———Red———

Kylen, Kat, and I slip into a side room off to the left of the portal chamber, away from the buzz of conversation in the main lab. The door creaks shut behind us, muffling the noise. A faded sign reading Storage is bolted to the door, though the room is far from full. It's a cavernous space, completely barren except for a lone metal table planted in its center. The stark lighting casts sharp shadows across the concrete floor.

Kylen places the orb down with deliberate care, its surface gleaming under the fluorescent light. He crosses his arms and fixes Kat with a stern look.

"So, why'd you steal it?" His voice cuts through the stillness.

Kat exhales, leaning back against the wall, her arms crossed. "That's a loaded question. Short answer? I was hired to."

"By who?" I ask, stepping closer.

She shakes her head. "I don't know. Truth is, I'm as in the dark as much as you guys are. This anonymous client has been paying me to intercept your shipments for months. At first, it was easy. But when your security tightened, I raised my prices. That's when things got messy. They didn't like the price hike, so they dropped me. Hired someone else instead—a guy named Scarface and his crew. When I heard about it, I figured I'd intercept them. That's how I got the orb at the docks... with Keegan's help."

"Why me?" a voice says from behind. Keegan steps into the doorway, his eyes narrowing at Kat.

She turns toward him, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "Because you held your ground when we first fought. You didn't back down, even when you were outmatched. That kind of grit is rare. It made me curious, so I did my homework. Turns out you're like me—another person with powers. I figured we'd make a hell of a team."

Keegan tilts his head, letting her words sink in, then gives a small nod.

Kylen leans against the table, his tone sharp. "So you took down Scarface and got the orb. Then what? Use it as bait to learn what it's worth?"

Kat shrugs. "Partly. I also wanted to confirm if it really was one of your shipments. Figured it had to be something big if you guys came out to retrieve it personally."

"It's for the bridge," I say. "To get us back home."

She nods thoughtfully. "Makes sense. But here's the bigger question—why would someone else want it? Are there others like you here on Earth?"

"There shouldn't be," Kylen says. "But... who knows?"

"What about the initials 'M.V.'?" Keegan asks, his voice cutting into the pause. "Does that mean anything to you guys?"

I glance at Kylen. He shakes his head. "No, I've got nothing."

"Same here," I add.

Kat pushes off the wall and steps toward the table. "Whoever they are, they're thorough. Scarface didn't talk. Not that it matters—he died in prison just a few hours after they brought him in. It was covered up fast. Whatever game they're playing, they don't want a paper trail. Hell, even leaving initials behind is probably giving them a panic attack." She pauses, her gaze shifting between us. "Figured you two might've had some answers. Guess I was wrong."

"Scarface is dead?" Kylen mutters. His jaw tightens. "Damn."

"Yeah," Kat says. "Whoever's pulling the strings isn't just playing for keeps—they're cleaning house. You're up against someone who knows how to stay invisible."

Kylen sighs, running a hand through his hair as he stares at the orb. "Great. So not only do we have to deal with interdimensional gods sending Wraiths after us, but now we've got some mysterious power broker trying to sabotage us from the shadows."

Kat raises an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall. "You've got quite the list of enemies, don't you? Starting to wonder if teaming up with you was the best idea."

"You could always walk away," I say, watching her closely.

She scoffs. "Right. And let whoever's pulling the strings come after me next? No thanks. I'm in now. Might as well see where this rabbit hole goes."

Kylen's eyes narrow as he studies her. "You still haven't told us everything, have you?"

Kat holds his gaze for a moment before exhaling heavily. "Fine. There is one more thing. When I was hired, the client didn't just give me a list of shipments to intercept. They also gave me... warnings."

"What kind of warnings?" I ask, my tone sharp.

"About you," she says, pointing at Kylen. "They told me to stay clear of you. Said if I got too close, I'd regret it. At first, I thought it was some kind of scare tactic, but now... I'm not so sure."

Kylen stiffens, his expression darkening. "What exactly did they say?"

"They said you were dangerous. That you were hiding something. Something that could destroy everyone around you." Kat's voice lowers. "They called you 'the broken prince.' What does that mean?"

Stolen novel; please report.

Kylen's jaw clenches, his gaze hardening. "It means they don't know what they're talking about."

Kat tilts her head, clearly unconvinced. "Does it?"

"Drop it," he snaps, his voice like a whip.

The tension in the room becomes suffocating. I step between them, holding up a hand. "Alright, enough. We're not going to get anywhere by fighting each other."

Keegan clears his throat from the doorway. "So, uh, just to recap: we've got gods sending assassins, mystery clients with cryptic warnings, and some kind of interdimensional war brewing. Anyone else feeling a little overwhelmed?"

"Welcome to the club," I mutter.

Kat crosses her arms, her gaze lingering on Kylen before turning to me. "So, what's the next move, fearless leader?"

I glance at the orb on the table. Its surface seems to shimmer faintly, as if alive. "First, we figure out what this thing really does. Then we find out who's behind all of this."

Kylen nods reluctantly. "Agreed. But we need to be careful. If this 'M.V.' person has eyes on us, they'll be watching our every move."

"Let them watch," I say, determination hardening in my chest. "If they want a fight, we'll give them one."

Kat smirks. "Bold. I like it. Let's just hope you can back it up."

As we stand there, the rain outside intensifies, hammering against the roof. The storm isn't letting up anytime soon—and neither are we.

