The darkness coalesced, taking shape before him. Unlike the flashy entrances of the others, Nyxira's manifestation was subtle—a gradual solidification of shadow into form. First came the silhouette; then details emerged: midnight-black skin that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, with constellations shimmering beneath her surface like trapped stars. Her hair floated around her in silver-white strands, defying gravity as if underwater.
When she opened her eyes, twin suns burned in the darkness—violet-gold irises set in endless black.
"You're different," Nyxira said, her voice now rich and velvety, echoing in the air around them. She circled his chair with predatory grace, reality bending slightly in her wake. Dust particles hung suspended where she passed, and the fabric of Elias's uniform tugged toward her. "The others come begging, desperate. You mock godlings as if they were bar patrons."
Elias tracked her movement, strangely unafraid despite the power radiating from her. "Not impressed by fire and swords. Been there, seen that."
She trailed shadow-silk fingers across his shoulder, leaving a tingling trail of goosebumps. "And what does impress you, Elias? What does the night guard dream of while watching empty hallways?"
"Not being bored," he replied honestly. "Not being... nothing."
Nyxira smiled. "And what would you do with true power? Would you burn the worlds that wronged you?"
"Burning seems inefficient." Elias felt himself relaxing despite the restraints. "I'd rather control them. Make them feel small, the way they made me feel."
She leaned close, her face inches from his, the scent of cosmic void filling his nostrils—not unpleasant, but vast, like standing at the edge of a cliff under starlight.
"Why should I accept you when I've refused all others?" Her words caressed his skin.
"Because they wanted to use you." Elias met her burning gaze. "I'd rather work with you."
Nyxira's laugh echoed like distant collapsing stars. "Such confidence from someone strapped to a chair." She traced a finger along his jaw. "Tell me, Elias Crane, what do you fear more—dying here or living forever with me inside you?"
Elias swallowed, something unfamiliar stirring in his chest. Not fear—anticipation. He'd spent years existing in gray monotony, but this moment felt vibrant, real.
"Neither," he answered. "I fear failure. Going back to my old life." He leaned forward against the restraints. "Missing this chance to be... something great."
Nyxira's eyes widened slightly, the burning suns within them flaring.
"I'd rather die in this chair than be bound to a lesser entity." The words tumbled out, raw with honesty. "I wanted you as soon as I read your file. Once I heard you'd never accepted a bond, I knew I had to have you."
"Had to have me?" Her voice lowered dangerously. "I am not a possession, Elias Crane."
"Not what I meant." He held her gaze. "You're picky. You have standards. I respect that."
Nyxira circled behind him, her fingertips brushing his shoulders. The air pressure changed with her proximity, making his ears pop.
"Twelve others thought themselves worthy." Her words whispered directly into his mind. "Their ashes now drift between stars. What makes you different?"
"They came to you desperate. I came to you curious." Elias flexed his hands against the restraints. "They wanted salvation. I just want a partner."
Something shifted in her expression—surprise, perhaps even respect. She placed a hand flat against his chest. The weight of it felt impossibly heavy, as if a black hole pressed against his sternum.
"I am gravity, inevitability, the void between stars," she whispered. "My power crushes worlds. It will change you, Elias."
"Good." He meant it. "I'm tired of being unchanged."
Nyxira's lips curved into a smile. Her form began dissolving, starlight fragments falling inward like a collapsing galaxy.
"Then let us fall together, my curious one."
The darkness rushed toward him, through him. Pain exploded across his chest as starry fractals burned into his skin, branching outward like cosmic lightning. His veins glowed with impossible pressure as gravity itself seemed to pour into him.
The darkness receded, replaced by blinding fluorescent light. Elias gasped, lungs burning as if he had been holding his breath underwater. The restraints snapped open with metallic clicks, freeing his limbs.
He raised a shaking hand to his chest, where fractals of starlight still glimmered beneath his skin, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat. The pain had vanished, replaced by an exhilarating weightlessness, as if gravity had become optional.
Elias...
Nyxira's voice whispered inside his mind, now intimately part of him. Her presence settled into his consciousness like dark water finding its level.
