Jericho — A Few Hours Earlier
Knox jolted upright, breath caught halfway between sleep and scream.
Gold light bled through his shirt — the Enochian sigil etched just beneath his collarbone glowing like a celestial flare.
A second later, the system chimed in his mind's eye:
[System Notification: New Quest Available]
Quest:The Sevenfold Light
Trigger:Premonition Detected
Objective: Intervene in the death of an innocent
Reward:Angelic Seal 1 of 7 (Virtue – Compassion) Activated
Perks Unlocked: ???
Knox clutched the edge of the bed.
Flashes hit him hard — fire roaring up a bedroom wall, Jess's face twisted in terror, smoke curling like claws.
"Dean," he called, already throwing on his coat. "Sam. We need to go. Now."
Dean blinked awake. "What? What happened?"
Knox didn't look back. "It's Jess. She's in danger."
Sam's heart stopped.
Interstate 5 — Southbound, Midnight
The Impala's tires screamed as Dean slammed the accelerator, engine howling like a war drum.
Up ahead, Knox's Mercedes tore through the night — a matte-black blur streaked with glowing sigils, each rune flaring gold as arcane energy surged through its frame. Between the two cars, a thick tether of radiant light connected bumper to bumper — a modified Carcurva Vincula spell, cast by Knox, threading magical protection from the Mercedes back to the Impala.
The spell didn't drag Dean's car — it enhanced it, temproraily.
The Impala's wheels still burned rubber, Dean still had full control: braking, weaving, accelerating on his terms. But the wards soaked the chassis, shielding it from wind shear, heat friction, and the brutal physics of Mach 1. All while Dean kept his baby tight on Knox's tail, knuckles white on the wheel, a grin ghosting his lips.
"She's never flown before," he muttered.
"Dean, we're doing Mach 1!" Sam shouted, eyes wide.
"I KNOW!" Dean bellowed over the wind.
The apartment was seconds away.
Palo Alto — Sam's Apartment
The building was already burning.
Smoke writhed through the hallway like coiling serpents, and the air boiled with heat. Inside, flames licked the walls, tracing greedy fingers across old photos and textbooks. Jess stood barefoot in the corridor, disoriented, her ears ringing from the explosion that had shattered the bedroom window moments ago.
She coughed, stumbled, fell to one knee. The world blurred at the edges.
And then—
The front door creaked open.
Not kicked. Not blasted.
It opened, slow and deliberate.
Through the smoke, a figure stepped inside.
Knox.
His coat billowed behind him, untouched by the fire. Embers curled away from him like leaves fleeing a storm. The inferno bent around him — flame recoiling, heat stalling in his path. His runes glowed faint red across his exposed forearms, demonic sigils flickering with quiet power. Whatever blood flowed in his veins, the fire recognized it — and yielded.
He walked straight into the burning apartment like it was nothing.
"Jess!" he called, voice slicing through the noise.
A weak cough answered.
He followed the sound — deeper in now, where the flames surged less like fire and more like a living, starving thing.
Jess was crumpled by the couch, shielding her face with one arm. Her eyes were glassy, breath shallow.
Knox knelt beside her instantly. "Stay with me," he whispered, touching her shoulder.
The apartment shuddered.
A structural beam groaned overhead. The ceiling creaked like an old bone about to snap.
Knox's jaw tensed. This place wasn't going to last another minute.
No more walking.
No more time.
He tightened his grip on Jess, pressed her to his chest, and turned on the spot.
CRACK.
With a burst of wind and displaced pressure, they vanished—leaving only smoke, fire, and the collapse of the hallway behind them.
Outside the Apartment — Minutes Later
Dean barely had time to slam the brakes before Knox blinked into existence on the cracked sidewalk, a shimmering pulse of displaced air marking the spot.
He held Jess in his arms — soot-smudged, coughing, but alive.
Sam was out of the Impala before the engine stopped.
"Jess!"
Knox met him halfway, gently transferring her into Sam's embrace.
She clung to him instantly, trembling. Her voice was raw.
"I thought I was going to die…"
"You didn't," Sam whispered, arms tight around her. "You're okay. I've got you."
She sobbed into his hoodie. Sam just held her, grounded in the moment.
Knox stepped back, chest rising and falling. Sweat clung to his brow despite the cool night. The light in his tattoos faded beneath his sleeves, the last echo of power dimming.
Then — a faint chime in his mind.
[System Notification: Quest Complete]
Angelic Seal 1 of 7 (Virtue – Compassion) Unlocked
New Ability: Premonition (Active) – Sense imminent mortal peril.
New Ability: Sanctuary – Create protected zones immune to magical and physical incursion.
New Ability: Guardian's Reach (Passive) – Trace and tether individuals of Knox's choosing across long distances.
Knox didn't smile.
He just closed his eyes and whispered, "One down. Six to go."
Later That Night — Emergency Motel Room
Jess sat wrapped in a blanket, hands still trembling, Sam beside her on the edge of the bed.
"I didn't know…" she said. "You fight monsters. You and your brother. And now him—Knox? With spells and tattoos and glowing swords?"
Sam said nothing. He looked like he'd aged years in a night.
"I wanted a future," she whispered. "A job. A life. You… didn't trust me with this."
"I didn't want this life to touch you," Sam replied. "I thought if I stayed away, it wouldn't. But it did anyway."
She looked at him, eyes glassy. "Can you ever really leave it?"
"I don't know anymore," Sam said. "But I can't let Dean do it alone. Jess, I can't let people I love die because I wanted to play house."
She looked down. "Then maybe we should break up."
Sam's breath caught.
But before he could answer—
Knox cleared his throat from the hallway.
"I might have… an alternative."
A Few Minutes Later — Parking Lot
"Modified Fidelius Charm," Knox explained. "Normally used to hide places. I've altered it to bind knowledge of a person's existence instead."
Dean blinked. "You can do that?"
"I just did," Knox said.
"The only people who will remember Jess exist are you two, Dean, her family, professors, college friends, and anyone she personally allows. To everyone else, she's… blank space."
Sam glanced over at Jess.
Knox pulled a pendant from his coat — a silver charm shaped like a feathered flame.
"This is warded against tracking, scrying, curses, possession, and brute-force entry. And…"
He paused. "In extreme mortal peril, it'll teleport you to my bar in Boston."
Jess blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just jewelry," Knox said with a shrug.
Jess narrowed her eyes, then looked at Sam. "I don't know what this all means yet. But… I want to try. I need time. But I want you."
Sam swallowed, nodded. "Then we'll figure it out."
She leaned into his chest again.
Dean looked away, scratching his chin.
Knox just said, "We leave in the morning. She'll be safe."
And as dawn crept over the horizon, casting gold over ash, the Winchester brothers and the wizard from Boston stood shoulder-to-shoulder once more — still broken, still healing… but moving forward.