Recker asked.Star’s jaw tightened. “The forest was quiet. Too quiet. No birds. No insects. Just wind. We thought we were alone.”She paused.“We weren’t.”The engine hummed beneath them. The moon seemed higher than before.“How many were there?” Douge asked.“We never got a clear count,” she said. “They don’t patrol like soldiers. They flow. Appear. Disappear. They watch.”“And your powers?” Mike asked carefully.“Gone.” Her voice was flat. “The moment my boots touched sand, it felt like something reached inside me and turned the lights off. Jakari too. We were human again. Bleeding. Breathing. Breakable.”Recker swallowed. “So it neutralizes abilities?”“Yes. Anything unnatural. Enhanced strength. Energy manipulation. Healing. It strips it away.” She looked at them now. “That’s why we’re doing this clean. Skill only. No reliance on anything else.”The driver shifted uncomfortably. “You said Russia founded it?”“In the early 1900s,” Star said. “Officially it didn’t exist. Unofficially? It was a research colony. Then silence. When the U.S. raided it, they expected resistance.”“What did they find?”“Bodies,” she answered. “Russian soldiers torn apart. Structures intact. Equipment untouched. Like something chose them specifically.”“Then we tried to take it?” Mike asked.“Yes. Special operations. Scientists. Bombing campaigns.”“How many bombs?” Douge asked.“Six confirmed strikes.”“And nothing?”“Not even a scratch,” she said. “Satellite images showed zero structural damage. Like the explosions never happened.”“That’s impossible.”“So is half the world we live in.”The boat continued forward.Recker leaned closer. “You said radiation made them stronger?”“After the bombings, reports changed,” Star replied. “Survivors—brief ones—described faster movement. Increased aggression. Physical mutations.”“Mutations?” the driver asked.“Eyes glowing. Bones reinforced. Pain tolerance off the charts.”“And the government just… gave up?” Douge asked.“The Last Cross cult formed around it. Religious extremists who believed the island was divine judgment.” She looked back toward the dark horizon behind them. “After enough casualties, both Russia and the U.S. buried it. Officially classified as a navigational hazard.”“That’s convenient,” Recker muttered.“How did you survive?” Mike asked quietly.Star didn’t answer immediately.“Jakari,” she finally said. “I was hit. Blade through my side. Infection set in fast. I couldn’t walk. Couldn’t speak.” Her eyes hardened. “He carried me. Through patrols. Through forest. Through hell.”“And he figured out how to leave?”She nodded once. “He found something. I don’t know what. I was barely conscious.”“You’ve never asked him?”“I have,” she said softly. “He doesn’t remember.”The boat suddenly slowed.The engine sound shifted.The driver looked at his gauge. “That’s not right. We should’ve hit five hundred meters already.”Star stood slowly.The shoreline was visible now—but it looked farther than it should.“See?” Douge whispered. “It’s stretching.”Star’s voice dropped lower. “It wants us tired. Doubting.”“How do we fight that?” Recker asked.“You don’t,” she said. “You ignore it.”The engine cut.“Five hundred meters,” the driver confirmed, though uncertainty lingered in his tone.Star stared at the water. For a split second, she saw Jakari standing on its surface, watching her.She blinked.Only waves.“The island knows we’re here,” she said.Mike frowned. “How do you know?”“Because it’s showing him to me.”The men stiffened.“Hallucination?” Douge asked.“No.” Her eyes narrowed. “Memory. It’s pulling at unfinished things.”She turned to them fully now.“Listen carefully. Once we hit that shore, nothing unnatural works. You rely on training. You rely on each other. Stay within sight. If you hear your name whispered—ignore it.”The ocean felt colder already.“And if we get separated?” Recker asked.Star’s expression didn’t change.“Then you pray you’re the one it doesn’t choose.”The men nodded and secured their scuba gear, sliding heavy packs over their shoulders. Oxygen gauges were tapped twice. Knives checked. Weapons resealed.Star stood at the edge of the boat for a final moment, staring at the black shoreline ahead.“Stay tight,” she said quietly. “No one breaks formation. No hero moves.”Mike gave a short nod. “On you.”One by one, they slipped into the ocean.The water swallowed them whole.Cold.Lightless.Only the steady rhythm of their breathing filled their ears as they cut through the dark. The island loomed ahead like a shadow that didn’t belong to the world around it.When they surfaced along the western edge, they moved slowly, silently. No splashing. No wasted motion.They crawled onto wet sand.The moment Star’s boots touched land, something shifted.The air felt wrong.Not just thick—Oppressive.As if the island had lungs and had just inhaled.Douge pulled off his mask. “Feels like pressure’s building.”Mike scanned the tree line. “No wildlife. No sound at all.”Star stepped toward the trees——and froze.Her breath caught.Tears slid down her face before she could stop them.Jakari stood just beyond the treeline.Still. Watching.Moonlight caught the side of his face. