I woke with a gasp. The rain was hammering down, a relentless curtain of water slamming against the rooftop. I blinked, groggy and aching, realizing I was propped against the wall under a narrow overhang that kept the worst of it off. Kane sat beside me, leaning against the wall, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Smoke curled lazily in the rain-soaked air.

He caught my glance and wordlessly offered me a cigarette. I took it, cupping my hands to light it, the flame flickering weakly in the breeze. I took a long drag, the smoke burning its way down, grounding me.

It took me a moment to notice the strangest thing… I could taste it. The tobacco, harsh and bitter as it filled my lungs, clung to my tongue like ash. I could feel it, every drag, every burn, as if my senses had been reignited. My heart—my heart—was thrumming in my chest, each beat reverberating through me like a distant drum I hadn’t heard since…

I looked down at my hands, still grayed and lifeless, the skin mottled with the pallor of undeath. But there was something else now, something coursing through me that I couldn’t define. Not just power—life. Twisted, fractured, wrong, but undeniably alive.

“That was…” Kane started, his voice low and hoarse.

“Yeah, I know.” My voice came out rougher than I expected. “One of those days.”

“Undead, huh?” he asked, his tone almost conversational.

“Yup.” I exhaled, watching the smoke drift into the rain.

He nodded, acknowledging it like we’d just commented on the weather. “For the record, I didn’t do it. Bart was my friend too.”

I glanced at him, reading the exhaustion in his face. I nodded once. “I know.”

A heavy silence settled between us, broken only by the rain pounding against the rooftop. I shifted, my muscles groaning in protest. “So, no backup?” I asked, arching a brow.

Kane sighed, dragging deeply on his cigarette before flicking the ash onto the wet ground. “You were right. When I saw what the Council was willing to do… these gems—no one, not even them, should have them.”

I snorted, the sound dry and bitter. “Kinda wish you’d brought some help.”

“You managed,” he said with a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

We sat there in silence, the kind of quiet that weighs heavy, the aftermath of too much.

Sure, I managed.

Across the way, Al’s body lay crumpled and still, like a marionette with its strings cut. The polished edges of his Enhancements, built for endurance, now lay dulled and broken, as if even the metal had given up on him.

I didn’t need to check his pulse—I could feel the absence, a hollow space in the air where life had once burned. It spread through me like a crack in glass, jagged and irreparable, carving its way down to some quiet, fragile place I didn’t know still existed.

Pain stirred, slow and heavy, laced with something darker. Anger, hot and bitter, threatened to rise, but I forced it down, strangling it beneath the choking weight of knowing it wouldn’t do a damn thing to fix it anyway No fury, no screams, just the quiet ache of a world that didn’t care. The silence stretched on, indifferent, while I sat there, sinking under the cold realization that nothing—no strength, no will, no power—could undo what had already been stolen.

It was the kind of silence that swallows everything and leaves you stranded in its depths. It would have carried on, an eternal, suffocating thing, if not for the simple need to go on. Finally, I broke it.

“So, what are you going to do with the gems?”

Kane hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the horizon. “Destroy them if I can. If not… bury them somewhere no one will ever find them.”

I nodded, but the moment was interrupted by a sudden realization. My hands darted to my pockets, patting frantically. My stomach dropped as my search came up empty. I turned to the couch inside.

“That little…” I growled, starting to push myself up, but Kane’s hand landed gently on my shoulder.

“Long gone by now.” Kane exhaled slowly, the smoke curling around his face as he scanned the rooftop. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held a spark of something—amusement? Resignation.

The ember of Kane’s cigarette flared, casting fleeting shadows over his face, his smirk sharp and knowing. I followed his gaze out over the rooftop—the debris, the blood, the yawning absence where she’d been. My gut told me this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

“So, she’s an Elder Demon’s kid?” My voice was quieter now.

“Looks that way,” Kane said flatly, like he’d just told me it might rain tomorrow.

“And crossing over? That’s supposed to be impossible.”

