Myles stared at Kaelen blankly—shock and confusion locking his expression in place—as memories not his own surged through his mind.
Fragmented.
Vivid.
Foreign.
"Ph… Phase 2?" he stuttered. "That… that means this is a different planet?"
Kaelen smiled.
"Not quite. This is a parallel Earth—" she paused, then glanced at Lia, who stood nearby with her arms crossed, already unimpressed. Kaelen's grin widened. "I'm kidding. We're still on an expedition. Home is… much nicer. It does resemble your Earth, though."
She let the words settle, watching him carefully as he tried to piece reality back together.
Then, with deliberate grace, she sat beside him.
Lia stiffened instantly.
Protective. Possessive.
Kaelen met her gaze and gave a small, subtle gesture.
Relax.
Lia didn't like it—but she obeyed.
Kaelen turned back to Myles.
"You see, long ago—well, by human timelines—there existed a civilization. One that mastered interdimensional living." Her voice softened, slipping into something almost reverent. "They were peaceful."
A pause.
"Their origins…" She glanced at Lia.
Lia frowned.
She already knew where this was going.
"They were the offspring of what they called… fallen angels."
Myles blinked. "So… demons?"
Kaelen smiled faintly. Not amused—just… distant.
"Yes. Exactly that." Her gaze drifted. "But they were nothing like what you'd expect. They wanted peace. Redemption. They hoped their children wouldn't inherit the weight of their sins."
Her fingers intertwined, fidgeting slightly.
"So they helped. Across the stars, there are still those who remember. They call that time…" her voice lowered, "The Great Concurrence."
The words carried weight.
History.
Loss.
"It was an era of exchange. Of understanding. Of answers to mortality itself."
Then—
her tone shifted.
Sharpened.
"But some didn't see it that way."
Her hands clenched.
"They saw them as a threat."
Her voice trembled now—not weak, but angry.
"So they hunted them."
Her fists tightened further.
"Like animals."
A drop of blood slipped from her fingers.
"The worst part?" she continued, her voice cracking just slightly. "They used what was given to them. Turned it into weapons. The angels… they never fought back."
Lia moved, instinctively stepping forward—but Kaelen shook her head.
No.
She would finish this.
"They accepted it," she whispered. "And they were massacred."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Myles didn't know what to say.
So he didn't.
Instead, he reached out and gently took her bleeding hand.
Simple.
Wordless.
Real.
Kaelen blinked—then smiled through the tears.
Her eyes flicked briefly to Lia, who forced a tight smile in return.
"You're so cute, lil sis," Kaelen murmured softly.
Myles blinked, completely missing the meaning, still trying to process everything.
She slipped her hand from his and continued.
"Their children could have fought."
A pause.
"But we chose to run."
Her voice steadied.
"We fled… and settled here."
Myles lowered his gaze, a quiet sadness forming on his face—like something deep within him understood more than he should.
Kaelen noticed.
She reached out, lifting his chin.
"Not all hope was lost," she said gently. "I can tell… you've realized your kind played a part in this."
His expression tightened.
"That guilt?" she continued. "It means you care. That matters."
She stood, turning toward the broken wall.
"We vowed to finish what our parents started."
A glance over her shoulder.
"But we were divided."
Her tone cooled.
"Some chose peace."
A beat.
"Others chose revenge."
Her eyes sharpened.
"And so… the Dark Core was born."
The name lingered.
Heavy.
"They embraced the demon stigma. Dedicated themselves to removing mortals like you from existence."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"But we couldn't stand by and let that happen. That would make us no better than what you once called us."
Her eyes closed briefly.
A soft smile returned.
"So we built something new. Interdimensional gates. A system to protect both ourselves… and you."
Her hand rose.
Flames ignited in her palm—dancing, alive—only to be encased in jagged ice that formed instantly around them.
Opposites.
Perfectly controlled.
Then—
she vanished.
And reappeared beside him.
"You," she said, smiling, "possess Criole… without even knowing it."
Myles recoiled instinctively.
Lia moved faster.
She pulled him close.
"I… I can't do any of that," he said, shaking his head.
Kaelen stood, hands behind her back, pacing lightly.
"Then how did you survive?" she asked playfully. "How did you get here? You've seen those monsters."
She gestured toward Lia's chest.
A faint scar.
Just beneath her collarbone.
"You mean… they're a threat to you too?" Myles asked.
Kaelen laughed.
Lia silently healed the mark.
"Hardly," Kaelen said. "But if they can scar us… imagine what they'd do to a normal mortal."
Myles frowned. "Normal mortal? Wait—if you can die, doesn't that still make you mortal?"
Kaelen lifted into the air, crossing her legs midair like gravity had simply stopped applying to her.
"Do you think they stopped at killing our parents?" she asked, smirking. "Our birth gave us life… but not the condition of death."
She drifted closer.
"You can destroy our bodies…"
Her eyes gleamed.
"But not what we truly are."
Closer still.
"There's only one who can destroy us."
A whisper now.
"And he chooses not to."
She leaned in—
too close.
Lia shoved her aside instantly, flustered.
Kaelen spun midair, laughing.
"You're something else, Myles! Maybe you can die—but it'd take a lot. I doubt even decapitation would do it!"
Still laughing, she vanished through the broken wall.
Silence returned.
Myles sat frozen.
Overwhelmed.
None of this felt real.
But it was.
A soft pressure broke through his thoughts.
Arms.
Wrapped around him.
Lia.
Her hold was firm—unyielding.
A black ring shimmered on her finger.
His eyes dropped.
He had one too.
He tried to move.
He couldn't.
She wasn't letting go.
He looked up.
She was smiling.
Not gently.
"So, darling…" she said sweetly, her voice laced with something sharp beneath the surface, "did you enjoy flirting with my older sister?"
Myles blinked.
And then—
memory.
Faint.
Blurry.
But undeniable.
Two months ago.
They were together.
His expression shifted into something pleading.
She smiled back.
Tight.
Dangerous.
He sighed and closed his eyes.
There was no escaping this.
Lia spoke again.
Despite her height, her strength—her presence—
her voice was soft.
Warm.
It wrapped around him, calming him before he even realized it.
"My sister loves to tease," she murmured. "You should know that…"
A pause.
"You really don't remember…?"
Myles opened his eyes.
Violet.
Her eyes.
Glowing softly like twin amethysts, pulling him in.
Holding him there.
And before he could stop himself—
"She was right…" he muttered. "You are way out of my league."
His face flushed instantly.
He tried to look away—
He couldn't.
Something held him there.
Not force.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
Strangers.
Yet not.
Whatever they had before was gone.
But something else—
something new—
was beginning.
They sat in silence.
Just looking at each other.
And for a moment…
the world fell away.
This has to be a dream, Myles thought.
But it didn't feel like one.
And that was the problem.