The door to the main laboratory hissed open, revealing the cool, sterile interior bathed in the hum of high-powered machinery and the soft glow of holographic displays.

Zaeryn stepped inside, and stopped dead a few paces in.

Dr. Virellith was at the far end of the room, leaning over a console to study a scrolling data stream. Her posture bent at the waist, elbows braced on the desk pulled the fabric of her skirt tight across her curves in a way that was impossible not to notice.

Zaeryn didn't say a word. He just stood there, his gaze dropping with blatant appreciation. He didn't even try to hide it.

"With all the women currently in your life," Daphne said, her voice dry and amused without bothering to turn around, "you'd think you could manage to not be a pervert for five minutes."

Zaeryn's lips quirked into a grin. "I'm not a pervert," he countered smoothly, starting toward her with slow, deliberate steps. "I'm just... captivated. There's a difference."

"Is there?" She still hadn't turned, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Absolutely. A pervert would apologize. I'm simply admiring."

He reached her, stepping right up behind her until his chest nearly brushed her back. The heat between them was immediate, familiar. He slid his hands around her waist, then lower, his palms settling firmly on her hips as he pulled her back against him.

Daphne let out a soft, pleased sound not quite a moan, but close and leaned into him for a heartbeat, letting herself melt into his warmth. Then she turned in his arms, violet eyes bright and sharp as they scanned his face with that unique mix of possessiveness and scientific curiosity that was purely her.

She reached up, grabbed his collar with both hands, and pulled him down. Their lips met in a kiss that was sharp, efficient, and hot a quick reassertion of their bond, a reminder that she had as much claim on him as anyone else.

Then, just as quickly, she pulled back. Her hands released his collar, and she gently detached herself from his grip, stepping out of his personal space with practiced ease. She smoothed her lab coat, and the professional mask slid back into place like a visor dropping.

"Alright, that's enough distraction for now," she said, gesturing toward the diagnostic chair with clinical authority. "I heard you've developed new abilities. Sit down. I want to see what you've done to your biology this time."

Zaeryn settled into the smart-foam chair, relaxing as it molded perfectly to his back and shoulders. He watched Daphne work, a small grin playing on his lips. It was genuinely impressive one minute she was melting against him, the next she was tapping commands into the console with the cool precision of a master surgeon.

"You're good at that," he noted.

"At what?" she asked absently, not looking up as a holographic display bloomed between them, scrolling with his vitals in cascading streams of data.

"Switching modes. One second you're kissing me, the next you're Dr. Virellith, brilliant scientist. It's terrifyingly efficient."

"I have to be," she murmured, swiping a hand through the data stream. Her eyes tracked the information with hungry focus. Then she paused, her expression shifting to something closer to awe. "Incredible."

She tapped the display, highlighting the flow of energy through his system. "Whatever you absorbed... it's gone. Or rather, it's *you* now. There's no foreign signature, no rejection markers, no integration stress." She looked at him, fascination warring with disbelief. "It's seamlessly incorporated. Your baseline Vitae density has jumped significantly we're talking a fifteen percent increase but the structure remains perfectly stable. It's like your body just... rewrote its own fundamental code to claim the power as its own."

She turned to face him fully, crossing her arms. "Seeing as you've accumulated numerous abilities since the last time we ran a full diagnostic, I'm guessing that means new bonds?"

Zaeryn shrugged, effortless. "That's how it works."

"Indeed that's how it works," Daphne said, her tone dry as she glanced back at the perfect fusion of energy patterns on the screen. "But this specific resonance... it's aggressive. High-frequency kinetic energy, sensory interference patterns." Her violet eyes sharpened with interest. "This isn't standard curriculum material. This is Tier 2 potency, minimum. Possibly higher depending on application."

She studied the data for another moment, then swiped the display aside with a gesture. "But enough about your Vitae for now. We can run deeper analysis later."

When she turned back to him, the shift was immediate clinical curiosity melting into something warmer, sharper. She stepped in, hips swaying with intentional ease. Then she slid one knee onto the seat, then the other, lowering herself onto his lap in one smooth, confident motion, her thigh brushing his as she settled in and straddled him. Her smile curved slow and knowing, like she already had plans for exactly where this was going.