At the doorway stood Bishop, mouth slightly agape, tablet forgotten in her limp grasp. Her usual composure had cracked, revealing shock.
"Impossible," she whispered.
Elias rose from the chair, surprised at how effortless it felt. Every movement seemed lighter, more deliberate. The air itself bent around him, dust particles hanging suspended in his wake.
"You're supposed to be dead," Bishop said, her voice caught between awe and suspicion. "Nyxira has never—she doesn't—"
"Guess I'm special." Elias smirked, feeling Nyxira's amusement ripple through him like a current.
She fears you now, Nyxira whispered inside him. As she should. Show her what we are, my host.
Elias stepped down from the dais, the remnants of the binding chamber still humming against his skin. Tessa stood frozen near the doorway, eyes fixed on the constellation burns that glowed faintly across his chest. Her grip on the tablet tightened, unsure if she wanted to use it as a weapon or a shield.
He stopped in front of her, lips curling into a grin. "So… guess I should test this out."
Her brows furrowed sharply. "Crane, don't—"
He flicked his finger, and the corridor air shifted with a subtle pull. A ripple tugged upward, fabric rising as if gravity had quietly betrayed her. Tessa's skirt lifted, pale thighs flashing before the hemline revealed far more than she wanted. Her gasp cut the air, cheeks colouring immediately, hazel eyes wide with outrage. She slapped both hands down against the fabric, shoving it back into place. "Y-you idiot!" Her voice broke into a stammer as heat flooded her face.
Elias leaned back on his heels, smirk widening. "Guess it works fine."
She shoved him with one hand, still clutching her skirt with the other. "Jackass! I'll have you put in restraints again!"
Nyxira's laughter pulsed in his head, delighted—matching his own.
***
Elias brushed off Bishop's hand, relishing the crack in her composure. The starlight patterns beneath his skin pulsed with each heartbeat, a constant reminder of the power coursing through him.
"So what's next? Do I get a membership card? A T-shirt with the company logo?"
Bishop smoothed her skirt, professionalism returning as if it were armour. Her voice was tight with lingering embarrassment. "I'll escort you to your quarters. Rest tonight; your trials begin tomorrow."
"Trial? Don't I get an orientation or something?"
"This isn't some corporate job, Crane." Bishop narrowed her eyes. "You'll be fitted with tactical gear in the morning. Standard issue for all new Harbingers."
She speaks as if you're just another weapon in their arsenal, Nyxira whispered. Show her differently.
Bishop led him through obsidian corridors that absorbed sound. Other recruits passed by, some marked with strange sigils. Many glanced at Elias with wary eyes.
"You'll compete against other fresh recruits," Bishop continued. "Only the top performers advance."
"And the losers?"
Bishop's silence spoke louder than words.
"Let me guess—they become 'resource drains'?" Elias made air quotes.
"The Accord doesn't waste potential," she said, her voice hardening. "But it doesn't tolerate failure either."
They stopped before a doorway carved from black stone. It slid open at Bishop's touch, revealing spartan quarters: a bed, a desk, and a private bathroom.
"Not exactly the Ritz," Elias muttered.
"Sleep. Train. Prepare." Bishop stepped back into the hallway. "Because tomorrow, you either prove your worth or..." She trailed off, her gaze drifting to Nyxira's pulsing mark on his chest.
"Or what? You'll put me down like a dog?"
She couldn't if she tried, Nyxira purred inside him.
Bishop's expression hardened. "Just be ready at 0600 hours. And Crane?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't make me regret bringing you here."
"I won't," Elias said, leaning against the doorframe with a lazy smirk. "But I'm curious, where are your quarters, Tessa?"
Bishop's eyes narrowed dangerously. "First, it's 'Agent Bishop' to you. Second, why would you need to know that?"
"Just being neighbourly." He shrugged. "Might need to borrow a cup of sugar."
She's flustered, Elias. Her heart beats faster when you speak her name, Nyxira whispered, her voice a silken caress.
"My quarters are none of your concern." Bishop jabbed a finger against his chest, directly over Nyxira's pulsing sigil. "If I find you near them, I'll have you in isolation faster than you can make another stupid joke."
