The early morning air smelled of citrus and pavement, the scent mingling with the dampness of the rain. Lila leaned against the railing of Rowan's apartment balcony, staring at the street below.
1:07 AM.
The city felt quieter than usual. Too quiet.
Rowan sat on the couch inside, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. "Lila, it's past one in the morning. You need to get some sleep. If not for you, then for the baby."
Lila hummed in response, but her attention was elsewhere.
A chill crawled up her spine, the same unsettling sensation that had plagued her since she got back.
A whisper of something familiar. Something wrong.
Rowan sighed, shaking her head as she flicked on the TV. "If you're gonna stay up, at least sit down and relax. I just made us some garlic nacho fries. Might be your kind of thing."
Lila finally stepped inside, tucking herself into the dining room chair next to Rowan. The flickering screen played an animated Netflix series—one about a goblin king of a labyrinth who retires, hands his kingdom to a human child, and marries her sister before going off to live as a human.
The scene on screen was bathed in warm golden light, a stark contrast to the cold rain outside. The former goblin king, now dressed in a plain sweater and jeans, stood at the edge of a suburban street, watching his old kingdom disappear into mist. His wife—the new kings sister—squeezed his hand, smiling softly.
"Was it worth it?" the queen asked, staring lovingly into the goblin king's eyes.
The goblin king hesitated, then chuckled. "I suppose we'll find out."
Rowan smirked, side-eyeing Lila as she watched lost in the drama. "You and Sylva really do have the same taste in TV shows."
Lila let out a small, tired chuckle. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Rowan shrugged, stretching out on the couch. "Near the end of pur journey, slyva shared some interesting detials. Like snooping on timelines to watch the laybrinth."
"Haha, like it was her personal netflix no way," she let out a snicker for a brief second. Lila watched the screen, her fingers tracing slow circles on the wooden table. "Maybe I like the idea that people can change."
Rowan's smirk softened. "Yeah… maybe."
The show continued, the new king giving a final wave as the goblin king and his bride stepped away, vanishing into a world where no one would know what he used to be.
"You think Sylva's watching it with us?" Lila asked, her voice quiet.
Rowan exhaled through her nose, a wry smile on her lips. "If she is, she's probably yelling at the screen. 'A real ruler wouldn't abandon their throne just for love.'"
Lila laughed under her breath. "You think? he kind of reminds me of Aiden though."
Rowan leaned back, folding her arms behind her head. "You're so right. But maybe she'd say he made the right call."
The rain tapped harder against the windows.
The credits started to roll, music swelling, the names of animators flickering across the screen. But Lila's mind was somewhere else now.
Rowan's phone rang, the sudden vibration cutting through the quiet. She sighed, glancing at the screen. "It's the manager at the arcade. It's probably another broken simulator."
But Lila barely heard her.
She turned toward the window, eyes narrowing at the shadows pooling beyond the glass.
The darkness pulsed, pressing against the walls of reality itself.
A phantom sensation brushed against her skin—the same suffocating weight she remembered from when the Core took over her body all those years ago.
Her throat tightened.
"Rowan," she started, stepping back. For a second, she hesitated.
Maybe she was wrong.
Maybe she was just being paranoid.
She blinked, trying to shake the feeling—
CRASH.
Glass exploded inward, shards catching the light as they scattered across the floor.
Rowan shot up, her phone slipping from her fingers.
The wind howled through the shattered doorway, cold rain seeping in, turning the floor slick. The storm had arrived.
A figure stepped through the shattered door, the night clinging to him like a second skin.
They didn't know this teen, but his friends knew him as Carlos.
His eyes burned red, but not with the chaotic hunger of the Core. No, something steadier, more calculated, lurked behind his expression. His body, though grotesquely twisted, moved with intent, a creature leashed to a master's will.
Then—he stopped.
His grin faltered.
His head tilted slightly, as if something unseen had yanked his attention elsewhere.
Mephisto, through his slave, hesitated.
Lila felt it—a flicker of recognition, of astonishment bleeding through Carlos's corrupted gaze.
You.
The word wasn't spoken aloud, but she felt it, reverberating through the unnatural stillness.
Carlos's posture tensed, as if something within him was receiving new orders. Adjusting. Calculating.
Mephisto hadn't expected her to be here.
And worse—he hadn't expected the lingering stain of the Core to be clinging to her like a forgotten scar.
Carlos's lips curled again, slower this time, almost thoughtful.
Then, with quiet amusement, he spoke.
"…Well, now. This is interesting."
Rowan moved first, stepping in front of Lila, muscles tensed, her body already shifting into a defensive stance.
The man exhaled, stretching his arms above his head as though this entire moment bored him. His smirk was slow, creeping onto his face like it had been waiting there the whole time.
"The last thing I expected to find in this world?" He dragged a hand through his hair, his red eyes flicking lazily between them, grin widening. "You two—the heroes of the Otherworld."
