Ethan stood over the bodies, the rain washing thin trails of blood down the uneven stones beneath his feet. His breath came in ragged gasps. His heart hammered so hard in his chest that he thought it might burst.The screen still floated before his eyes, pale blue light casting a soft glow against the darkness of the alley.[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…][Combat Synchronization Complete][New Skill Paths Unlocked]"Survivor: Adapt and overcome through instinct and violence.""Shadow: Embrace the darkness. Kill without being seen.""System…?" Ethan whispered.No response. The screen flickered slightly, the words shifting and blurring before stabilizing.Ethan crouched and wiped his dagger on the tunic of the nearest guard, ignoring the way his hands trembled. His stomach churned at the sight of the growing pool of dark blood. His breathing was still shallow and sharp. He’d killed before — rats in the sewers, street thugs in self-defense — but never like this.Never this easy.He glanced at his

Ethan slipped through the winding alleys of Black Hollow, moving beneath the cover of darkness. His breath came sharp and steady as the System’s glow pulsed faintly at the edge of his vision.The stolen broadsword pressed against his back beneath his cloak. His dagger, still wet with blood, sat heavy against his hip. He adjusted the weight absently as his eyes scanned the empty street ahead.Rain dripped steadily from the crooked eaves above. The uneven cobblestones beneath his boots were slick with water and runoff from the nearby tannery. A rotting stench clung to the air — wet leather, burning oil, and human waste. The usual perfume of Black Hollow.He moved fast, sticking to the shadows. He knew the layout of this district better than anyone. A dozen bolt holes and hidden passageways. He just needed to reach The Cut — the old underground sewer network — and disappear.Stay alive.Figure out the System.Find out why House Valtorin wants it.A simple plan. Except for the part where

Ethan’s stomach growled.The sound was low, sharp, and miserable. It curled in his gut like a knife twisting between his ribs. His mouth was dry, and a sharp pang of emptiness settled beneath his skin, spreading through his limbs.He pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he crouched beneath the overhang of a crumbling stone arch. The rain had stopped sometime during the night, but the cold hadn’t left the air. His breath curled in thin white tendrils as the dawn’s gray light bled through the alley.Lyra sat beside him, her back pressed against the wall. Her crimson hair was damp and tangled, loose strands sticking to her pale skin. She idly twirled the tip of her dagger between her fingers, her legs stretched out in front of her. Despite the cold, she didn’t shiver.Kael stood near the mouth of the alley, arms crossed, his dark eyes scanning the street beyond. His face was calm — empty — but Ethan knew the look. Kael was calculating, watching the patterns of the street. Looking f

The warehouse loomed ahead, dark and quiet beneath the thin glow of the moon.It stood at the edge of the western district — a long, narrow building of dark stone and iron, surrounded by a crumbling perimeter wall. Thick chains hung across the entrance, and the faint sound of voices filtered through the cracks in the heavy wooden doors.Ethan crouched behind a pile of broken crates, his gaze sharp beneath the hood of his cloak. His breath curled faintly in the cold night air.Kael crouched beside him, his dark eyes fixed on the warehouse. He adjusted the grip on his curved daggers, the twin blades gleaming beneath the thin moonlight.Lyra perched on a low rooftop across the street, one leg hanging lazily over the edge. Her dagger rested against her thigh as her crimson hair drifted in the cold breeze. Her eyes were half-lidded, but focused.Ethan’s gaze sharpened."Six guards at the entrance."Two armed with broadswords. Two with crossbows. Two standing back with halberds — heavier ar

Ethan sat alone beneath the low arch of a ruined bridge.The cold bite of the night air settled into his bones, but he barely felt it. His breath curled faintly in the dark as thin tendrils of mist drifted along the surface of the narrow canal beneath him.His dagger rested against his knee, the steel edge glinting beneath the pale moonlight. Blood — dried and dark — streaked the hilt.The warehouse encounter replayed in his mind in perfect clarity.Selene’s gaze. Her smile. The silver-blue shimmer of blood at the edge of her mouth. The way her magic had twisted through the air, raw and precise — dangerous.But the thing that lingered most… was the feeling of power beneath his skin.Selene’s attack should have killed him. Her bloodline magic should have overwhelmed the System — shut him down completely.But it hadn’t.Why?The System’s pulse lingered faintly beneath his chest, like a thin coil of pressure and heat beneath his skin. Faint, but growing.[System Notice: Bloodline Skill T