Elias caught her wrist before she could pull away, not roughly but firmly enough to surprise her.
"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful when you're threatening people?"
Bishop yanked her hand free, but Elias felt her pulse quicken beneath his fingers.
"Get some sleep, Crane. You'll need it." She turned on her heel and stalked away, her posture rigid.
She wants you, Nyxira's voice was amused. Beneath that cold exterior burns delicious fire.
Elias closed the door and surveyed his new home: sterile, empty, functional. He stretched out on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"You can read her thoughts?" he asked aloud.
Not thoughts precisely. But desire, fear, rage—these emotions have weight. They pull and push like gravity. And your little handler... she is conflicted about you.
"She kidnapped me and brought me to this hellhole. Pretty sure she doesn't like me."
A distant laugh echoed in his mind. She brought you here because she saw what I see—potential. Raw, untapped potential.
Elias propped himself up on his elbows. "So why me? Out of all the desperate losers in all the dive bars in all the worlds?"
She needed someone compatible with a powerful Sigil, Nyxira said. Her previous field assignments earned her a promotion to handler—but handlers must prove themselves by recruiting and managing their own agents.
"Wait." Elias sat up fully. "You're saying Bishop is my handler? Permanently?"
Indeed. Her fate is now bound to yours. Every success you achieve elevates her standing. Every failure diminishes her.
Elias laughed, the sound echoing off the obsidian walls. "No wonder she looked terrified when you bonded with me. She's stuck with me now."
She expected you to die, like all my previous candidates. Instead, you succeeded beyond her wildest hopes—binding with a Sigil no one has ever controlled. Your victory should have been her triumph.
"But she didn't look triumphant."
Because she recognises what I saw immediately—you cannot be controlled. Not truly. And that terrifies her.
Elias walked to the small mirror above the sink.
"So Bishop is responsible for me from now on?" A slow smile spread across his face. "And she hasn't even told me yet."
She fears you knowing the full extent of your leverage. Nyxira's voice held wicked amusement. As your handler, she must justify your actions to her superiors. If you excel, she rises. If you fail...
"She falls with me." Elias tested his new power, lifting a metal cup from the desk with a mere thought. It hovered, suspended by invisible force. "How interesting."
The little handler has placed herself in quite the predicament. She chose a wolf, thinking she could keep it leashed.
Elias crushed the cup with a flick of his fingers, the metal crumpling like paper.
"I think tomorrow is going to be very interesting." He returned to the bed, lying back with his arms folded behind his head. "Very interesting indeed."
"Are there limits to your power, Nyxira? What can I do exactly?" He traced a finger along one of the shimmering lines, feeling it pulse in response.
Nyxira's presence unfurled in his mind. You ask the right questions, beloved. Unlike the others who only beg for raw power.
"I've always been practical."
Practical, yet ambitious. I appreciate that balance. Her voice caressed his thoughts. You control gravity itself—the most fundamental force in existence.
Elias raised his hand, focusing on the sensation he'd felt when crushing the metal cup. A pencil on the desk trembled, then floated upward.
You can change gravity's direction, Nyxira continued as Elias sent the pencil spinning in lazy circles. Increase or reduce its strength. Focus it on a set point.
He closed his fist suddenly, and the pencil snapped in half.
You can create points of crushing pressure or absolute weightlessness. Pull objects toward you or push them away.
Elias stood, extending both hands upward. The heavy bed frame shuddered, then lifted six inches off the floor, with him on it.
"Holy shit," he whispered, lowering it gently.
And that is merely the beginning. As our bond grows stronger, so will our capabilities.
"What else?"
In time, you could create gravity wells to bend light itself. Craft singularities that devour everything they touch. Even manipulate time in small pockets where gravity's pull becomes extreme.
"The handler—Bishop—she has no idea what you're capable of, does she?"
Few do. They've catalogued me as a cosmic entity of moderate strength. They believe my previous failures to bond indicated weakness.
Elias grinned at his reflection. "Their mistake."
Indeed. The Accord sees Sigils as weapons to be wielded, not partners to be embraced. They cannot comprehend what we will become together.
