The Nexus.
A place outside time. A prison of gods and monsters. And now, Selena's cage.
She spun in the endless void, heart pounding. "Dante!"
Only silence answered.
Her knees hit the obsidian floor with a soft thud. Her chest tightened, breath coming in ragged gasps.
He was supposed to be here.
They had gone in together.
He promised.
But now… now he was gone.
And in his place—Lorenzo.
No longer a trembling boy. No longer a corrupted shadow.
He stood before her whole, tall, and cruelly calm, dressed in silver-threaded robes that shimmered like moonlight on blood. His blue eyes, once so innocent, now burned with knowledge that didn't belong to him.
"I warned you," he said, voice soft but edged with power. "The Core always lies. And so do you."
Selena rose slowly, fists clenched. "What have you done?"
Lorenzo tilted his head. "I embraced the truth. You never wanted to save me—you wanted to be the savior. There's a difference."
"That's not true!"
