The neon glow of Lunaris pulsed like a living heartbeat, a city caught between the future and the past. Towering skyscrapers laced with digital vines loomed over ancient stone courtyards where nobles in ceremonial masks wove through grand halls, clinging to their centuries-old traditions.
Tonight was the Masquerade of Lunaris, the annual gathering where the elite Ruin Families, the Lunar Council, and the Nox Clan met under the guise of unity. But beneath the masks, war was brewing.
Aeris Vellor, daughter of the Nox Clan's ruling family, stood in the shadowed balcony of the Grand Pavilion, her gold-trimmed black robe barely brushing the marble floor. Below, nobles whispered over jeweled goblets, politicians made secret deals behind shimmering veils, and masked assassins wove through the crowd unseen.
She was trained to be one of them—a silent enforcer of balance, ensuring Lunaris did not tip into chaos. But the balance was already breaking.
"Where is he?" she muttered under her breath.
A shadow moved behind her.
Thorn Castille—the exiled heir of a fallen Ruin Family—leaned casually against the pillar, his dark attire blending into the night. A glint of cybernetic silver traced his temple, a mark of his past—the failed rebellion that cost his family everything.
"Miss me?" he said, smirking.
Aeris turned sharply, eyes narrowing.
"You shouldn't be here."
"Neither should half the people in this room. But here we are." Thorn stepped closer, lowering his voice. "The Lunar Council is planning something big. You've felt it, haven't you? The curfews, the disappearances, the way they tighten their grip."
Aeris hesitated. She had felt it. Whispers of a Project Helios, a surveillance system unlike anything before, capable of monitoring every movement, every word. If the Council succeeded, there would be no more secrets in Lunaris. No more freedom.
"If you know something, speak. If not, leave before you get yourself killed," Aeris said coldly.
"Funny, I was going to say the same to you." Thorn's smirk faded. "I have proof. The Council is preparing to launch Project Helios in three days. Once it goes online, Lunaris becomes a prison. I need your help to stop it."
Aeris clenched her jaw.
"You're asking me to betray my family."
"I'm asking you to save your city."
Silence hung between them. Below, the masquerade continued, a beautiful lie spinning on the edge of ruin.
Aeris inhaled slowly.
"Meet me at the Obsidian Bridge at midnight. If you're lying, I'll kill you myself."
Thorn grinned.
"I'd expect nothing less."