"And what's that?"
Inevitable. The word resonated through his bones. Like gravity itself—a force that cannot be denied, only temporarily resisted.
Elias flexed his fingers, feeling power ripple through them. "I think I'm going to enjoy the trials tomorrow."
Show them just enough to establish dominance, Nyxira advised. But keep our true potential hidden. The element of surprise is a weapon all its own.
"You know," Elias said, "I'm starting to think you and I are going to get along just fine."
Sleep now, my weight-bearer. Tomorrow we begin our conquest.
For the first time in years, Elias fell asleep with a genuine smile on his face.
***
Ice-cold water jolted Elias awake. He shot upright, droplets streaming down his face and soaking into the thin mattress beneath him.
"What the—"
Tessa Bishop stood over him, an empty cup still tilted in her hand, her expression a perfect mask of professional disdain.
"Get up. Now."
Elias blinked water from his eyes, smirking despite the abrupt awakening. "Good morning to you too, sunshine."
"It's 0624, Crane." She tossed the empty cup onto his chest. "The first briefing was at 0600. You were ordered to be ready."
Elias ran a hand through his wet hair, water trickling down his neck. "Didn't know this place ran on military time."
"Everything in the Accord runs on precision." Tessa's eyes narrowed dangerously. "This isn't your pathetic mall job where you can doze off watching security cameras. Lives depend on timeliness here."
"Whose lives exactly?" Elias swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching deliberately. "The people we're going to kill, or the ones doing the killing?"
Tessa grabbed a black uniform from a hook on the wall and flung it at him.
"Twenty-three other recruits managed to show up on time. Not a great first impression when you're the only one with a Sigil that actually accepted you."
She's lying, Nyxira whispered in his mind. Three others never woke up. The Sigils consumed them in their sleep.
"Worried about me making you look bad?" Elias stood, constellation marks pulsing beneath his skin as he peeled off his wet shirt, not bothering to turn away.
Tessa's eyes flicked briefly to his chest before she glared at his face. "Get dressed. You have two minutes before I drag you to orientation, regardless of what you're wearing."
"Kinky."
Her hand twitched as if she wanted to slap him. Instead, she turned sharply toward the door. "Two minutes, Crane. And if you're even thinking of going back to sleep—"
"Wouldn't dream of it." He watched her stalk to the doorway. "Hey, Bishop?"
She paused, not turning back.
"Does this count as our first date?"
The obsidian door slammed with enough force to rattle the walls.
She is quite entertaining when angry, Nyxira purred in his thoughts. Such delicious rage beneath that controlled exterior.
Elias chuckled as he pulled on the black uniform. It fit perfectly, the material surprisingly comfortable despite its military appearance.
He stood by the door, arms folded, leaning against the frame. The uniform hugged his frame better than anything he'd worn before—military precision in its tailoring, unlike the baggy security guard uniform he'd used for years.
The door slid open exactly two minutes and seventeen seconds after Tessa had left. She jolted backward, clearly not expecting to find him waiting so close.
"Jesus!" Her hand flew to her chest, a flash of pink colouring her cheeks. She recovered quickly, eyes narrowing. "Did you just stand here the entire time?"
"Waiting at attention, ma'am." Elias gave a mock salute, enjoying how her blush deepened when he called her 'ma'am'.
"You did that deliberately." It wasn't a question. The pink in her cheeks contrasted sharply with her attempt to look stern.
Her heart races, Nyxira observed. Not from fear, but from something far more... interesting.
"What can I say?" Elias grinned. "I live to exceed expectations."
Tessa's eyes flicked down his uniform-clad body before she turned abruptly. "Follow me. And try not to embarrass us both at orientation."
Elias followed Tessa down a series of identical obsidian corridors, the walls reflecting distorted versions of themselves as they walked. Each turn looked the same, but Tessa navigated with practiced efficiency.
"Want to tell me what I'm walking into?" Elias asked.
Tessa didn't slow her pace. "You'll find out soon enough."
"You know, most relationships work better with open communication."
