[Ravenfall: Hydra(luce), Leviathan(lev), Phoenix(ishaan), Griffin(veer), Valkyrie(avni), Cerberus(sayaka), Kraken(erik), Wyvern(raiden), Nymph(saira), Sphinx(dev). Others: Amber(isolde), Azure(damien), Basilisk(Vance), Pegasus(Sol)]
The comms crackled to life in Luce’s ear mid-prep, Elda Korugane’s voice cutting through the ambient chatter like a blade.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLEhAqRBWx
“Stop everything and come back. COMA isn’t stable right now. Don’t take any actions.”
Luce straightened, already sensing the weight behind her tone. “What happened?”
Her reply was flat, but beneath it, something frayed.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3TtLrUnls
“Selene Argyros, head of Astrynox, was killed. Brutally. And… Hildegard Falk was beaten. Many times. She’s—” Elda’s voice faltered. “—barely alive.”
The words landed like ice water. Luce’s expression didn’t shift, but his jaw tightened. Across the safehouse, Avni, Lev, and Erik were tangled in some ridiculous play-fight, Ishaan in the middle trying to break them apart. Laughter mixed with light curses — oblivious to the fact the world had just tilted.
“Understood,” Luce said finally, his voice clipped. “We’re aborting the mission. Pack your gear. We leaving now. I’m coming to you, Elda.”
Amber and Azure approached just as he switched off comms. “Something wrong?” Amber asked, eyes narrowing.
He turned to face them fully, the easy Hydra grin gone. “Likely COMA will call a mission soon. We’re going back. Ready yourselves, heirs of Valgrave.”
Both simply nodded. “Yes, heir.”
Luce glanced around at his team, his team and more than his team. He crossed to Sayaka, who was checking her sidearm. Without a word, he dropped down beside her, resting his head in her lap. A soft kiss brushed against her hip before he shut his eyes, just breathing for a moment. She didn’t say anything — just rested a hand in his hair.
By the time they reached Umbra’s headquarters, the air was thick with something unsaid. Basilisk and Pegasus were quietly told to go to their quarters. The rest — Ravenfall, plus Amber and Azure now as Isolde and Damien — were ushered toward the main hall.
Luce went straight to Erik. He clasped a hand over his shoulder — firm, brotherly. Lev and Saira exchanged puzzled looks. They remembered Luce’s past — how Natalia Draganov, Lev’s mother, and Detriech Falk, Erik’s father, had raised him until he was seven. Lev and Erik were his brothers. Hildegard was his grandmother.
They reached the medical wing. Erik froze in the doorway.
Hildegard Falk lay under harsh lights, body twisted and ruined beyond easy recognition. The proud head of Caelthorn reduced to shallow breaths and the faintest flicker of life. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even meet their eyes.
Raiden stepped up beside Erik, his hand finding his lover’s, squeezing tight. The doctors’ voices were clinical, almost apologetic. There was nothing more to be done except to end her suffering.
Silence pressed down like lead.
The euthanasia was quiet. The burial at Caelthorn, hasty. Students lined the path, tears streaking faces, hands clasped. A powerhouse was gone.
Ravenfall stood apart, not because they wanted to, but because they didn’t know how to bridge this particular grief. Erik had been alone for so long, shut away in the shadow of old wounds. Ravenfall had pulled him into the light — and now the world had stolen another piece of him.
After, Erik tried to smile. It looked wrong on him. “Okay, so… what’s the next mission? We still need to submit the Codex, right?”
Dev stepped forward. “Bro, don’t hold it in.”
Ishaan added, “He’s right. Don’t shut it off.”
Avni’s voice joined, then Luce’s, Lev’s, Saira’s, Veer’s, Sayaka’s, Raiden’s — a chorus of insistence. Don’t bottle it. Not now.
And Erik broke.
The tears came in a rush, his voice cracking: “I’m an orphan now. I have no one.”
The weight in the room grew unbearable. It wasn’t just his pain anymore — it was theirs, too. Ravenfall wasn’t just wounded; they were torn, bleeding in the same rhythm. But even in that, the threads between them held.
COMA itself was unraveling. Three division heads gone or incapacitated in days. No answers. No enemy face to hate.
Elda’s fury was cold and sharp. She had lost her best friend. Hildegard’s death was one more fracture in an already splintered command.
During the rites, Erik and Luce led the ceremonies. Gianluca, standing off to the side, leaned toward Adrian Valgrave, head of Pyronox.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWnsNUvB9b
“Why is Luce doing this? He’s not related to the Falks.”
Later, away from the crowd, Elda slammed Gianluca against the wall.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xg2YNymsx
“What the hell are you hiding from me?”
Before he could answer, Adrian Valgrave walked in, his twin children — Isolde and Damien — in tow. His gaze was ice. In one motion, he pulled a knife and threw it low. It clattered across the floor near Elda’s boots.
She released Gianluca, but in the next heartbeat, her hand shot out, seizing him again. “What is it with Luciano Moretti?”
Adrian’s voice was deliberate.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7zjaXriKj
“Moretti… Valgrave. Luciano Valgrave. Son of my sister, Amelia Valgrave.”
The air went still.114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KzqEJt6fg
And in that moment, the heir of COMA wasn’t just Hydra, wasn’t just Moretti. He was blood-tied to the Valgraves themselves — a truth heavy enough to crack the floor beneath all of them.
and then Add to home screen.