The cold night air settled heavily over Marcus Harrison's estate, carrying with it an unnatural stillness.
The mansion loomed like a monument to greed and secrecy, its polished stone walls reflecting the pale glow of the moon. Elias followed Captain Lirian to the gates, every step weighed down by the tension coiling in his chest.
"Wait," Lirian said sharply, raising a hand to stop him.
Elias halted, watching as Lirian crouched and placed his palm against the ground. A faint shimmer appeared above his hand, a flickering wisp of light that twisted and pulsed before darting off toward the mansion. It disappeared into the darkened windows, slipping through cracks and keyholes with unsettling ease.
"What is that?" Elias asked, though he already suspected he wouldn't get a clear answer.
"Eyes," Lirian replied simply, his focus remaining on the path ahead.
Elias resisted the urge to press further. Instead, he adjusted his grip on his revolver, the weight of it familiar but oddly insufficient against the unknown forces they faced.
Moments later, the wisp returned, circling briefly before dissolving into a faint mist. Lirian stood, brushing his hands off.
"The way forward is clear—for now," he said. "Stay close, and don't fall behind."
Elias sighed and followed, the faint hum of Veil energy in the air setting his teeth on edge.
The front doors creaked open under Lirian's hand, revealing a grand foyer drenched in shadow. The light from the chandelier above flickered weakly, casting warped reflections on the marble floor.
Elias stepped inside, his boots clicking softly against the tiles. As he crossed the threshold, a faint murmur began at the edges of his mind.
The sound wasn't human. It was fragmented, incomprehensible—like broken whispers scratching at his thoughts.
He shook his head, trying to push the sensation aside, but it clung to him like a shadow.
"Keep moving," Lirian said, his voice low and measured.
They advanced through the mansion in silence, their steps muffled by thick carpets. Shadows pooled unnaturally in the corners, shifting subtly in ways Elias couldn't explain. His fingers twitched toward the brass monocle tucked in his coat pocket, the urge to use it growing with every step.
Adrienne's warning echoed in his mind: "The more you rely on it, the worse the Fraying will get."
He let out a slow breath and forced his hand away.
They found Marcus Harrison in his study, a room dominated by a massive desk and lined with bookshelves crammed with ledgers and faded tomes. Harrison sat behind the desk, his pale face glistening with sweat. A glass of brandy trembled in his hand.
"You're late," he said, his voice strained.
"We're not here for pleasantries," Lirian replied, stepping forward.
Elias crossed his arms. "We need answers, Harrison. What's coming tonight?"
Harrison swallowed hard, setting the glass down with shaking fingers. "I've told you before—I didn't have a choice. They threatened my family, my business. What would you have done in my place?"
"Not consort with the Syndicate," Lirian said coldly. "What's in the shipment? What's it for?"
"It's…" Harrison hesitated, his gaze darting toward the door. "It's something for their ritual. To amplify the breach. That's all I know, I swear."
The light from the chandelier flickered violently, and the air grew colder.
Lirian's posture stiffened. "We're not alone."
The study door burst open, and three figures strode inside. Shadows clung to their forms like a second skin, their glowing eyes the only discernible feature in the darkness.
"Marcus Harrison," the lead mercenary said, her voice sharp and distorted. "You've said enough."
Before anyone could react, tendrils of shadow lashed out toward Harrison.
Lirian raised his hand, summoning a barrier of twisting shadows to intercept the attack. The tendrils struck the barrier with a faint hiss before dissipating.
"Get down!" Lirian barked, his voice cutting through the chaos.
Elias ducked behind the desk, drawing his revolver as the second mercenary lunged toward him. He fired, the enchanted bullet tearing through the shadows cloaking the attacker. They staggered but quickly recovered, their form shifting as they manipulated the shadows around them to obscure their movements.
The room descended into chaos. The mercenaries moved with precision, their shadow manipulation dimming the light further and creating fleeting illusions that disoriented their targets.
One of them darted toward Lirian, their hand wreathed in shadows that formed into crude claws. Lirian sidestepped the attack with Wraithstep, his form blurring momentarily before reappearing behind them.
The captain's blade struck cleanly, cutting through the shadows and forcing the mercenary to retreat.
Elias fired another shot at the nearest mercenary, but the shadows shifted unpredictably, and the bullet only grazed their shoulder. The incomprehensible whispers in his mind grew louder, pressing against his thoughts like a tidal wave.
Lirian moved like a phantom, combining his abilities with precision and creativity. The wisp he had summoned earlier returned, darting through the room and illuminating the mercenaries' positions.
Using the wisp's light as a guide, Lirian struck with his shadow-forged blade, exploiting openings in their defenses.
When one mercenary attempted to flank him, Lirian countered with Shadowcraft, forming a barrier that deflected their attack before dissipating into tendrils that lashed back at them.
The mercenaries faltered, their shadow manipulation proving no match for the captain's practiced technique.
Elias remained behind the desk, his heart pounding. The whispers in his head had become a relentless torrent, their incoherence leaving him on edge.
One mercenary turned their focus toward him, their shadows coiling into a crude blade. Elias fired, the bullet striking true and forcing them back. But they recovered quickly, their form flickering as they dimmed the light further.
For a brief moment, Elias considered reaching for the monocle. He could feel its weight in his pocket, the pull of its power almost irresistible.
But Adrienne's warning stopped him.
"Not worth it," he muttered to himself, shaking off the thought.
Amid the chaos, Harrison scrambled for the door.
"Don't even think about it!" Elias shouted, but Harrison didn't listen.
One of the mercenaries shifted their focus, their tendrils of shadow snaking toward the fleeing man.
Lirian moved quickly, summoning a barrier that intercepted the tendrils just before they reached Harrison. He didn't waste a moment, closing the distance to the mercenary and cutting through their defenses with a series of precise strikes.
Harrison disappeared into the hallway, his retreat leaving only echoes of his footsteps.
The lead mercenary hissed in frustration, their shadows surging outward in a desperate final attack. The room was consumed by darkness, the oppressive energy pressing against Elias's chest.
Lirian countered by summoning another wisp, its glow cutting through the shadows like a beacon. Using the light to his advantage, he created a wave of shadows that swept across the room, disrupting the mercenaries' movements.
His blade struck true, and the remaining attackers faltered.
"This isn't over," the lead mercenary snarled before vanishing into the shadows, her allies following suit.
---
The study was left in ruins, the air thick with the lingering hum of Veil energy.
"Harrison?" Elias asked, his voice tense.
Lirian sheathed his blade, his expression grim. "Gone."
Elias cursed under his breath, leaning against the shattered remnants of the desk. "We should've stopped him."
"There's no time for that," Lirian said, already moving toward the door. "Adrienne's team needs us."
Elias nodded, reloading his revolver. "Let's finish this."
The two stepped into the cold night air, the weight of their failure pressing heavily on their shoulders.
The battle had been a grim reminder of the Syndicate's power—and the Veil's growing influence. As they hurried toward the docks, the whispers in Elias's mind ebbed slightly but remained a constant presence, gnawing at the edges of his sanity.