The night air in Kael's shop smelled like burnt copper and crushed herbs. Raze watched as the alchemist worked, his hands moving with practiced precision over bubbling flasks and grinding mortars.
"Hold the Silverleaf steady," Kael instructed. "The binding needs to happen at exactly the right temperature or the whole batch is ruined."
Raze's fingers gripped the flask, keeping it positioned over the low flame. His Absolute Genius talent hummed in the back of his mind, absorbing every detail of the process.
The way the liquid changed from clear to pale green.
The exact moment when the Shade Quartz powder needed to be added.
The temperature gradient that made the catalyst bind properly instead of separating.
It all made sense. Perfect, intuitive sense.
"Now," Kael said sharply.
Raze tipped the ground Shade Quartz into the mixture.
Fzzzt.
The liquid hissed. Steam rose. Then settled. The color shifted to a deep emerald.
Kael leaned forward, examining it closely. His eyes widened.
"It's perfect." His voice held disbelief. "The crystalline structure is binding exactly as theorized. The stabilization is..." He looked up at Raze. "How did you know the exact moment to add it?"
"You told me to," Raze said carefully.
"I told you 'now' but I was guessing. The temperature gauge is broken. I've been doing this by feel for weeks." Kael studied him. "You added it at the precise instant. Not a second early or late."
Raze shrugged, trying to look casual despite his racing heart. "Lucky timing?"
"That's the second time you've used that excuse." Kael didn't look away. "I'm starting to think luck has nothing to do with it."
Silence stretched between them. The bubbling of the mixture filled the quiet.
Finally, Kael returned to his work. "Whoever you are, whatever you know... I'm grateful. But eventually, you're going to have to explain."
"When this is over," Raze said quietly. "When Sophie and the other kids are safe. I'll tell you everything."
"I'll hold you to that."
They worked through the night. Mixing. Testing. Refining. By the time dawn light started filtering through the dusty windows, three vials sat on the work table.
Two doses of the modified cure. One emergency counter agent in case the treatment accelerated.
Kael held up the first vial to the light. The emerald liquid seemed to glow from within.
"This is it. Either we save your sister or we kill her faster." His hands trembled slightly. "No pressure."
"We save her," Raze said with certainty he didn't entirely feel. "The formula is sound. The binding is stable. It'll work."
"You sound very sure for someone with no alchemical training."
"I'm sure because I have to be." Raze met his eyes. "Doubt gets people killed."
Kael nodded slowly. Then carefully packed the vials in a padded case. "Let's go prove me right. Or monumentally wrong."
They left the shop as the city was waking. Merchants opening stalls. Guards changing shifts. The normal rhythm of morning.
Raze's Inspect skill pinged constantly as they walked.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Status windows bloomed over pedestrians. Most were harmless. Workers. Families. Normal people.
But twice, Raze spotted gray cloaks in the crowd.
[Syndicate Operative]
Rank: Initiate (Peak)
Core: Tempered
Perception: B
Status: Searching
They were hunting. Looking for whoever had raided their moss chamber.
Raze kept his head down. Didn't make eye contact. Just another poor kid crossing town.
The operatives' gazes swept past him.
He exhaled slowly.
Kael noticed. "Syndicate?"
"Two of them. Searching the crowd."
"They work fast." Kael's jaw tightened. "We need to move faster."
The Healing Hall loomed ahead. White stone gleaming in the morning sun. The garden out front looked peaceful. Serene. A lie covering the rot beneath.
They pushed through the heavy doors.
Beatrice sat at her desk, same as before. She looked up, recognition flickering across her face.
"Mr. Dragonheart. You're here early." Her eyes moved to Kael. "And you've brought a guest. Visiting hours don't start for another hour."
"My sister had a bad night," Raze said. "I got a message. I came as soon as I could."
Technically true. Mary had mentioned Sophie's condition yesterday.
Beatrice consulted her ledger. Her expression shifted. Became more sympathetic.
"Yes. Miss Helen noted that Sophie's fever spiked around midnight. She's stable now but..." She trailed off.
"But declining," Kael finished.
Beatrice nodded. "I'm sorry. The head healer recommends beginning comfort measures soon."
Translation: give up. Let her die.
"I want to see her," Raze said firmly.
"Of course. But your companion..."
"Is a certified apothecary with experience treating respiratory conditions." Kael pulled a credential card from his pocket. "Here to provide a second opinion."
Beatrice examined the card. It was genuine. Kael's license was legitimate, even if what they were about to do wasn't.
