My shadows recoiled slightly from the terminal, as if instinctively sensing something wrong.

Selene joined me, her voice low. “They were searching for something. Same as us.”

Devon kicked aside a broken crate, revealing faint scorch marks across the ground. “But someone—or something—forced them out.”

I crouched near the terminal, my shadows curling softly around the base. “Do you think they found one of the fragments?”

Selene’s brow furrowed. “If they did… they didn’t get far with it.”

I noticed something at the far edge of the cavern—a pile of tattered equipment shoved hastily into a corner. Among the mess, something glimmered faintly—a small data pad, half-covered by glitching rubble.

I reached for it, my shadows curling protectively around my wrist as I lifted it carefully. The screen was cracked, but faint lines of text still scrolled across it.

[CLASSIFIED DATA LOG – ACCESS DENIED][UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY DETECTED]

But the screens encryption screen started to warp and formulate letters. A cohesive sentence that I was able to understand at the bottom of the screen, one line stood out, flickering faintly:

[DECRIPTION SUCCESSFUL]

“…UNKNOWN is ahead of us. The Demon Lord anomaly… unstable, unpredictable. Find her before she finds the fragment codes.”

My stomach turned as I read the words aloud.

Selene stood behind me, her eyes sharp. “They know about you, Kiera. About what you are.”

Devon’s voice was low, steady. “And they’re watching us. Right now.”

I swallowed hard, my HUD flickering with faint static at the edges.

“They’re close,” I whispered. “Aren’t they?”

Selene nodded, her daggers already drawn. “Too close.”

A faint sound echoed through the cavern—a sharp, metallic ping followed by the faint crackle of static.

Devon turned sharply, his greatsword raised. “We’ve overstayed our welcome.”

From the shadows beyond the cavern, faint glowing eyes began to emerge—dozens of them, glitching faintly as humanoid figures stepped into the flickering light.

Each figure wore mismatched armor, half-digital masks glowing faintly with neon-blue outlines.

Rogue players. Operatives.

We were surrounded.

Selene stepped closer to me, her daggers spinning in her hands. Devon adjusted his grip on his greatsword and stood in a fight stance.

In the distance, above the sea of glowing eyes, a single voice echoed through the cavern—a smooth, confident tone that oozed authority and mockery.

“Well, well… what do we have here?”

A figure stepped forward, his dark armor glowing faintly with flickering neon lines. His face was partially obscured by a mask, but his sharp green eyes glinted with amusement.

“Looks like our little Succubus Demon Lord brought friends.”

The cavern seemed to hold its breath as the rogue operatives emerged from the shadows, their glowing masks flickering faintly with distorted light. They moved with confidence—casual, even—as if they already knew the outcome of this encounter. Each step echoed faintly in the heavy silence, accompanied by the faint hum of their corrupted gear.

Devon’s greatsword was already raised, its crimson edge glinting under the fractured light of the Rift. Selene stood close to me, her daggers glinting like shards of moonlight. My shadows stirred at my feet, restless and reactive, swirling in faint tendrils as if anticipating the storm about to break.

The air buzzed with tension—sharp, electric, and suffocating.

“You've wandered into my web just as I planned,” he said, spreading his arms theatrically as if welcoming us to some grand performance.

His voice was smooth and calm, yet every word carried a weight that made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Devon stiffened at my side, his hand tightening around the hilt of his greatsword. “Kaiden.”

Selene’s amber eyes flicked to Devon, her brow furrowing slightly. “You know him?”

Kaiden’s smirk widened as he strolled closer, his boots crunching faintly over the glitching gravel beneath him. “Oh, Ren knows me. Isn’t that right, old friend?”

The way he said Devon’s username—Ren—felt venomous, but also like he knew him personally.

I glanced at Devon, who was glaring daggers at Kaiden, his posture tense and unmoving. His usual easygoing demeanor had hardened into something colder, sharper.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Devon said, his voice low and dangerous.

