The silence in the sub level was more violent than the explosion. It was the sound of an empire holding its breath. Dante didn't run toward Silas; he prowled. Every step he took on the wet basalt was a rhythmic promise of extinction. The Alpha shadows around him didn't just flicker; they solidified, turning the air into a pressurized chamber of charred cedar and cold iron.
Silas backed away, his hand fumbling for a sidearm that had already been fused shut by Astra’s surge. His face, usually a mask of scarred arrogance, was now a map of pure, unadulterated terror. He looked at the broken siphoning tank, then at the billionaire who had stopped being a businessman and started being a beast.
"Dante, wait!" Silas shrieked, his back hitting the lead lined wall. "The Council... they have my bac
