The city had changed.
Or maybe it was Aeron who had changed.
Dressed in a dark hooded jacket, he moved through the quiet alleys of the lower district, where flickering neon lights barely touched the shadows. His wounds from the dungeon had healed, but the scars of betrayal ran deeper than flesh.
For now, he needed to lay low. He wasn't strong enough to take on the Eclipse Fang guild directly not yet. The system had given him new power, but he had barely scratched the surface of what Nyxus could offer.
"You are wise to be cautious," Nyxus murmured in his mind. "But fate is rarely kind to those who hide too long."
Aeron exhaled. I just need time.
That was when he saw them.
Two figures slipped into a side alley, their movements quick and deliberate. Their clothes were too clean for the lower district, their boots too quiet for common thugs. These weren't ordinary civilians.
Aeron's instincts sharpened. He didn't believe in coincidences anymore.
Sticking to the shadows, he followed.
---
(The meeting)
The alley led to a secluded warehouse on the outskirts of the district. The building looked abandoned, but as Aeron got closer, he felt a shift in the air a faint hum of mana, like the residue of a dungeon.
He crouched behind a stack of rusted crates, watching.
A small group had gathered inside, their voices hushed but urgent.
One of them, a man with slicked-back hair and a nervous expression, was speaking.
"It's happening faster than we thought. The guild is accelerating their dungeon experiments."
Dungeon experiments? Aeron's fingers tightened.
The second person, a woman with sharp eyes, crossed her arms. "And the mutated ones? Are they still contained?"
"For now. But if they break out, we're all screwed."
The third figure a hooded man stepped forward. His voice was low but firm. "Then we have no choice. We have to expose them."
Aeron narrowed his eyes.
Expose the guild?
What the hell was going on?
---
(The Attack)
Aeron didn't get the chance to listen further.
A shadow moved from the rooftop above.
Before he could react, a crossbow bolt whistled through the air.
The man with slicked-back hair jerked forward, clutching his throat as blood sprayed across the ground.
Chaos erupted.
Figures in black tactical armor dropped from above, their movements precise and lethal. The woman tried to draw a weapon, but a blade sliced through her chest before she could react.
Aeron didn't think.
His body moved on instinct.
[Abyssal Predator Activated.]
He vanished into the shadows, slipping between the attackers as they massacred the group. His heartbeat slowed, his breathing steady.
These weren't ordinary enforcers. Their movements were too clean, too disciplined.
They were assassins.
And they were eliminating anyone who knew too much.
---
(A Choice)
Aeron watched as the last survivor the hooded man struggled against two assassins, barely holding them off.
He didn't know who this man was. He didn't even know if he could be trusted.
But he did know one thing.
The Eclipse Fang guild wanted him dead.
That was reason enough to keep him alive.
With a sharp inhale, Aeron made his move.
"Nyxus."
"Heh. Finally."
Dark energy flared to life around Aeron's hands as he stepped out of the shadows.
It was time to send a message.
---
Aeron moved without hesitation.
The assassins were efficient, their movements precise as they closed in on the last survivor. The hooded man fought desperately, deflecting one blade while barely dodging another. But he was losing outnumbered and outclassed.
Aeron had seen enough.
"Nyxus."
"Let's see what you've learned."
[Shadow Step Activated.]
Dark energy surged through Aeron's veins. His form blurred, vanishing into the darkness as he closed the distance in an instant. The nearest assassin didn't even have time to react before
CRACK
Aeron's fist connected with his ribs, sending the assassin flying into the wall. The impact shattered concrete. The second assassin spun toward the new threat, a dagger flashing toward Aeron's throat.
[Abyssal Reflexes Engaged]
Aeron twisted his body, the blade missing by an inch. He grabbed the attacker's arm, using their own momentum to flip them over his shoulder. Before they could recover
SLASH!
Aeron buried a stolen dagger into their chest, twisting it before yanking it free.
One down.
The hooded man took the distraction and retaliated, his blade cutting across the third assassin's leg. The attacker stumbled, and with a quick follow-up strike, the hooded man ended it.
The last assassin hesitated.
Aeron stepped forward, shadow energy curling around his fingers.