She shot him a withering look over her shoulder. "This isn't a relationship. It's a handler managing an asset."
They reached a set of massive double doors that parted silently as they approached. The room beyond stretched wide, with a vaulted ceiling disappearing into darkness. Twenty recruits stood in rigid formation, each paired with a handler at their side.
Look at them, Nyxira whispered. Cattle lined up for slaughter.
Elias scanned the room, noting the other recruits' expressions. Most looked terrified, blank-faced, or grimly determined. A few stood out—a blonde woman with wild eyes who couldn't seem to stand still, and a tall, severe-looking man whose rigid posture screamed military background.
"You're late," announced a voice from a raised platform. The Warden, more shadow than substance, loomed over the assembly. "Handler Bishop, explain."
Tessa stepped forward. "Equipment malfunction, sir. Won't happen again."
The Warden's form rippled, perhaps with amusement. "See that it doesn't."
The blonde woman caught Elias's eye and licked her lips, a gesture so inappropriate for the setting that he almost laughed. Her handler, a stone-faced man with a scar across his jaw, yanked her attention back forward.
"Recruits," the Warden continued, "today begins your evaluation. You will face each other in controlled combat scenarios. Those who cannot dominate will be dominated. The bottom five performers will be deemed unfit for service and disposed of accordingly."
The rigid man with military bearing glanced sidelong at Elias, eyes cold with contempt.
The tall one hates you already, Nyxira observed. He thinks you unworthy.
"Each of you has been assigned a handler," the Warden explained. "They will guide your training, report your progress, and suffer your failures. Their fate is tied to yours."
Tessa stiffened beside him, and Elias felt a slow smile spread across his face.
He leaned slightly toward Tessa, deliberately brushing his elbow against her side. "So your fate is tied to mine?" He kept his voice low, meant only for her ears. "Sorry in advance."
Tessa's jaw tightened, her eyes fixed forward. "Just don't embarrass me."
"You're assuming I'll fail." He grinned. "Maybe I'll surprise you."
She fears you will succeed too well, Nyxira whispered. That's what truly terrifies her.
***
The Warden's form twisted, elongating like smoke in a draft. "Twenty of you stand before me. Consider what that means."
A murmur rippled through the recruits. Elias glanced around, noting the confusion on most faces.
"Three hundred recruits were branded in the last cycle," the Warden continued, his voice echoing ominously. "You twenty are all that remain. The others were... insufficient."
Two hundred and eighty corpses, Nyxira whispered in Elias's mind. Impressive mortality rate.
"The trials ahead will determine if you deserve to continue breathing," the Warden said. "You will be placed in simulated combat environments in groups of five. Points are awarded for kills—ten points per elimination. If multiple recruits contribute to a single kill, those points will be divided equally among them."
The military man straightened his already perfect posture, his eyes calculating. The wild blonde licked her lips again, bouncing slightly on her toes, which made her chest quite distracting.
"There will be five rounds total," the Warden continued. "Four group rounds followed by a final assessment. The lowest-scoring five recruits at the conclusion will be terminated."
Tessa's fingers tightened on Elias's arm. "Don't play hero," she whispered. "And don't hold back."
"Hiding and allowing others to eliminate each other is a losing strategy," the Warden's voice dropped to a threatening rumble. "You cannot score if you do not engage."
They want bloodsport, Nyxira purred. Let's give them a show.
"One final note." The Warden's form expanded, filling the chamber with oppressive darkness. "While death in the simulation is not permanent, you will experience it fully. Every wound, every broken bone, every severed limb will feel utterly real. Pain is an excellent teacher."
Elias felt his pulse quicken.
"Try not to panic when you die," the Warden said, amusement tainting his cold voice. "It disrupts the system's metrics."
They wish to measure your resolve through suffering, Nyxira observed. How quaint.
"Any questions?" The Warden surveyed the room. No one spoke. "Very well. Handlers, escort your assets to their designated chambers. Round one begins in thirty minutes."
Tessa's grip on Elias's arm tightened as she pulled him through a side corridor away from the other handlers and recruits. Her pace was brisk, almost urgent.