"Very well. But any treatment changes must be approved by Head Healer Mortens first."
"Understood," Kael lied smoothly.
They climbed the stairs to the second floor. Raze's heart hammered harder with each step.
This was it. The moment of truth.
Room fourteen appeared ahead. The door was closed. No sounds from within.
Raze's hand hovered over the handle.
"Ready?" Kael whispered.
"No. But we're doing it anyway."
He pushed the door open.
The room smelled like sickness. Sharp. Chemical. The smell of a body fighting itself.
Sophie lay in the bed, so still that for one terrible moment Raze thought they were too late.
Then her chest rose. Fell. Rose again. Shallow breaths. Labored.
Her skin had gone from pale to gray. The black veins were more pronounced. Spreading up her neck, visible through her thin nightgown.
"Sophie." Raze crossed to her bedside.
Her eyes fluttered open. Those blue eyes, so much like his own, were cloudy. Unfocused.
"Raze?" Her voice came out as a whisper. "You came back."
"I promised, didn't I?" He took her cold hand. "Sophie, this is Kael. He's a healer. A friend."
Kael moved to the other side of the bed. His expression was carefully neutral, but Raze saw the flash of anger in his eyes. Anger at how far Sophie had deteriorated.
"Hello, Sophie. I'm going to examine you, alright?"
She nodded weakly.
Kael's hands moved over her, checking pulse points, listening to her breathing, examining the black veins. His Inspect skill was probably working overtime.
Finally, he stepped back. Met Raze's eyes across the bed.
The look said everything. She's worse than expected. We might be too late.
But aloud, Kael said, "Sophie, your brother and I have been working on something. A new treatment. It's not what the Healing Hall uses, but we think it might help you."
"Will it make me better?" Hope flickered in her cloudy eyes.
"We believe so. But I need to be honest with you." Kael's voice was gentle. "It's experimental. That means we've tested it, but not on people yet. There's a small chance it might not work."
Sophie looked at Raze. "Do you think I should try it?"
The question stabbed through him. She was ten years old and asking if she should risk her life on an untested cure.
"Yes," Raze said firmly. "I think you should try it. I wouldn't let Kael give it to you if I didn't believe it would work."
Sophie studied his face. That too perceptive gaze searching for doubt.
She must have found none, because she nodded. "Okay. I trust you."
The weight of those words nearly crushed him.
Kael pulled out the vial. The emerald liquid caught the morning light, seeming to glow.
"This needs to be taken all at once," he explained. "Then you'll need to rest. Stay very still. The medicine works by purging the corruption from your body, and that takes time."
"How long?"
"Twelve hours. We'll be here the whole time, monitoring you."
Sophie nodded again. Her hand squeezed Raze's weakly. "I'm scared."
"Me too," Raze admitted. "But we're going to get through this together."
Kael uncorked the vial. Helped Sophie sit up slightly. Brought it to her lips.
"Drink slowly. All of it."
Sophie drank. Her face scrunched at the taste, but she swallowed obediently. The emerald liquid disappeared.
Kael set the empty vial aside. Helped Sophie lay back down.
"Now we wait," he said quietly.
They pulled chairs close to the bed. Raze on one side, Kael on the other.
Minutes passed. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
Nothing seemed to change.
Then Sophie gasped.
"It hurts." Her hand clenched on the sheets. "It hurts, Raze."
"I know. I'm sorry." He held her hand tighter. "Your body is fighting. That's good. That means it's working."
Her breathing quickened. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Kael checked her pulse. "Elevated but stable. This is normal."
Normal. Right. Purging corruption hurt. The cure was working exactly as designed.
But watching Sophie suffer was agony.
Twenty minutes. Thirty.
Sophie's fever climbed. Her skin went from gray to flushed red. The sweat soaked through her nightgown.
"Raze." Kael's voice held warning. "Her temperature is spiking. Fast."
Raze's Absolute Genius activated without prompting. Information flooded his mind.
The corruption was being purged. Aggressively. The body's natural response was fever. Trying to burn out the contamination. But if it went too high, it would cause brain damage.
They needed to cool her down externally while the cure worked internally.
"Cold water," Raze said quickly. "And clean cloths. We need to bring the fever down manually."
Kael didn't question. Just moved. Grabbed the basin. Filled it from the pitcher on the side table. Pulled cloths from the medical supply drawer.
They worked in tandem. Kael applying cold compresses to Sophie's forehead and neck. Raze sponging her arms and legs. Trying to draw heat out.
Sophie whimpered. Tossed restlessly. Her eyes rolled back.
