The words remained in Sawyer's mind long after they left the abandoned house. Midnight Market. Two simple words, yet somehow they felt heavier than everything else he had discovered so far.The symbol. The poison. The missing caravans. The frightened merchants. Everything seemed to point toward something hidden beneath Kanada City's surface, and now he finally had a name or at least part of one. The Midnight Market. The question was simple, what exactly was it?Unfortunately, finding answers proved far more difficult than Sawyer expected. The next morning, the trio began asking questions. Lots of questions.They started in the marketplace, moved to the merchant district, and then headed to the trading quarter. Everywhere they went, Sawyer asked the same thing, "Have you ever heard of the Midnight Market?"Most people looked confused, some genuinely so, others a little too genuinely.One merchant frowned. "The what?""A market.""Never heard of it."Another shook his head. "No idea."A

The partial invitation changed everything. For weeks, Sawyer had been chasing rumors, symbols, whispers, missing caravans, and secretive merchants. Everything had felt frustratingly vague. Now they finally possessed proof. Physical proof. The Midnight Market existed, and more importantly, someone had been invited.The problem was that half the invitation was missing.Inside Victor's study, the group gathered around the large desk where the torn invitation rested in the center. Several oil lamps illuminated the room while outside, evening rain tapped softly against the windows.Victor examined the document again for the tenth time. Unfortunately, the result never changed."It's incomplete."Wang sighed. "We know."Victor ignored him. "The location is gone.""We know.""The date is gone.""We know.""The instructions are gone."Wang looked at Chi. "He's really upset about this."Chi nodded. "I think it's because rich people hate incomplete information."Victor shot both brothers a look,

The moment Sawyer identified Roland Mercer as a member of the hidden network, the investigation entered a new phase. Observation was no longer enough, and questions were no longer enough. If they wanted answers, they needed access and access required an invitation.Unfortunately, obtaining one would be easier said than done.The following evening, the group gathered once again inside Victor's study. A map of the city covered the desk alongside several pages of notes. Sawyer stood beside the window, thinking, while Victor sat across from him. Wang lounged in a chair, Chi was eating pastries, and Elena was pretending not to notice her father's growing headache.The discussion was not going well."Absolutely not." Victor's voice echoed through the room.Wang sighed. "You're saying that a lot lately."Victor pointed at him. "Because your ideas keep getting worse."Wang looked excelled. "My ideas are excellent.""They are criminal.""Details."Victor closed his eyes. For a brief moment, Sa

The date finally arrived. For nearly a month, Sawyer had followed clues through Kanada City's shadows, the symbol, the poison, the missing caravans, the hidden trade routes, and the vanished merchant. Everything had led to this night. The night the Midnight Market opened.And for the first time since arriving in Kanada City, Sawyer was about to step directly into enemy territory.The atmosphere inside the Vance Estate was tense. Dinner had ended hours ago, yet nobody seemed interested in sleeping. Victor paced across his study, Wang sharpened a knife, Chi watched Wang sharpen the knife, and Sawyer sat quietly by the window. Waiting. The sky outside had already darkened, only a few hours remained.Victor finally stopped pacing. "I still don't like this."Nobody looked surprised. He had repeated those words at least fifteen times throughout the day.Wang looked up. "That number seems low."Victor ignored him, his attention remaining fixed on Sawyer. "You don't know who's waiting for you

The deeper Sawyer explored the Midnight Market, the more dangerous the place became. Not because of the goods, and not because of the guards, but because of the people.Everywhere he looked, influential merchants moved through the underground hallsmen and women who controlled businesses, warehouses, caravans, and entire trade routes. These were people whose daily decisions affected thousands of livelihoods above ground. And all of them had gathered beneath a city that was supposedly dying.The contradiction deeply bothered him. The deeper he looked, the less this place resembled a mere illicit marketplace. It resembled something else entirely.A government. A hidden one.The answer arrived unexpectedly. While exploring one of the market's inner corridors, Sawyer noticed several wealthy merchants moving toward a guarded doorway. The entrance stood entirely apart from the main marketplace, boasting more guards, tighter security, and an unmistakable aura of secrecy. It was immediately su