Kade woke up the next morning to the dull light filtering through the hospital blinds. His body still ached in places he didn't even realize could hurt, but the shadow blade felt like a part of him now—distant but undeniable.
He tried to piece together the fog in his mind, but the harder he tried, the more it slipped through his fingers like sand. Memories—his past—felt like shattered glass, broken into countless fragments.
He remembered the mission. At least some of it. The night had been dark, thick with rain. He'd been moving silently through the city's maze-like backstreets, the target clear in his mind. But then—betrayal. A blade at his back, a flash of familiar faces turning cold.
And then the fall.
He pressed his palms against the cool sheets, fighting the dizziness that came with every movement. What had happened to him after that? Who had betrayed him? Why?
His phone buzzed softly on the bedside table, snapping him out of his spiral. He reached for it with trembling fingers. A message blinked on the screen from an unknown number:
"If you want answers, meet me at the Neon Alley, midnight. Alone."
Kade's heart skipped a beat. The city had always been a web of secrets, but this—this was different. Someone knew he was alive. Someone was watching.
He sat up slowly, shadows from the room flickering across his face. The system interface blinked briefly in his vision.
New quest available: Meet your contact.
He hesitated. Trust was a dangerous thing now. But the thirst for answers pushed him forward.
That night, wrapped in a dark hoodie, Kade moved like a ghost through the neon-lit streets. The city was alive with sounds—the distant sirens, the hum of engines, the chatter of late-night crowds. But Kade heard none of it. His focus was razor-sharp.
Neon Alley was a narrow, grimy lane packed with street vendors and flickering signs advertising everything from exotic foods to illegal tech. Kade's contact waited under a flickering streetlamp—a woman with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense air.
"Mina," she said, her voice low but steady.
"How do you know about me?" Kade asked.
She shrugged. "Word travels fast. Especially about someone with a new system. You're not exactly hiding."
Kade studied her. She looked harmless enough, but something told him she was anything but.
"I want answers," he said. "About who betrayed me. About this system."
Mina smiled faintly. "I might have some of those answers. But first, you owe me a favor."
He narrowed his eyes. "What kind of favor?"
She leaned in. "There's a syndicate vault, heavily guarded. I need someone to get in and grab some data. You get in, I get the info I need, and we both walk away richer in knowledge."
Kade felt the familiar spark of adrenaline. This was his world now—dangerous, unpredictable, and filled with shadows.
"Deal," he said.
As Mina turned to disappear into the maze of alleys, Kade couldn't help but feel the weight of what lay ahead. The past was a mystery, the future a battlefield.
But one thing was clear: the game had just begun.