"Stay with us, Sophie." Raze's voice cracked. "Please stay with us."
The door burst open.
Miss Helen stood in the doorway. The kind attendant. Her eyes widened at the scene.
"What are you doing?" She rushed forward. "What's happening to her?"
"Experimental treatment," Kael said tersely. "We need help. More cold water. And ice if you can find it."
Miss Helen stared at them for one long moment. Then made a decision.
"I'll be right back."
She ran.
Two minutes later, she returned with a bucket of ice water and more cloths. No questions. No judgments. Just help.
"Thank you," Raze breathed.
"That child has been dying slowly for weeks," Miss Helen said quietly. "If you're trying to save her, I don't care what the rules say."
They worked together. Three people fighting to keep one small girl alive.
Forty minutes. Fifty.
Sophie's fever peaked at a terrifying height. Her skin was burning to the touch. Her breathing rapid and shallow.
Then, slowly, it started to drop.
One degree. Two degrees.
The black veins on her neck began to recede. Not quickly. But visibly. Like ink being drawn back into a pen.
"It's working," Kael whispered. "It's actually working."
Raze sagged in his chair. Relief so intense it left him shaking.
But they weren't done yet. Twelve hours. They still had eleven and a half to go.
An hour passed. Sophie's fever stabilized. The black veins continued to fade. Her breathing eased.
She fell into a deep sleep. Natural sleep, not the fevered delirium from before.
Miss Helen stayed with them. Helped change the water. Monitored Sophie's vital signs with practiced efficiency.
"Who are you people?" she asked quietly during a lull. "Really?"
"Someone who lost a sister to this disease," Kael said. "Someone who's tired of watching children die."
Miss Helen nodded slowly. "The Healing Hall could save all of them. They have the resources. But they charge fifty gold because they can. Because desperate families will pay anything."
"You know," Raze said. Not a question.
"I've known for months." Her voice turned bitter. "But I'm just an attendant. No one listens to attendants. And speaking out means losing my job. Losing the ability to help at all."
"What if there was a way to help more?" Kael looked at her directly. "What if we could treat the other children? All of them?"
Miss Helen's breath caught. "The treatment you gave Sophie. You can make more?"
"We can. But the Healing Hall won't allow it. Competition undermines their profit."
"Then we do it secretly." Miss Helen's jaw set with determination. "I can get you access to the other patients. Quietly. During shift changes when there's less supervision."
Raze felt hope flare. An ally inside the facility. That changed everything.
"That's extremely risky," he warned. "If you're caught..."
"I'm already complicit by helping you now." Miss Helen gestured to Sophie. "If this child survives, Mortens will know something happened. I'd rather be caught saving lives than standing by while children die."
The door opened again.
Head Healer Mortens stood in the doorway. His expression was thunderous.
Behind him, two city guards in full armor.
"What," Mortens said coldly, "is happening in my facility?"
Kael stood slowly. Positioning himself between Mortens and Sophie. "We're providing medical treatment."
"Unauthorized medical treatment. Illegal medical treatment." Mortens stepped into the room. His eyes swept over the scene. The empty vial on the side table. The wet cloths. Sophie's improved condition. "Miss Helen, step away from the patient."
"No." The attendant's voice was steady.
Mortens' eyes narrowed. "That's insubordination. You're dismissed. Effective immediately."
"Good. I quit." Miss Helen crossed her arms. "Because I won't work for people who let children die for profit."
Raze watched the confrontation with his heart in his throat. This was escalating too fast.
Mortens turned to the guards. "Arrest these two men for practicing unlicensed medicine. Charge them with reckless endangerment."
The guards moved forward.
Then Sophie spoke.
"I feel better."
Her voice was quiet. Weak. But clear. Clearer than it had been in weeks.
Everyone froze.
Sophie pushed herself up slightly on the pillows. The black veins on her neck were nearly gone. Her skin had color again. Real color, not the gray of illness or the red of fever.
"The hurting stopped," she said. "I can breathe easier."
Mortens stared. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"That's... that's impossible. Black Cough doesn't improve this quickly."
"Apparently it does," Kael said quietly, "with proper treatment."
Footsteps in the hallway. More people approaching. Voices raised in question.
The commotion had drawn attention.
A woman appeared in the doorway. Then another. Then a man. Parents of other patients. They'd been visiting their own sick children and heard the disturbance.
They saw Sophie. Sitting up. Looking better. The black veins fading.
"What did you do?" the first woman asked. Her voice trembled with desperate hope. "My son has Black Cough. He's in room seventeen. What did you give her?"