"Listen carefully," she said, her voice low. "Each simulation chamber connects to a neural interface. When you enter, you'll feel disoriented for about eight seconds—that's the system mapping your neural pathways."
"So it's basically fancy VR?" Elias asked.
"If by 'fancy' you mean 'it will feel like your intestines are being ripped out when you get stabbed,' then yes." Tessa stopped abruptly, turning to face him. "You're in group three with four other recruits I've already assessed. Two are cannon fodder, one is dangerous but stupid, and the fourth is calculating."
She's being unusually helpful, Nyxira whispered. Her career rides on your survival.
"Your gravitational abilities give you a range advantage," Tessa continued. "Stay elevated when possible. Don't engage in close combat unless necessary. And for fuck's sake, don't showboat."
"You worried about me, Bishop?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm worried about wasting the last three years of my career on an asset who dies in round one because he couldn't stop flirting long enough to focus."
"Three years?" Elias raised an eyebrow. "You've been watching me for three years?"
Tessa's cheeks flushed slightly. She looked away, composing herself. "The Accord doesn't recruit randomly. We monitor potential assets extensively before extraction."
"So all those nights I spent alone in that awful apartment..."
"Yes, I observed most of them," she said clinically, though her eyes betrayed discomfort. "Your pathetic routine, your drinking habits, your... other activities."
She watched you at your most vulnerable, Nyxira whispered, amusement rippling through her voice. How intimate.
"And here I thought I was special," Elias smirked, leaning closer. "But you were just doing your job, watching me through cameras like I watched shoplifters on mall security feeds."
Tessa's jaw tightened. "Don't flatter yourself. You were one candidate among dozens. Your psychological profile showed high compatibility with certain Sigils."
"With Nyxira," Elias corrected. "You knew it would be her."
"That was... unexpected." Tessa glanced at her watch. "Seventeen minutes until your trial. We should continue."
"So you've seen me naked, Tessa?" Elias grinned, watching her face for a reaction.
The flush deepened across her cheeks, creeping down her neck. "Don't be disgusting. Surveillance was professional."
"Nothing professional about peeping, Bishop." He leaned closer, enjoying her discomfort. "All those nights, watching me alone, touching myself—"
Her hand shot out, grabbing his collar. "Enough. You think I enjoyed watching a pathetic security guard jerk off to pixelated porn? It was my job, nothing more."
But her pulse raced beneath her skin. Her pupils dilated slightly.
She's lying, Nyxira whispered, her voice velvet against his thoughts. I can taste her shame... and her arousal. She watched you more than required.
Elias's grin widened. "Your job required watching me shower too? Detailed notes on that, Agent Bishop?"
"I will end you myself if you don't—"
"We both know you won't." He caught her wrist, feeling her pulse hammer against his fingertips. "You need me to succeed. I'm your ticket up the Accord ladder now."
She yanked her arm away, composing herself with visible effort. "Eleven minutes to your trial. Move."
"Tell me about the other recruits I'll be facing, you little pervert," Elias grinned, trailing after Tessa's rigid back as she marched down the corridor.
She stopped so abruptly he nearly collided with her. Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.
"Call me that again and I'll find ways to make your life hell that won't appear on performance metrics."
She enjoys the game but hates losing control, Nyxira purred. Delicious contradiction.
"Fine. Tell me about my opponents... please?"
***
"Fine. You want to know about your competition?" Tessa paused, taking a measured breath. "Group three. Four opponents."
She's easy to fluster for someone so composed, Nyxira whispered, her amusement rippling through Elias's mind like dark silk.
Tessa pulled out a small tablet, her fingers trembling slightly with anger. "First, Marko Vilas. Former special forces, bonded with Tyraxis, a combat-enhancement Sigil. All brute force, no subtlety."
An image of the military man appeared on the screen—square jaw, buzzed hair, dead eyes.
"His strategy is straightforward—close distance, engage in hand-to-hand, snap necks. Fast but predictable. Your gravity control trumps his strength if you keep him at range."
I could crush his heart in his chest, Nyxira suggested. Wouldn't that be beautiful?
