Shadow Reckoning

The blacksite loomed in the distance like a corpse no one had buried properly. The building was old, decayed, but the underground levels—the real lab—were still active.

Jade and Lauren waited for his signal as Shade moved ahead.

The memories hit him instantly.

Screams. Steel tables. The smell of blood and antiseptic. The feel of needles driving into his skin.

This wasn't just a lab.

It was where he was made.

Shade gritted his teeth. Focus.

He reached the lower level. The lights flickered, casting long, eerie shadows across the walls. He knew what he would find before he even stepped inside.

And still—

The sight made his stomach turn.

Rows of metal operating tables. And strapped to them?

People.

Or at least, what was left of them.

The bodies were twisted, altered—some still breathing, some begging for death. Carved into their flesh was the same symbol Lucian had burned into the dead at the docks.

Jade's breath hitched behind him. "Jesus Christ."

Lauren's voice was tight. "What is this?"

Shade's hands curled into fists. "Experiments."

Jade turned to him. "Like you?"

Shade nodded. "But unfinished."

Lauren covered her mouth. "He's still making them."

A slow clap echoed through the room.

Shade turned, already knowing who it was.

Lucian stood at the far end of the lab, leaning casually against a control panel. Selene was beside him, her arms crossed, watching.

Lucian grinned. "Welcome home, Shade."