"An alternative treatment," Raze said carefully. "It's experimental but effective."
"Can you give it to my son?" The woman stepped into the room. "Please. We've been trying to gather the gold but we're still thirty coins short. He doesn't have time."
More parents crowded the doorway. All asking the same question. All seeing the same miracle.
A child who was dying this morning now sitting up. Alert. Improving.
Mortens' face had gone pale. "Everyone, please. This is highly irregular. The treatment these men administered was unauthorized. Potentially dangerous. The fact that it appears to be working is..." He struggled for words. "Unprecedented."
"But it is working," another parent said. A father. His voice hard. Angry. "My daughter has been here for two months. Two months of watching her get worse while you people tell me to gather fifty gold or watch her die. And now you're telling me there's a cheaper treatment that actually works? That you didn't offer?"
The crowd's mood shifted. Angry muttering. Dangerous muttering.
Mortens raised his hands. "Please. I understand your frustration. But medicine is complex. This treatment hasn't been properly tested. The long term effects are unknown."
"The long term effects of Black Cough are death," the mother from earlier said flatly. "I'll take unknown over guaranteed."
The guards looked uncertain. They'd come to arrest unlicensed practitioners. Now they were facing a room full of desperate parents ready to riot.
Kael caught Raze's eye. A silent question: how do we handle this?
Raze's mind raced. His Absolute Genius processed scenarios at lightning speed.
They couldn't treat everyone. Not immediately. They didn't have enough supplies. But they couldn't say that without crushing hope. And they couldn't let Mortens arrest them or everything stopped.
"Listen," Raze said loudly. The crowd quieted. "We want to help. We do. But the treatment requires specific ingredients. We don't have enough for everyone right now."
Disappointed sounds. But not angry. Not yet.
"How long until you can make more?" a father asked.
"Three days," Kael answered. "Maybe four. We need to source ingredients and prepare them properly."
"And the cost?" someone called from the back.
"Fifteen gold," Raze said. "That's our cost for materials and time. We're not trying to profit. Just save lives."
Whispers spread through the crowd. Fifteen gold versus fifty. Still expensive. But possible. Achievable.
"I want to be on the list," the mother said immediately. "My son. Room seventeen. Whatever you need, I'll pay it."
"Me too. Room twelve."
"Room nineteen."
"Room eight."
Names and room numbers cascaded. Desperate parents volunteering their dying children.
Mortens tried to regain control. "This is completely inappropriate. These treatments have not been approved by the Healing Hall. We cannot guarantee their safety."
"You can't guarantee my daughter will live either," a father shot back. "At least they're trying."
Mortens' jaw clenched. He turned to the guards again. "Arrest them. Now."
The guards looked at each other. Then at the crowd of angry parents. Then back at Mortens.
"Sir," one said carefully, "perhaps we should discuss this with the captain first. This is a... delicate situation."
Translation: we're not starting a riot in a hospital.
Mortens' face flushed red. "Fine. But these two are banned from the premises. If they return, they will be arrested on sight." He pointed at Kael and Raze. "And Miss Helen, you're fired. Clear out your belongings by end of day."
He turned and stormed out. The guards followed, looking relieved to escape.
The crowd of parents remained.
"Thank you," the mother said to Raze. Tears streaming down her face. "Thank you for giving us hope."
Others echoed her. Gratitude. Desperation. Hope.
Raze felt the weight of it settling over him like a physical thing. These people were counting on them. Their children's lives hung in the balance.
"We'll do everything we can," he promised. "Check back in three days. We'll have more treatment ready."
The crowd slowly dispersed. Parents returning to their own children's rooms. Whispering amongst themselves. Planning how to gather fifteen gold.
Miss Helen, Kael, and Raze remained in Sophie's room.
"Well," Miss Helen said dryly. "That could have gone worse."
"Could it?" Kael ran his hand through his hair. "We just made a very powerful enemy. Mortens will report this to someone. Probably someone dangerous."
Raze knew exactly who. The Twilight Syndicate. The real power behind the Healing Hall's corruption.
"We have three days," he said quietly. "Three days to source ingredients, make more cure, and ideally figure out how to not get killed by the Syndicate."
"Ambitious timeline," Kael muttered.
Sophie spoke up from the bed. "You're really going to help the other kids?"
Raze moved back to her side. Took her hand. "We're really going to help them."
"Even though it's dangerous?"
"Especially because it's dangerous. Someone has to."
