Meanwhile, deep in The Endless City...

“Rain-slick neon marks the Admiral’s Arms — the Endless City’s grandest den of shadows, where whispers trade heavier than coin.”

[Endless City — The Admirals Arms, a den thick with incense and neon shadows. The Demon Prince leans on a bar carved from black stone, rings glittering like curse marks. Dave Devlish slouches nearby, nervous smirk hiding unease.]

The Demon Prince:
“We’ve been at this a long time, Dave. Different trods, different realms. Smuggling sins in Silence, running blood across the Midnight Zone, playing the games in Earth’s gutters. And I say this now with a tone I’ve never used with you, my old friend — change is coming again.

This Oz thing? Gemini’s return? The war simmering under every street? And whatever the fuck the Fox and the Raven are doing? It appears of something bigger. Something that doesn’t end well for us. We either hold tight… or we bolt. And I can’t tell you which it is.”

[Dave Devlish freezes, usual wolf like swagger faltering. He scratches his cheek, eyes darting toward the shuttered window.]

Dave Devlish:
“You’re serious. Proper serious. You didn’t even talk like this when we burned our way off Earth Realm. If you don’t know whether to stay or run… boss, that scares me more than anything else ever could.”

[The Prince just lights another black-leaf cigarette, eyes glowing faint red. He doesn’t answer. The silence says enough.]