Josh

“Did you hear what I said?” I asked. Isaac gave a stiff nod, but his gaze stayed glued to the chaos outside like he was stuck in a nightmare he couldn’t wake from. “How the hell am I supposed to avoid eye contact without looking like a total freak? They’re gonna know something’s up.”

“Don’t avoid it completely.” I kept my tone steady, trying to be the calm he needed. “Just glance—casual. Look just over their heads, like you’re distracted. And for god’s sake, never look at the cameras.” I explained, keeping my eyes on the road, but I could feel Isaac’s panic simmering beside me.

Isaac’s head whipped around, his eyes darting frantically to the tanks that had closed in on us. “Tanks, Josh. We’re surrounded by freaking tanks!” He gestured wildly, his hands brushing against the glass. Then, as if the weight of it all crashed down on him, he glanced back at me before turning to the window again. “I don’t think I can do this—it’s too much pressure. Why do I need to avoid their eyes?”

“Just in case,” I cut him off before he could ask more.

His head snapped toward me, and he shot me a skeptical look before turning to face forward again. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, my foot easing off the gas as we got closer to the checkpoint.

Two cars were ahead of us. I scanned for a way out—anything—but there was nothing. With a sharp exhale, I brought the car to a full stop. Tanks and soldiers with assault rifles surrounded us, herding us toward the checkpoint like cattle. The traffic lines merged, forcing us into a tight bottleneck.

Buses were lined up on the side of the road, their windows tinted so dark it was impossible to see if anyone was inside. Nearby, what looked like a makeshift parking lot had formed, filled with abandoned cars—empty, as if their owners had been pulled out and dragged away.

Why was I not fucking surprised? The checkpoint wasn’t a warning to go home or risk breaking the government’s Martial law.

I knew the estimate. Ten percent of the population might have the blood of the gods running through their veins. Even with special weapons, there wouldn’t be enough personnel to stop all the Espers.

A god had just unleashed the last purge, awakening all the people with the blood of the gods. I didn’t think this was the moment, but the pieces clicked into place. If they were taking people aside like livestock, the government was hiding information from Unit 9.

They were hunting something… or someone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac’s hand fly to his mouth in shock as soldiers dragged the family toward a quarantine tent.

I couldn’t see inside either but knew the Black Hand must be behind it. Blood, lineage, gods—this was their doing. They were probably testing the family’s lineage, seeing which god they were descendants of. Their methods were ruthless, and their results came quickly.

This wasn’t some standard ancestry test. Their tools were brutal, efficient, and tied to the most ancient database on the planet. They knew who carried the blood of gods before the people themselves did.

The people being pulled aside must have been flagged as Espers by the same scanners we used to hunt. I remembered the cold sting of those cursed lenses, always picking up energy shifts from the Espers the naked eye couldn’t see. They never missed a thing.

I cleared my throat, the question hanging on the tip of my tongue. “My eyes… did you remember if they glowed when we were—” I hesitated, gesturing toward my face.

Isaac’s hand fell to his lap. I reveled in the flush that crept up his fair complexion and tinted his ears. He bit his lip and glanced at me, finally letting out a shaky breath. “No,” he said quietly. “They weren’t glowing… They were—” He turned away like the memory stung as if he was still afraid. “Black. Your eyes were black, Josh. All of it. Like… like black holes.”

“What?” The word left my lips as more of a breath than a question. Espers’ eyes didn’t turn black. Like Isaac’s, they glowed when their powers surged or were close to losing control. That’s one of the giveaways, the trace of the gods, the divinity, the power running through their bodies.

A tremor ran through my hand, and I fought the urge to check my reflection in the mirror to see if any of that darkness lingered. Instead, I ran a hand through my hair, pulling at the strands. My skull throbbed as pressure built. What the hell was I turning into?

“Can you please tell me what’s happening?” Isaac’s question was a broken-sounding plea. He glanced at me, his expression a mix of fear and frustration, before scoffing and turning to the window. “I can’t believe it. I’m so stupid,” he muttered, loud enough for me to hear.

I felt like trash. He trusted me with his life. He trusted me to save Will. Not because I was Josh but because he had no other choice. Now, that trust felt paper-thin.

I reached over, taking Isaac’s hand and lacing our fingers together. I thought he was angry, but he just looked… disappointed. The kind of disappointment that cut deeper than any argument. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if even the world was disappointed in me.

I lifted his hand to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to his skin, then gently rested it against my cheek. “I hate the silent treatment,” I said. “I know you have a million questions, and I’ll give you answers. But first, we need to get through that checkpoint.”

I didn’t know what could trigger Isaac’s powers, but one thing was clear: he could distort reality. When he lost control earlier and let me in, we’d blipped out of here—or at least, that’s what I’d thought. But the moment he passed out, it all crumbled like sand slipping through my fingers. We’d never left the car.