Sophie smiled. Still weak, but genuine. "You're a hero, Raze."
The word hit him harder than it should have. Hero. He wasn't a hero. He was a gamer who'd been given cheat codes and insider knowledge. Who was trying to clean up a mess before the real hero arrived and made it worse.
But looking at Sophie's trusting face, he couldn't say that.
"Rest now," he said instead. "You need to finish healing."
"Will you stay?"
"For a few more hours. Then I need to go prepare more medicine. But Miss Helen will watch over you. And I'll visit again soon."
Sophie nodded. Her eyes were already closing. The treatment had exhausted her.
They waited until she fell asleep. Then moved quietly into the hallway.
"So," Miss Helen said. "What now?"
"Now we regroup," Kael answered. "Gather supplies. Figure out production scaling. And probably get hunted by criminals."
"Sounds exciting." Miss Helen's smile was grim. "I'm in."
"You don't have to..."
"I do, actually." Her expression hardened. "I've worked here for five years. Watched dozens of children die. Watched families destroyed. All because people like Mortens care more about gold than lives." She crossed her arms. "If you're going to fight that, I'm helping."
Raze studied her. His Inspect skill showed Initiate rank, Blooming core. Not a fighter. But her Perception was decent. And her access to the facility was invaluable.
"Alright," he said. "But understand what you're signing up for. The people behind this? They're dangerous. They've killed for less."
"Then we'd better be careful."
They exchanged information. Miss Helen's address. Meeting times. How to signal if something went wrong.
Then Kael and Raze left the Healing Hall.
The afternoon sun was bright overhead. The city bustled around them. Normal life continuing, unaware of the corruption beneath.
"My shop," Kael said as they walked. "We need to figure out supply chains. Crimson Moss we can harvest again, but the Silverleaf is running low. And we'll need more Shade Quartz."
They turned down a side street. Moving away from main thoroughfares.
Raze's F rank Perception was useless for spotting danger. But his Inspect skill pinged constantly.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Most people were harmless. Merchants. Laborers. Families.
Then a gray cloak appeared in the crowd.
[Syndicate Enforcer]
Rank: Adept (Low)
Core: Refined
Strength: B
Agility: B
Status: Hunting
Raze's blood ran cold. Adept rank. Two full ranks above him.
"Kael." He kept his voice low. "Gray cloak. Fifty feet behind us."
Kael didn't turn around. Just kept walking. "Just one?"
Raze checked. "So far."
"Then we run. On three. One... two..."
"Three."
They bolted.
Behind them, a shout. "There!"
Footsteps pounding. Multiple sets. More than one pursuer.
Raze's D rank Agility pushed to its limit. His legs pumped. His lungs burned.
They dodged through the crowd. Around corners. Between buildings.
Kael knew the area better. Led them through narrow alleys and hidden passages.
But the pursuers were faster. Adept rank Agility versus Initiate. The gap was closing.
"Split up!" Kael gasped. "Meet at the docks! Old Fisher's Wharf!"
"But..."
"Go!"
Raze veered left. Kael went right.
Behind them, the pursuers split as well.
Raze ran through a marketplace. Knocked over a cart of vegetables. The vendor shouted curses.
Crash!
The cart collapsed behind him. Buying seconds.
Left turn. Right turn. Through a butcher's shop. Out the back door.
His pursuer was still there. Still close.
Raze's mind raced. His Absolute Genius processed options.
He couldn't outrun an Adept. Couldn't fight one. His only advantage was knowing the city layout from the original Raze's memories.
The tannery district. Up ahead. Narrow streets. Strong smells that might mess with Perception skills.
He ran toward it.
The stench hit like a wall. Rot. Chemicals. Overwhelming.
Raze plunged in anyway. Through alleys barely wide enough for one person. Between buildings so close together the sun never touched the ground.
Behind him, his pursuer coughed. Slowed slightly. The smell affecting them.
Raze pressed the advantage. Ran harder. His B rank Endurance kept him going when his lungs screamed for rest.
Five minutes of running. Ten.
Finally, the footsteps behind him faded.
Raze collapsed against a wall. Gasping. His whole body shook.
But he was alive.
He waited another five minutes. Making sure. Then started moving toward the docks.
Old Fisher's Wharf. Kael had said. Raze knew it. A collection of abandoned piers on the eastern edge of the waterfront.
Twenty minutes of careful navigation. Avoiding main streets. Watching for gray cloaks.
The docks appeared ahead. The smell of river water and old fish.
Fisher's Wharf was exactly as he remembered. Rotting wood. Broken posts. No one around.
