The rain fell in steady sheets over the crumbling skyline of Ironhaven, a city where steam-powered engines hissed like angry serpents and neon lights flickered against the soot-streaked buildings. It was a place of contradictions—gleaming towers of polished brass and steel rising above streets littered with refuse and despair. Here, magic and machinery coexisted uneasily, each vying for dominance in a world that had long since forgotten how to balance them.

Kael Ardyn pulled his tattered coat tighter around himself as he navigated the narrow alleyways, boots splashing through puddles that reflected the dim glow of overhead lanterns. His dark hair clung to his forehead, soaked from the downpour, but he barely noticed. He’d learned to ignore discomfort years ago—along with most other things that didn’t serve his survival.

Tonight, survival meant staying out of sight.

He glanced over his shoulder, scanning the shadows for any sign of pursuit. The job had gone sideways faster than he’d anticipated. What was supposed to be a simple retrieval—a stolen data crystal tucked away in some low-level gang’s hideout—had turned into a bloodbath when reinforcements showed up unexpectedly. Now, not only was he empty-handed, but he also had half the underworld on his tail.

“Damn amateurs,” Kael muttered under his breath, ducking into a recessed doorway as footsteps echoed nearby. He pressed himself against the cold brick wall, listening intently. Two sets of boots, heavy and deliberate. They weren’t hurrying—they were searching.

Kael reached instinctively for the knife strapped to his thigh, its worn hilt familiar beneath his fingers. But drawing it would mean giving away his position, and he wasn’t ready to fight just yet. Not until he knew what he was dealing with.

The footsteps grew louder, then paused. A voice, gruff and impatient, cut through the rain-soaked silence. “You sure he came this way?”

Another voice answered, quieter but no less menacing. “He’s here somewhere. That bastard doesn’t slip loose easy.”

Kael exhaled slowly, steadying his breathing. He recognized the second voice—it belonged to Ryn Voss, a mercenary captain known for her ruthlessness and sharp tongue. If she was involved, this wasn’t just about the data crystal anymore. Someone higher up wanted him silenced.

The thought sent a chill down his spine, colder than the rain soaking through his clothes. Whoever they were working for, they weren’t playing games.

As the voices faded into the distance, Kael slipped further into the shadows, moving silently now. He needed answers—and fast. This kind of heat didn’t come out of nowhere. Someone had tipped off the gangs, someone who knew exactly what he was after.

But why?

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His mind raced as he wove through the labyrinthine alleys, finally emerging onto a quieter street lined with abandoned warehouses. One of them caught his eye—a decrepit structure with boarded-up windows and a rusted metal door hanging slightly ajar. Perfect.

Slipping inside, Kael found himself in near-total darkness, the only illumination coming from cracks in the walls where moonlight pierced through. The air smelled of mildew and oil, and the floor groaned beneath his weight as he moved deeper into the building. He crouched behind a stack of crates, pulling out a small device from his pocket. It was an old comm unit, battered but functional, and he tapped a sequence of commands into its keypad.

A holographic map flickered to life, projecting faint blue lines across his palm. Kael studied it carefully, tracing routes and potential safehouses. There was one location marked with a red dot—a contact he hadn’t used in months, but who owed him a favor. Maybe enough to get him out of this mess.

Before he could decide his next move, a sound froze him in place. Footsteps again, lighter this time, almost hesitant. Someone else was in the warehouse.

Kael’s hand went back to his knife, his muscles tensing as he peered into the gloom. A figure emerged from the shadows, hooded and cloaked, their face obscured by the dim light. For a moment, neither of them moved, locked in a silent standoff.

Then the stranger spoke, their voice low and urgent. “You’re running out of time, Kael.”

It wasn’t a question.

Kael frowned, lowering his weapon slightly. “Who are you?”

The figure stepped closer, revealing pale hands clutching something wrapped in black cloth. “Someone who knows what you’re looking for. And someone who can help you find it—if you’re willing to take the risk.”

Kael’s pulse quickened. Whatever they were holding, it radiated an energy he could feel even from several feet away. Something ancient. Something dangerous.

“What is that?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger unwrapped the object slowly, revealing a shard of crimson glass etched with intricate patterns that seemed to shift and writhe like living things. Kael’s breath caught in his throat.

“The Crimson Veil,” the stranger said, their tone reverent. “And it’s chosen you.”

Kael stared at the artifact, his mind racing. He’d heard whispers of the Veils before—ancient relics said to hold unimaginable power—but he’d always dismissed them as legends. Yet here it was, real and pulsing with an eerie warmth.

“How do you know my name?” Kael demanded, his grip tightening on the knife. “And why me?”

The stranger tilted their head, their features still hidden beneath the hood. “Because you’ve been marked, Kael. By forces far older than you realize. Take the Veil, and your path will become clear. Refuse, and you’ll die before sunrise.”

Kael hesitated, torn between caution and curiosity. Every instinct screamed at him to walk away, to leave this strange encounter behind. But deep down, he knew there was no going back. Not now.

With a resigned sigh, he extended his hand. “Fine. Give it to me.”

The stranger placed the shard in his palm, and the moment their skin touched, a surge of energy coursed through Kael’s body. Visions flashed before his eyes—ruins consumed by fire, armies clashing beneath blood-red skies, and a shadowy figure standing atop a mountain of bones.

When the visions subsided, Kael stumbled backward, gasping for air. “What… what was that?”

“That,” the stranger said, stepping back into the shadows, “is the beginning of your journey. Use it wisely.”

And with that, they vanished, leaving Kael alone with the Crimson Veil and more questions than answers