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move.He turned slowly and walked deeper into the forest.Star wiped her face quickly and raised her rifle.She followed.Her team flowed in behind her, moving in a disciplined zig-zag formation, rifles sweeping left and right. Their spacing was perfect. Their silence professional.The forest swallowed them.The ground was soft and uneven, roots twisting like veins through the soil. The trees were scarred, bark split open in long, jagged lines as if something had raked claws through them repeatedly.Recker muttered under his breath, “Feels like we’re walking through a grave.”“Stay focused,” Star replied.Then—She raised a fist.Halt.They dropped instantly.Footsteps.Slow.Heavy.Deliberate.Star motioned them prone.Through the tall grass she saw them.Four figures stepping between the trees.Men——but no longer human.Their skin was carved with tribal markings, some fresh, some scarred. Their armor was stitched together from ribs and bone fragments. Spears made from femurs and skull fragments rested in their hands.Their eyes glowed white.Not reflecting light.Emitting it.Douge barely breathed. “That’s not night vision…”The creatures moved in unnatural synchronization, heads tilting at the same precise angle, scanning.One paused.Its face turned toward Star’s position.Her finger tightened slightly on the trigger.After a long moment—It turned away.They disappeared back into the trees.Star waited several seconds before moving.Jakari appeared again ahead.Closer this time.He lifted a hand and pointed.A cave entrance partially hidden behind hanging vines.Star gave the silent signal to move.They advanced cautiously and slipped inside.The temperature dropped immediately.The cave walls glistened with moisture. Water dripped in hollow, echoing taps. The air smelled metallic—like rust and something older.Recker brushed the wall lightly and pulled his hand back. “It’s warm.”“Don’t touch anything,” Star ordered.Douge pulled out a tablet, screen dimmed low. “Thermals show movement above us. Multiple signatures. Maybe a dozen.”“Structure?” Mike asked.“Concrete above. Looks like reinforced levels.”At the end of the tunnel stood a chained steel door.Recker stepped forward and cut the chain carefully. The metal snapped with a sharp crack that echoed down the cave.They froze.Nothing answered.He eased the door open.It creaked long and slow.Star entered first.“Right clear.”“Left clear,” Mike replied.“Rear secure,” Recker added.They stepped into a concrete basement.Industrial.Abandoned.Old pipes lined the ceiling. Rusted tables. Broken equipment.Then—A sound.Low.Wet.Like something choking on blood.They took cover instantly.The sound dragged closer.A hunched figure stepped into view.It carried a machete lined with jagged teeth. The blade scraped against the concrete floor, sparks jumping faintly with each step.Black tar-like liquid dripped from its mouth as it released a broken, gargled grunt.Recker whispered, “That’s not human…”Star moved first.She lunged and drove her combat knife deep into its neck.The blade sank in——but the creature reacted instantly.Its hand shot out and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground and throwing her across the room.She hit hard against a metal table.The creature roared.Mike fired four suppressed shots into its chest.Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.Black fluid sprayed from the impacts.It staggered—But didn’t fall.It turned toward Mike.Star pushed herself up, drew her pistol, and fired once.The round tore clean through its skull.The creature collapsed heavily onto the concrete.Silence.Only their breathing.Recker stared at the body. “What are these things?”Star holstered her pistol and picked up her rifle.“Monsters.”Douge approached carefully, scanning. “No pulse. Brain matter compromised. It’s done.”