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
As Kaiser's hand curled around her phone and snatched it away before she could respond, his eyes hardened. Holding it between two fingers, he held it as if it were something offensive, something that was not worthy of him but that he had to control. His voice was as cool and smooth as the clink of
“Enoch?” she called quietly. There was a pause, then a soft murmur. “It’s me.” The door opened just slightly, and Enoch stepped in. He wasn't moving like a man—he was moving like a ghost, precise and calm. He was dressed in sleek black, and his white hair was glowing slightly in the hallway light.
The door shut with a weight that echoed too loud in the stillness. Izora didn’t move. Kaiser stood there, hardly inside the room, his breathing low and harsh, as if he struggled to remain calm. Blood hung on his skin like battle paint, shimmering in spots down his arms, absorbing into the hem of h
“I’ve got something you need to see,” he said, not blinking. “Now, boss.” Kaiser gave a slow nod. Otis entered, the tablet shaking slightly as he set it down on the rolling tray beside the bed. He swiped it open. The screen flickered. Security footage. The corridor outside Izora’s room. Timesta







