A thunderous growl split the air behind me, rumbling deep from the center of the earth.
I didn’t need to turn.
I knew who it was.
The ground vibrated beneath me. My head dropped back with a thud, and my eyes fluttered.
Everything blurred, smeared with pain and blood.
But then—gold.
Warmth spread through my body like balm. My gaze cleared, just for a moment.
Home.
Golden trees. Golden skies. The glint of Heaven’s light, dancing like a welcome.
I blinked, and tears threatened as peace washed over me.
Finally.
But it didn’t last.
The golden land rippled like a wave, distorting…then shattering like a mirage. My stomach lurched.
No—please.
Reality came crashing back in a surge of agony.
The massacre was everywhere. Corpses piled high. Blood steaming on stone.
And in the center of it all—Harvest lay pinned beneath the Devil’s boots, snarling.
The Devil’s voice, low and merciless, cut through the chaos.
“I’ve let you roam too long. Given breath to your ideas by doing nothing—and it’s made you a fool.” His claws flexed, his voice dripping with venom. “Do you think I can’t turn you back into what you were? Nothing.”
Harvest reappeared several feet away, stumbling back before catching his balance. He glared at his creator, chest rising and falling with rage.
“You made me eternal. I want the same things you do. It’s my right!”
The Devil’s voice was absolute venom. “You are the worst part of me.” His glowing eyes narrowed, claws twitching. “This is the last time you’ll touch her. Whether you wanted my attention or thought you could harm me—”
His voice dropped, rumbling like thunder. “I’m here. And I’ll send you back where you belong.”
One step forward from the Devil—and Harvest paled.
His limbs trembled. The flames atop his skull flickered low, like wind had snuffed their pride. His eyes flicked from the Devil to Kara’s bloodied, unconscious form, then back.
“Are you sure you should be worried about me?” he asked, but his voice cracked under the weight of false bravado. “She’s mortal now…and she won’t last much longer.”
The Devil’s body pulsed.
His entire frame tensed, vibrating like a cord pulled too tight. His gaze dropped to Kara—half-clothed, battered, bleeding—and something primal cracked behind his eyes.
In that moment, he didn’t look like the Devil. He looked like a beast about to destroy the world.
My vision swam. Warmth curled around me again, but this time, I didn’t fight it.
