Jace didn't stop running until the sounds of pursuit faded into the distance.
His lungs burned as he sprinted through a narrow alley in the Lower East Side, the metal case clutched tightly under his arm. Behind him, the roar of the supernatural enforcer still echoed faintly in his memory.
That man wasn't human.
Jace had fought plenty of criminals since he started his nightly patrols, but nothing like that. The glowing eyes. The unnatural strength. The way the knife had sparked against his skin.
Something deeper was happening in the city.
Something dangerous.
Jace vaulted over a chain-link fence and landed in a dark courtyard behind an abandoned building. He paused there for a moment, catching his breath while scanning the streets for anyone following him.
Nothing.
The night remained quiet.
Good.
He adjusted his mask and slipped into a hidden entrance beneath the building's foundation—a rusted hatch partially concealed by debris. With a quick pull, the metal door creaked open.
The narrow staircase beneath led down into darkness.
Into his sanctuary.
His hideout.
The abandoned subway station beneath Manhattan was silent except for the distant rumble of trains passing through deeper tunnels. A few hanging lights illuminated the area, casting long shadows across the concrete floor.
Maps of New York covered the walls.
Red and yellow pins marked gang territories, suspicious incidents, and unsolved crimes.
At the center of the room sat a metal worktable where Jace planned his nightly operations.
Tonight, something new occupied that table.
The metal case.
Jace placed it down carefully.
Up close, the object was even stranger than he remembered. The surface was covered in ancient-looking symbols, faintly glowing like embers beneath ash. The air around it seemed warmer.
He removed his mask and wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Alright," he muttered quietly.
"Let's see what you are."
He circled the table slowly, examining the markings.
Jace wasn't an expert in ancient languages or supernatural artifacts, but he had spent enough nights investigating strange crimes to recognize when something wasn't normal.
This was definitely one of those things.
The humming grew slightly louder.
Almost like the case knew it was being watched.
Jace leaned closer.
There was no lock.
Just a seam running along the edge.
He hesitated.
The glowing-eyed man had clearly been protecting this thing. Whatever was inside had to be valuable—or dangerous.
Maybe both.
Jace flexed his fingers.
"Well," he sighed.
"Only one way to find out."
He slid the knife blade into the seam and carefully pried the lid open.
The moment the case cracked open—
A burst of warm light spilled into the room.
Jace instinctively stepped back.
Inside the case lay a single object.
A dagger.
But it wasn't an ordinary weapon.
The blade looked ancient, forged from dark metal that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Along its surface, glowing red veins pulsed slowly like flowing magma beneath stone.
The handle was wrapped in worn leather, and the same strange symbols from the case were carved into the guard.
The entire weapon radiated heat.
Jace stared at it.
"What the hell…"
He reached toward it cautiously.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the handle—
The room exploded with light.
Jace gasped as a sudden rush of heat surged through his body. His vision blurred as images flashed across his mind.
Fire.
Ancient battles.
Warriors wielding glowing weapons against shadowy creatures that barely resembled humans.
A voice echoed faintly in his head.
Not words exactly.
More like a feeling.
Power.
Responsibility.
Danger.
Jace stumbled backward, dropping the dagger onto the table.
The visions stopped instantly.
He leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"What… was that?"
The dagger lay still on the metal surface.
Quiet.
Harmless.
But Jace knew better now.
That weapon was alive with energy.
Slowly, cautiously, he stepped forward again.
This time, he picked up the dagger more carefully.
The warmth returned, but the overwhelming visions didn't.
The glowing veins along the blade pulsed faintly.
Almost like a heartbeat.
Jace examined it closely.
"This is what Kane wanted," he said quietly.
"If he gets his hands on this…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The glowing-eyed man alone had nearly crushed him. If weapons like this were being traded around the city, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Jace slid the dagger into a sheath on his belt.
For now, it was safer with him.
At least until he figured out what it truly was.
A sudden sound broke the silence.
A train passing through a deeper tunnel.
The vibrations shook dust from the ceiling.
Jace walked over to the map wall.
He studied the pins marking Kane's suspected operations.
The warehouse.
The docks.
Several abandoned buildings scattered across Manhattan.
But one location stood out.
A nightclub in Hell's Kitchen.
Rumor had it the place served as a meeting ground for Kane's people.
Jace tapped the map thoughtfully.
"If Kane wanted the dagger delivered tonight…"
His eyes narrowed.
"They'll realize it's missing."
Which meant one thing.
They'd start looking for the person who stole it.
Jace pulled his mask back on.
His knuckles cracked as he flexed his hands.
"Good," he murmured.
"Let them look."
Because now the fight had changed.
This wasn't just street-level crime anymore.
Supernatural weapons.
Mysterious enforcers.
Secret deals happening in the shadows.
Something bigger was unfolding in New York.
And Jace had just placed himself right in the middle of it.
He climbed the stairs leading back toward the city streets.
The night air greeted him as he emerged from the hidden hatch.
New York stretched before him.
Endless buildings.
Endless darkness.
Endless danger.
Jace pulled the hood of his jacket over his mask and stepped onto the rooftop above the subway entrance.
From here, he could see the glowing skyline stretching for miles.
Somewhere out there…
Victor Kane was planning his next move.
Jace rested his hand on the dagger at his belt.
The blade pulsed softly.
Almost as if it knew what was coming.
"Looks like it's you and me now," Jace muttered.
The city lights flickered in the distance.
And somewhere in the darkness…
Someone else was already hunting him.