The metro tunnels hadn't seen light in years. But tonight, they glowed.
Dozens of figures gathered around symbols drawn in white ash, the Vein's hum echoing through every wall.
Kane stood at the center, hands raised. "Tonight, the city breathes. The Vein opens. The chosen rise."
Azen stood beside Silver and Rex. The energy in the air was wild — alive, like thunder waiting for a target.
Silver leaned close. "You feel that?"
He nodded. "Feels like it's watching."
As the chant began, Kane cut his palm, letting blood drip onto the ground. The light followed, crawling through the cracks like veins of molten gold.
Azen's chest burned. The pulse inside him matched the rhythm on the floor. His vision blurred — flashes of memory, faces, and something… ancient.
He saw towers collapsing. Symbols floating in darkness.
And then a shadow — tall, vast, faceless — whispering in a language that felt too old to exist.
When his eyes opened, everyone was on the ground. The Vein had gone silent. Kane was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face.
Silver looked at Azen, stunned. "What did you do?"
He swallowed. "I didn't do anything… it just—answered."
The entire metro shuddered. Dust fell from the ceiling. Then a deep vibration rolled through the air, like the earth itself had woken up.
Kane looked around slowly. "The Circle is complete," he said. "But something else woke with it."
Azen clenched his fists, energy still crawling under his skin.
He didn't know what he'd awakened — but he could feel it watching, listening, waiting.
And in the silence that followed, the city's lights flickered — as if the Vein itself had blinked.
The Game had officially begun.