Lila's breath caught in her throat. The feeling crawling up her spine was wrong—not the chaotic, insatiable hunger of the Core, but something controlled. Calculated.
"That's not possible," Rowan muttered, her tone sharper than steel. "No enforcers should be here."
The man's smirk widened.
"Oh, finally! She speaks."
Lila's shoulders tensed. The way he said that... Like he knew her.
"He doesn't feel like an enforcer," she murmured.
He spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture.
"You're right, Lila. I'm not an enforcer. We are the enforcers."
Her name rolled off his tongue too easily—as if he'd known her for years.
"But then again… you two shouldn't be here either."
The air thickened, pressing down around them.
His next words were almost gentle, but they landed like a gunshot.
"You're supposed to be dead."
Rowan didn't flinch, but Lila could feel the tension radiating off her.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
The man exhaled, shaking his head like they were disappointing him.
"Come on, its not that hard, is it?"
His red eyes flickered with amusement, something dark and knowing resting behind them.
"Storys tell of The valiant Lila. The steadfast Rowan. The heroes who fight beside slyva, amara, and Keiran. Two of the three heroes who sacrificed themselves to stop the Core."
His smirk grew.
"A tragedy, really."
Lila's heart slammed against her ribs. He wasn't just messing with them. He believed what he was saying.
"You're the real tragedy here," Rowan stated, her stance unwavering, spoke before Lila could process the weight of his words.
"Which clothes like that you're definitely from this timeline somehow. so tell me how could you know that?"
The man tapped his temple, head tilting slightly.
"Heh, you got me. It's Because I remember it clear as day."
Then he let the words settle, savoring the moment before finishing his thought.
"Or rather—Mephisto remembers."
Lila and Rowan moved slowly, cautiously, toward the exit.
"Who the hell is Mephisto?" Lila asked, voice tight.
The man's grin twitched.
"Wow. You really don't know?"
He sighed, shaking his head, like a teacher with particularly dull students.
"Mephisto is the original enforcer. The first. The one who came before all others."
Another step. He was cutting off their escape.
"Our master, and our savior."
His tone shifted—lower, more deliberate.
"The most powerful." His smirk turned razor-sharp. "And the one who breathed new purpose in this broken soul."
Rowan's voice didn't waver. "Then why the hell are you here?"
The man spread his arms, a showman before his audience.
"Oh, that's easy. I'm just trying to make friends. You know—strong foundations. Good people. The right kind for my new family."
His grin widened.
"You do get that, right, Lila?"
Then he lunged.
Carlos moved too fast—a blur of motion as he closed the gap between them in an instant.
Lila barely stumbled back, breath catching as she felt the heat of his presence, too close, too wrong.
Rowan was already moving.
Her fingers gripped the broom by the kitchen counter, instinct taking over.
The weight felt natural in her hands, like it was meant for more than sweeping dust from a floor.
Carlos's fingers grazed the air where Lila had stood—
Rowan intercepted.
The broom slammed into his ribs, the force cracking through the air like a gunshot.
Carlos staggered. His smirk flickered—just for a second.
Then he recovered, rolling his shoulders like it was nothing.
"Ouch."
Rowan didn't give him time to breathe.
She shifted, spinning the broom with practiced ease, driving the bristles across his jaw.
Carlos's head jerked sideways, but his smirk returned.
"There it is."
Rowan's pulse thundered in her ears.
She twisted—broom snapping upward, catching him beneath the chin.
His body lifted slightly off the ground, feet skidding back.
Rowan twirled the broom and drove it straight into his chest—
And the broom exploded in a display of light.
The force shattered the wooden rod, sending splinters flying across the floor.
Rowan gasped, staring at the splintered remains in her hands. The air smelled of burnt wood, the energy still buzzing through her fingers. Across from her, Carlos stumbled back, rubbing his chin—then, as if savoring the moment, he grinned.
"Damn."
He flexed his fingers, rolling his neck.
"That almost hurt."
A slow, creaking sound filled the apartment.
Lila turned toward the hallway.
The doors were opening.
Figures stepped into the dim light—their bodies stiff, movements wrong.
Red eyes flickered.
Carlos clicked his tongue.
"New brothers and sister, welcome to the party."
Lila bolted, shoving past a woman poised for attack. Her fingers cracked with every finder that extended.
Rowan grabbed Lila's wrist, yanking her forward as the red-eyed residents lurched toward them.
The stairs blurred beneath them, each step too slow.
Something was behind them.
Rowan slammed against the driver's side door, fumbling for the keys.
"Come on, come on—"
Lila threw herself into the passenger seat, heart hammering.
Above them, Carlos stepped onto the balcony, watching.
Unbothered.
Still smiling.
The moment the car roared to life, the residents lunged forward, hands clawing—
The tires screeched, the car fishtailing as Rowan slammed the gas.
Lila's pulse thundered as she glanced in the side mirror.
Carlos was still standing there, watching them go.
He lifted his fingers in a mocking wave.
His lips moved—just enough for her to understand.
"See you soon, beautiful."