Leo took a step back, claws twitching. “Gone? What the hell does that mean? Why do I know your name?”

Melissa studied him with a calm intensity. “We’ve met before. Not you, exactly—this personality is new. But I’ve known you... or at least, a version of you.”

Her cryptic words made Leo’s stomach churn. “Stop speaking in riddles,” he growled. “What do you want?”

Melissa gestured to a fleshy chair that seemed to grow out of the ground. “Sit,” she said. “You’re in no danger here. If anything, I’m the one in danger. This is my weak point. If I die, the tree dies. The nuke your friend carries is redundant.”

Leo’s claws dug into the floor. “I know your type, fiend. You’re trying to mess with my head.”

Melissa sighed and snapped her fingers. The fleshy walls behind her shifted, revealing Rory, Gasmask, and Bill suspended in grotesque cocoons. Their eyes were vacant, their bodies limp, entangled in writhing tendrils.

Leo’s breath hitched. “Let them go!” he demanded, his voice filled with rage.

Melissa’s gaze didn’t waver. “You have a choice, Devourer. Hear me out, or watch them die.”

Leo hesitated, his claws trembling. His instincts screamed at him to attack, but the sight of his friends held him back. Reluctantly, he sat down, muscles coiled like a spring. “Fine,” he spat. “Talk. But no games.”

Melissa nodded. “I’ve lived for over a thousand years, but this form—the tree—is recent. Before that, I was like you, living in a fragile, humanoid body. I was part of a group. We called ourselves Armageddon. The leaders were older than me, far older, and had grand ambitions: the destruction of humanity.”

Her voice grew distant, laced with regret. “At first, I followed them. But their methods were... excessive. I didn’t see the point in mindless slaughter. When I spoke out, I wasn’t the only one. A few of us turned against them. We were hunted, one by one. I hid here and created this place to protect myself and those who followed me. It was peaceful—until the humans came. The Cleaners.”

Leo leaned forward. “What does any of this have to do with me?”

Melissa’s glowing eyes locked onto his. “One of those who betrayed the Nephilim was Andrew Langley. The Devourer before you. He was... my closest friend.”

Leo’s chest tightened. The man in the red suit. The whispers in his head. It all made sense now.

Melissa’s voice softened. “I need to speak to him. My time is short, and I have things I need to say before you kill me.”

Before Leo could respond, he felt a cold, familiar presence in the back of his mind. A whisper, smooth and sinister. “Let me take over, kid. I’ve got this.”

Leo hesitated, but the voice was insistent. “You’re curious, aren’t you? You want to know what she has to say. Let me handle it.”

Reluctantly, Leo let go. His body began to shift, his features morphing into those of a middle-aged man with a sharp, calculating gaze. Andrew Langley stretched his arms, rolling his neck with a satisfied sigh. “Melissa,” he said smoothly, his tone cold yet charming. “It’s been, what, thirty? Forty years?”

Melissa’s calm demeanor faltered, her lips parting slightly in surprise. “Andrew,” she said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

Andrew smirked. “Well, here I am. You called, I answered. What’s on your mind?”

Melissa hesitated, her confidence wavering. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time, but I—”

Andrew’s grin widened. “Wait, let me guess. You’ve caught feelings for me? After all this time?”

Melissa’s glowing eyes narrowed. “Don’t mock me.”

“I’m not mocking you,” Andrew said, his voice dripping with amusement. “It’s just funny. All those years of me flirting with you, and now, when you’re on your deathbed, you decide to say something?”

Her composure cracked, her voice rising with frustration. “I was scared, Andrew! I didn’t know how to handle what I felt. You were... you were the only one who ever understood me.”

Andrew’s laughter echoed through the room. “And now you want what? Redemption? Closure? How pathetically human of you.”

Melissa’s fists clenched, her calm exterior crumbling. “Enough. If you don’t feel the same, just say it. Give Leo back and leave.”

Andrew’s grin faded, replaced by a cold, predatory glint in his eyes. His voice dropped to a low, dangerous tone. “Who said I was rejecting you, Melissa? If you want me...” He stepped closer, each word deliberate, cutting. “Then take me.”

