LOGINCASSAIN "Something's here." I’m not surprised when I feel it.The moment I step into the underground parking lot.My car sits where I left it.Sleek.Untouched.At least that’s what it looks like.To anyone else.I stop walking.Just a few steps away and I listen.Not with my ears.With something deeper.Something older.And there it is.A flicker.Movement where there shouldn’t be any.Breath where nothing should exist.Shadow.I exhale slowly.“You picked the wrong night,” I say quietly.Silence answers me.But I know they’re there.I can feel them.Multiple.Not just one.I step forward.Closer to the car.Like I didn’t notice.Like I’m just another target walking into a trap.Let them think that.Let them get comfortable.Let them believe they’re in control.Another step.Another.And then they move.Fast but not fast enough for me.Shadows peel away from the darkness.Forms taking shape.Not fully solid.Not fully real.Weapons in their hands.Fire already forming.Designed to
EVELESSA "I'd be there soon."There are moments when the world doesn’t warn you.My phone rings in the middle of the night.I don’t wake slowly.I snap into consciousness.“Yes.”“Evelessa...”The voice breaks.“What happened?” I ask.“It’s the building....”Everything in me stills.“The company...there’s been a fire....”“No,” I say quietly.But the word means nothing.Because it’s already happening.“It’s bad....”I’m already moving.Out of bed.Grabbing the first thing I can throw on.Shoes.Hair.None of it matters.“Get everyone out,” I say sharply.“We’re trying....”“Don’t try. Do it.”I hang up.Because talking?Is wasting time.And time is the only thing I don’t have right now.The drive is too slow.Every second feels like something slipping through my fingers.My hands tighten on the wheel.My mind races.Not with fear.Never with fear.Calculation.Who.Because this isn’t an accident.It’s never an accident.Not with me.Not with what I’ve built.Not now.Arena.The name
ARENADespite all the power Mara claimed to have, she's dead just like that.Death isn’t always an ending sometimes it’s a door.Mara understood that.Better than most.She never believed in permanence.Not in alliances.Not in loyalty.Not even in death.Which is why even now she’s still useful.I walk through the ruins of what used to be her last safe ground.Burnt earth.Ash scattered like memory.The faint smell of dragon fire still clinging to everything.Lira.Of course. I told her never to confront her alone but she was obstinate enough to think she'd be able to take her on by herself and now she's dead but not everything she touched died with her.That’s the thing about people like her.They leave behind… contingencies.I crouch.Run my fingers over the ground.Feel it.The residue.Dark.Ancient.Hungry.There.A pulse.Weak but alive.My lips curve slightly.“You really didn’t trust anyone, did you?”No answer.Of course not.But I don’t need one.I already found what she hi
EVELESSA There’s something about dance that strips everything away.No titles.No war.No expectations.Just movement and the quiet rhythm of something that belongs only to me.I stand in the center of the rehearsal studio.Mirrors stretch across the walls.Reflecting every angle.Every flaw.Every strength.Music plays low through the speakers.My body moves before I think.Step.Turn.Breathe.Again.Faster.Sharper.Because this isn’t just practice.It’s discipline.It’s control.And control?Is the only thing keeping everything else from burning out of my hands.“Again.”My voice cuts through the room.The other dancers groan softly.Tired.Sweating.Human.I ignore it.“From the top.”They reset.Positions locked.Eyes on me.Always on me.Because if they’re watching they’re learning.Music starts again and I move.Everything else fades.The world narrows.Just steps.Just rhythm.Suddenly I feel a strange presence with us.My body reacts before my mind catches up.I stop.Mid-s
LIRADragons don’t trust easily.We remember too much.Betrayals.Wars.Promises broken long before most of this world was even built.So when someone asks for an audience with me especially now I don’t assume it’s respect.I assume it’s a test.Or a mistake.Mara?She feels like both.I stand at the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea.Waves crash below.The wind moves through my hair.Carrying salt.Carrying warning.Because something about tonight?Is wrong.“You chose a dramatic place.”Her voice cuts through the air behind me.I don’t turn.Not yet.“Dragons don’t do subtle,” I reply.A pause.Footsteps.She’s not rushing.That means she’s thinking.Or pretending to.“Is that what you are?” she asks.“A dragon?”I smile slightly.Now I turn.Face her.“Do you want to find out?”She holds my gaze.Doesn’t flinch.Doesn’t step back.Interesting.“Not tonight,” she says.Smart answer but not honest.Because she didn’t come here to talk.“You’ve been busy,” I say.“Everyone has.”“
ALEXIS"Come out...come out wherever you are now"Arena.Even thinking her name feels like touching something sharp because she doesn’t fight like the others.She hides.Builds layers.Creates versions of herself.Covers.Faces.Lives.And each one?A lie.But lies leave traces.They always do.You just have to know where to look.I stand at the edge of the city.Far from campus.This part of town doesn’t sleep.It festers.Broken glass crunches under my boots.And somewhere behind all of this she’s here.Not physically.Not fully.But one of her shadows is.One of her carefully crafted identities.And tonight I burn it.“Are you sure about this?”The voice comes from behind me.Sebastian.He always shows up when things get interesting.Or dangerous.Usually both.I don’t turn.“I didn’t come here to second-guess myself.”“That wasn’t what I asked.”I exhale slowly.Then glance over my shoulder.He’s leaning against a car.Arms crossed.Watching me like he’s trying to read something I
SEBASTIAN "Meet me today by midnight." That's all the message says. I receive a call next from one of the elders "To defeat Cassain, you need a greater monster who is even more ruthless than Cassain. You should leave a good impression on him and make him an ally."" Okay. I'd let you know how it
EMMANUEL "It's too late to back out now.I walk down the empty aisle.I check my watch.Midnight.Right on time.Of course I’m on time.People who survive in Cassain’s world learn one thing quickly; precision keeps you alive.A shadow shifts near the altar of the cathedral.Someone is already here
CASSAIN "Maddox, Ares, why do I feel so restless? What's going on?" I ask my beasts for the tenth time as I try to figure out the cause of my restlessness.The security doors slide open as I approach my private office, recognizing my biometric signature. The room beyond glows with dozens of monito
CASSAIN I know something is wrong the moment I wake up.The feeling hits before I even open my eyes.A hollow space.Like something important is missing from the world.I stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, trying to shake the feeling away. Morning light cuts through the curtains, pale and sha







