The sirens faded, replaced by the rhythmic thrum of heavy footsteps pounding against rusted metal walkways. Shadows moved with purpose across the distant rooftops, flickering under the sporadic glow of failing streetlights. Ecliptors—their armor black as charred bone, marked with crimson sigils of the fractured empire—spread like a stain through the ruins.
Kaen slid down from the watchtower, landing softly on the debris-strewn ground below. His crimson scarf snapped in the wind, a defiant flare against the gray decay surrounding him. Aira followed, her movements fluid, predatory, as if she was part of the shadows themselves.
"They're closer than I thought," Kaen muttered, glancing down the narrow alleyways carved between leaning structures, their steel skeletons groaning under Zephyra's eternal turbulence.
Aira checked the blades hidden beneath her sleeves. "That's because they're not hunting us. They're herding us."
Kaen's jaw tightened. She was right.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them vibrated with a low, guttural hum—a sound that resonated deep within their chests. From the heart of Drayveil, a beam of violet light pierced the sky, splitting the storm clouds above. The air grew heavier, thick with the metallic tang of raw Aether.
"That's not good," Aira breathed.
Kaen gripped Oblivion Fang tighter. "No. It's not."
They sprinted through the collapsing alleys, leaping over broken machinery and ducking under jagged beams. The closer they got to the light, the more distorted the world became. Buildings twisted unnaturally, metal bending like molten wax. The echoes of the past whispered through the air, fragments of voices trapped in time.
At the center of it all, they found the source: a relic from the pre-Vortex era, half-buried beneath rubble—an Aether Core, pulsing erratically, its containment seals broken. Surrounding it stood an Ecliptor squad, their leader clad in enhanced armor, a cruel mask hiding his face.
"Kaen Valen," the masked figure called out, his voice amplified and distorted. "The abyss calls for you."
Kaen stepped forward, the wind pulling at his scarf like fingers trying to drag him back.
"Let it call," he replied, drawing his blade. "I'm not answering."
And the storm erupted.