“Don’t get comfortable,” Star muttered.They stepped around the body and moved toward the stairwell at the far end of the basement.Mike took point this time. “Stack up.”They formed tight and began ascending slowly, rifles raised.None of them looked back.None of them saw the creature’s fingers twitch once against the concrete.None of them heard the faint crack of bone resetting.Behind them, in the dark basement, the body remained still.For now.Star led them up the concrete stairwell, boots landing softly despite the urgency building in her chest. The air grew colder with each step. Thinner.At the top, she raised a fist.The team stacked behind her.She cracked the door open an inch.A hallway stretched the entire length of the structure—long, dim, industrial lights flickering overhead. At the far end, through a reinforced observation window, she could see him.Dakota.Tied to a metal chair.Head slumped.Blood down his face.Before she could move—Footsteps.Heavy.Three figures stepped into the hall from the opposite side.Star shut the door instantly, barely a sound.They all froze.Mike leaned in close. “What’d you see?”“Three,” Star whispered. “One tall.”“How tall?” Recker asked.“Over six-nine.”Mike cursed under his breath. “Great. They come in tanks too.”Star nodded once. “Commanders.”Douge swallowed. “Meaning?”“Strong. Hard to kill. They don’t fall easy.”“You’ve fought them?” Recker asked.Star’s eyes darkened. “Jakari did.”“How?” Douge asked from the back.She shrugged slightly. “I don’t remember clearly. It was flashes. Every time I blinked he was somewhere else—slicing, stabbing. He climbed one, drove his blade into its eyes…” She paused. “He ripped one’s head in half. Off its shoulders.”Recker let out a low whistle. “Damn.”The footsteps faded.Star cracked the door again.The hallway was clear.“Move.”They slipped out and advanced low and fast, boots silent against concrete. The hallway seemed longer than it should’ve been. The lights overhead flickered sporadically, buzzing like dying insects.When they reached the reinforced window, Star stopped.Dakota’s face was worse up close. Swollen. Split lip. Dried blood down his neck.His head lifted slightly.His eyes widened when he saw her.Star motioned to the sealed door beside the window. Thick chains wrapped through industrial locks.Recker stepped forward, pulling a compact torch from his pack. Blue flame roared to life.“Make it quick,” Mike said, scanning both ends of the hallway.Recker began cutting through the thick chain. Sparks showered across the floor.“Can you go faster?” Douge muttered. “This place creeps me the fuck out.”Recker smirked under his mask. “Aww, little pussycat scared of some baby creatures?”“Enough,” Mike snapped. “Focus.”The final chain snapped and clattered to the floor.Star pushed the door open and rushed inside.“Dakota.”He flinched at first—then recognized her.“Star…” His voice was hoarse.She pulled the cloth from his mouth.“It’s about damn time,” he rasped. “We need to get the fuck out of here.”“No argument,” she replied, cutting his restraints.The second his hands came free—Everything changed.The lights died.Total darkness.Then—Red emergency lights began flashing.A low siren started pulsing through the building.Star froze. “Oh shit.”Douge’s breathing spiked. “No no no no—”Mike smacked the back of his helmet. “Focus. We’re almost out.”Star grabbed the spare rifle from Recker’s back and shoved it into Dakota’s hands.“Hope you’re ready to shoot.”Dakota checked the mag automatically. “Always.”Mike hit his chest radio. “Black Water, this is Gold Two, do you copy?”Static.“Black Water, this is Gold Two, do you copy?”More static.“BLACK WATER, THIS IS GOLD TWO—DO YOU READ ME?”Nothing.Mike looked up. “Comms are down.”Star moved to the window and peered into the flashing red hallway.“We go back to the beachfront,” she said. “Regroup. Retry evac.”“Copy,” Mike replied.They exited the room fast, formation tight.The red lights pulsed.Sirens wailed.Then—A shadow filled the stairwell ahead.Something massive stepped into view.Seven feet tall.Heavy armor layered in bones.A belt of human skulls clacked at its waist.It carried a massive hammer forged from steel and something darker.It roared.The sound shook the hallway.“CONTACT!” Mike yelled.They opened fire.Rounds hammered into its chest—It didn’t slow.The creature charged.Douge fired again—Too late.The hammer swung.It connected with Douge’s torso and launched him across the hall.His body hit the concrete wall with a sickening crack.He dropped instantly.Dead.“DOUGE!” Recker shouted.“FALL BACK! FALL BACK!” Star screamed.The heavy soldier kept advancing through the gunfire, red light flashing over bone armor slick with black fluid.“Headshots!” Mike yelled.They fired again—The hammer came down, smashing the floor where Dakota had been a split second earlier.Concrete exploded outward.“MOVE!” Star barked.They broke formation, retreating down the hall.The heavy soldier followed.Slow.Unstoppable.The skulls at its waist rattled with every step.