“Supposed to be,” Kane muttered, taking a slow drag. He exhaled smoke like a man purging a bad memory. “But those gems… they’re one-way tickets. Catigan was using them, drawing blood from the Elders. Making himself into—well, you saw. Crazy bastard.”

I forced myself to keep looking at the charred remains of Catigan. “So how does this start? Robert McGuffey somehow gets the box and key. Shadow Market?”

Kane nodded. “Likely. Wouldn’t have raised much attention—hell, it’s not like he knew what he had. But Robbie was a talker. Loud-mouthed, gambling-addicted trust fund baby. Starts bragging during a poker game about his ‘ancient magic treasure.’ Claims he got it appraised. A steal.”

“Which puts Cat on him,” I said, connecting the dots.

“Yep,” Kane said, flicking ash into the wind. “Cat sends a crew to break into Robbie’s penthouse. Problem is, Robbie’s an idiot. Instead of running or hiding the thing, he tries to use it.”

I groaned. “And blows himself—and everyone else in that room—sky-high. Raw magic, uncontrolled. Satan’s tits.”

“Almost everyone,” Kane corrected. “One guy makes it out with the box but loses the key in the mess. And Cat…” He shook his head. “Cat doesn’t tell his boss. Thinks this is his ticket to the big leagues. A play to get out from under the guy’s thumb.”

“Silhouette,” I muttered. “That’s my name for the guy—the demon pulling the strings.”

“Good a name as any. Not even the Council is sure who he is. All we know is that he is old blood,” Kane said. “So, Silhouette sends his daughter—Aylin. She’s got the blood, and Elder Demons can sense those artifacts like they’ve got a damn beacon on them. Only problem is, they need to be close enough.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I felt Frank stir somewhere deep inside, a subtle ripple in the pond. He didn’t say anything—he would when he was ready.

“That’s how she finds the key in the carnage,” I said, piecing it together. “But instead of keeping it, she hands it off to me. Bit of a gamble I wouldn’t just take it and sell to highest bidder, once I figured it out.”

Kane shot me a sidelong glance, his smirk returning. “Well, despite your many faults, you’re a solid bet when it comes to keeping your word.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“She follows you, waits for the dust to settle, sees who comes sniffing around. Meanwhile, you being... you, start asking questions. Showing the damn thing off. Putting yourself on everyone’s radar.”

“Which is how Cat figures out I’ve got it,” I said. “But he still needs the box, doesn’t he?”

“Exactly,” Kane said. “She puts the pieces together—realizes Cat’s got the box and goes after him. Only she gets herself caught.”

“That doesn’t track,” I said, frowning. “How does someone like her slip up?”

“Maybe she didn’t.” Kane’s eyes flicked toward me, calculating. “Maybe she wanted to get caught. Who knows the inner workings of a bird like that.”

I sighed. “Dames.”

Kane smirked. “Dames.”

“So that leaves Bart,” I said. “The Council took him out, didn’t they?”

Kane hesitated, but then he nodded. “Yeah.”

I let out a long breath. “Figures.”

“Sorry,” Kane said softly, his usual sarcasm absent.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, though the words felt hollow. “But you might want to start vetting your company a little better.”

“It’s over, though,” Kane said, almost to himself. “For now.”

“For now,” I echoed, staring at the bloodstains left behind. “We’ll take care of Al’s family. Make sure they’re looked after.”

Kane nodded, but there was something darker in his expression—a hesitation. “I’ve been digging into the Council,” he said, finally meeting my gaze. “You think I joined for no reason? They’re up to something big, Jack. After tonight… I don’t think I’ll be on the inside much longer.”

I stood then, and gave Kane a hand to do the same.

“You’ll talk your way out whatever mess you get into with them,” I said with a faint smirk. “You always do.”

Kane chuckled, but it was a hollow, empty sound. “The Council’s not all bad,” he said quietly. “Most of them... they think they’re doing the right thing.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” I muttered, turning back to the city below.