Tessa swiped to the next profile. "Vera Koslova. Former assassin from Earth-238, bonded with Siltha, the Viper's Kiss."
"Don't let her touch you," Tessa warned. "Her Sigil delivers neurotoxins through skin contact. One brush and you'll be paralysed in seconds. She's unpredictable and revels in suffering."
"She's the dangerous but stupid one?"
"Very. She'll kill herself for the thrill of it."
A worthy opponent, Nyxira purred. Let's watch her dance before we break her spine.
Tessa swiped again. "The cannon fodder: Darius Lin, office worker bonded to a minor illusion Sigil. A desperate choice, likely to wash out."
An unremarkable man appeared on screen. Elias barely glanced at him.
"And the calculating one?"
Tessa's expression darkened. "Xavier Rhodes. Former corporate CEO, bonded to Ixilon, the Sigil of strategic foresight. He can glimpse probable outcomes seconds before they happen."
The image showed a lean man with silver-streaked hair and cold, assessing eyes.
"He's the real threat," Tessa said. "He'll hang back, let others exhaust themselves, then strike when victory is assured."
Elias studied the image, feeling Nyxira's curiosity stir within him.
A man who sees the future, she whispered.
"Three minutes," Tessa said, closing the tablet. "Now move."
The door slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a small chamber that resembled a dentist's chair from hell—all black metal and glowing restraints.
Such primitive technology for creatures that traverse dimensions, Nyxira commented, her voice rippling through his consciousness like dark water.
"Ninety seconds," Tessa said, checking her watch. "Any more questions before you enter?"
Elias studied her face, noting the slight crease between her eyebrows. Concern? Fear? It was hard to tell with Tessa.
"Worried I'll embarrass you in front of your coworkers, Bishop?"
She stepped closer, dropping her voice. "Don't die in there. It would be... inconvenient."
"Admit it," he grinned. "You'd miss me."
Tessa's expression hardened. "I'd miss my career advancement. Now get in the chair before I put you there myself."
She lies beautifully, Nyxira whispered. Her heart races when she threatens you.
Elias settled into the chair, feeling cold metal press against his spine. The restraints activated automatically, glowing energy bands securing his wrists and ankles. He winked at Tessa as she backed toward the exit.
"If I win this, Tessa, we're getting drunk to celebrate," he called after her. "There must be a bar here somewhere, right? Even interdimensional conquerors need to unwind."
She paused at the threshold, her expression unreadable. "Focus on surviving first."
"Admit it—you'd enjoy a drink with me." He smirked as the bands tightened. "Maybe loosen that uniform collar for once."
"In your dreams, Crane." But the corner of her mouth twitched, almost a smile.
The door sealed shut, leaving Elias alone in the dimly lit chamber. A mechanical hum surrounded him as the ceiling began to glow with strange symbols.
She's right about one thing, Nyxira's voice slithered through his thoughts. You should focus.
"I am focused," Elias muttered. "Just keeping things light before the murder games."
Your flirtation is a shield, Nyxira observed. A poor one, but I find it... charming.
The chair reclined automatically, tilting Elias backward as a metallic helmet descended from the ceiling. It locked around his head with a pneumatic hiss.
"Ever done this before?" he asked Nyxira, trying to ignore the cold sweat breaking out across his skin.
No, she replied. I have never taken a host before.
"Reassuring."
The helmet began to pulse with purple light. Elias felt a strange tingling sensation creeping from his skull down his spine.
When we enter the simulation, Nyxira continued, your body will believe everything is real. Pain, exhaustion, fear—all genuine.
"And you? Will you feel it too?"
I feel what you feel, she whispered, almost tenderly. Your suffering, your triumph, your desire—all mine to share.
The tingling intensified, becoming uncomfortable, then painful. Elias gritted his teeth.
Let me guide your power, Nyxira urged as the room began to dissolve around them. Together, we will make them kneel.
Elias felt himself falling backward into infinite darkness, Nyxira's presence the only constant as reality slipped away.
And after, she added with dark amusement, perhaps we will indeed find that bar with your handler.
His last coherent thought before consciousness shattered was Tessa's face—not scowling, but almost smiling at his invitation.