“WHERE DO WE GO?!” Mike shouted over the siren.Star rounded a corner——and saw him.Jakari.Standing beside a metal side door halfway down the corridor.He looked directly at her.No fear.Just certainty.She didn’t hesitate.“THIS WAY!”They sprinted.Recker grabbed the handle and yanked the door open. They shoved through.Dakota slammed it shut behind them.Mike flipped a heavy metal table and shoved it against the door.They all stepped back, breathing hard, weapons aimed.Recker looked at Star. “What the fuck was that?”“Tanker,” she replied, chest rising and falling. “Big. Strong. Stubborn little bastards.”Dakota wiped blood from his mouth. “You’ve fought that before?”“Not that big.”They stood in a dim storage room. Dust hung in the air. Red light flickered faintly under the crack of the door.For a moment—Silence.Just breathing.Then—BOOM.The door shook violently.The table slid back an inch.Another BOOM.Metal screamed.Recker braced against the table. “It’s going to break through!”BOOM.The door dented inward.Skulls rattled outside.The hammer struck again—BOOM.Cracks splintered through the metal.Mike looked at Star. “Plan?”Her eyes scanned the room—Searching.Calculating.The door buckled again.And then—The hinges began to tear free.The corridor beneath the building was suffocating—low beams, sweating stone walls, the air thick with rot and salt.Star slowed, her boots scraping against damp concrete. Her pulse thudded in her ears.That’s when she saw it.A rug.Old. Faded. Wrong.Her breath caught.The world around her blurred——Flash.Jakari kneeling in this same corridor, years ago. His fingers hooking under the rug’s edge.“You always miss what’s right in front of you,” he had teased, peeling it back.A trap door beneath.He had looked up at her with that crooked grin. “Trust me.”—Flash gone.Star inhaled sharply, vision snapping back.“There,” she whispered.Before anyone could question her, she rushed forward and yanked the rug aside. The wood beneath was scratched, scarred by use.Recker dropped beside her instantly. “Move.”He pried the trap door open. Blackness yawned below.“I’m going first,” Star said, already dropping in.She landed hard, rifle raised, sweeping left to right. The tunnel below was narrow, dripping with condensation, roots hanging like veins from the ceiling.One by one they dropped down. Recker pulled the door shut above them and dragged the rug back into place before lowering himself in last.He looked at Star. “Where to now?”Dakota adjusted his weapon. “Yeah, where to now?”Star hesitated.A flicker of uncertainty.She shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out.”Mike let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Unbelievable.”Star stopped walking.“I thought you said you were here before,” Mike snapped. “The way you’re acting? You don’t know shit about this place.”Silence swallowed the tunnel.Star turned slowly. “You’re questioning me, Mike?”He stepped forward, jaw tight. “Damn right I am. We just lost a good soldier. We’re behind. We’re hunted by immortal psycho demons on a cursed island. You said you knew this place.”Her eyes hardened.“We came here knowing this was suicide,” he continued. “Now we’re running blind.”Star closed the distance between them until their chests almost touched.“I would’ve come,” she said low, voice trembling with restrained fury, “for any of my men trapped on this island. This place doesn’t deserve prisoners. Or slaves. Or bones rotting in cages. No one deserves this. Not even my worst enemy.”Mike stared into her eyes. For a second, he saw something else in them—gold flickering beneath the brown.Dakota grabbed Star’s shoulder. “Enough. Move. We’re out of time. This whole island’s about to lock down.”Star pulled away. “Let’s go.”They moved.Faster now.The tunnel sloped upward until pale light leaked through broken boards ahead.An exit.They burst through—And the world opened into gray sky and crashing waves.The northeast side of the island.Recker exhaled in relief, pulling out his tablet. “We’re on the northeast shoreline. Beach is—”A grunt echoed behind them.Wet.Guttural.Then another.And another.Star turned slowly.The trees trembled.The sounds multiplied—like thousands of insects pouring from a hive.“Contact!” Dakota shouted.They emerged from the tree line in waves—twisted, skeletal creatures with pale skin stretched tight over bone, mouths split too wide, black saliva dripping from jagged teeth.Not one.Not two.Dozens.Then hundreds.“OPEN FIRE!”Gunshots cracked across the beach. Bodies dropped. Limbs shattered. Heads exploded.But they kept coming.Relentless.“WE GOTTA MOVE, NOW!” Dakota screamed.They ran.