Perfect meeting spot.
Kael was already there. Leaning against a post. His face was flushed. His clothes disheveled.
"You made it," he said with relief.
"So did you."
They both laughed. Slightly manic. The laughter of people who'd just barely survived.
Then Kael's expression turned serious. "We can't go back to my shop. They know about it now. It's compromised."
"Where else can we work?"
"I know a place. Old warehouse in the commercial district. Owner owes me a favor. But we'll need to move everything. Supplies. Equipment. Notes."
"And do it without being followed."
"Right."
They sat in silence for a moment. The river lapped against the pier. The city hummed in the distance.
"This is bigger than we thought," Kael said quietly. "The Syndicate's reach. Their response time. They have people everywhere."
"Which means we can't win by running," Raze replied. "We need to go on offense."
"Offense how?"
Raze met his eyes. "I know where their main base is."
Kael stared. "How? How could you possibly know that?"
"Because I've been studying this outbreak for longer than you think. Following patterns. Making connections." The lie came easily now. "The extraction operation. The source of the corruption. It's all centered on one location."
"Where?"
"The old textile mill. Three blocks from the Riverside District. It's been abandoned for years. Or at least, that's what everyone thinks."
Kael's eyes widened. "The Ashford Mill? I know that place. It burnt down five years ago."
"The upper floors burned. The basement didn't. And the basement connects to the old sewer system." Raze pulled from his game knowledge. "That's where they're running their operation. Extracting mana from underground ley lines. Creating the corruption that's poisoning the district."
"If you're right..." Kael's voice trailed off. "If we can expose them. Shut down the operation. The corruption stops. No more Black Cough cases."
"And we have evidence to take to the authorities. Proof that can't be ignored."
"Or we get killed trying."
"That too."
They sat with that reality for a moment.
Then Kael stood. Extended his hand. "Alright. Let's do it. Let's take down the Twilight Syndicate."
Raze took his hand. Let Kael pull him up.
Two Initiate rank practitioners. One with book knowledge. One with impossible future knowledge. Against a criminal organization with Adept and possibly Master rank enforcers.
The odds were terrible.
But sitting back and waiting for Alex Dawnsblade to arrive and make everything worse wasn't an option.
"We need help," Raze said. "We can't raid that mill alone."
"Who would help us? We're nobodies. Criminals ourselves now, according to the Healing Hall."
Raze thought about Mary. About Miss Helen. About the desperate parents in the Healing Hall who'd just seen their children given hope.
"We find people who have nothing left to lose," he said quietly. "People who are tired of being victims. People who want to fight back."
"That's a lot of trust to put in strangers."
"We don't have a choice. It's that or die trying alone."
Kael nodded slowly. "Then let's build an army. A small one. But an army."
They started walking. Away from the docks. Toward the commercial district. Toward Kael's safe warehouse.
The sun was setting. Painting the sky orange and red.
Raze's Inspect skill pinged as they walked. Watching for gray cloaks. For danger.
Nothing yet. But they'd be coming. The Syndicate knew about them now. Knew they were interfering.
The next few days would be critical. Gather allies. Prepare more cure. Plan the raid.
And do it all while staying one step ahead of people who wanted them dead.
Raze's hand went to his knife. The blade that had killed Blight Rats in the sewers.
Soon it might need to draw human blood.
The thought should have bothered him more than it did.
But every time doubt crept in, he thought of Sophie. Of her brave smile. Of forty two other children dying slowly because nobody with power cared enough to help.
"We're not waiting for heroes," Raze said quietly. "We're doing this ourselves."
Kael glanced at him. "What?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
They reached the warehouse as full darkness fell. Kael produced a key. Unlocked a side door.
Inside smelled like dust and old timber. Empty except for a few crates in the corner.
"We'll need to work fast," Kael said. "Move supplies tonight. Start production tomorrow. And figure out how to raid a criminal stronghold without dying."
"Simple." Raze's laugh came out hollow.
"We're insane. You know that, right?"
"Probably." Raze looked around the empty warehouse. Their new headquarters. "But at least we're insane together."
Kael smiled. Grim but genuine. "I'll take it. Now let's save forty three kids and burn down a criminal empire."
They got to work.
Outside, the city continued its nightly rhythm. Unaware that the plot was shifting. That the timeline was accelerating.
That two kids with nothing to lose were about to challenge the established order.
Alex Dawnsblade would arrive in less than a month.
But by then, Raze intended to have already swallowed half the plot.
The game was changing.
And he was the one changing it.