Melissa froze, stunned. “What?”

“Didn’t hear me?” he sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. “Or are you still too scared to act? That’s it, isn’t it? That’s why you’ve been hiding here, playing queen of your little fleshy kingdom, while everyone else died. I recognized some of those pods you kept. Reynold. Andovar. Korrigan. What was it, Melissa? Couldn’t let them go? Clinging to the past like a coward?”

Her composure cracked. “No, you’re mistaken!”

“Am I?” he said, his voice cutting like a blade. “Don’t deny it. You’re just a coward, hiding behind your malformed ‘children’ to fight your battles for you. You failed to protect them. You let them die, Melissa. You let them all die.”

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“Shut up!” she screamed, her voice trembling. “Shut up, shut up, shut up! It wasn’t my fault—it was your fault! I thought you cared about me. About all of us. But you left us, Andrew. You left me when I needed you most!” Her voice broke, tears of blood streaking her face. “Why? Why?”

She lunged at him; her trembling hands grabbing onto his arms as her sobs racked her body. Her desperation was raw, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just tell me why…”

Andrew’s face turned serious, his distant gaze locking onto hers. “You want to know why? Really?”

“Just tell me!” she cried, her grip tightening, her anger and pain palpable.

“Alright,” he said, his voice flattening, devoid of its former malice. “You asked for it.”

Before her eyes, Andrew’s form began to shift. His skin darkened, turning a solid, void-like black. His face transformed, his human features melting away to reveal a nightmarish skull, jagged teeth grinning cruelly, and hollow, abyssal eyes that seemed to devour the light itself. His body swelled, radiating an overwhelming, oppressive energy that filled the room.

Melissa stumbled backward, her earlier anger giving way to terror. “Who... who are you?” she whispered, her voice trembling as she gazed up at the monstrous figure before her.

The creature tilted its head, its voice no longer Andrew’s, but a deep, emotionless rumble that resonated like the tolling of a death knell. “I remember you, Spawnmaker. You were once an agent of Armageddon, working for the four ancient Nephilim. But you’ve made many enemies, and now you’ve placed yourself in a rather unfortunate situation.”

Her voice was barely audible now, shaking with fear. “What... what are you...?”

“Your worst nightmare, fiend,” it growled.

With terrifying ease, the fiend raised her high above the ground, her body limp in its massive grip. For a moment, she tried to struggle, but her strength failed her. The creature’s hollow gaze bore into her, merciless.

And then it crushed her in its hand, her body collapsing with a sickening crunch as blood and flesh splattered across the fleshy walls. Silence followed, heavy and absolute, as the fiend stood motionless amidst the carnage.

“Good riddance,” he muttered before his form began to shift, reverting back to Leo.

Leo fell to his knees, his hands shaking as he looked at the lifeless body before him. “What the hell just happened?” he whispered, his voice trembling.

The room quaked violently as the fleshy walls convulsed, the tree itself letting out a deafening, otherworldly scream of agony. Around them, the pods that had imprisoned Rory, Gasmask, and Bill began to rupture with wet, grotesque pops. The three fell to the floor, gasping for air, shivering violently from the cold shock of their sudden freedom.

“Leo!” Rory’s voice cracked as she scrambled to her feet, rushing toward him. She threw her arms around him, gripping tightly as if afraid he’d disappear. “I thought you were dead! I thought we all were! How—how did we even get here?”

Bill, still catching his breath, coughed and steadied himself. “Captured, most likely,” he said grimly, his eyes darting around. “Lucky we’re not dead... yet.”

Before Leo could respond, the ground beneath them shuddered ominously. The walls of the tree began to rot visibly, peeling away in slimy layers that released a putrid stench. Around them, the nicely furnished living room collapsed inward, and the floor gave way. As they fell, the pods surrounding them burst open one after another, releasing grotesque, malformed fiends into the air. Hundreds, thousands of them spilled out, screeching and thrashing in their chaotic, newborn freedom.

