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“Keep it steady,” Percy ordered as Clive’s hands slipped on the wheel for the third time. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I…” Clive blinked rapidly, his eyes reflecting starlight though the artificial lights of the UTS streaked past at impossible speeds. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Like… singing. No. Like…” Clive’s voice cracked. “Like my mother’s lullaby.”

Another wave of light washed through the transport. Burt pressed his forehead against the reinforced glass, tears streaming down his face. “I remember now. The night of my blood oath. How proud Father was when I swore to protect the innocent…”

“You’re both pathetic,” Percy snarled, but his hands shook on the crystal-enhanced steering wheel as Luca’s power sparked another memory—Percy’s own oath, the weight of responsibility, the pride of nobility…

“Exit the lane.” Clive’s knuckles went white on the dashboard. “Percy, please. He’s making me remember who I used to be and I can’t—” His voice broke on a sob. “I can’t bear it.”

“He’s barely more than a child,” Burt whispered, reaching back toward Luca before snatching his hand away. “Gods, what are we doing?”

“Exactly what they did to us,” Percy snapped, but the light pulsed again, and for a moment Percy saw himself through Luca’s power—the monster he’d become, the honor he’d abandoned, the darkness that had consumed the noble he’d once been.

The transport rocketed through the UTS’s speed-enhanced lanes, magical barriers blurring past. Ninety minutes of fighting not just Luca’s power, but their own awakening consciences. Ninety minutes of memories they’d drowned in blood and bitter wine. The few other vehicles they passed swerved wildly, their drivers drawn by Luca’s light, eyes filling with wonder before they could shake off his power.

Percy took the southern branch of the UTS, following signs toward the Blackthorn territory, but at the last junction before the Gothic Quarter’s checkpoints, he swerved onto amaintenance exit. The transport’s suspension groaned as they left the enchanted roads behind, bumping onto a narrow dirt track that wound through the ancient graveyard forests that marked the edge of Shadowmere territory.

“Are you insane?” Burt gripped the dashboard. “This is Death District! The Shadowmere guards?—”

“Are occupied with the new moon rituals.” Percy’s smile was cold. “Even death angels must observe their sacred duties.”

They crashed through twisted trees untouched by modern wards, where even the Shadowmere Clan feared to develop. Dark energy pulsed around them, remnants of ancient battles between New Vale and Dark Haven. After twenty minutes of tense navigation through the haunted woods, the trees thinned, revealing a forgotten clearing—and beyond it, New Vale’s barrier.

Even Percy’s determination faltered at the sight. The barrier wasn’t just magic—it was pure power made visible. Energy crackled between obsidian pillars that pierced the clouds, a testament to why cities remained separate, why even Dark Haven’s armies couldn’t breach New Vale’s borders.

“Sweet gods,” Burt breathed as waves of ancient power rolled over their transport. “The barrier… it’s like it’s alive.”

Luca’s light surged in response to the barrier’s magic, creating patterns that danced across their skin. Clive screamed, clawing at his face.

“Make it stop!” Clive begged. “The light—it’s in my head, showing me everything I’ve become, everything I betrayed?—”

“Shut up!” Percy’s voice cracked as another wave of light swept through him, filling him with memories of honor and nobility and everything he’d lost. “Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!”

Dark figures materialized beyond the shimmering wall of power. The barrier crackled, ancient magic hissing warnings none of them could ignore.

“Did you bring it?” a voice called through the waves of energy. “The blood grimoire?”

Percy forced himself out of the transport, his legs shaking as Luca’s light and the barrier’s magic warred around him. “I have something better.”

The Dark Haven vampires shifted closer to their side of the barrier, their forms distorted by the rippling energy field. Magic crackled between them like heat lightning, ancient power responding to their presence.

“We had a deal,” one snarled, red eyes gleaming through the shimmer. “Lord Nightshade doesn’t appreciate?—”

Another pulse of light swept through the clearing. The Dark Haven vampires stumbled back, their expressions of cruel anticipation melting into confusion as Luca’s power reached for them.

“What is that?” another vampire whispered, pressing a hand against the barrier as if trying to touch the light. “It feels like…”

“Like sunrise,” someone breathed. “Like the first time I saw snow. Like my mother’s smile…”

“ENOUGH!” A new voice shattered the moment. The barrier’s magic surged as Dominic Nightshade emerged from the shadows, darkness rolling off him in waves. Where Luca’s light touched him, it hissed and steamed. “What game are you playing, little exile?”

Percy dropped to one knee, old habits dying hard. “My lord. I brought you something far more valuable than any grimoire.” He gestured to the transport. “Show him.”

Burt didn’t move, his face streaked with tears as another wave of light washed over him. “I can’t. Please don’t make me touch him. The light knows what we’re doing is wrong?—”