Kaiden chuckled lightly, rubbing his chin as if he were genuinely amused. “And yet, here I am. Funny how fate tends to bring old faces back together, huh? I've been on my best behavior and was released a few weeks ago, so I was rather anxious to say hello to the friend who sent me away.”

His green eyes flicked to me, locking onto mine with an intensity that made my skin crawl.

“And you,” he said, his smirk softening into something more calculating. “You’re the little anomaly everyone’s been whispering about, aren’t you? The Succusbus Demon Lord with the broken code.”

My shadows curled protectively at my feet as I clenched my fists. “What do you want?”

Kaiden tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was some rare artifact in a museum. “Want? Oh, sweetheart, it’s not about what I want. It’s about what you have.”

He gestured around the cavern, his operatives shifting slightly in response. “You’ve been making quite the mess of things, you know that? UNKNOWN thought they could keep this little glitch under wraps, but the problem with secrets is… they always leak.”

Selene stepped slightly in front of me, her daggers raised, her amber eyes sharp as flint. “You’re wasting your breath. If you wanted to attack, you would’ve done it already.”

Kaiden raised his eyebrows, his smirk widening. “Smart and pretty. I like you, dagger-girl.”

Selene didn’t flinch, her eyes locked onto his every movement.

Kaiden clapped his hands lightly, the sound echoing faintly through the cavern. “Alright, enough introductions. Let’s get to business, shall we?”

He raised one hand, and in response, the operatives behind him drew their weapons—glitching blades, crackling energy rifles, and wicked-looking claws that sparked faintly with distorted code.

“Here’s the deal,” Kaiden said smoothly. “You’re outnumbered. Outgunned. And this Rift? It’s ours. Now, you can play nice and come quietly, or…”

He snapped his fingers. A faint static hum filled the air, and red targeting dots flickered to life across Devon, Selene, and me.

“…we can do this the fun way.”

“MOVE!” Devon roared, swinging his greatsword in a wide arc as the first wave of rogue operatives fired, before the second wave lunged forward.

Selene was already in motion, her daggers flashing like streaks of silver light as she danced between two attackers, slicing one across the throat and parrying another.

I instinctively activated Shadow Mirage, summoning three duplicates of myself that scattered in different directions. One drew the attention of two operatives, while another moved to flank Kaiden himself.

My real self ducked behind a nearby barricade, shadows swirling violently around me.

Devon fought like a storm, every swing of his greatsword creating shockwaves that sent operatives staggering backward. But for every one he cut down, two more seemed to take their place.

Selene slipped between enemies and striking with precision. But even she was being pushed back, her movements becoming sharper, more desperate.

Kaiden stood calmly in the background, watching it all unfold with mild amusement.

“Shadow Maw!” I shouted, slamming my hand onto the ground.

The shadowy wolf emerged, snarling as it lunged toward a cluster of operatives. It ripped one apart before leaping to another, its spectral jaws snapping with feral intensity.

But it wasn’t enough.

A net of crackling energy launched from somewhere in the shadows, wrapping around Devon’s chest and pinning his arms. He stumbled, his greatsword falling to the ground with a heavy clang.

“DEVON!” I screamed, but my shadows recoiled, glitching faintly under the strain of the chaotic energy surging through the cavern.

Selene’s cry of frustration followed as two operatives tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms behind her back.

Kaiden strolled forward slowly, his hands clasped behind him, his smirk never wavering.

“See?” he said smoothly. “Wasn’t this easier than fighting to the death?”

I tried to summon more shadows, but a blast of static energy slammed into my chest, sending me sprawling backward. My HUD flickered violently as error messages flooded my vision.

Kaiden knelt down beside me, his sharp green eyes locking onto mine.

“You’re going to be very useful, little Demon Lord,” he said softly. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”

His hand reached out, his gloved fingers tracing faintly along my jawline. My shadows flared instinctively, but they were weak—flickering, unstable.

As my vision began to dim, I heard Selene shouting something in the distance—her voice sharp and desperate.

Then, darkness.