The clock struck 8:00 PM as Kyle slipped out of his room, the academy halls eerily quiet. Aurelia had left a note saying she would be working late.
'Perfect.'
He moved swiftly through the dimly lit streets of Valtheris, hood pulled low, until he reached the mana train station.
The automated gates hummed as he swiped his ticket, the glowing blue rails carrying him toward Ashon City's underbelly.
The train deposited him in a district the city maps conveniently ignored.
Crumbling brick buildings leaned against each other like drunkards, their windows boarded up or glowing with suspiciously colored lights. The air smelled of fried street food and something far less legal.
Kyle pulled the black mask (Artifact) he had ordered few days ago. It will conceal his face from the prying eyes at least from low and Mid Rankers.
At the end of a narrow alley stood an unmarked door, its peeling paint the same shade of grime as the walls around it.
