It poured over the neon streets of Technoville like a curtain, masking everything in its cold shimmer. Liam and Ava moved fast, hoods up, boots splashing through puddles as they slipped into the underground metro. The steel and grime of the Shadow District waited below.
Their elevator ride ended in silence.
The doors opened to reveal a stark contrast to the polished chrome of the upper district. The Shadow District was alive with flickering lights, tangled wires, and the buzz of desperate commerce. The air smelled of engine oil and burning circuits. This was where fugitives hid, deals were made, and the law dared not venture.
"Silas lives here?" Liam asked, glancing at the looming towers of rust and neon.
Ava nodded. "He runs an old vault beneath the former resistance base. We'll need to find the sigil on a door near 17th crossway."
Syra pinged. "Detecting multiple surveillance feeds in the area. Caution: Nexus drones active."
Liam gritted his teeth. "They're still tracking us."
They moved through alleys, stepping over sleeping vagabonds and stray drones. Ava stayed ahead, her silver eyes scanning every shadow. Liam's heart pounded. The Shadow District made the university look like a dream.
At the crossway, they found the door—black metal, marked with a violet sigil of an eye pierced by a key.
Ava raised her hand and drew a symbol in the air. The door clicked.
Inside, darkness.
Then a flare of electric blue light as defenses lit up, targeting them. A voice echoed from the dark:
"You brought them here, Ava. Nexus has followed you."
A man stepped forward. Tall, cloaked in ragged tech-armor, his left eye glowing with synthetic lenses.
"Silas," Ava breathed.
Silas didn't smile. "You should have died like your father."
Liam stepped forward. "We need your help. Nexus is hunting her. And now me."
Silas stared. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the vault lit up—screens showing Nexus agents converging on their location.
"Then we don't have time," Silas muttered. "If you're serious, prove it. Survive the Trial."
Before they could speak, the floor dropped.
Liam and Ava landed hard. Lights blazed. Robots powered on.
Syra said, "Combat simulation: Level Omega."
And the battle began.