Liam leaned against the rusted pillar, arms crossed, his mind still processing the scenes they had just uncovered. Clark's involvement, the brutal murders, the transformation from soldier to monster. But amid all of it, one memory kept pushing its way to the surface, last night, when the wings had burst from his back.
He turned to Vanessa, eyes narrowed. "Why did you say Aetherial last night… when you saw my wings? And why did Clark freeze when he saw them too?"
Vanessa's eyes immediately lit up, like she'd been waiting for that question. "You remember what I told you… about your father? That he was working on something tied to ancient power…. something no one ever really understood?"
Liam nodded slowly. "Yeah. You said he never succeeded."
Vanessa gave a slow, knowing smile. "That's what everyone thought."
Liam straightened slightly. "What do you mean?"
"No one believed he succeeded," she said calmly. "But he did. He didn't fail, Liam. He succeeded… in creating you."