“BLACK WATER THIS IS GOLD 2 DO YOU COPY?!” Mike shouted into the radio while sprinting.Recker turned to cover them—Too slow.One creature launched onto him from the side, claws punching through his armor. Another tore at his legs. A third sank its teeth into his throat.“GET IT OFF—!”They ripped him apart.Limb from limb.His scream cut short.Star didn’t look back.“Gold 2, this is Black Water. We hear you,” the radio responded calmly.“EMERGENCY EVAC! NORTHEAST BEACH! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!”“Evac requested. ETA twenty minutes. Hold your ground, soldier.”Dakota nearly laughed in disbelief. “Twenty minutes? We don’t have twenty minutes!”Branches above them snapped.Mike glanced up.Shapes leaping from tree to tree.Fast.Too fast.“Above—!”A spear punched through the back of his skull.The tip exploded from his mouth.His body dropped mid-stride.Arrows rained down.Star and Dakota zigzagged, arrows flying behind them.The beach opened ahead.They reached the shoreline—And stopped.A wall of creatures stood between them and the forest.At least a hundred.Spears raised.Bows drawn.Growling.Waiting.“Why aren’t they attacking?” Dakota whispered.The crowd parted.Something stepped forward.Tall. Cloaked. Deliberate.Red eyes glowing beneath a hood.A curved blade dragged softly through the sand.Every creature lowered its head as he passed.He stopped ten feet from them.Then slowly removed his hood.A red cross carved into his skin stretched from forehead to chin.His voice rolled like thunder through a cavern.“You returned, Star.”Her heart froze.“Where is Jakari?” he demanded. “He must be punished.”Star steadied her breathing. “Why? So you can kill me after?”He roared, the sand vibrating underfoot. “Let me try again. I am the leader of the Last Cross.”He pointed his blade at Dakota.“We do not want your blood. We want Jakari. He took lives we cared about. He stole souls we can never—” his voice broke into a snarl, “—get back.”The wind howled between them.Star’s voice lowered. “What’s in it for me?”The creatures stirred at her audacity.Cyrick stepped closer. Close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off him.“You bring him to me,” he said quietly, “and we serve under you.”Dakota blinked. “Serve?”“I am nearly six hundred years old,” Cyrick continued. “My warrior days fade. But I have one final fight left.” His red gaze burned into hers. “And it belongs to the one they call the Human Marked by Demons.”Star’s radio crackled softly in her hand.She pressed it.“Helicopter inbound. Do not engage.”Cyrick tilted his head. “There are over five thousand of us. How would you take us to him?”Star stepped forward.Dakota grabbed her arm. “Star—”She pulled free.“Jakari is my enemy now,” she said clearly. “Serve under me. And I will give you what you want.”Silence.Cyrick studied her.Then—He smiled.He spun his blade and sheathed it across his back.“Your wish…” He lowered to one knee. “…is my command, my Queen.”Five thousand creatures dropped to their knees behind him.The beach trembled.Dakota stared in disbelief.Star’s hair whipped in the wind as the helicopter roared overhead, hovering low against the waves.She looked down at Cyrick. “What made it so easy to kneel?”He rose slowly.“We have heard stories,” he said. “You crushed nations. You broke armies. The men who bombed us—you conquered their lands. You may not see your crown… but we feel it.”His eyes glowed brighter.“I know of your real power. The one beyond this island.”Star’s jaw tightened.“We seek new leadership,” he continued. “And freedom.”She nodded slowly.“You said five thousand?”“Yes.”A slow smile formed.“Would you like to serve in my kingdom?”Cyrick looked at his warriors.Then back at her.“Anything,” he said, “to leave this island… and kill Jakari.”The helicopter dipped lower, wind blasting sand into spirals around them.Star leaned close to him.“Two days. I’ll return with transports. And food.”Cyrick stepped back, bowing his head.“We will be waiting.”The forest swallowed him and his army in seconds.Gone.Dakota exhaled shakily as they ran for the helicopter.Inside, the doors slammed shut.As they lifted into the storming sky, Dakota looked at her.“What just happened?”Star stared down at the shrinking island, eyes distant.“Power recognizes power,” she said softly.Thunder rolled over the ocean.