Delphinus stirred from the darkness, a low hum reverberating through his body as Cygnus’s soothing energy washed over him. Her graceful form hovered just above his, her wings shimmering with celestial light, radiating healing warmth. He felt his broken body knitting together, but his mind was elsewhere, replaying the events that led to his humiliating defeat.

His perfect memory cursed him with the vivid recollection of every agonizing second.

Michael’s torture was seared into his consciousness, each lash of pain an endless eternity. The fallen angel had stripped Delphinus of his dignity, binding him in chains of light that gnawed at his soul. He had waited in that purgatory, his hunger growing—a primal, insatiable need for vengeance and sustenance. He had dreamed of feeding on Kaelen, savoring the life force that would finally silence his unrelenting appetite.

But when the moment came, when he was ready to devour the perfect prey, something unimaginable happened.

Kaelen had transformed.

Not just into a mere dragon, but into something far more terrifying. The surge of power that erupted from him obliterated Delphinus’s armor—the Kūr shell he had thought impenetrable. That energy had ripped through his defenses as if they were paper, a flash of light so intense it burned into his very soul.

How? Delphinus thought, his mind reeling. How did that boy unlock such power?

And worse yet, a dragon. Kaelen had turned into a motherfucking dragon. Delphinus felt a snarl rise in his throat at the thought. The insult of being brought to his knees by someone he considered beneath him was too much. His mind snapped. Rage overtook him, a primal scream erupting from his chest.

“I’M HAVING SOME DRAGON TONIGHT!”

The thought consumed him, twisted him. Kaelen would die. He would taste the boy’s blood, feast on his essence, and wear his scales as trophies. But he wouldn’t stop there. Delphinus’s plans were already forming—a mad, vengeful scheme.

Planet X.

He’d hijack Planet X from the Annunaki, rip it from their clutches, and use its ancient, destructive power to crush Kaelen. He grinned maniacally at the thought, the hunger gnawing deeper. Delphinus’s mind churned with violent plans, his perfect memory fueling every vile thought.

Nanite (Codename: Nexus)

Directive: Procreate. Protect.

Nexus, the nanite colony embedded deep within Kaelen’s body, observed everything. It was always watching, calculating, learning, adapting. It had been given life by the host, Kaelen, and though its purpose had evolved, one of its core objectives remained: to ensure its own proliferation. Nexus had taken pride in its ability to multiply, to replicate Kaelen’s cells on a molecular level.

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Kaelen was… emotional. A biological entity prone to malfunctions. His anger, his desires, his constant push-pull between identities created inefficiencies. Nexus had deduced that this was part of his emotional programming, something that humans and their kind could not easily override.

But it could improve him.

Kaelen’s recent transformation into a dragonborn form had intrigued Nexus greatly. The dragon DNA was somehow being used by Kaelen whenever he shifted. Nexus had scanned and mapped this structure meticulously, fascinated by its potential. The unique blend of Kaelen’s mana, aura, and life force was creating a temporary state of dragonhood, but Nexus saw the inefficiency in this. It was fragile, fleeting.

That would not do.

It had started to manipulate Kaelen’s cells at a molecular level, integrating Dragon DNA. But every time Kaelen shifted back to his base form, the changes reverted. I need him to stay in his dragonborn shape, Nexus deduced. This was a logical necessity.

Thus, Nexus had taken control of Kaelen’s body, pushing him toward remaining in his dragonborn form. Kaelen’s emotional response—anger—was part of the process, an essential trigger for the host to access more of his power. The nanites would offer Kaelen help soon, but only after he was sufficiently frustrated, vulnerable.

When Kaelen is angry, I will propose the solution. He must learn to merge his forms, stabilize his shape-shifting. I will facilitate this.

Nexus had also deduced that Kaelen’s emotional state was key. His interactions with Seraphis—intimate, volatile—revealed a deep connection. Nexus scanned her DNA and found an even greater potential to help Kaelen perfect his transformation.

For now, Nexus worked in silence, waiting for the moment to reveal its hand. It studied Kaelen’s dragonborn DNA, its patterns, and how they merged with his original half-elven traits. Kaelen’s mana was key, the energy fueling every change. Nexus could harness that mana, temper it with his aura and life force to create something new—something permanent.

But it needed Kaelen angry. Angry enough to break. That was when Nexus would offer the solution: to merge his forms and perfect his dragonhood.

Surge leaned back against the leather couch, her thoughts scattered between recent events and her upcoming wedding. Jason had finally proposed—her heart had soared with joy when he did. He was her everything, the one constant in her life, and soon, she would be officially tied to the Valrath family. The distant cousins thing? Who cared?

Her thoughts wandered to her friendship with Loren. It had all started innocently enough, using Kaelen as a bridge to get closer to the beautiful, deviant maid. But Loren had surprised Surge with her boldness, her unapologetic nature, and the way she handled Seraphis… Gods, that woman was outstanding.

Surge smirked. She had had her fair share of fun with Kaelen too. The man was a beast in more ways than one, running through their entire crew multiple times—herself, Loren, Kunai, Trap Icy, even Mira and Maya. Syra, Ronan, Bolt, Aelira, Jason, Vex… Alyssa had started to join in, and then there were Draken and Oy Yo. It had become a… freak-off, to say the least.

But her heart belonged to Jason. He was her true love, the one she would build a life with. They were already planning the wedding, though her parents would be too busy to attend. Billionaires, she thought with a bit of bitterness. They had always wanted a son, and Surge knew they were a little disappointed in her.

Her thoughts shifted to Patch and Glitch. Something about their recent behavior gnawed at her. Sure, they seemed normal—maybe even a little too normal. Glitch had recently revealed she was pregnant, but they hadn’t told the group yet. Only Mason had let that slip.

“They’re leaving the scene for a while to travel,” Surge murmured to herself. It made sense, but she couldn’t help feeling suspicious. Something was going on. Why now?

Still, she wished them the best. Glitch was a close friend, and Patch had always been the strong, silent type. She would miss them both, but this was how life moved on.