Argentis never slept. Neon lights flickered across the streets, steam rising from machines like whispered secrets. For most, it was just another night. For Kael, it was the night that would change everything.
He dashed down a narrow alley, avoiding crowds and street vendors. At the end stood an abandoned warehouse—or so the citizens believed. Kael had heard whispers: strange voices, rumors of things hidden from ordinary eyes. Curiosity had always been his flaw.
Inside, the air was thick with dust and the scent of rust. Moonlight slanted through the ruined roof, illuminating the floor—and there, in the center, lay a pendant. Dark, cold, with strange patterns etched like a labyrinth twisting into itself.
Kael reached for it. The moment his fingers grazed the metal, a spark ran through him. The world tilted, and a voice vibrated in his mind, unintelligible yet urgent, as if the city itself were speaking. He stumbled back, heart pounding. Shadows in the corners bent abnormally toward him.
A sudden noise made him spin. From the shadow, a tall hooded figure emerged, eyes gleaming. "You shouldn't be here, kid," the voice said, thick and heavy. Kael's pulse raced, but some unseen force held him in place.
Before he could react, the pendant flared with light, a surge of energy coursing through him. And then he saw it—not with his eyes, but something deeper. Faint traces of mana pulsed through the air, connecting the warehouse to places across Argentis. Among them stood figures in red, black, and white—watching, waiting.
His life had been ordinary. But the city, the pendant, and the shadows all whispered one truth: nothing would ever be ordinary again in his life .