Lys ducked into a narrow alley, heart pounding as the drone's spotlight swept past. The city's omnipresent gaze was relentless, but her jammer bought her precious seconds.
She glanced at her wrist the crystalline key pulsed faintly, syncing with the slab's symbols.
A sudden sharp sting on her palm caught her off guard. She looked down to see a faint glowing mark forming a geometric symbol, like the ones from the slab and the pillars.
The mark wasn't painful, but it felt like a tether linking her to something beyond physical space.
Her comm crackled to life, but not with a voice she recognized.
*"Lys Veran,"* it said, cold and clear. *"You've been chosen by the Architect's legacy. Resist, and the city will consume all you hold dear."*
The line went dead.
Breathing hard, Lys realized this was more than surveillance it was a declaration. The ancient design wasn't just blueprints of stone and code; it was a call to revolution.
She was marked not just as a rebel, but as a beacon.
Her next move would be dangerous.
But the city and history were watching.