Chapter 7: Shadows of the Future

The interrogation room was cold, sterile, and silent except for the slow, rhythmic tapping of Adam's fingers against the steel table. Kara sat across from him, her hands bound behind her chair, her expression unreadable despite the bruises beginning to form on her face. A single, flickering light above them cast deep shadows against the walls, as if the darkness itself was leaning in to watch.

Evelyn and Marcus stood on either side of Adam, their presence looming. Lilith remained in the background, silent as ever, observing. Adam had always trusted Kara. She had been one of the first to see what was coming and align with his cause. And now, she had chosen the enemy.

Adam's voice was calm, but there was no warmth in it. "Tell me what you saw."

Kara smirked, a slow, deliberate expression. "You already know, don't you? The future isn't set in stone, Adam. It changes with every choice we make. I just chose to bet on the winning side."

Adam exhaled slowly. "And you think they are the winning side?"

"I don't think," she corrected, leaning forward despite her restraints. "I know."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "Then explain it to us. Make us understand why you betrayed the people who saved you."

Kara shook her head. "Betrayal? No. I didn't betray anyone—I just stopped fighting a battle that's already lost."

Adam's jaw clenched. "Then tell me what you saw."

Kara's smirk faded, and for the first time, hesitation flickered across her face. "I saw you fall, Adam. I saw everything you built turn to ash. I saw the gods tear the world apart, and no matter how hard you fight, no matter what you prepare, you lose. Every. Single. Time."

Silence fell over the room. The weight of her words pressed against them like an invisible force.

Marcus finally spoke. "If you believe that, why didn't you just run? Why work against us?"

Kara's gaze shifted to him, her expression grim. "Because they gave me a choice. A way to survive. I didn't want to die screaming in the dark like the rest of you."

Adam leaned forward, his voice lower now, edged with something dangerous. "And what did they promise you?"

Kara swallowed. "A place in the new order. Protection. A future."

Adam studied her carefully. "Who are they, Kara? Who are you really working for?"

She hesitated. For a moment, he thought she wouldn't answer.

Then, she whispered a name that sent a chill down his spine.

"The Harbinger."

The Name of the Enemy

The room felt colder in the wake of those words. Adam exchanged a glance with Lilith, who had remained silent up until now. Her expression was unreadable, but he could see the flicker of recognition in her eyes.

"The Harbinger," Lilith murmured. "I was afraid of that."

Adam turned back to Kara. "Who is he?"

She shook her head. "Not he. It. The Harbinger isn't a person—it's a force. A will that moves through people, bending them, twisting them into what it needs them to be. It doesn't control the gods, Adam. It controls the game itself."

Evelyn cursed under her breath. "And you just handed yourself over to it?"

Kara's voice was barely above a whisper. "I didn't have a choice."

Adam studied her. There was fear in her voice, real and raw. Whatever she had seen had shaken her to her core. And that meant The Harbinger was a threat unlike any other.

"So what now?" Marcus asked, arms crossed. "Do we keep her locked up? Try to turn her back?"

Adam was quiet for a long moment before shaking his head. "No." He looked Kara in the eye. "You're coming with me."

Kara frowned. "What?"

"You think you've seen the future? That you know what's going to happen?" Adam's voice was steady, but there was fire behind it. "Then I'm going to prove you wrong."

Kara scoffed. "You can't change fate, Adam."

Adam smirked. "Watch me."

A Dangerous Gamble

The plan was reckless. Even Evelyn thought so, and she was usually the one to back Adam's decisions without question.

"You want to walk into enemy territory?" she asked, incredulous. "Just like that?"

Adam nodded. "We need more information. The Harbinger is already moving against us, and if Kara's right, it's been manipulating the game from the very start."

Marcus grunted. "It's suicide."

Lilith, however, was the one who surprised them all. "No," she said, stepping forward. "It's necessary."

Evelyn turned to her. "You agree with this insanity?"

Lilith's eyes darkened. "If The Harbinger is what I think it is, then Adam's right. We don't have time to wait. We have to strike first."

Adam glanced at Kara. "You're taking me to them. To the people you work for. And you're going to make them believe I'm ready to listen."

Kara laughed, shaking her head. "You think you can fool them? You think you can just walk into their domain and get out alive?"

Adam's smirk returned. "I don't think, Kara. I know."

Into the Lion's Den

The meeting was set for midnight. A location was arranged—an abandoned cathedral on the outskirts of the city, a place forgotten by time. The air was thick with something unnatural, an unseen presence that made the very walls feel like they were watching.

Adam, Evelyn, Lilith, and Kara approached with caution. The doors creaked open on their own, revealing a single figure standing at the altar.

A man. Or something that looked like a man.

His features were sharp, too perfect to be real. His eyes shimmered with an unnatural glow, and when he smiled, Adam felt an instinctual dread coil in his gut.

"You came," the figure said, voice smooth as silk. "How interesting."

Adam met his gaze, refusing to look away. "I hear you're offering deals."

The figure chuckled. "Oh, Adam. This is not a negotiation. This is a test."

A chill ran down Adam's spine as the air in the cathedral shifted. Reality itself seemed to waver at the edges.

And then, he saw it.

A vision. A glimpse of the future. Cities burning. The sky cracked open. The world consumed by war and shadow. And at the center of it all—

Him.

Falling. Bleeding. Failing.

A whisper slithered into his mind. You were never meant to win.

And then it was gone.

Adam inhaled sharply, steadying himself. His hands curled into fists.

He lifted his gaze, staring straight into the figure's glowing eyes.

"Try me."