Now, I needed to keep him calm. But I was failing.

Isaac turned toward me. “Can you stop sending mixed signals and act like you care?”

I frowned, thrown off by his words. “What are you talking about?”

He opened his mouth but stopped, his breath hitching like the words hurt too much to say. He yanked his hand back from mine, shaking his head in disbelief. “I thought you were different.” His eyes were glassy and a little hooded, his words dripping with hurt. “We had sex, Josh. I just woke up and can’t even catch my breath. Now you’re asking if your eyes were glowing. Like, I’m supposed to ignore the fact that you know more about the gods than you’re letting on. I trusted you with my biggest fear, and you still don’t trust me.”

His lips curled into a bitter smile. “You’re just like Damon.”

My vision darkened.

“Don’t compare me to that piece of shit,” I growled. The hair on the back of my neck bristled as my chest swelled with a breath I struggled to release. “Did Damon even bother to call you? Check if you or Will are okay?”

“I haven’t checked my phone because I’ve been too busy trying not to die. And whether Damon called or not, that’s not your business.”

“I’m trying to figure out how the fuck to get us out of this without being locked up for life or losing the chance to find Will. Because if those soldiers realize you’re an Esper connected to Chronos, we’re screwed!”

The words tumbled out before I could stop them. And I knew I’d messed up as soon they left my mouth.

His hazel eyes widened, staring at me like he didn’t recognize the person beside him. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, trying to make sense of my slip. I reached out instinctively, but Isaac flinched, pulling away like my touch would burn him. After a beat, He broke eye contact, sitting up straighter, his hands flying to his face. His elbows dug into his knees as he curled inward, shutting me out.

Watching him, guilt settled over me like a weight I couldn’t shake. I was supposed to protect him—to keep him safe. That was the plan. I wanted to protect him for as long as possible, but the plan had plummeted to the deepest pit of hell.

Isaac muttered something, his voice muffled beneath his hands, trembling as he pulled away from me. I leaned closer, trying to catch his words. “Isaac, what did you say?”

He shifted, lowering his tear-streaked face just enough for me to see his eyes, red and swollen from the tears he’d been holding back. “So it’s true. You know. You know about all this shit that doesn’t make sense.” He sniffed, shaking his head, disbelief and resignation washing over him. “You’ve known this whole time.”

His words were half a statement, half a plea for confirmation. All I could do was nod, the weight of my silence confirming what he feared. There was no excuse, no remedy. I couldn’t even deny it anymore.

Isaac let out a shaky breath, his eyes glazing over as he looked past me into the mess of the world outside. “I’m confused as hell. I want to ask you a million things, Josh, but it doesn’t even matter, does it?”

I wanted to tell him the truth. That I’d only kept him in the dark to protect him, to shield him from things even I couldn’t fully grasp, but at this point, it didn’t matter. He deserved answers, and I hadn’t given him any. Now, all I could do was face whatever came—whether it was his anger or, worse, his hate.

But then, something softened in Isaac’s expression. “Look at the mirror,” he said.

His words hung in the air like a death sentence. I didn’t want to see it. Didn’t want to confront whatever had twisted inside me. But Isaac’s eyes stayed on me, steady, as if urging me to face the truth.

With a heavy sigh, I reached for the rearview mirror, adjusting it slowly, bracing myself. I already knew something was wrong. Something was festering inside me. But when my reflection came into view, it stole the breath from my lungs.

My eyes… They were pitch black. Darker than night. There was no white, no pupils—no trace of anything human. Just an endless, hollow blackness staring back at me. I leaned in closer, but it didn’t change. Still dark. Still empty.

My mouth went dry, and I tilted my head to check my neck. Black veins snaked beneath my skin, creeping up from my collarbone like spilled ink. My pulse hammered in my ears, and my fingers twitched, itching to touch the blackness. But I held back.

I dropped my gaze to my hand. The same inky veins were spreading as if they were trying to take over my entire body.

“What… the hell is this?” I huffed, forcing myself to keep my voice even.

I could feel Isaac’s gaze burning into me, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. I didn’t want him to see me like this. But then, I felt his fingers on my chin, firm and insistent, forcing me to turn toward him.

His lips met mine in a kiss, making the tension drain from my body like a flood. Even though the car had cooled from earlier, sweat beaded on Isaac’s forehead, and his skin flushed with exertion. He pulled back, his breath mingling with mine, his eyes flicking toward the window.

“There’s a soldier outside your door,” he whispered.

I caught the faint shadow of a soldier’s helmet on the car’s dash. The footsteps came to a halt, and a sharp knock hit the window.