Leo’s stomach dropped as his gaze swept downward, spotting a blinding yellow-orange light next to Pendragon, far below. He was standing near the base of the rotting tree charging up Omicron-2. The dragon-fiend’s sharp eyes darted upward, and for the first time, Leo saw something unfamiliar on his face—panic. Pendragon’s wings flared open as he shouted something inaudible over the cacophony, his movements frantic.

Pendragon grabbed the massive weapon slung over his back and, with a quick, desperate motion, hurled it upward toward Leo. “Take it!” Pendragon roared. “Bury it! Now!”

Leo caught the heavy weapon, the force nearly knocking him backward. Without thinking, he dug his claws into the ground beneath him, burrowing as fast as his body would allow. The ground was tough and sticky, resisting him at every turn, but he pushed deeper, adrenaline fueling his desperate attempt to shield the weapon from the impending blast.

Above him, the scene descended into chaos. Pendragon unfurled his wings, their surfaces now gleaming with sharp, blade-like edges. With an explosive leap, he soared into the air, his massive arms reaching for Rory, Bill, and Gasmask. His fingers coiled around them, pulling them tightly against his armored chest. The falling fiends closed in like a swarm, their shrieking voices blending into an overwhelming roar.

Pendragon’s form shifted mid-flight, his body streamlining into a sleek, aerodynamic shape. He cut through the fiends with precise, brutal efficiency, slashing their bodies apart as he rose higher and higher. “Boost me, Gasmask!” he bellowed.

Gasmask tore off his face covering, revealing a random assortment of holes that spewed thick, noxious gas. The propulsion rocketed them upward, the added force sending them hurtling toward the ceiling of the collapsing tree. Pendragon’s wings beat furiously, slicing through any fiends in their path as they neared the surface.

“Leo!” Rory screamed, reaching out toward the ground below as tears streaked her face. “We can’t leave him!”

Pendragon didn’t falter, his voice harsh and unyielding. “He made his choice! Keep moving!”

Below them, the Omicron-2 detonated.

The explosion was blinding, a searing wave of heat and light that surged through the tree, ripping apart its structure from the inside. The shockwave hit Pendragon’s group mid-flight, scorching their backs and sending them careening upward through the brittle ceiling. They crashed through into the open air above, the force of the blast launching them into a nearby clearing.

When they landed, the world was still spinning. Rory groaned, coughing as she tried to sit up, her body trembling. Bill and Gasmask were sprawled out nearby, unconscious but breathing. Pendragon tried to stand, his armor-like scales blackened and cracked, yet his expression was as stoic as ever.

Before they could collect themselves, the air filled with the mechanical hum of engines. Bright searchlights pierced the smoky aftermath as Keter Squad agents stormed the area, their rifles trained on the team. Overseer Barnes stepped into view, his face like a stone as he surveyed the carnage.

Barnes’s gaze settled on Pendragon, his lip curling. “You dared to use Omicron-2 without clearance?” His hand shot out, grabbing Pendragon by the throat and lifting him off the ground effortlessly. “Who gave you the authorization? Answer me!”

Pendragon didn’t flinch, even as Barnes’s grip tightened. “I did what was necessary,” he growled, his voice steady despite the choking pressure. “If I hadn’t, we’d all be dead.”

Barnes’s eyes narrowed, his voice cold and clipped. “Necessary? You endangered this entire operation. Take him to the Chamber.” He motioned to the agents. “The rest of you—back to the Mojave. And as for Leo... good riddance.”

Leo’s charred body lay still. His flesh was burned, his nerves screaming in agony as he struggled to regain consciousness. Am I dead? He thought, his mind foggy with pain. Is this what death feels like?

He looked around, his vision blurry. There was a ceiling fan above him, and the faint buzz of the yellow-tinged lights. The place felt awfully familiar, yet his eyes couldn’t make out any details.

A shadow loomed over him, a familiar voice breaking through the haze. “Did you have a good nap, sleeping beauty?”

Leo blinked weakly, his vision swimming. He squinted up to see Tyler’s grinning face staring down at him.

“You look like hell,” Tyler said, crouching beside him. “Guess it’s a good thing I showed up. You’re no worth to us dead.”