“Kingdoms,” she continued, her voice turning cold and certain, “are about to become one.”Two long flights. No sleep. No words.Only the steady hum of engines and the weight of everything that had just shifted.By the time Star returned to her kingdom, the sky was turning from deep indigo to soft gray. Dawn was coming.Her helicopter landed atop the palace tower as if it feared disturbing her thoughts. The rotors slowed. The doors opened.She stepped out without waiting for anyone.The capital stretched endlessly below—ancient stone walls reinforced with modern steel, banners bearing her crest rippling in the morning wind. Markets were still closed. Streetlights flickered out one by one.Peaceful.Too peaceful.Inside, the palace halls echoed with her footsteps. Guards bowed low.“Your Majesty.”She acknowledged them with a slight nod but did not slow down.She entered her office just as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the eastern windows. The room was vast and dim—war maps layered across tables, digital screens asleep, a throne-like chair sitting behind a heavy obsidian desk.She didn’t sit.Instead, she walked straight through the open glass doors to her balcony.Cold air wrapped around her. She placed both hands on the stone railing and leaned forward, staring at the horizon as the sun slowly rose.Behind her, the doors opened quietly.“Your Highness,” Johnson said in his smooth, measured tone.Star didn’t turn. “Report.”Johnson stepped beside her but remained respectfully a pace behind. “All belongings recovered from the carrier have been transported to your chambers. Security has doubled on the west and northern wings per your standing order.”Molly followed, tablet glowing faintly in her hands. “The crown you requested has arrived. Handcrafted. Reinforced as specified.”Star’s voice was distant. “And?”Molly hesitated. “The jewelers said they have never designed anything… quite like it.”A faint smirk tugged at Star’s lips. “Good.”Johnson continued, “The dress concepts are prepared as well. Tailors worked through the night.”Now Star turned slowly to face them.“And what do they think?” she asked.Molly blinked. “Your Majesty?”“About the changes,” Star clarified. “About me.”Johnson answered carefully. “They believe you are preparing for something significant.”“And are they afraid?” she asked quietly.Silence lingered.Molly swallowed. “Some are.”Star stepped closer to them, eyes steady. “Fear is not always weakness. Sometimes it is clarity.”Johnson inclined his head. “Of course, Your Highness.”He extended a hand toward the corridor. “Your room is ready.”Star studied them both for a long moment.“You have served me well,” she said. “Take time away. Both of you.”Molly looked surprised. “Time away?”“Yes.” Star’s tone softened slightly. “Rest. See your families. Be… normal for a few days.”Johnson frowned faintly. “Is something happening, Your Majesty?”She held his gaze.“Everything,” she replied.They exchanged a subtle glance but bowed in perfect unison.“As you command.”They exited, the doors closing quietly behind them.The room fell silent again.Star walked into her private chamber.On a mannequin near the center stood the dress.Black silk layered with deep crimson lining. Gold threading traced intricate patterns along the sleeves and down the spine—symbols only she understood.On a velvet pedestal beside it rested the crown.Dark metal forged into sharp, elegant points. At its center, a stone the color of burning embers.She reached out and ran her fingers over it.“Queen,” she whispered to herself.She changed slowly.The black and red dress flowed over her frame like liquid shadow. She raised her hands slightly—and her tattoos shifted beneath her skin, glowing faintly before settling into a deeper crimson hue.Her reflection stared back at her from the mirror.Not the soldier.Not the scout.Something else.She tilted her head and let her power move again.Her hair darkened strand by strand into midnight black, streaks of red bleeding through like veins of fire.When she stepped back onto the balcony, the sun had fully breached the horizon.Gold light spilled across the kingdom—and across her blade as she unsheathed her katana.She angled it carefully.The sunlight struck the steel and flared.For a moment, the entire balcony shimmered with reflected fire.Star’s eyes narrowed slightly.“Another day you live, Jakari,” she said under her breath.Her grip tightened around the hilt.“But you’re running out of them.”Below, in the waking city, bells began to ring unexpectedly.Not alarm bells.Summoning bells.Star didn’t react.She simply watched the light travel along the blade’s edge until it formed a single, blinding line.In the reflection of the steel—For just a split second—A shadow stood behind her.Watching.The light flickered.Gone.Star did not turn around.Instead, a slow, knowing smile formed on her lips.The wind lifted her hair as the bells continued to echo across the kingdom.Something had awakened.And this time…It wasn’t on the island.