Chapter 1: The Catalyst
---
Aurelion shimmered under the dying sun, its golden spires casting long shadows over the bustling streets. The Grand Bazaar was alive with activity: merchants hawking their wares, street performers drawing crowds, and pickpockets weaving through the throngs like shadows. Among them was Liana Corven, her hood pulled low over her face, her gloved hand brushing the hilt of the dagger hidden beneath her cloak.
She wasn't here for coin. Tonight's target was far more valuable.
---
Liana moved through the crowd with practiced ease, her steps silent, her eyes sharp. Ahead, the auction house loomed—a fortress of opulence, its marble walls glowing in the twilight. Nobles and wealthy merchants filed inside, unaware of the storm brewing beneath their gilded masks.
"Do you have it?" a gruff voice murmured at her side.
She didn't flinch. Rook, her reluctant partner, blended into the crowd as easily as she did, his weathered face hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat.
"Patience," Liana whispered, her lips barely moving. She slipped a folded parchment into his hand. "The blueprints. The artifact's in the vault below the main hall. You distract the guards. I'll handle the rest."
Rook snorted. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is. If you don't screw it up."
---
Inside the auction house, the air buzzed with tension. Wealth dripped from every corner: crystal chandeliers, velvet curtains, and servants bearing trays of rare wines. But Liana's eyes were fixed on the dais, where a single object rested beneath a glass dome.
The artifact.
It was smaller than she'd expected, no larger than a fist. A sphere of obsidian etched with intricate runes that seemed to shimmer and shift in the light. The auctioneer was already launching into a rousing description of its supposed history, but Liana tuned him out.
"This is it," she murmured, her heart pounding.
---
The plan unraveled faster than she anticipated.
As Rook staged his distraction—a minor fire in the kitchens that sent guards scrambling—Liana slipped into the vault. Her tools made quick work of the locks, and within moments, the artifact was in her hands. It was colder than she'd expected, the runes pulsing faintly beneath her touch.
But as she turned to leave, a voice cut through the silence.
"Stop right there."
She froze. The figure in the doorway was no ordinary guard. He wore dark robes adorned with the symbol of The Veil, a dagger-like insignia that made her blood run cold.
"You don't know what you're holding," the man said, his voice low and dangerous. "Put it down, and I might let you live."
Liana's instincts screamed at her to run, but something in the man's tone—fear, not just anger—rooted her to the spot.
"What is this?" she demanded.
He took a step closer, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "A mistake. One that could destroy us all."
---
The world shattered.
The artifact, reacting to her touch, flared with light. The runes blazed like fire, and a pulse of energy erupted from its core, throwing her and the man to the ground.
Above, the auction house trembled. Cracks raced across the marble walls, and screams filled the air as chandeliers crashed to the floor.
Liana staggered to her feet, clutching the artifact. The Veil agent was gone, consumed by the light, but his final words echoed in her mind.
"Destroy us all."
---
As the dust settled, she stumbled into the street, the artifact still glowing faintly in her hands. Around her, chaos reigned. Fires burned, buildings crumbled, and people ran in every direction.
Rook appeared at her side, his face pale. "What the hell did you do?"
Liana looked down at the artifact, its light fading but its weight impossibly heavy.
"I think," she said breathlessly, "I just made a very big mistake."
---
End of Chapter 1