We arrived at the warehouse, parking near a rotting willow tree. With the Cyrums in the briefcase, we left the vehicle and approached the entrance. The building loomed over us as we crept forward, and metal shrapnel littered the ground, with nails jutting out ominously. The warehouse creaked in the wind, trembling as if alive. A sharp, acrid smell of stale ammonia hung in the air, clinging to the rusted metal and oil-stained concrete, a lingering reminder of forgotten industry.

With a creak, we opened the large doors of the warehouse. Inside, Skyler and Clover sat on the ground, their hands covered in chalk as they drew magic circles. KC, quiet as usual, looked up from her books. Her short brown hair curled at the ends, and her hazelnut eyes landed on the briefcase. She smiled, dimples forming, and hurried over to us. To the right, Emily worked diligently, her long, knee-length blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. Bang! Bang! Bang! Cling! Clank! Her forging hammer rang out against the hot steel. With her sleeves rolled up, sweat glistened on her firm, petite biceps as the steel glowed a bright gold-reddish tint, words appearing on the metal.

Suddenly, she glanced up, and a high-pitched yet soft voice filled the room as she rushed towards Anastasia, throwing her hot sword and hammer aside. "Ana, you're finally here! It's been so long!" Emily exclaimed, her azure-blue eyes glistening with tears of joy as she clung to her. Anastasia, a few inches taller, discarded her cigarette and smiled. "Yeah, it’s almost over. Anyway, how's the latest project?"

Emily blushed, twirling a strand of her hair as she shyly replied, "I'm almost done, but I think we should get ready for the ceremony to open Solvayne Current and form our mana core."

KC opened the briefcase with a click and lifted out the Cyrums, swirling them expertly in her hands. She held them up next to the grimoire in her other hand, admiring their vivid colours. "I’ve never seen these in person before," she mused, her gaze drifting as memories flooded back.

Flashback – 6 YEARS AGO…

The liquid cores shimmered under the fluorescent light, with captured storms swirling inside the smooth glass. Holding them alongside the magic textbook, her admiration flickered. Then, her grip stiffened...

The vibrant hues twisted. Shifted. The weight in her hands was familiar, yet suddenly, it wasn’t the briefcase she had opened.

It was a different vial.

Deep cobalt blue.

Cool, delicate.

She inhaled—but sterile lab air didn’t fill her lungs. Smoke did.

Her fingers curled tighter.

"Dad, look! I did it!"

Her voice rang through the lab, breathless with excitement. She twirled, holding the vial high, the poison inside swirling like liquid sapphire.

Dad looked up from his desk, eyes crinkling with amusement—but something flickered beneath it. Hesitation? Wariness?

"Let’s see."

He held out his hand, and she rushed forward, placing the vial in his palm. He turned it, watching the shimmer dance in the light.

"This is impressive. Strong, controlled. Enough to take down a baby horse or two."

She grinned, bouncing on her toes. "Really?"

"Really."

He tapped the glass, thoughtfully.

"But you have to promise me—you’ll be careful."

The words were light. Casual. But his fingers lingered on the vial a beat too long. His gaze didn’t fully meet hers.

She nodded. "I promise."

Then—laughter.

Zoe burst into the room, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Dad! My powers—I figured them out!"

He twirled, raw energy crackling in the air—the vines outside twisted. The gargoyles stirred.

"I’ll be soaring through the skies like Superman! Fighting villains like Batman!"

Dad’s expression shifted.

He said no before Zoe had even finished speaking.

"Zoe—no."

The warmth drained from his voice.

Zoe hesitated. "What?"

Dad stood, his chair scraping against the floor.

"You can’t use that power. It’s dangerous."

The air tightened. Something unspoken threaded between his words.

Zoe’s excitement faltered, confusion lining his face. "But why? It’s just—magic."

Dad’s grip tightened on his shoulder.

"Magic isn’t simple. It isn’t safe. You don’t understand."

Zoe looked at KC. "Sis, tell him—it’s fine, right?"

She opened her mouth—but nothing came out.

Because deep down, she knew. She had always known.

Dad feared something in Zoe’s magic. And she had never asked why.

The silence between them stretched too long.

