5:05 p.m. — Fallen Cherry Park

  The park had a beautiful name, but at that hour, under the dim light of a cloudy afternoon, there was nothing poetic about it. Fallen blossoms formed a carpet that crunched softly underfoot, and the damp wooden benches looked more abandoned than decorative.

  Verónica sat on one of them, flawless. Dressed in black, as always, with round sunglasses—even in the low light. She played with the rim of her to-go coffee cup like nothing mattered.

  Kali was the first to arrive. Nicco and Dahlia followed a few steps behind, more tense than ever.

  "Hello, wild ones!" Vero greeted, lifting her cup. "Shall we take the apocalypse with caffeine or sarcasm today?"

  Kali forced a smile that didn't even reach her eyes.

  "Sarcasm. Always sarcasm."

  Dahlia just stared at her in silence. The air around Verónica felt different. Like something was surrounding her and filtering the truth.

  "And Jake?" Nicco asked, looking around.

  Just then, all three phones vibrated.

  Group: PUTIFANTASTICO??

  Jake<3: Sorry, I fell asleep. Come pick me up, pls. I'm at home.

  Kali frowned.

  "Jake sleeping at this hour? Doesn't sound like him."

  "It's Jake. He could fall asleep in a fountain," Verónica replied with a crooked smile. "Come on, let's go or the world will end without him."

  Kali hesitated. Nicco looked at her. Dahlia narrowed her eyes.

  But they went.

  ...

  5:22 p.m. — Jake's House

  Jake's house sat on a quiet street, lined with old trees and white fences. From the outside, everything seemed normal. The front door was ajar.

  Dahlia was the first to sense something was wrong.

  "This smells off," she murmured.

  Kali pushed the door open.

  "Jake, are you...?" she started.

  The smell of blood hit them first.

  The second thing... was the complete silence.

  Then they saw it.

  Jake was on the living room floor, lying on his back, eyes wide open. His neck was twisted at an impossible angle, and the rug beneath his head was soaked in blood. His phone still glowed beside him.

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  Kali stumbled back with a strangled cry. Nicco ran to him, but it was too late.

  "God... Jake! No, no, fuck, no!" he roared, fists clenched.

  Dahlia was already scanning the room. Her entire body tensed.

  "We're not alone."

  From the shadows of the hallway, a figure stepped forward.

  Ethan.

  Kali's abusive ex. The ghost she thought she'd buried.

  He held Jake's phone in one hand. Smiled like it was all some private joke.

  "Glad to see you haven't forgotten me, princess."

  Kali froze. Her blood stopped moving.

  "What... are you doing here?"

  "Waiting. This time, you weren't going to get away so easily."

  And from behind the couch, like liquid shadow, Verónica emerged. Her face was the same... but her eyes no longer hid what they were.

  Completely inhuman.

  "Surprised?" she whispered. "I said we should meet. I didn't say you'd leave alive."

  Kali trembled. Nicco immediately stepped in front of her.

  "Why Jake?" he growled.

  "Because he talked too much. And because it hurt more this way," Vero replied with icy calm.

  Ethan stepped forward. Something dark writhed under his skin—whatever was inside him, it wasn't fully human.

  "Let's have a little fun before we break you," he said.

  Kali stepped back, but her eyes were burning. Literally. Her power was beginning to stir.

  Dahlia felt the cold rise up her spine. The air around her thickened.

  And Nicco... wasn't thinking anymore.

  Jake's blood was still warm on the rug.

  Ethan lunged at Nicco with brutal speed, eyes glowing red like hot coals. But before he could touch him, the air cracked with electric energy.

  "NO!" Nicco shouted, and a blast of bluish electricity exploded from his body, throwing Ethan against the wall with a sickening thud.

  The attacker's body convulsed with violent shocks—but he just laughed.

  "That hurt... more than I expected. Breaking you will be so much fun."

  Kali wasn't frozen by fear anymore. It was rage. Betrayal. Pain.

  Verónica looked at her with a crooked smile.

  "You were always so emotional, Kali. So easy to manipulate."

  "And you?" Kali whispered, stepping forward. "Always so good at lying. So good at acting."

  "Thank you. It's a useful skill..." She licked her lips. "Especially when what I want is for you to awaken. It's time."

  Kali stopped. She trembled. Her eyes glowed like a dying sun inside her.

  "You wanted it?" she whispered. "You wanted me broken? Then look at me closely."

  With a fierce scream, she launched herself at Ethan and touched his chest.

  The contact lasted only a second.

  But it was enough.

  Ethan's body froze. His eyes turned white, and his flesh began to collapse—as if something inside him imploded. As if his soul had been swallowed by an invisible abyss.

  "NO!" Verónica roared, lunging at Kali.

  But a giant shadow intercepted her—a massive specter with empty eyes and claws as black as death.

  "Back off, bitch!" Dahlia shouted, arms spread wide, the air vibrating around her.

  Behind her, a legion of shadows rose from the ground, the walls, even the ceiling. Dark silhouettes in humanoid shapes—spectral, warrior-like, silent.

  One of them tackled Verónica, who dodged with supernatural speed—but for the first time, she retreated.

  "What is this...?" she spat.

  "My inheritance," Dahlia replied. "And it's not for sale or betrayal."

  Nicco, still sparking with energy, raised his hands toward the ceiling. The lights burst. Every bulb shattered with a brutal crack. Metal objects trembled—some floated briefly.

  "Kali! Dahlia! Now!"

  Kali lunged at Verónica, but the vampire dodged with inhuman agility. Still, the shadows caught her.

  One grabbed her ankle. Another her arm. And for the first time, Verónica screamed.

  "Let go of me! You don't know what you're doing!"

  "Yes," Dahlia said, eyes fully black. "We're returning the favor."

  Nicco channeled all his energy into a sphere of lightning between his palms, illuminating the room in harsh white light.

  "Get clear!" he shouted.

  Kali dove aside. The shadows vanished instantly.

  And Nicco fired.

  The explosion blew out half the living room wall.

  Verónica went flying through the window, tumbling across the lawn in a mess of broken glass. When she stood up, she was bleeding.

  But she smiled.

  "This is just the beginning," she snarled, before vanishing into the mist at supernatural speed.

  The living room was wrecked. Jake's remains... were still there.

  Ethan, or what was left of him, was only a soul-less husk.

  Kali dropped to her knees, trembling. Dahlia stood, her face slick with sweat. Nicco panted, blood trickling from his nose.

  Silence returned.

  And with it... certainty.

  The war had already begun.