Mag-log inSeven months had passed since the flames of the Raven Rock base were extinguished and a new star was lit above the Nest. Time—once an enemy—had become Abigail’s ally, though the burden she carried grew heavier with each passing day. The demonic bloodline dictated a faster progression than any ordinary human pregnancy: the child in her womb was not merely growing, but demanding more and more energy.Beyond the windows of the chambers, a spring storm raged. Lightning tore across the sky, as if nature itself knew that something era-defining was about to occur on this night.Abigail lay on the bed, sweat beading on her brow. With every contraction, it felt as though her body were about to tear itself apart from the inside. Nathan did not move from her side; his hand clamped around hers like a vise, and through the Bond he tried to draw some of the pain into himself. His face was pale, his wings trembling nervously at his back. The great Hunter now felt more helpless than he ever had on an
In the northern wing of the Nest, far from the hum of council chambers and the urgency of the healers, Jake and Sadira finally crossed the threshold of their own quarters. The heavy stone door closed behind them with a dull thud, sealing out the outside world—the remnants of war, even the weight of Abigail’s fate. In this room, the air was cooler, the walls draped in dark blue silk tapestries, and moonlight streamed through the window, casting silver ribbons across the polished floor.Jake let out a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. He shrugged off his heavy tactical belt; his weapons hit the ground with a metallic clatter. It was the first moment in months when he didn’t need to look over his shoulder.“It’s over, Jake,” Sadira whispered.She stood in the center of the room, and in the moonlight the Core’s energy beneath her skin no longer pulsed wildly but glowed softly, almost soothingly—like the northern lights.Jake stepped toward her. He didn’t speak; he simply cuppe
Life in the Nest had found a new rhythm. The weeks following the siege of Raven Rock were devoted to rebuilding, but the whispered conversations in the corridors no longer spoke of destruction—they spoke of a miracle. Nathan’s suite, once a dark and austere stronghold, had become an island of peace. The fireplace burned constantly, and the air was no longer heavy with combat oils but infused instead with the scent of healing herbs and fresh pine.Abigail stood at the edge of the balcony, gazing out over the valley. The sunset bathed the mountain peaks in orange light. Though only a few weeks had passed since Elara had delivered the news, Abigail already felt the change—not just in her body, but in her soul as well. The strength she had received from Nathan’s blood pulsed through her veins; her skin glowed with health, and her senses were sharper than ever before.Soft footsteps sounded behind her. She didn’t need to turn to know who it was. The Bond—now unbreakable—clearly marked Nath
The darkness was not empty. It was like a deep, ice-cold ocean into which Abigail’s soul slowly sank, drifting toward a bottomless abyss. Rodriguez’s claw had not only torn through her flesh—it was as if it had severed the very thread of her existence. The sounds of the base, the explosions, and the distant echoes of Sadira’s Core detonation all fell silent. Only one thing remained: a distant, pulsing red light that would not let her vanish completely.It was Nathan’s heartbeat.Among the ruins of Raven Rock, Nathan paid no attention to the collapsing concrete walls. He knelt on the blood-soaked floor, clutching Abigail’s lifeless body against his chest. His face was twisted with pain and fury. Sadira stood some distance away, still trembling from the energy she had released, her gaze fixed on Abigail. She carried the Core—she was the living source—but it was Abigail who had given her life so that Nathan could reach them.“I will not give you up!” Nathan snarled.Then the Hunter did s
Inside the base, the red glow of the emergency lights flickered like dying embers. The air was thick with the stench of burned cables and the suffocating ozone haze left behind by Sadira’s energy wave. Nathan and I practically charged through the wreckage, glass shards and fragments of exploded monitors crunching beneath our boots.“Sadira! Jake!” I shouted, but my voice was swallowed by the seemingly endless concrete corridors.At last, we reached the central chamber. The sight froze the blood in my veins. In the middle of the vast, circular hall stood Rodriguez—though he barely resembled a human anymore. His body had elongated unnaturally, his skin had turned translucent, and beneath it a dark, pulsing mass of corrupted demonic essence writhed like a living thing. Rodriguez was holding Jake by the throat, Jake’s body dangling helplessly in the air. At the far end of the chamber, Sadira lay motionless on the floor, faint sparks flickering around her body—her last remaining reserves o
The fall was not frightening, it was liberating. Nathan’s wings cut through the air, the rush of dark feathers the only sound strong enough to drown out the pounding of my heart. As the concrete courtyard of the Raven Rock base rushed up toward us, blinding white beams of light suddenly shot up from the ground. The radars and automated systems had finally detected the intruders.“Now!” Nathan roared.We were still in the air when the hybrids lined up at the gate raised their weapons in unison. The flashes of muzzle fire looked like a thousand stars being born in the dark valley. With a single powerful beat of his wings, Nathan changed direction, yanking me out of the path of the gunfire, and we slammed down directly in front of the first row of hybrids.The ground shuddered beneath us. The force of the impact carved a crater into the concrete, and the shockwave hurled dozens of hybrids into the air.Nathan rose within the cloud of dust. He was no longer just a man, but not only a demo