———Alyse———

Hail and Claire clear out into another room leaving Dylan and I alone. I hesitate for a moment and question if I should go see what Red and Kylen are talking about but before I can stand, Dylan starts.

"How exactly did you guys figure out which gods are your parents?" Dylan asks, his brow furrowed as he leans forward.

"Some of it is speculation," I admit. "But most of it just... fits. For Red, there was some debate at first, but Draco himself confirmed it that he was Red's father. For Kylen, it was more about connecting the dots. Zen is the god of combat and strategy, and Kylen's powers—a ward that's both offensive and defensive—align perfectly with that."

Dylan nods thoughtfully. "Yeah, I can see that. Even his personality screams 'always planning ahead.'"

"Exactly," I say. "Then there's Hail. He's obviously Chronos Magnus's son—he shares the last name. Like he said earlier, he was raised by Zen and Eluna, and they told him Chronos was his father. After Eluna's death, Hail found her diary. She wrote about how grateful she was to Shiarus for giving her the chance to be a mother, even though she regretted not being able to raise her own child."

"Shiarus?" Dylan asks. "Is she the god of love or something?"

"No, she's the god of justice, mercy, and luck. Hail thinks she could be his real mother just based on Eluna's wording in her diary. Speaking of Eluna, she's the god of the moon, space, and time."

"So... you guys figured she's my mom because of my powers?" Dylan asks.

"Pretty much," I say. "It's straightforward. Then there's Claire. Her powers are healing and poison, which align perfectly with Qharus, the god of life and death."

Dylan raises a finger. "Okay, what about Keegan? You said he's Arkane's kid, the god of magic?"

"Yup. His abilities scream magic. And Kat, with her obsession over research and fitting everything together, lines up with Julian, the god of logic and wisdom."

"Logic and wisdom? I would've guessed knowledge or something," Dylan says.

I shake my head. "Knowledge? That's Daem territory. Daem have darker, more manipulative powers, the kind that twist or control the mind."

"Oh," Dylan says, his eyes widening. "I didn't know that. But wait—if Kat's powers are based on illusion, isn't that kind of... Daem-like?"

"It could be," I say, leaning back. "But it depends. Vermidia, the Daem of nightmares, conjures terrors in people's minds. Udis, the Daem of madness, twisted people into primal werebeasts. Muthos creates vampires, warping their perception so they only see humans as prey. Bo, the Daem of deception, thrived on lies and betrayal. Galagon, pushed honor and pride to extremes, feeding egos until people were blind to their true selves. Ogre, Daem of Knowledge, well you get the picture. And then there's Zul—the Daem of Hell itself. I guess he's the exception since he wasn't about manipulation so much as raw, destructive power."

Dylan frowns. "So Kat could be an exception? Or maybe there's another explanation?"

"Exactly," I say. "It's possible there's more to her story we don't know yet."

Dylan nods slowly, processing everything. Then he glances at me, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Wait. You didn't mention your parent. There are nine gods, right? So... who's left?"

I hesitate. "Thylan, god of love," I say, almost reluctantly. "She's my mother. It's the only thing that makes sense."

For a moment, Dylan stares at me, as if weighing my words. Then, a grin spreads across his face. "Love, huh?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't start."

Dylan chuckles, leaning back in his chair. "I'm just saying, it fits. You've got that whole leader-who-cares-too-much vibe."

I glare at him. "Keep pushing, and I'll show you how much I care with a lightning bolt."

"Touchy," he says, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, no more jokes about your mom."

Keegan steps into the conversation, the others following him in from the other room. "I'm still stuck on the part about the Daem. If all of them had powers tied to manipulating people's minds or instincts, doesn't that mean their influence is still out there? Like, wouldn't their creations—vampires, werebeasts, whatever—be lingering?"

"They are," I say. "At least on Naurus. Those creatures didn't just disappear when the Daem were killed or banished. They became part of the natural order."

"And on Earth?" Dylan asks, sitting up straighter.

Kylen, who had been quietly listening from the corner, speaks up. "That's the strange part. We haven't encountered any on this planet. No werebeasts, no vampires, no evidence of Daem influence at all. It's almost like Earth was shielded from them—or maybe abandoned entirely."

"That doesn't make sense," Keegan says. "If Earth's been untouched by Daem, then how do you explain all the weird stuff happening here now? Gods having children here. Wraiths coming through portals. Something's stirring."

"Well, I think that's why Draco sent us here to start with, because the Daem couldn't follow, or at least because they weren't here yet." Red says.

"Exactly," Kylen agrees, his tone darkening. "Earth might not have been touched by the Daem before, but now we are here, things are changing. We're at the center of it."

Dylan frowns. "You think we're the cause?"

"Maybe," Kylen says. "Or maybe we're the response. Either way, we're involved now."

Keegan shifts uncomfortably, then changes the subject. "So what's the plan for the orb? It's supposed to power your portal home, right?"

"Not just power it," Kylen says. "The orb is the key to stabilizing the portal. Without it, even if we could activate the gate, the journey would tear us apart."

"Well, that's reassuring," Dylan mutters. "So what happens now?"

"We need to figure out who's behind all this," Red says. "Kat's mysterious employer, the initials 'M.V.,' the Court—it's all connected somehow. And until we know more, we're not going anywhere."

The room falls silent for a moment, the weight of my words settling over everyone.

Finally, Keegan breaks the silence with a half-smile. "So basically, we're screwed?"

I laugh despite myself. "Pretty much."

"Great. Just wanted to be sure."