Rain had been falling since sunset, the kind that turned streets into mirrors and made the whole city smell like wet iron and secrets. Greyhaven never really slept. The lights never went out, and the noise never died. But at 2 a.m., the city changed. The people who worked in the day disappeared, and the night took over—the drifters, the restless, the ones who didn’t belong.Rick Danner was one of them.He leaned on his battered delivery bike outside a rundown diner, waiting for the last order of the night. The neon sign above him buzzed like it was struggling to stay alive. Steam rose from his breath as he checked his phone for the pickup address.“13 Dockside Avenue.”He frowned. That part of town was practically abandoned. Nobody lived there anymore—at least, nobody normal.Still, a job was a job. He zipped his jacket, pulled his helmet over his messy brown hair, and kicked the bike into gear. The city lights stretched and blurred as he sped down the slick streets, puddles splashing

Rick woke up to the sound of rain again, this time softer, gentler — like the sky was trying to wash away the night before.He was still sitting on the couch, half-covered by a blanket. His arm ached, his knuckles were scraped, and his brain was trying to decide whether last night had really happened or if he’d finally gone insane.Then he saw it.The faint glow under his skin.A light that pulsed like a heartbeat, fading and returning every few seconds.So no, it wasn’t a dream.Across the room, Lira stood by the window, staring outside like a shadow with purpose. Her coat was off now, revealing a black suit and white shirt beneath — professional, cold, and clean. She looked like she belonged in both a boardroom and a battlefield.Rick sat up slowly. “You stayed all night?”She didn’t look at him. “Had to make sure you were still breathing.”“That’s comforting.”“It wasn’t meant to be.”He rubbed his eyes and sighed. “So… this is real? All of it? Vampires, werewolves, glowing hands?”

The elevator shook violently as it descended. Rick gripped the side rail, his heart pounding in his chest like a drum. Dust rained from the ceiling, and somewhere above them, another explosion roared.“What the hell are they?” he shouted over the noise.Lira pressed her hand against a glowing rune on the wall, forcing the elevator to move faster. “The Eclipse Order. Fanatics who believe the Veil should be torn down completely — that magic should rule over everything.”Rick swallowed hard. “And they want me because—?”“Because you’re proof it can be done,” she said. “A human who survived the Veil’s touch? To them, you’re a key.”The elevator jolted to a stop with a harsh metallic screech. Lira cursed under her breath, kicking the control panel. “Power’s out. We’ll have to move on foot.”The doors slid open with a strained groan, revealing a corridor filled with smoke and flickering blue light. The sound of boots echoed in the distance — too many to count.Rick hesitated. “You’re armed.

Greyhaven never truly slept. Even in the quietest hours of the night, something was always awake — the hum of traffic, the glow of neon lights, the whisper of rain against glass.But below all that, beneath the city’s heartbeat, was another world entirely.A world that didn’t belong to humans.Rick followed Lira and Marrek down a narrow service stairwell behind an abandoned subway station. The metal door above them creaked shut, sealing out the noise of the surface world. What replaced it was silence — thick, cold, and alive.A faint blue light pulsed from the rune stone in Lira’s hand, casting strange shadows along the wet tunnel walls. The air smelled of earth and rust. Rick shivered and pulled his coat tighter.> “You sure this is the only way?” he asked.> “Unless you can walk through walls,” Lira replied. “The Free Circles don’t exactly have a front desk.”Marrek chuckled softly. “Don’t worry, kid. You’ll get used to the dark.”Rick didn’t answer. The stairs seemed endless. As th

The man from the Shadow Court stood perfectly still, like the darkness itself obeyed him. His coat swayed slightly with the draft whispering through the ruined shrine, and when he smiled, Rick saw the faint shimmer of runes carved into his skin — glowing red like old embers.> “You don’t have to do this,” Lira said, raising her blade. “The Council may have fallen, but some boundaries still hold.”> “Boundaries?” the man said, tilting his head. “The Veil is cracking, darling. Boundaries are myths.”He lifted a hand. The shadows along the wall peeled free, twisting into shapes — half-human, half-beast. They had too many limbs and eyes that glowed faintly red. The chamber filled with the low hum of corrupted magic.Marrek growled under his breath. “This is going to be ugly.”Rick gripped the sphere in one hand and clenched his fist with the other. The burning mark in his palm pulsed again, harder this time, almost like it was responding to the enemy’s energy. He didn’t understand it, but