LOGINThe red emergency lights flashed violently, painting the dark laboratory in blood-red light. Heavy metal dust rained down from the ceiling as the walls began to groan under immense pressure."Three miles... under the ocean?!" I gasped, looking up at the thick steel beams bending above our heads.Selena’s wicked laugh echoed over the blaring sirens. "You fought so hard to escape the simulation, little wolf," she sneered, her eyes wide with madness. "Only to die in the real dark!""Shut up!" Valen growled, shoving Selena away.She slammed against the broken control panel, sliding down to the floor as the ceiling above her cracked open. A massive steel pillar collapsed, crushing the control console and sealing the heavy iron doors forever."Valen, the countdown!" I cried, pointing at the main wall monitor.00:58... 00:57... 00:56..."We have to find a way out!" Valen yelled over the deafening alarms. He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the back of the giant laboratory where the dark gl
The red emergency lights flashed violently, painting the dark laboratory in blood-red light. Heavy metal dust rained down from the ceiling as the walls began to groan under immense pressure."Three miles... under the ocean?!" I gasped, looking up at the thick steel beams bending above our heads.Selena’s wicked laugh echoed over the blaring sirens. "You fought so hard to escape the simulation, little wolf," she sneered, her eyes wide with madness. "Only to die in the real dark!""Shut up!" Valen growled, shoving Selena away.She slammed against the broken control panel, sliding down to the floor as the ceiling above her cracked open. A massive steel pillar collapsed, crushing the control console and sealing the heavy iron doors forever."Valen, the countdown!" I cried, pointing at the main wall monitor.00:58... 00:57... 00:56..."We have to find a way out!" Valen yelled over the deafening alarms. He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the back of the giant laboratory where the dark gl
My heart plummeted into my stomach.I looked at Selena’s thumb resting on the bright red button, then at the digital screen above Valen’s pod.87%.The counter was creeping closer to total erasure every single second. If she pressed that button, everything we went through our love, our promises, our bond would be wiped clean from his brain forever."Lower your hands," Selena commanded, her voice sharp and icy. "Step into the containment circle, or I reset him right now."I slowly lowered my fists. The silver fire on my skin flickered out, though the warm spark in my stomach kept pulsing softly, giving me strength."Why?" I asked, my voice shaking as I took a slow step away from Valen's pod. "Why create the simulation? Why trap us in that world?"Selena let out a low, cold laugh. "Because the ancient bloodlines are dying out in the real world. We needed a controlled environment to force your silver magic to merge with Valen’s Alpha blood. We created the war, the villains, the danger...
"No!" I screamed, stumbling away from the man in the white coat. "No, this isn't real! Valen!"I turned and grabbed Valen’s arms, shaking him with all my strength. But his body felt cold and hollow, like a rubber mannequin. His golden eyes remained completely blank, staring into nothingness."Subject 09, please remain calm," the man in the lab coat said, his voice flat and emotionless. He tapped a glass tablet in his hand. "The Alpha Citadel, the shadow beasts, the prophecy... they were all generated by the Silver Core neural program. None of it exists.""You're lying!" I sobbed, tears spilling down my face as the garden flowers dissolved into glowing green code around my feet. "My wolf! My silver blood! My baby!"I pressed both hands tightly over my stomach. The tiny, warm spark of golden light was still there, pulsing deep inside my soul!The man's eyes widened in genuine surprise as he looked down at his tablet screen."What...?" the scientist muttered, his calm voice cracking. "Th
Freezing, pitch-black water slammed into us with the force of a falling mountain.The ship fractured in two, wooden beams splintering like dry twigs as the ocean rushed into the hold. The roaring sea swallowed the Emperor's mad laughter whole."LYRA!" Valen shouted, his voice cut off as salt water filled his mouth.He lunged through the churning foam, his strong fingers locking tightly around my hand. The weight of his golden armor began to drag him straight down into the black abyss, but he refused to let go.I focused every drop of the new golden-silver magic pulsing in my veins. The spark of our child’s light burned bright against the freezing dark.I wrapped a thick bubble of warm, glowing light around both of us, pushing the crushing water back."Hold on to me!" I cried, using the light barrier to fight against the wild ocean currents.Above us, through the clear water, we could see the bottom half of the warship sinking fast into the dark trench below. The Emperor was gone, drag
The constant rocking of the warship made my head spin in the pitch-black hold.Heavy anti-magic chains bound my wrists and ankles, locking me inside the iron cage. Every time I tried to pull on the faint silver spark in my chest, the black runes etched into the metal flared up, shocking my body with icy pain."Stop fighting it, little queen," a cold voice sneered from the shadows outside the bars.The Eastern General stepped into the dim torchlight, his dark dragon-scale armor clanking with every step. He held his black spear loosely in his grip, his cold silver eyes watching me like a hawk."The rune cage feeds on your power," the General said calmly. "The more magic you summon, the weaker your body becomes. You wouldn't want to hurt the tiny life inside you, would you?"I pressed my back against the cold iron wall, my hands resting protectively over my stomach. "Valen will come for me," I growled, my jaw tight. "He will tear your fleet to pieces."The General let out a low, mocking







