---
The nightmares came before the dawn.
A field of black lotus flowers, each one pulsing with a heartbeat that didn’t belong to me. Blood watered the soil. A girl’s voice echoed in the wind—mine, but younger, more broken.
> "They planted you. Now you bloom."
I woke with sweat slicking my skin and the scent of copper lingering in my nose. Jace stirred beside me, his arms pulling me back into him, like his body knew how to protect mine even in dreams.
But even he couldn’t save me from what was coming.
---
Morning Briefing — 9:12 A.M.
Theo looked like hell. Unshaven, bloodshot eyes, and coffee shaking in his grip.
"Nyra made her move," he said. "Global net crash in three cities last night—Geneva, Tel Aviv, Seoul. Hospitals, banks, government servers all compromised for exactly se
