"Well, this is the closest you'll get to becoming Batman." Drake joked.
But he was also right in a way.
Ray had a mechanical suit on that was closer to Iron Man than Batman.
This suit had all the features he thought he needed to beat Priya once and for all.
The two boyfriends stood in the cavernous main floor of the vacant Only Furs headquarters, their footsteps echoing against concrete walls still bearing faded outlines where luxury werewolf apparel displays had once hung, dust motes dancing in the thin beams of light filtering through the cracked skylights above.
"Let's go!" Ray announced.
**
Helena was sleeping peacefully after getting railed by Stefan.
Her phone ranged. She woke up to see an incoming call from Nina.
"Hello." Helena answered.
"Helena, is everything alright?" Nina sounded more worried than usual.
She sat up in bed. "What do you mean, Nina?"
The voice call changed to a video call. Nina was in a nightgown while Damien was shirtless. Helena turned on the bedside lamp. She was distracted by Damien for a moment even though she had fucked Stefan earlier.
"My dad's not returning my calls." Nina explained.
"It's probably fine, Nina." Damien cooed.
"No, it's not." His wife warned. "I know it's night time there but he never misses my calls."
"Well, I am not at the camp. But I can go check on Marcus." Helena said though she was still half-asleep.
Nina's face lit up. "Thank you so much."
**
Shawn's silver-edged blade whistled through the air, catching the first vampire across the throat in a spray of black ichor that sizzled against the concrete floor.
The second lunged at him with fangs bared, but Shawn pivoted, driving his weapon up through the creature's ribcage with enough force that the tip burst through its back, the vampire's eyes widening in shock before its body crumbled to ash.
Stephen, his eyes blazing with amber fire, slashed through the first vampire's neck with such precision that the head remained suspended for a heartbeat before toppling.
The second creature charged, but Stephen's wolf-like reflexes proved faster—he drove his silver dagger up through the vampire's jaw, twisting it with savage grace until the creature's body disintegrated into a shower of ash that clung to the sweat on his forearms.
Marcus and Kyle circled each other like twin hurricanes, their supernatural strength sending shockwaves through the air with each connecting blow.
Marcus's silver-streaked claws slashed through Kyle's defense, drawing a thin line of crimson across his opponent's chest, but Kyle countered with a roundhouse kick that caught Marcus in the ribs with a sickening crack.
Neither showed signs of weakening—Marcus's amber eyes blazed with the same intensity as Kyle's obsidian ones, their heaving chests rising and falling in perfect, deadly synchronization.
**
Helena was driving her rusty old car towards the Moonwalker camp. She was still distracted by thoughts of Damien's shirtless body. Am I wanting him now that Stephen and Shawn don't want me back?
**
The Phoenix and the Anti-Phoenix seemed to be at a stalemate.
Nicole—the reincarnation of the first Phoenix—raised her trembling hands skyward, her copper hair whipping around her face as ancient words tumbled from her lips. The air before her shimmered like heat rising from summer asphalt, coalescing into a translucent shield that pulsed with veins of molten gold. With a guttural cry, she thrust her palms forward, sending a blinding ray of white-hot light erupting through her barrier.
Across the battlefield, Priya's dark eyes narrowed in concentration, her fingers weaving intricate patterns as she conjured her own shield—this one rippling with midnight blue energy that crackled like lightning. The opposing forces collided in midair with a deafening thunderclap, sending prismatic shockwaves radiating outward and scorching the ground beneath them to glass.
Helena arrived just in time to see the light source emanating from the middle of the battlefield. She had no idea it would be her mother versus one of her original best friends.
**
Ray was in a helicopter watching the war unfold from a safe distance.
He had his mechanical suit on but he realised this was not the time or the place to use it.
"Turn this thing around." He told the pilot.
**
Something landed in between the opposing rays of light.
It was a beautiful battle-hardened woman who appeared to be in her 40s in human years.
Her arrival's impact caused both Nicole and Priya to get knocked backwards onto the ground.
"Fools!" The new woman declared.
Across the battlefield, supernatural combatants froze mid-motion like figures in a violent tableau—claws extended, fangs bared, magic still shimmering at fingertips.
The air, seconds before filled with growls and incantations, fell into a silence so complete that Helena could hear the soft patter of ash from disintegrated vampires settling onto the scorched earth.
"You are fighting amongst yourselves when a greater threat has arisen!" The female warrior continued.
"Who are you?!" Kyle asked between bloodied teeth.
"I am Freya." The woman answered. "One of the First Immortals."
The next question that was on everyone's minds was: Is she friend or foe?