"Run."
The assassin didn't need to be told twice. He turned and disappeared into the night.
A warning. A message.
Aeron let him go because he wanted the guild to know.
He was still alive.
And he was coming for them.
---
(After math)
The hooded man staggered back, gripping his injured arm. His dark eyes studied Aeron with suspicion and something else reluctant gratitude.
"Didn't expect help," he muttered.
Aeron didn't respond immediately. His gaze flickered to the corpses. He had questions.
"Who are you?" Aeron finally asked.
The man hesitated before lowering his hood, revealing sharp features and graying hair.
"Name's Darius," he said. "I used to work for them."
The Eclipse Fang guild.
Aeron's jaw clenched.
Darius exhaled. "I don't know who you are, but if you just made yourself their enemy… you'd better be ready for war."
Aeron stared into the darkness where the assassin had escaped.
He already was.
The alley was quiet now. Only the scent of blood and the low hum of distant traffic remained. Aeron wiped his blade clean, watching as Darius shifted uncomfortably, still gripping his injured arm.
The former guild member's expression was unreadable, but Aeron could see the way his shoulders tensed, the way his eyes darted toward the darkness beyond the alley. He was calculating deciding if Aeron was a bigger threat than the assassins had been.
Aeron let the silence linger.
It was Darius who finally spoke.
"You didn't have to get involved."
Aeron scoffed. "Didn't have to. Chose to."
Darius studied him again, then nodded, a silent acceptance of the fact that they were now entangled in the same mess.
"Who sent them?" Aeron asked, his voice calm but sharp.
Darius hesitated. "Eclipse Fang."
Aeron had already suspected it, but hearing the name confirmed what he feared. They knew he was alive.
"The one who got away," he said. "They'll report this."
Darius exhaled, stepping over the fallen assassins. "Yeah. And that means more are coming. Stronger ones."
Aeron's grip on his dagger tightened. "Let them."
Darius let out a bitter chuckle. "You don't get it. Eclipse Fang doesn't just send assassins to kill. They test. Evaluate. Whoever they send next… they'll be gauging your strength."
Aeron's eyes darkened. He knew exactly how Eclipse Fang operated. He had once been part of the system they built the one that decided who lived, who died, who was useful, and who was discarded.
And they had discarded him.
Darius leaned against the alley wall, breathing heavily. His wounds weren't fatal, but they were slowing him down.
Aeron watched him for a moment before turning away.
"I need information," he said.
Darius smirked. "And I need a damn medic."
Aeron didn't argue. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial, tossing it to him. Darius caught it, eyeing the dark liquid warily.
"Modified low-tier potion. Won't fix everything, but it'll stop the bleeding."
Darius muttered something under his breath before downing the contents. A faint glow pulsed across his skin as the potion took effect.
"Now talk," Aeron said.
Darius sighed. "What do you want to know?"
Aeron's mind went to Nyxus' words, the cryptic hint about something buried deep in high-tier dungeons the only chance to save his sister.
"The higher-tier dungeons," Aeron said. "What's inside them?"
Darius frowned. "A lot of death. A lot of monsters."
Aeron didn't react.
Darius sighed again, rubbing his temple. "But you already knew that. You're looking for something specific, aren't you?"
Aeron said nothing.
Darius studied him, then cursed under his breath. "You're after the relics, aren't you?"
Aeron's eyes flickered. "Relics?"
Darius exhaled. "Shit. You don't even know."
Aeron stepped closer. "Then tell me."
Darius hesitated, but something in Aeron's gaze made him understand that there was no avoiding this.
"There are artifacts," he said slowly. "Old ones. Not just weapons or enchanted gear. Things from before the first recorded dungeons. Powerful enough that even the guilds don't fully understand them."
Aeron felt a shift in his chest. Nyxus' voice echoed in his mind.
"The answers you seek are buried in power far older than you realize."
Darius continued, "Eclipse Fang doesn't control all of them, but they know where some are. And they want more."
Aeron clenched his fists.
"Where's the nearest one?"
Darius hesitated. "…If I tell you, you'll be running into something even worse than assassins."
Aeron smirked. "Then I guess I should get started."
---