The rain had stopped, leaving the city drenched and glistening under the dim glow of the streetlights. Kael's hands still tingled from the artifact's blue light, and a sense of unease clung to his chest.
Kael (muttering): "It's… it's showing me something else… I can feel it."
Lyra looked at him, worry etched across her face.
Lyra: "Kael, you need to calm down. We barely got out of that alley alive."
Kael shook his head, his eyes scanning the rooftops. The masked figure was gone, but the feeling of being watched didn't leave him.
Suddenly, the artifact pulsed with a sharp light, projecting another vision: a dark tower rising from the center of the city, engulfed in swirling shadows. People ran screaming below, but one figure stood unmoving at the top—an ominous silhouette with glowing eyes.
Kael: "Lyra… that's the place. That's where it all begins."
Lyra: "Kael, I don't like this… it's too dangerous."
But Kael had already made his decision.
Kael: "We don't have a choice. If I ignore this, people will die."
As they prepared to leave the safety of the alley, a gust of wind slammed against them. Papers, debris, and rainwater swirled violently, forming a vortex that seemed almost alive. The artifact lifted from Kael's hand, hovering mid-air as the blue light expanded, revealing a path across the rooftops.
Lyra: "Kael… what is that?"
Kael didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the path, glowing faintly in the darkness, leading them to the tower in the distance.
Cliffhanger: A whisper echoed through the streets, chilling Kael to the bone:
"You shouldn't have seen that… now you belong to it."