The night air was thick with the smell of burned stone and rain-soaked dust. The alley still glowed faintly from the remnants of lightning, its walls cracked and steaming.
Daniel stood in silence, his eyes faintly glowing with residual arcs. Mira's shadows had faded, and David's barrier had crumbled into dust. Only the echo of battle remained — and the distant footsteps of those coming to investigate.
"They're coming," Mira said softly. "City guards. At least six."
Daniel turned to her. "We can't run. That'll make us look guilty."
David snorted. "We are guilty — of wrecking a street."
"Then we'll just pay for it," Daniel muttered, suppressing the last flicker of lightning around his hand.
Moments later, the guards arrived — men and women clad in silver rune-armor, their insignias glowing faintly blue. At their head was a woman with a blade of translucent crystal and eyes that saw through essence itself.
"Who caused this?" she demanded, her voice calm but edged.
David raised his hands lazily. "We were attacked. Seven masked cultivators. You can still smell their essence."
The captain frowned, lowering her hand to the broken ground. Her runes flared, drawing threads of residual aura into her palm. She froze.
"This signature… belongs to the Crimson Hall."
Mira folded her arms. "So the Hall sends assassins into your city now? That's bold."
The captain's eyes flicked toward her — then to Daniel. For a moment, their gazes met. Her expression hardened. "You. That lightning — it's not ordinary."
Daniel kept his voice steady. "I defend myself, not destroy cities."
"Perhaps," she said. "Still, you'll come with us. For questioning."
David tensed, but Daniel held out a hand. "We'll go. I have nothing to hide."
They were escorted through the winding streets, their steps echoing over marble and water. Lanterns floated above the canals like silent stars. The people of Eldervale watched from doorways — whispers following the group.
Inside the guard barracks, the air was cool and heavy with incense. A senior officer waited — a thin man in black robes lined with jade thread. His eyes were calm, too calm.
"So," he said quietly. "You three are the ones who stirred half the eastern district."
Mira sat cross-legged on the bench, unbothered. "If your city didn't want fights, maybe it shouldn't host auctions filled with killers."
The man chuckled softly. "Fair point. But I'm not here to punish you. I'm here to understand."
He turned to Daniel. "Your essence — that lightning — where did you learn to shape it?"
Daniel hesitated. "I didn't. It… responds to me."
The man's gaze sharpened. "Then it's true. The fragment resonated with you, didn't it?"
David's hand tightened around his armrest. "Who are you really?"
The man smiled faintly. "Elder Kael. Representative of the Azure Sentinels, the faction maintaining balance between the Crimson Hall and the city guard. We monitor disturbances… especially those connected to relics."
He leaned forward. "The fragment you encountered — it's not just a relic. It's a remnant of a Primordial Wielder. One whose lightning once tore apart the heavens."
Daniel said nothing, but the Codex within his soul pulsed — faint, like a heartbeat beneath thunder.
Kael's expression softened. "That power will draw eyes, boy. The Hall won't stop. The guilds won't either. Even the royal court might start moving."
He rose. "Stay hidden. Don't leave Eldervale until the storm passes — or you'll be hunted before you understand what you carry."
As the guards released them, the trio stepped back into the glowing streets. Night rain began to fall, gentle and cold.
David tilted his head back. "So… we're supposed to just sit around and wait?"
Daniel shook his head. "No. We train. We learn. If the storm's coming for me, I'll be ready when it arrives."
Mira smirked, letting a drop of rain fall on her hand as it dissolved into shadow. "Good. I was starting to get bored."
The three walked into the mist-drenched streets, their silhouettes swallowed by the golden light of Eldervale — unaware that far above, in a tower of red glass, a woman in a crimson gown watched them through a crystal mirror.
"The Wielder has appeared," she whispered. "And this time… we won't let him slip away."