The rain began to ease as dawn approached, though the clouds overhead remained heavy and foreboding, like a canopy of unspoken dread. Luminex International's sleek facade glistened under the weak light of the rising sun, the world outside still caught in the gray limbo between night and day.
Inside the building, Ethan walked with purpose through the labyrinth of corridors. His steps were brisk, his gaze fixed ahead, but his mind was a tangle of uncertainties. The call from the previous night played over and over in his head.
Expendable.
The word clung to him like a curse, each repetition pulling him further into its gravity. He wasn't used to being a pawn—he was the one pulling the strings, the one slipping through shadows unseen. And yet, the game had shifted.
Ethan stopped outside a glass-walled conference room, his reflection distorted against the transparent surface. Inside, a small group of employees sat in hushed discussion, their tired faces lit by the glow of a projector displaying financial charts.
The mundanity of it all was almost laughable, given the storm brewing beneath the surface of this company. To the people inside that room, Luminex was nothing more than a cutting-edge business empire. But Ethan knew better.
Victoria stood at her desk, the shard from the seal resting on the polished wood before her. Its surface shimmered faintly, an iridescent glow that seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat. She hated how it mesmerized her, how its pull felt both intoxicating and repulsive.
Her hand hovered over it, hesitating for a fraction of a second before she picked it up. The shard was cold to the touch, but as she held it, a warmth began to spread through her palm, snaking up her arm like a slow-burning flame.
She closed her eyes, inhaling sharply as memories she had buried deep began to resurface.
The family estate. Her father's voice, harsh and commanding, warning her never to touch the shard. The way her mother's hands had trembled as she locked it away, whispering words Victoria hadn't understood at the time.
"This is not power—it's a burden."
But power and burden were two sides of the same coin, weren't they? Victoria's lips curled into a faint smirk, though her eyes remained cold. She had inherited both, and she would wield them as she saw fit.
Her intercom buzzed, breaking the moment.
"Ms. Lane," Anna's voice came through, steady but with a hint of urgency. "You asked me to monitor Mr. Ward. He's in the archives."
Victoria's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening on the shard. "Good," she said, her voice clipped. "Keep an eye on him. And Anna—don't let him leave unnoticed."
"Yes, Ms. Lane."
Victoria set the shard back in its case, locking it away once more. If Ethan wanted to play games, she would make sure he understood exactly who he was dealing with.
The archives were colder than the rest of the building, the air heavy with the scent of dust and aged paper. Rows of shelves stretched endlessly, filled with files and documents that chronicled decades of Luminex's operations.
Ethan moved quietly between the aisles, his footsteps muffled by the industrial carpet. His fingers trailed along the edges of the shelves, brushing past binders and folders marked with cryptic codes.
It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for. A thick folder labeled "Project Obsidian: Initiation Protocols" sat near the end of a shelf, its edges worn from frequent handling. He pulled it free, glancing over his shoulder to ensure he was alone before opening it.
The pages were dense with diagrams, charts, and text. Ethan's eyes scanned quickly, picking out key phrases:
"Energy transference efficiency: 68%."
"Subject response to shard interaction remains unstable."
"Projected seal degradation timeline: accelerated."
He froze on the final page, his breath catching as he read the bolded header:
"Primary Test Subject: Victoria Lane."
Ethan's grip on the folder tightened, his jaw clenching. The implications were clear—Victoria wasn't just overseeing the seal. She was directly connected to it.
A soft sound broke his focus—a faint click, like a footstep on metal. He snapped the folder shut and turned, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows.
"Looking for something?"
The voice was smooth, confident, and laced with amusement. Ethan stepped back as Anna emerged from the aisle behind him, her clipboard conspicuously absent.
"Ms. Lane won't be happy if you're down here without permission," she said, her tone light but her gaze sharp.
Ethan forced a calm smile, slipping the folder under his arm. "Just catching up on company history," he said evenly. "You can never be too prepared."
Anna's lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile. "Of course. But you'll understand if I need to report this, won't you?"
Ethan's smile didn't falter. "Of course."
The tension between them was palpable, a silent standoff that neither was willing to break. Finally, Anna stepped aside, gesturing toward the exit.
"After you," she said.
Ethan walked past her, his senses on high alert. He could feel her eyes on him, the weight of her scrutiny like a dagger poised at his back.
As he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed, Ethan exhaled slowly. The game had shifted yet again, and the players were moving their pieces with increasing precision.