The night over Eldervale shimmered faintly — a city that never truly slept. Lanterns floated on invisible strings, their blue essence-light reflecting off the canals below. The echoes of the auction still hummed in the air, a restless vibration that lingered like the aftershock of thunder.
Daniel, Mira, and David walked through the narrow market streets, the noise of the crowd fading behind them.
Mira's eyes scanned the rooftops. "We're being followed."
"I know," Daniel said softly. His tone was calm, but his pulse wasn't. Since the auction, he'd begun feeling the world breathe — the rhythm of air, the thrum of footsteps, the whisper of killing intent. He could sense danger now, even when it hid behind silence.
Five distinct presences. No—seven.
He inhaled, and for a moment, the world slowed. Threads of essence glimmered faintly in the air — the flow of the world, as the Codex had called it.
"Corner ahead," David murmured. "We can't keep walking straight."
Mira smiled faintly. "Then we don't."
They turned into a dim alleyway lined with old rune lamps and faded talisman paper. The smell of rusted metal filled the air.
That was when the first blade came — silent, curved, streaking down from above.
Daniel's hand moved faster than thought. A flicker of lightning crackled along his palm, shaping itself into a glyph of reflection. The blade struck it, sparks scattering into the dark.
From the rooftops, masked figures leapt down like shadows given flesh.
"Targets confirmed," one hissed. "Kill them before the guards arrive."
David cracked his knuckles, the ground beneath his feet trembling. "I was hoping for some fun."
He slammed his palm onto the cobblestone. Earthen Spikes erupted from the ground, impaling two attackers mid-leap. The street quaked, dust swirling into spirals of light as his second technique flared — Radiant Wall, a barrier of golden earth essence that deflected three incoming daggers.
Mira vanished into the shadows. When she spoke again, her voice came from everywhere at once.
"Let's see how long you last in the dark."
The lamps flickered and died. Darkness spilled out like smoke, heavy and alive. From within it, screams began to echo — muffled, choked, and brief. Her power was beautiful and terrible, the Eroding Veil, consuming both light and essence alike.
Daniel raised his hand, tracing sigils in the air with lightning-tipped fingers. The glyphs burned like stars.
"Storm Glyph — Chain of Ruin."
Bolts of blue-white lightning lanced from his fingertips, coiling around the fleeing enemies. The smell of ozone filled the night as three fell, twitching, their masks shattering to ash.
One figure remained — taller, calmer, his aura steady as stone. He stepped forward, twin short blades gleaming faintly with poison runes.
"So, you're the one who resonated with the Storm Fragment," he said. His voice was smooth but cold. "The Crimson Hall doesn't forgive thieves."
Daniel's eyes narrowed. "I didn't steal anything."
"Doesn't matter," the man said. "They want your head."
He blurred forward.
Their clash lit up the alley like lightning striking stone. Each of Daniel's glyphs met with blade arcs that sang through the air. Sparks and thunder bloomed together, cracking the walls. David appeared beside him, his palm glowing with golden sigils.
"Heavenfall Impact!"
The ground shattered as he punched, sending the assassin crashing backward into a wall of earth and light. Mira's shadows coiled upward, binding him like living chains.
The man spat blood but smiled. "You have no idea what's coming for you…"
His body burst into ash — a projection. Only the faint echo of his voice lingered.
Mira dispelled the shadows. "A clone?"
"An essence double," David muttered. "Whoever sent him didn't want to risk coming themselves."
Daniel stood silent, the lightning around him dimming slowly. "They'll come again. The Codex… it draws too much attention."
David looked at him seriously. "Then we get stronger — fast."
Mira brushed ash from her shoulder. "And maybe next time, we let them come. I want answers."
The wind shifted — the faint scent of rain mixing with burning stone.
Daniel closed his eyes and whispered to himself, I can feel the storm approaching.