The scream tore from Ethan’s throat, raw and primal, as the blue fire erupted from his mark. It wasn’t a weapon—it was a wildfire.

The Shadeborn recoiled, its twisted mimicry of his sister’s face melting like wax under a blowtorch. The creature’s stolen features bubbled and split, revealing the void beneath—a swirling mass of violet light and static. “You’re broken!” it shrieked, its voice splintering into a dozen dissonant tones. “The Veil will claim you!”

Ethan’s burning fist slammed into its chest.

The creature exploded into ash and static, its dying screech echoing through the alley like nails on glass. The blue flames flickered out, leaving Ethan gasping on the ground, his veins throbbing like they’d been injected with liquid nitrogen. His breath fogged in the air, and the mark on his arm—now etched with jagged black cracks—pulsed faintly, as if mocking him.

Lila crouched beside him, her device whirring frantically. Its screen flashed red, casting sharp shadows across her tense face. “You just nuked a Shadeborn. How?”

“I… didn’t mean to,” Ethan panted, his voice hoarse. The cold in his veins was spreading, creeping toward his heart. “It just… happened.”

“Yeah, well, meaning to is overrated.”

A new voice cut through the silence—gravelly, laced with a smirk.

Ethan looked up.

A figure leaned against a rusted fire escape, silhouetted by the moon. He wore a tattered bomber jacket covered in glowing graffiti tags that pulsed faintly in the dark—”Burn Bright,” ”Fade Faster.” His face was hidden under a hood lined with frayed neon wires, and a pair of cracked goggles reflected the dim light. A mechanical spider the size of a hand scuttled up his arm, its legs clicking like a ticking bomb.

“Nice lightshow, sparky,” the figure said, tilting his head. “Too bad you’re about to die.”

Lila stiffened. “Jax.”

“Miss me, Lils?” Jax pushed off the wall, sauntering forward with the lazy confidence of a predator. Up close, Ethan could see his face—late teens, sharp features dusted with grime, and a smirk that screamed trouble. The spider on his shoulder twitched, its lens-like eyes glowing crimson.

“Who’s this?” Ethan muttered, struggling to his feet. His legs wobbled, but he refused to collapse again.

“Jax,” Lila said flatly. “Scavenger. Pain in my—”

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“—Savior,” Jax interrupted, flicking the spider onto the ground. It skittered toward Ethan, its laser beam scanning the cracked mark on his arm. “Yikes. The Veil really did a number on you, huh? Those cracks ain’t decor, sparky. You’re a walking corpse.”

Ethan glared. “What do you want?”

“Same as you,” Jax said, crouching to meet his gaze. His goggles magnified his eyes, making them look unnervingly insect-like. “To survive. But unlike you, I don’t got a death wish. That mark’s a two-way street. You fry the Veil’s pets, it fries you. Tick-tock.”

Lila grabbed Jax’s collar, yanking him closer. “You know how to fix it?”

Jax pried her hand off, unfazed. “Fix it? Nah. But I know someone who might.” He pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket and lit it with a flick of his wrist—a tiny flame erupted from his thumb. “Problem is, she’s kinda locked up in the Hollow’s basement.”

Ethan’s head snapped toward Lila. “You have a basement?”

“We have a lot of things,” Lila said tightly, avoiding his gaze. “Including traitors.”

Jax snorted, blowing smoke into the cold air. “Traitor’s a strong word. Let’s say… entrepreneurial. Point is, sparky here’s got a week, tops, before that mark eats him alive. You want answers? Bust my girl out. She’s the only one dumb enough to study the Veil.”

Ethan stared at the cracks snaking up his arm. They looked like fissures in glass, dark and jagged. “Why help us?”

Jax grinned, revealing a gold-capped tooth. “’Cause watching you blow up more Shadeborns sounds like a great time. Also, I hate Jarek.” He tossed Ethan a cracked smartphone covered in stickers—a cartoon skull, a neon spider, ”Trust No One” in peeling letters. “Meet me at the old subway station tomorrow. Midnight. Bring snacks. Or don’t. I’ll just steal yours.”

The spider leaped back to Jax’s shoulder, and he melted into the shadows, whistling a tune that sounded suspiciously like a funeral march.

Lila cursed under her breath. “Jax is a liar, a thief, and probably a pyromaniac.”

Ethan flexed his hand, the mark throbbing with residual cold. “You got a better idea?”

“No,” she admitted, her voice low. “But if we’re breaking into the Hollow’s vaults, we’re gonna need more than a glowstick and attitude.”

Somewhere in the distance, a Hunter screeched—a sound like metal rending flesh.