Isaac didn't dream.
He relived.
The Sol's jaw split open again.
The man's scream restarted in his ears.
His own blade cut-too slow this time.
He woke choking.
Sweat soaked his sheets. Blood wasn't there-but his body didn't know that yet. His hands were clenched so tightly his nails had drawn blood.
He sat up, gasping.
The dorm lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
Isaac stared at the ceiling.
"You felt it."
The voice again.
Low. Close. Inside his skull.
Isaac rolled out of bed, blade already half-summoned before he realized he was shaking. "Show yourself," he growled.
Nothing.
The room was empty.
Still, his chest burned-deep, behind the ribs. Not pain. Pressure. Like something coiled around his heart and squeezed every time he breathed.
He punched the wall.
Concrete cracked.
Isaac froze.
He stared at his fist. No weapon. No Black Force channeling.
Just raw strength.
"What the hell..." he whispered.
TRAINING HALL - NEXT DAY
GRIMM didn't slow down for trauma.
If anything, it accelerated.
"LIVE DRILLS TODAY," the instructor barked. "FAILURE IS DEATH. ADAPT OR DIE."
Isaac stood across the arena from a caged Sol.
This one was wrong.
Its skin was stretched tight over muscle that twitched constantly, like it was trying to escape itself. Its mouth was sewn shut with black sinew-until it ripped open on its own, tearing flesh as it screamed.
The barrier dropped.
Isaac moved first.
Too fast.
His blade hit the Sol's chest and didn't stop. It tore through ribs, spine, and the far wall behind it. The Sol screamed for less than half a second before its head burst apart from internal pressure.
Silence.
Isaac stood there breathing hard.
The instructors exchanged looks.
Lisa's eyes narrowed.
Lane stared at him like she didn't recognize him.
Vance didn't react at all.
"Again," the instructor said.
Another Sol dropped.
This one lunged.
Isaac didn't even draw his weapon.
He caught it by the face.
Its skull cracked under his fingers.
He pulled.
The head came off in his hand, spinal cord stretching like wet rope before snapping. The body convulsed, spraying black blood across Isaac's chest.
He dropped it.
The arena stank of death.
"Enough," Lisa said sharply.
The instructor hesitated-then nodded. "Stand down."
Isaac looked at his hands again.
They were shaking.
Not from fear.
From want.
OBSERVATION DECK
"He's slipping," Lisa said quietly.
Vance leaned against the railing, arms crossed. "No. He's waking up."
"That's not normal growth," Lisa snapped. "You saw his eyes."
"I saw power," Vance replied. "And power doesn't ask permission."
Lisa turned to him. "You're enjoying this."
Vance didn't deny it.
"He's Demonio," Vance said. "Same blood as us. Same hell. You don't survive what's coming by staying human."
Lisa clenched her fists. "And when he breaks?"
Vance finally looked at her.
"Then I'll stop him."
THAT NIGHT
Isaac followed the pressure.
He didn't know why.
His body moved on instinct, boots carrying him past sealed corridors, past warning glyphs, past doors meant to stay closed.
He ended up beneath GRIMM.
Below training levels.
Below archives.
Where the walls bled Black Force residue like old scars.
The pressure became unbearable.
He dropped to one knee.
And then-
The air folded.
Not like weapon summoning.
Not like a Rift.
Something stepped through.
A shape formed slowly-humanoid, tall, draped in shifting darkness. No horns. No wings.
Just a man.
His face was wrong-not monstrous, not twisted-too calm. Eyes like endless night, lips curved in mild amusement.
Isaac couldn't move.
"Relax," the man said softly. "If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be aware enough to fear it."
"Who are you," Isaac forced out.
The man tilted his head. "Names are dangerous things. But you'll call me Hugo one day."
Isaac's blood went cold.
"You're not a Sol."
Hugo smiled.
"No. Sols are animals."
He stepped closer.
Isaac's chest felt like it would implode.
"You're special," Hugo continued. "Born wrong. Raised blind. Surrounded by lies."
Isaac snarled and forced himself upright. "Get out of my head."
"Oh, I'm not in it," Hugo said gently. "I'm waiting for it."
The pressure vanished.
Hugo faded like smoke.
But his voice lingered.
"When you finally snap, Isaac Demonio... I'll be there to catch what breaks."
Isaac collapsed to the floor, gasping.
Above him, unseen-
Something ancient had marked him.
And Death had begun watching his little brother more closely than ever.