The city's underground was a maze, and Zara knew it well. Beneath the polished streets of Silver City lay a network of tunnels, abandoned train stations, and forgotten vaults where the city's most dangerous figures operated. Zara had spent years navigating these hidden paths, but tonight, she wasn't here to hide.
She was hunting.
Her target: a man known as The Broker, a middleman with ties to every criminal syndicate in the city. If anyone knew who was behind the mercenaries, it would be him.
Zara moved silently through the dimly lit corridors, her ears tuned to the faintest sounds. Her powers heightened her senses, allowing her to blend into the shadows and move unnoticed. The deeper she ventured, the more she felt the weight of the city pressing down on her, as if the very walls were alive with secrets.
As she approached The Broker's lair, she could hear the low murmur of voices. Zara pressed herself against the wall, listening carefully.
"She's getting closer," one voice said, low and gravelly.
"She's more dangerous than we thought," another voice replied. "But the Eclipsed Order won't stop until she's under their control. She won't be a problem for long."
Zara's blood ran cold. The Eclipsed Order again. They knew she was coming.
Steeling herself, Zara stepped out of the shadows and into the room. The two men standing guard froze, their hands moving instinctively toward their weapons. But before they could act, Zara raised her hand, and the shadows surged forward, wrapping around them like a living net. In seconds, they were unconscious on the floor.
The Broker, a wiry man with slicked-back hair and shifty eyes, stood at the center of the room, his face pale with fear.
"You—you're not supposed to be here!" he stammered, backing away.
Zara stepped forward, her eyes cold. "Tell me what you know about the Eclipsed Order."
The Broker swallowed hard, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. But there was none. "I—I don't know much. They're a secretive group. Deal in ancient powers, artifacts, stuff like that. They've been around for centuries, but no one really knows what they want. Except now... they want you."
Zara's jaw tightened. "Why?"
The Broker hesitated, then lowered his voice. "They think you're the key to something. Some kind of ancient weapon or power they've been searching for. They've been gathering pieces for years, and now they believe you're the last piece they need."
Zara's mind raced. A weapon? Ancient powers? None of this made sense, but the pieces were starting to come together. The lab, the symbols, her powers—it was all connected to something far bigger than she had imagined.
Before she could press The Broker for more, a sharp noise cut through the air. Zara spun around just in time to see a group of armed mercenaries flooding into the room, their eyes glowing with the same eerie light she had seen before.
The fight was on.
Zara moved with lethal precision, her powers flowing through her like a dark river. Shadows lashed out, knocking weapons from their hands and enveloping them in suffocating darkness. But the mercenaries were relentless, their attacks coordinated and brutal.
As she fought, Zara realized she was running out of time. The Eclipsed Order wasn't just after her—they were closing in on something far more dangerous. And if she didn't stop them, the dawn might never come again.