All Chapters of Beneath the Diamond Veil: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The climb back to the surface was quieter than any of us expected.After the chaos in Sector Zero, the silence of the upper levels felt unnatural—like the facility was holding its breath, waiting for us to make the next wrong move. The hallways were dim, lit only by emergency lights that flickered as if unsure whether to guide us or warn us away.“I hate this,” Damien muttered as we moved through another long, empty corridor. “I’d almost prefer the monsters and earthquakes. At least those give us something to react to.”Phoenix walked ahead, her expression unreadable, her steps silent. “The facility is recalibrating. It senses shifts in the power grid. Sector Zero’s containment field collapsing sent ripples through every system. It’ll need time to reset.”Damien shot her an irritated look. “Can you say that in normal human words?”She didn’t blink. “The building is confused.”“Oh.” Damien nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”I would have laughed if my muscles weren’t still tremblin

For a long moment, Elara couldn’t speak.Her mother’s words hung in the air like a cold hand around her throat—unseen, unshakable, suffocating.Something followed you out of Sector Zero.Damien lay motionless on the hospital bed while doctors worked around him. The machines beeped erratically, each sound tightening the panic in her chest. Nurses adjusted tubes and IV lines. A doctor called for stabilizers.And her mother had the nerve—the unbelievable nerve—to say something like that now.Elara’s voice came out raw. “What did you just say?”Her mother swallowed, eyes flickering toward Damien. “Elara… pl—please, come outside. We shouldn’t talk in here.”“No.” Elara’s pulse hammered so hard it felt like her skin rattled. “You don’t get to drag me out of the room. If you have something to say, say it.”Her mother winced. “Elara—”“Say it.”The heart monitor spiked again, a shrill warning. A nurse gently ushered them back toward the door to give the team space.Fine. Elara wasn’t leaving

The knock came again.Not loud. Not urgent.Certain.Elara rose from the chair before anyone could stop her.“Don’t,” Damien said, grabbing her wrist. His voice cracked under the weight of everything he wasn’t saying. “Please. Whatever she’s become—it’s not safe.”Phoenix’s voice drifted through the thick oak door, smooth as silk drawn over steel.“You’re hurting him by hesitating,” she called. “And you’re hurting yourself by pretending you don’t already know the answer.”Alexander moved first, positioning himself between Elara and the door. “You don’t get to manipulate her.”A soft laugh. “That’s rich, coming from you.”The shadows along the walls leaned inward, stretching thin like fingers reaching for warmth. Elara felt the pressure inside her stir—restless, eager. Not violent.Curious.“She’s right,” Elara said quietly.Both men turned to her.“I do know,” she continued. “Not everything. But enough.”Damien shook his head. “Elara, listen to me—”“I am listening.” She squeezed his h

I woke to stillness.Not the heavy, echoing quiet of Sector Zero, but something smaller. Contained. A room that breathed softly around me. The air smelled like antiseptic, clean sheets, and skin. Human skin. Warm. Real.My eyes opened slowly.White ceiling. Low light. A chair scraped gently across the floor.Pain followed awareness like a delayed echo. My ribs ached when I inhaled. My wrists burned dully, as if I had been gripping something too hard for too long. My shoulders felt bruised deep beneath the muscle, the kind of soreness that comes from impact, not effort.I did not remember earning all of it.That bothered me more than the pain.My mind felt sharp. Sharper than before. Awake in a way that made the room feel almost fragile, like I could see too much of it at once. Dust motes hanging in the air. The faint hum of electricity in the walls. The soft rhythm of a heartbeat that was not mine.Damien looked up when I shifted.He was sitting beside the bed, sleeves rolled to his el

For a moment, I thought my heart stopped.Not from fear.From the impossible sight unfolding in front of me—something enormous, ancient, and shimmering with silver light kneeling in the snow like a loyal sentinel.Its wings were massive, each feather like a shard of moonlit metal. Its eyes glowed the same molten silver burning beneath Alexander’s skin. And when it lowered its head, the weight of its presence pressed into the air, heavy enough to make the trees bend.I clutched at Alexander’s coat, barely finding my voice.“Wh-what… is that?”His arms tightened around me instinctively, as though shielding me from a creature that was clearly not here to harm him.“Elara,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear, “don’t be afraid.”“Afraid?” I stared at the giant kneeling monster-bird-dragon-thing with a voice that cracked. “I’m… evaluating my options.”A breathless, shaky attempt at humor—but the truth was, my entire body was trembling, not from cold but from the sheer unrealness o