I woke up in a white room, sterile and humming with silence. The lights above buzzed faintly, like a whisper too low to fully hear, but just loud enough to set my teeth on edge.
The last thing I remembered was getting on the subway with Kane. And now… this.
Damn it. He handed me over. He actually handed me over.
I sat up on the edge of the bed, fists clenched, jaw tight. My head throbbed, not from injury, but from rage. Kane, I thought bitterly. The man was an enigma. A riddle wrapped in flesh. After everything, after getting shot in the head and surviving like it was nothing, I should've known better. His illusions were too real. Too perfect. The kind you only heard about in legends.
The kind from the stories about the man with a billion lives.
Nothing in my life had ever come easy. Ever since I escaped the lab, it had been hideout after hideout, chasing ghosts, descendants of the ones who helped bring down Kezdak. All under the orders of my master, Phaltom, who raised me like a soldier for a war no one else believed in.
Nyqoria was falling. Not all at once. It was rotting from the inside out, and if I couldn't stop what was coming, Nightmare's Eve, then our world would end.
Phaltom always told me about the ancient wizard Josh. Said he was strong enough to rid the world of evil. That after defeating the Heartless Ones, he vanished. But supposedly, he passed his powers on to the next generation. New blood, new magic. If I could only find them, maybe we had a chance.
But I didn't even know the full story yet. Who was really responsible? And more importantly, how deep did this conspiracy run?
The door hissed open, snapping me out of my thoughts. My muscles tensed automatically.
A woman walked in wearing a lab coat. Sharp features. Colder eyes. Her lips were set in a line that screamed, "don't test me." She didn't blink. She didn't smile.
"Well, kid," she said. "You're a weird case."
"Where am I? Who are you?" I asked, voice rough but solid. I wasn't going to fold.
"All your questions will be answered soon," she replied flatly. Then she pulled something from her coat and snapped it around my neck before I could react.
I jerked back, grabbing at it. "What the hell is this?"
"Power dampener," she said simply. "Limits your output. Your companion has one too."
"Kane?" I was already on my feet, heat surging up through my chest. "Where is he?"
"You'll see him soon," she said, like it didn't matter. Then she gestured toward the door. "He's already here."
As if on cue, a man in glasses stepped through the doorway. Mid-forties, maybe. Clean suit. Calm face. Too calm. Too polite. The kind of calm that makes your skin itch.
"Ah, Fenix," he said. "Glad to see you awake. Please, sit."
I didn't move.
He didn't seem surprised. Just continued pacing slowly into the room, hands clasped behind his back like some philosopher-king out of a bad novel.
"You're wondering where you are, I'm sure," he said.
"No shit," I snapped.
"This is Tsunami Tech," he said. "The future of Nightfall City… and maybe all of Nyqoria."
He paused at a table, ran his fingers along it like he owned the air in the room. "We've gathered individuals who've pushed beyond their natural limits. Survivors of trauma. People who've awakened something… extraordinary."
I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"
He turned, gaze locking onto me. "Because we know about Project Nightmare."
My chest tightened.
"What is Project Nightmare?"
He leaned in a little, voice lowered. "A ruse," he said. "Designed by certain malicious members of the royal bloodlines. In eight years, they plan to summon a swarm of monsters. Heartless Ones. They'll wipe out anyone who stands in their way. Then, they'll use the chaos to enforce a permanent dictatorship. One world, one ruler. No freedom. No mercy."
The blood drained from my face.
Should I trust him? Could I? Everything about him screamed manipulator. But what he was saying… it aligned with what Phaltom feared.
I kept my voice steady. "And what does that have to do with me and Kane?"
"Oh, I'm not the boss," he said with a chuckle. "I'm just the messenger. But the answer is simple. You're special. You're a pet project of the royal family's secret company, Prox Tech."
My heart stopped.
"How… how do you know that?"
He smiled faintly, not cruel, but not kind either. "We've been trying to track you for months. When our informant saw you get picked up by Prox Tech, we knew we had to act. So we hired a mercenary."
"Kane," I muttered.
"Correct," he said. "He got you out. Now we need you to lead."
"Lead?" I folded my arms across my chest, narrowing my gaze. "What the hell does that mean?"
"We're building a team," he said. "People like you. People who can reach new heights without going Neon. Who haven't surrendered their minds to raw power. We want you to help us stop Project Nightmare before it begins."
I stared at him, uncertain. Angry. Confused. "You want me to be your poster boy? Just like that?"
"You don't have to decide now," he said. "Lyla will take you to meet the others.
He gestured to the door. "I have other matters to attend to."
I had a million questions, but I let him leave. For now.
Lyla stepped beside me. "Come on. This way."
We walked down a corridor that looked like it had been ripped from a sci-fi movie. Chrome walls. Soft lighting. Monitors built into the surfaces, scrolling lines of data in languages I didn't recognize.
"So," I said finally, "do you people always kidnap first, explain later?"
She glanced at me. "Would you have come willingly?"
I didn't answer. She had a point.
We turned a corner and stepped into a massive chamber. High ceiling. Concrete and glass. And people. One by one, figures began entering from other halls, other doors. Each one looked… different. Strong. Scarred. Some with glowing eyes. Some with metal limbs. Others who carried themselves like they'd already seen too much war.
And then Kane walked in.
My vision blurred red.
I clenched my fists, breathing shallow. He saw me, and there was no guilt on his face. No remorse. Just that same unreadable amused expression. I just said Hi, hoping he wouldn't say anything more.
Then a screen lowered from the ceiling, drawing everyone's attention. The room grew still, the buzz of conversation falling silent as all eyes locked onto the screen.
What now?