LOGINThe Cathedral of St. Jude was bathed in a light so pure it felt like a judgment. Today was the day of the Royal Investiture, the moment Leo Draven would officially become the Protector of the Realm. Thousands gathered outside, their cheers muffled by the thick, ancient stone walls, while the high
The weeks following the "Great Glitch"—as the official palace records called it—were the most delicate in the history of the realm. While the public celebrated a swift recovery of the kingdom’s infrastructure, the Draven estate became a high-security sanctuary for a population that didn't officially
The North Wing of the palace was a place of soft carpets and muted sunlight, designed to be a sanctuary for the future of the realm. But as the Dravens sprinted through the gilded corridors, it felt like a labyrinth of ice. The silence here was worse than the screaming of the machines in the High Co
The High Court chamber, usually a sanctuary of measured speech and ancient law, became a slaughterhouse of chrome and code. The grey smoke was so thick that the only things visible were the glowing blue optics of the Twelve Judges. "Lucien, get down!" Kaiser’s voice boomed over the hiss of the gren
The surface of the harbor was a churning cauldron of black grease and freezing foam. Kaiser, Izora, and Caspian collapsed onto the swaying deck of the salvage barge, the massive crane still groaning under the tension of the warehouse roof it had just ripped away. "Leo!" Izora scrambled to the edge
Benedict paused by the tall window, the rain casting streaks across his reflection. He stared at himself, at the monster he had willingly become, and smiled. Monsters did not regret. Monsters survived. Let her mother protect her now, he thought, a sneer tugging at his lips. Let her husband shield
Her hands moved like magic after that. She worked with reverence now, as though she were sculpting something sacred. Shampoo that smelled of roses and silk, scissors that moved like whispers. She trimmed just enough to frame Izora’s face—soft waves, elegant and glossy. She conditioned, brushed, sty
Perhaps she was already too far gone to distinguish. - She would discover the folded note left on her nightstand later, much later. Tucked gently under the silver plate, her uneatable breakfast would show up. It came from Enoch, not from him. It wasn't from Kaiser. It was an ordinary slip of t
She turned slowly, staring at Benedict, who had been discreetly observing the whole interaction from the doorway. Though shame and sadness dominated his expression, there was another element in his gaze. Anxiety is great. The kind of terror that caused her stomach to twist in knots. With her feet d
The shadow over her door stayed still. The breath of Izora froze midway between a scream and a prayer in her throat. Her knuckles hurt as she held her phone so firmly. The doorknob shook just once, gently, like a mocking tap. Then silence. She didn't dare move. The only sounds were the faint hi







