. Like he was about to have a friendly chat with an old buddy instead of manipulating someone's friend.Lily kept her laptop open. Hands on the keyboard. Ready to close it and leave if this went south. "Clock's ticking. You said five minutes.""Right. Straight to business. I like that." Derek pulled out his phone. Started scrolling. "Look, I know Jake probably told you I'm the bad guy. That I'm terrible. That you shouldn't trust anything I say.""Pretty much.""Fair enough. We had a falling out. Got physical. I'm not proud of it." Derek's expression shifted. Regret. Shame. Well-practiced shame. "I was going through stuff. My family was falling apart. I took it out on the wrong people. Including Jake."Lily didn't say anything. Just watched him. Waiting for the catch."But here's the thing." Derek leaned forward. Lowered his voice like he was sharing a secret. "Even after everything. Even after our fight. I still care about what happens to h
97 - What Anchors?
Sora walked in. She wore her usual business attire. Skirt. Blouse. Jacket. Hair in that tight bun. Everything perfect. Professional.But her eyes went immediately to the door Lily had just exited through. Something flickered across her face. Too fast to read. Then it was gone."How are you feeling?" Sora asked. Setting her tablet on the side table. All business. All professional."Better. Bored. Ready to get out of this bed.""Mr. Vale says at least two more days. Your vitals are improving but you're not stable yet." She pulled up the chair Lily had been sitting in. "I brought the quarterly reports. Thought you might want to review them. Keep your mind occupied.""Thanks." Jake took the tablet she offered. Started scrolling. Numbers. Projections. Boring corporate stuff that somehow mattered.Sora was quiet. Watching him. Something in her expression seemed off. Not quite the usual Ice Queen CEO mask."Who was that?" she asked. Casual. Too casual. "The woman who just left.""Lily. Old f
96 - Lily's Return
Three days later. Jake was still in recovery.The vision incident had scared everyone. Marcus insisted on complete bed rest. No training. No stress. Just monitoring and medication until his body stabilized.Jake hated it. Hated feeling weak. Hated lying in a hospital bed while the war continued without him.But he also understood. Push too hard again and he might actually die. The Hearts were powerful. But his human body had limits.The medical wing was quiet. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows. Clean white walls. Beeping monitors. The smell of antiseptic and something floral from the flowers Sora had sent.Jake stared at the ceiling. Bored out of his mind. He'd read every magazine in the room. Watched every show on the tiny TV. Counted ceiling tiles twice.'This is torture,' he thought. 'Actual torture. I'd rather fight Victor again than stay in this bed.'His phone buzzed. Message from Elijah.{How you feeling? Bored yet?}Jake replied: {Beyond bored. If I see another soa
95 - I Had A Not So Pleasant Vision
They reached the recovery room. Clean. White. Medical equipment everywhere. Beds. Monitors. Everything needed to patch up Heart wielders who pushed too far.Harrison was already there. Preparing IV lines. Checking supplies. "Sit. Both of you. Let me make sure you're not dying."Jake obeyed. Too tired to argue. Let Harrison hook him up to monitors. Check vitals. Insert the IV line.The fluids hit his system. Cool. Refreshing. Immediate relief. His body drinking it desperately.Elijah got the same treatment. Less damaged. Less exhausted. But still depleted. Still needing recovery."You're both idiots," Harrison said. Not unkindly. "Pushing this hard. Bleeding for training. You know that, right?""We know," Jake said. "But we don't have a choice.""There's always a choice. You could run. Hide. Let someone else fight this war.""Could we?" Jake looked at Harrison. "Really? You think Marguerite stops if we hide? Stops if we run? She'll hunt us. Hunt anyone with Hearts. Hunt everyone we car
94 - Training Montage (II)
"Probably not. But we need to know your maximum capacity. Need to understand what you're capable of when you're not holding back." Marcus leaned forward in his wheelchair. "We'll monitor vitals. Stop you if things get dangerous. But Jake, understand this. Marguerite won't care about safe limits. Victor won't hold back. When you face them, you'll need everything. Every advantage. Every bit of power."Jake nodded. Focused. Let all three Hearts respond simultaneously.The sensation was overwhelming. Dragon's strength flooding his muscles. Midnight's perception expanding his awareness. Time slowing. Details sharpening. Crimson's energy building in his core. Ready to explode.He moved. Faster than before. Faster than thought. The world became slow motion. He could see individual dust particles floating through air. Could count ceiling tiles while crossing the room. Could process everything at speeds that shouldn't be human.His fist glowed red. Energy condensing. Building. He punched the r
93 - Training Montage (I)
"We know you have the research. Marcus Vale's life work. Decades of hunting. Of searching. Of trying to keep us imprisoned." The voice paused. Deliberate. Patient. "But child, you're playing with forces beyond your understanding. The Hearts aren't keys. They're a prison. And if you unlock what's inside, your world ends."Marguerite's mind raced. The Council. This had to be the Council. The immortal beings who created the Hearts. Who'd been sealed away thousands of years ago. Who shouldn't be able to contact anyone. Who should be powerless. Trapped. Unable to influence the world.But they were calling her. Directly. Warning her. Which meant they had more power than she'd believed. More reach. More ability to act even while imprisoned.Or did it?Marguerite's analytical mind kicked in. Pushed past the initial shock. Started examining possibilities.'Immortal beings sealed away thousands of years ago shouldn't be able to make phone calls,' she thought. 'Shouldn't have access to modern te
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