____

Meanwhile back in the Capital Sector.

Sage was just grabbing her data-slate. Then she fell into step beside the princess. The transition from the silent luxury of the penthouse to the working heart of the Capital was fast. They took a private lift that didn't go down to the street but shot sideways, traversing the spine of the central district.

When the doors slid open again, the air smelled different, sharp, metallic, and humming with high-voltage energy.

"This is the main hub," Athea said, stepping out onto a walkway that overlooked a massive operations floor.

Sage walked to the railing, looking down. She rarely got impressed and this was one of those rare occasions. Below them, dozens of people walked around attending to their jobs. To the right, behind thick blast-proof glass, were containment units that made Sage's mother's labs look quaint.

"Substantial," Sage murmured, her scientific mind already cataloging energy readings just by glancing at the displays.

"It has to be," Athea replied, her voice cutting through the low noise of the facility.

Athea led her down the stairs to the main floor. People stopped and stared not just because of the princess, but because Sage was a new face in a high-security zone. Athea ignored them all, guiding Sage toward a set of double doors at the far end marked with triple biometric locks .

"The bio-weapons division," Athea explained as the heavy doors unlocked for her. "This is where we keep the... raw materials."

They stepped inside.

The room was colder than the rest of the facility. Rows of monitors lined the walls, bathing the space in a sterile blue light. But Sage's eyes went straight to the center of the room.

Suspended in a reinforced containment field was the carcass of a Star Beast .

It was massive. Even dead, it loomed over the room, its shimmery scales cracked open like shattered glass to reveal veins that still glowed with faint, residual energy. Its head rested in a separate holder, a jagged crown of bone and crystal, the mouth lined with fangs that looked like frozen suns .

Sage stopped walking. She'd seen holos, read reports, and analyzed tissue samples back in Sector 7. But standing five feet away from the real thing?

It was terrifying.

"That is..." Sage started, then trailed off. She hugged her data-slate closer to her chest, staring into the beast's lifeless, crystal eyes. "I've never been happier to be a researcher. I can't imagine having to fight one of these things face-to-face."

"That is why we have Warladies," Athea said quietly, her gaze resting on the beast for a moment. "And why we need you to figure out how to kill them faster."

A movement near the console caught Sage's eye. She focused her gaze and saw a woman in a white lab coat was standing there. She was wearing glasses, with a lab coat and

She had messy brown hair and looked like she hadn't slept in a week. She turned to them as she realized she wasn't alone, nearly dropping a tablet in the process .

"You highness!" the woman squeaked, straightening up so fast she almost knocked over her chair. "I didn't... I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

Athea's expression remained impassive. "Dr. Veyne. Relax. I'm not here to move you and your team to the front lines…. Yet." She gestured between the two women.

"Dr. Sage Stellan, meet Dr. Illara Veyne," Athea said. "She's the lead on the Vorthak biological analysis. Brilliant, but her brilliance has a limit."

Illara blinked, looking from the princess to Sage. "Hello. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Sage said, offering a friendly smile.

"You two will be working together," Athea stated, her tone leaving no room for argument. "This whole division will report to you two only, but you all report to me."

"Understood." Illara said.

She looked at Sage. "Get settled. Break things if you have to. Just give me results."

With a final nod, the princess turned and swept out of the room, leaving Sage standing in the shadow of the dead monster with her new colleague.

Sage looked at Illara. "So," she said, gesturing to the giant carcass. "Does he have a name, or do we just call him 'The Big Scary'?"

Illara pushed her glasses up her nose, a small, genuine smile finally breaking through her anxiety. "We call him Subject Nine. But 'The Big Scary' works too,"

Sage chuckled, the sound echoing slightly in the vast, cold room. "Subject Nine it is. I prefer my coworkers a little more... lively."

Before Illara could respond, the heavy blast doors hissed open again.

Sage turned, expecting maybe an aide or a guard, but stopped short when two figures strode in, flanking the entrance like they owned the air circulation.

One she recognized immediately: Princess Valerie, looking bright and effortlessly elegant in a flowing dress that contrasted sharply with the sterile lab. Beside her walked another woman, taller, wearing sleek, functional armor that looked like it was ready for actual combat. She had white hair and eyes that were freezing cold.

Princess Viora .

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