She glanced around the group. "We’re an independent force. Only one demon among us. If everything goes wrong, the only demon at risk is Primus. That matters."
Dravon rubbed his temple. "I can arrange a meeting. I can take you to speak with him directly. Why go as far as kidnapping?"
"Because that proves capability," North replied without hesitation. "And because meetings are never private."
She met Dravon’s eyes. "There are spies everywhere. Traitors. Information leaks. If we want this to be a real surprise, for the Eternals, then the fewer people who know, the better."
The room fell silent again.
And for the first time, Dravon looked as if he was facing a real possibility.
"How strong are the other members of the Order of Absolute?" he asked.
"I won’t go into too much detail," I replied evenly, "but we have three more on the same level as Aurora. They’ll be joining us as well."
I deliberately left Silver out of that count.
Dravon fell silent for a few seconds, clearly weighing the implications. Then he nodded to himself.
"There’s something I need to discuss privately," he said at last. "We’ll be back shortly."
I returned the nod. "Don’t take too long."
Dravon, Mazikeen, and Korvath crossed back into their own vessel. Outwardly, I made no move to stop them.
The moment they left, Steve let out a breath he had clearly been holding. "So... what do you think they need to talk about?"
Aurora shurgged. "Whether trusting us ruins his career or saves it."
Steve blinked. "That bad?"
"Yes," Aurora replied casually. "From his side, this is a massive risk. If we fail, he’s the one who let unknown outsiders interfere with a frontline rift. That kind of mistake doesn’t get forgiven."
North nodded slowly. "He’s the one introducing us. Letting an unregistered force act freely could cost lives if it goes wrong."
Primus exhaled. "Saleos won’t like this either. If Dravon goes over his head, he’ll make an enemy inside his own command."
Steve glanced at me. "You think he’ll agree?"
"He will," I said.
Aurora tilted her head. "Confident."
"There is a reason I released my aura." I replied. "And he knows it."
North studied my face for a moment. "This rift has been stuck for decades. Everyone involved has tried the same things in different orders. We’re the only variable that doesn’t belong to their system."
"And that’s exactly what scares him," Aurora added. "But it’s also what gives him hope."
Steve scratched the back of his head. "So if he says no?"
I shrugged lightly. "Then we act anyway. Just with more friction."
That earned a low chuckle from Aurora.
Primus straightened. "If he agrees, things will move fast."
"Yes," I said. "And once they do, there’s no stepping back."
I let my perception stretch outward, carefully extending it until it covered Dravon’s ship as well. I only wanted to know what decision they would ultimately make.
Inside their ship, the tension didn’t fade the way it usually did once a discussion ended. If anything, it grew heavier, pressing down on the space between them.
Mazikeen was the first to break the silence. "You’re really going to go along with this?" she asked.
Dravon didn’t answer immediately. Korvath stood quietly arms crossed.
After a moment, he turned his head slightly. "Why do you think they can make a difference?" he asked.
There was no challenge in his tone. No accusation. Just a clean, direct question.
Dravon let out a slow breath. "Because they don’t feel like liars," he said.
Mazikeen frowned. "That’s not enough."
"I know," Dravon replied with some irritation. "That’s not the reason."
He paced a few steps across the deck, then stopped as if organizing his thoughts.
"When he released his aura," Dravon continued, "it wasn’t wild. It wasn’t trying to dominate or crush. It felt... held back. Like something vast was being kept under control."
Korvath’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"I’ve stood near Upper Transcendents," Dravon said. "Near beings who were already one step away from Sainthood. What I felt from him was close to that."
"And Aurora," Dravon added. "I fought her. You both saw it. Three of us moved together. We are not weak. But she handled us without strain."
Korvath nodded once. "She played around with us."
"Yes," Dravon said. "And that’s exactly the problem. People with that level of control don’t appear randomly."
He turned toward the viewing window, his gaze settling on the distant rift.
"They also claimed to have three more like her."
Mazikeen’s eyes widened. "If that’s true..."
"If it’s true," Dravon finished calmly, "then this is a force we haven’t had access to in decades."
Korvath finally uncrossed his arms. "They’re independent."
Dravon nodded. "And that’s the most important part."
He turned back to face them fully now. "They don’t answer to any empire or race. They don’t carry demon politics. They don’t have territory to protect or reputations to maintain. No worlds forcing their hand. No chains. Which means they don’t gain anything from lying to us," Dravon said. "No political capital. No funding. No favor. If they succeed, they don’t ask for command."
Mazikeen swallowed. "And if they fail?"
"Then nothing changes," Dravon said quietly. "We keep holding the line. We keep losing people. We keep pretending this stalemate is acceptable."
Korvath remained silent for a long moment.
Then he said, "You’re desperate."
"Yes," Dravon admitted. "I am."
His fist tightened slowly. "But I’m also tired of watching the same strategies bleed us dry."
Mazikeen hesitated. "And if they succeed?"
Dravon drew in a deep breath. "If they succeed," he said slowly, "then a storm will rise over the demon world and the entire Blue Spiral Galaxy. A storm I hope never fades, one that grows strong enough to reach every corner of the universe."
The words settled heavily.
The three demons fell silent.
At last, Korvath spoke. "Should I call uncle Saleos?" he asked evenly. "And don’t tell me you actually agree with their idea of letting him get kidnapped. It’s risky. You may trust them, but we can’t put our commander in danger. And when he finds out you were involved, he’ll skin you alive."
Dravon raised both hands in surrender, a weary smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, yes. I know."
He exhaled. "But to them, we’ll pretend it’s a surprise. Go ahead and call him. I’ll explain everything myself."
I raised an eyebrow as I caught that. Dravon and his people were planning to play us.
A chuckle escaped me before I could stop it.
That immediately drew attention.
"What happened?" North asked, turning toward me.
"Oh," I said, the smile creeping in despite myself, "something funny for sure. Want to hear about it?"