The city pulsed with life, blissfully ignorant of the battles fought in its shadow. The quiet on the rooftop wasn’t peace—it was the kind of stillness that came before the next storm. Darkness didn’t die; it slithered between the stars, coiling, waiting for its chance to strike again.

And me? I was waiting for a hot shower and a stiff drink. The darkness should take a pause long enough for that, at least. One could hope.

Kane dropped his cigarette, crushing it beneath his boot with a deliberate twist. The ember died, leaving a faint wisp of smoke curling into the night air.

“What’s next for you?” he asked, his tone carefully neutral.

I sighed, shoving my hands into my coat pockets and staring at the horizon, where the city’s neon glow smeared against the black sky. “Same as always. Pick up the pieces, figure out which ones are worth keeping, and try not to get myself killed in the process.”

Kane smirked, his lip curling just enough to let the cynicism peek through. “You ever think about walking away? Going and getting a nice cottage somewhere and leaving this all behind?”

“I’ve tried that, doesn’t work for me too well,” I admitted. “Besides, someone has to clean up the messes. Might as well be the guy already knee-deep in them.”

Kane studied me for a moment, the faint breeze tugging at the collar of his trench coat. “You’re not wrong, Jack. But you’re also not invincible. This... whatever’s coming... it’s bigger than you think.”

I turned to him, my expression hardening. “And you know more than you’re letting on.”

He shrugged, that maddeningly nonchalant gesture that always made me want to throttle him. “Not much more. Just enough to know this isn’t over. The Council’s playing a game, and we’re all just pawns on their board.”

“Yeah, well, pawns can still cause problems when they get to the other side.”

His laugh was short, humorless. “You really think you’ll make it to the other side? Hell, Jack, I’m not sure any of us will.”

For a moment, the rooftop felt smaller, almost personal.

I turned back to the city, the faint hum of traffic and the distant wail of a siren filtering up through the cold night air. Somewhere down there, people were living their lives, blissfully unaware of the monsters lurking in the shadows.

“She’ll be back,” I said finally, breaking the silence. “Aylin. Whatever her game is, it’s not finished.”

Kane nodded, his gaze distant. “She always was good at keeping her cards close to her chest.”

I met his gaze, the weight of unspoken truths passing between us. There were no goodbyes, no reassurances. Just the understanding that the storm wasn’t over—it was just gathering strength.

Kane turned and walked away, his silhouette fading into the night. I stayed on the rooftop a while longer, letting the chill seep into my bones, trying to ignore the faint tug of dread coiling in my gut.

The city was alive, breathing, teeming with secrets and lies. And somewhere out there, in its darkened alleys and forgotten corners, something was waiting.

I lit another cigarette, the flame flaring briefly before settling into a steady glow. Taking a long drag, I exhaled and watched the smoke curl up into the vast, starless sky.

Run diagnostic.

SYSTEM STATUS: ERROR

User: Jack Callaghan Designation: Hunter-Class Hybrid (Undead, Devourer /Enhanced/Hexborn) System Integrity: 35% (Severe degradation detected.) System Rank/Version: Unranked, Version Classified, Code Name: Project Methuselah

Elder Blood Detected. Devourer lineage initiating synthesis—Cellular deterioration arrested, stabilization in progress.

Stabilization… successful.

Project Methuselah Has Been Initiated: Nascent subroutine activated, admin locks overridden by… error. User undetected.

The system has integrated into the subject's neural architecture.

CORE VITALS:

Vitality:

* Current Status: 200%

* Note: Vastly increased regenerative properties observed. Tissue revitalization reaching higher thresholds than possible.

Resilience: Extreme, 500% human capacity.

* Observation: Cellular matrix exhibits full integration with Devourer traits. Durability exceeds previous mortality parameters, showing unparalleled resistance to damage.

Fatigue: Unknown (Data remains corrupted.)

Humanity—0% (Corruption has drained 56%, Enhancement has drained 44%)

* Warning: Subject's Humanity is fully depleted. Effects… Uncertain.

* Heightened Senses: Limitations… unexplored.

* Corpse Assimilation: Integrate and repurpose biomass from other deceased entities.