Mistport was never silent, but tonight, the city buzzed with unease. Beneath the neon haze and glowing traffic veins, something unseen shifted in the air.
Nathan Fielding stood alone on the balcony of his Northcrest residence, watching the city pulse like a living circuit board. From this height, he could almost pretend the chaos hadn't reached the upper levels. But tonight, even the illusion was thin.
The message had arrived ten minutes ago: another NuMist capsule detected near Harbor Point. A small surge, followed by surveillance blackout.
The third this month.
Nathan folded his arms behind his back, the wind tugging at the long coat that marked his status as mayor. His expression remained calm, but a single vein in his jaw pulsed—betraying the thoughts swirling in his mind.
His communicator blinked softly.
"Mayor Fielding?" Lieutenant Ashir's voice crackled.
"Go ahead."
"We've detained the courier. Female. Young. Possibly Veil-sensitive. She claims she didn't know what she was carrying."
"Where is she?"
"Being transferred to Sector Five. Paid in cash. Classic sealed handoff. But her scans lit up—Sir, she's not ordinary."
Nathan narrowed his eyes. "Keep her contained. I want access to her route logs. Immediately."
"Understood."
He ended the call and stepped back into his study. The room was quiet—too quiet.
Then the lights flickered.
Just once. A faint, nearly imperceptible pulse.
Nathan froze. Not because the lights dimmed, but because they had done so last week. And the week before. Always at night. Always near a mirror.
The System was supposed to be dead.
Footsteps echoed on the stairwell behind him—soft and hesitant.
"Raine," Nathan said without turning.
The boy appeared in the doorway, draped in an oversized sweater that swallowed his small frame. At ten years old, Raine looked fragile. But it was his silence that carried weight. The kind of silence that listened too deeply.
"I couldn't sleep," Raine whispered. "The lights flickered again. And… I saw her."
Nathan finally turned, brow tightening. "Who did you see?"
Raine hesitated. "The woman in the mirror."
Nathan stepped closer. "Describe her."
"She smiled, but her smile looked… cracked. Like a broken window."
A chill ran through Nathan. "Did she say anything?"
Raine nodded slowly. "Just four words. 'The System remembers you.' Then the mirror fogged over."
Nathan knelt, placing his hands gently on Raine's shoulders. "There's no woman in the mirror. You're safe here."
"But what if she's not in the house?" Raine asked. "What if she's not supposed to be in this world?"
Nathan's grip tightened slightly.
He had fought to seal the Veilrealm ten years ago. Buried bodies. Buried code. Buried the truth. He thought it was over.
Now his son was hearing messages from the System.
Later that night, Nathan stood again in his office, alone with his thoughts. On the datapad before him, the image of the detained courier loaded slowly.
He recognized her immediately.
Luna Eryndale.
Her name hadn't crossed his files in years. A former black-zone smuggler. She was supposed to be off the grid. Now she was carrying NuMist into the city—and the system was whispering again.
Nathan turned the screen off and walked to the glass wall that faced the skyline.
Below, Mistport hummed like a breathing machine.
The Veil wasn't just opening again.
It was choosing a Candidate.
And this time, it wasn't asking permission.