A crack in something they hadn’t realised was breaking.

Later that night, KC pressed herself against the hallway wall, barely breathing.

Zoe crouched beside her, fingers clutching her sleeve.

Beyond the doorway, their mother stood rigid.

Her voice was low. Sharp. Unwavering.

“You can’t do this anymore.”

Their father barely looked up.

“Do what?” His voice was calm. Too calm.

Their mother stepped forward.

Her grip on the wooden spoon was white-knuckled.

“You think I haven’t noticed?” A pause—thin, stretched too long. “Every full moon, you take their blood.”

KC felt Zoe stiffen beside her.

She had never questioned it before—the tiny puncture marks, the dizziness in the mornings after.

The way their father always brushed it off with a smile and a promise that it was “nothing.”

But now—now she heard the weight in their mother’s voice.

It was nothing.

It was monstrous.

Their father exhaled a breath.

Not a sigh.

A laugh.

“It’s all for a reason.”

KC swallowed hard.

“To prepare for the end.”

His voice shifted.

Lower. Thick with conviction.

“The arrival of the Child of Vlad.”

Zoe’s grip on her tightened.

Their father leaned forward, elbows on the desk, eyes gleaming.

“The destruction of the barrier beyond our realm. The signs are clear.”

He wasn’t just stating a belief.

He was waiting for it, expecting it.

Welcoming it.

Their mother inhaled sharply, shaking her head.

“You’re talking about prophecy. But that’s not what this is.”

She stepped closer to him, her voice quieter now.

“This is an obsession.”

Their father smiled.

A thin, eerie smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“The barrier—the Rifts—they are becoming weaker. The cycle will begin again.”

KC dared to peek through the crack in the doorway.

Her father looked different.

Not the same man she knew.

His fingers twitched against the desk. His pupils were blown wide, not with fear.

With excitement.

Zoe inhaled too fast beside her, and KC clamped a hand over his mouth before he could make a sound.

Their mother took another step forward.

“They are your children.”

Their father tilted his head.

Not in confusion.

In amusement.

“They are more than that.”

KC felt her heartbeat slam against her ribs.

She didn’t want to understand what he meant.

But she did.

She and Zoe weren’t just his children.

They were part of something bigger.

Something dark.

Something coming.

Smoke curled through the hallways.

Fire devoured the walls of their beachside home.

Zoe and KC huddled inside a closet, the heat pressing in on them.

Footsteps—deliberate. Precise.

An assassin.

A blade flashed.

A gasp—Mom’s voice—cut short.

Outside, Dad stood over her body.

Silent.

KC pressed a fist against her mouth, forcing the scream down.

"Dad?" Her voice barely broke past the flames.

Nothing. Just stillness.

Then, his hand reached for the vial.

Cobalt blue liquid gleamed in the firelight, twisting against trembling fingers.

No hesitation.

The needle plunged.

His body convulsed.

Smoke curled from his fingertips.

His eyes burned red.

The demon beast emerged.

The assassin barely had time to react.

Blood. Fury. Ended.

Then, Dad turned to them.

His monstrous form shuddered.

A portal is tearing open.

"Come with me."

His clawed hand extended.

Zoe whimpered.

"Dad, —what are you?"

KC’s heart slammed into her ribs.

She knew that face, but she didn’t know that voice.

"Come. Now."

Zoe stepped back. "I don’t—I don’t want to—"

Dad’s eyes flickered.

"I won’t hurt you."

That was the last lie he ever told.

KC stepped forward.

Reaching. Believing—

Then—

The air behind him twisted.

A sound—guttural. Ancient.

A gate.

Not his.

Something else.

Shadows stretched.

Jagged teeth, the size of pillars, gleamed grotesquely, yawning open.

Then—

The teeth clamped shut.

No scream.

Just silence.

Absolute.

KC grabbed Zoe’s arm.

"Zoe—jump!"

And they did.

KC inhaled sharply, knuckles white around the Cyrums.

The glow flickered—but all she saw was cobalt blue.

The same colour. The same poison.

The same moment she could never outrun.

She let out a slow breath, forcing the memory back into its depths. Her eyes refocused…

It never truly left.