The prototype floating above Liam's desk shouldn't have been possible. Regular computers couldn't float, and normal magic couldn't handle data. But here it was – a sleek silver laptop floating in a soft green glow, its crystalline core pulsing with streams of magical code.
Liam Taylor leaned back in his chair, absently rubbing the freckles on his nose as he studied his work. The study lab at Taylor Technologies was his sanctuary, a place where he could blend the impossible with the practical. Holographic screens surrounded his workstation, each showing different aspects of his latest innovation: the world's first fully integrated magic-tech neural processor.
"Just a few more tweaks," he whispered, fingers dancing through the air as he adjusted the magical frequencies. The computer responded quickly, its core brightening as new possibilities unfurled in the data streams.
A familiar voice cut through his focus. "Still playing with impossible things, little brother?"
Liam smiled without turning around. "Someone has to push limits, Evelyn. The old families can't keep magic stuck in the dark ages forever."
His sister's footsteps were strangely quiet as she approached – a habit from years of watching their backs. Evelyn Taylor moved like someone used to staying in shadows, her dark auburn hair falling forward as she peered at his work.
"It's beautiful," she allowed, green eyes reflecting the shifting patterns of magic and technology. "But we need to talk."
Something in her tone made Liam's hands freeze mid-gesture. The floating computer wobbled slightly, picking up on his sudden stress. He knew that tone. It was the same one she'd used when they had to flee their first foster home, when they had to change names, when they had to build their lives from scratch.
"What's wrong?" He turned to face her, noting the unusual stiffness in her usually fluid movements.
Evelyn took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders. "The supernatural council made a decision about our company."
Liam's heart skipped. They'd been waiting for the council's reaction to their latest innovations, knowing the old families wouldn't stay quiet forever. But Evelyn's expression suggested this was worse than a simple business decision.
"They're not shutting us down," she continued quickly, seeing the fear flash across his face. "But they are... requiring changes."
"What kind of changes?"
"A union. With Blackwood Industries."
The floating computer dipped dangerously as Liam's focus slipped. "Marcus Blackwood's company? The same Blackwoods who've been trying to crush us for years?"
"Yes. Through marriage."
For a moment, Liam was sure he'd misheard. The magical fields around him fluctuated with his confusion, causing the closest holographic screen to flicker. "Marriage? What are you talking about?"
"The council has told you to marry Julian Blackwood. The ceremony is set for next month." Evelyn's words came out in a rush, like taking off a bandage.
The flying computer crashed to the desk with a bang that made them both jump. Around the lab, other devices began to spark and whine as Liam's magic responded to his emotions.
"No." He stood so quickly his chair rolled back and hit the wall. "Absolutely not. I won't let them force me into being some Alpha's trophy Omega just because they're scared of progress!"
"Liam, please." Evelyn reached for his arm but pulled back when a spark of green energy crackled between them. "This isn't just about the company. We need the Blackwoods' protection."
"Protection?" Liam laughed bitterly. "From what? We've protected ourselves just fine for years."
"From exposure. From questions we can't answer." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "From people looking too closely at what happened to Mom and Dad."
The mention of their parents hit him like a physical blow. Around the lab, computers began to screech in electronic pain as his magic lashed out unconsciously. Screens flickered with random code, printers spewed paper, and the magical containment fields keeping his tests stable started to waver.
"The Blackwoods were behind their deaths," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Everyone knows it, even if no one can prove it."
"We don't know that for sure." But Evelyn wouldn't meet his eyes, and her hand drifted to the secret pocket where she kept their parents' last letter. "What we do know is that our tech is getting attention. The wrong kind of interest. The kind that got Mom and Dad killed."
A nearby monitor burst in a shower of sparks, making Evelyn duck. Liam barely noticed. His mind was racing through memories: late-night talks he'd overheard as a child, the smell of smoke and magic the night their parents disappeared, the years of running and hiding before they'd finally built something of their own.
"Julian Blackwood." The name felt like ashes in his mouth. "Marcus's son? The one they call the Iron Alpha?"
Evelyn nodded. "He's... not like his father, from what I've heard. And this marriage would give us access to their means, their protection—"
"Their control, you mean." Another computer screen crackled and died. "They just want to shut us down from the inside."
"Maybe. Or maybe they're really afraid." Evelyn stepped closer, ignoring the dangerous dance of magic around her brother. "Think about it, Liam. Why marriage? Why not just crush us like they do everyone else who challenges them? They must know something about you, about your power—"
A high-pitched whine cut through the air. They both turned to see the crystalline core of the prototype beginning to overload, magical energy feeding back through its circuits in a cascading response.
"Liam!" Evelyn's voice held real fear now. "You have to calm down before—"
The core burst.
Green light filled the lab like a supernova, bringing with it the screams of dying technology. Every computer, every magical containment field, every piece of equipment linked to the building's power grid went haywire at once. Elsewhere in the building, alarms began to wail.
When the light faded, the lab was in ruins. Smoke rose from fried electronics, papers fluttered from broken printers, and the magical barriers keeping their experiments stable had shattered totally. Months of work, destroyed in seconds by one loss of power.
Liam stared at the destruction, his anger draining away into fear. He hadn't lost control of his power like that since... since the night their parents disappeared. The night everything changed.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching for his sister. This time she took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know." She pulled him into a fierce hug. "But this is exactly why we need this union. Your power is growing, little brother. And if I'm right about why the council is pushing this marriage..."
A knock at the door stopped her. Maya Rodriguez, their head of security, stuck her head in and whistled at the damage. "Boss? We've got reports of a similar magical event at Blackwood Industries. Looks like someone else is having a bad day too."
Liam pulled away from his sister, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"Every window in their executive office just exploded outward. Word is the Iron Alpha didn't take the marriage news well either."
Despite everything, Liam felt his lips twitch. So the mighty Julian Blackwood wasn't happy about this deal either. At least they had that in common.
"The movers will be here tomorrow," Evelyn said quietly. "The council demands you move into his penthouse before the wedding. To prevent scandal."
Liam looked around at his wrecked lab, at years of work lying broken and sparking. Part of him wanted to keep fighting, to tell the council and the Blackwoods exactly where they could stick their marriage contract.
But Evelyn was right. Something bigger was happening here. The council's fear, their parents' disappearance, his own growing power – it was all linked. And maybe the only way to discover the truth was to walk straight into the dragon's den.
"Fine." He squared his shoulders, lifting his chin with the determination that had kept him going through years of hiding and building and fighting. "I'll marry him. But I'm not giving up my company, my work, or my freedom. If Julian Blackwood thinks he's getting a meek little Omega to control, he's in for one hell of a surprise."
Evelyn smiled, but there was worry behind her eyes. "Just be careful, Liam. We're playing a dangerous game, and we still don't know all the players."
As if to stress her point, the lights in the lab flickered one final time before dying completely, plunging them into darkness broken only by the faint glow of emergency lights and the lingering sparkle of destructive magic.
Somewhere across the city, in a hidden chamber filled with old books and swirling visions, Aria watched the meeting of two powerful magics light up the ley lines beneath Tenebrous City. Green and silver energy twined together in her sight, beautiful and terrible in its potential.
"And so it begins," she whispered to the empty room, her eyes shifting through a rainbow of colors as possib
ilities cascaded through her mind. "The bond that will either save us all... or tear our world apart."