The eastern slums choked with rotted timber and piss-soaked stone.
Jona moved through narrow alleys where steam pipes leaked rust-colored water and gas lamps flickered like dying stars. Buildings leaned against each other, ready to collapse at a strong wind. Somewhere, a child cried. Somewhere else, glass shattered. This was the Dominion's underbelly, where dreams came to rot.
Once, House Mozzeri had ruled these streets. His mother's stories painted them differently: protected, organized, a haven for the Houseless. Now they were just another hunting ground.
Two hours until dawn. Jona kept to the shadows, his new senses alert for threats. The sword bounced against his hip with each step. The armor chafed, but he'd take discomfort over a knife between the ribs.
[Perception Check: Success]
[Warning: Hostile Intent Detected - Multiple Sources]
He stopped.
Six figures melted from the darkness ahead. Street gang by the look of them, wearing mismatched leather and carrying crude weapons. The leader was a woman with a shaved head and a nasty scar across her throat. She spun a chain in one hand.
"Well, look what we got," she rasped. "Fresh meat with new gear."
"Not interested," Jona said, hand moving to his sword. "Walk away."
"See, that's not how this works." She grinned, revealing filed teeth. "You walk through our territory, you pay the toll. Gear looks nice. We'll take it."
The others spread out, flanking him. No awakened among them, but six on one was bad odds even with his new abilities. Jona's mind raced. Fight or run? The alley behind him was a dead end. Forward meant going through them.
"Last chance," the leader said. "Strip, or we strip you."
Jona drew his sword. "Option three."
They rushed him.
The first attacker swung a club at his head. Jona ducked, bringing his blade up in a slash that opened the man's arm from elbow to wrist. Blood sprayed hot across his face. The second came from his left, knife gleaming. Jona twisted, the thrust grazing his armor with a screech.
Too many. Too fast.
A chain whipped toward his face. He couldn't dodge in time.
[Shadow Slip - Available]
[Activate?]
Yes.
The world went dark.
For three heartbeats, Jona ceased to exist in the physical realm. He was shadow, formless, weightless. The chain passed through empty air where he'd stood. He could see the gang's confusion, hear their startled curses, but they couldn't touch him.
He slipped behind the leader.
[Shadow Slip - Complete]
[Cooldown: 30 seconds]
Reality snapped back. Jona drove his elbow into the woman's spine. She gasped, stumbling forward. He followed with a sword thrust through her shoulder, steel grinding bone.
She screamed, dropping the chain.
"What the hell?" one of the others shouted. "He's awakened!"
"Run!" another yelled.
They scattered like rats, dragging their wounded leader with them. Within seconds, the alley was empty except for drops of blood on the cobblestones.
Jona leaned against a wall, breathing hard. His heart hammered. The sword shook in his grip.
[Combat Complete]
[XP Gained: 50]
[Progress: Shadow Grind 1/5]
[Analysis: Shadow Slip used effectively. Recommend practice for precision.]
First real fight. First time using his mastery in combat. The rush of it sang through his veins, intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure. He'd moved through shadow. Actually merged with darkness and become untouchable.
No wonder masters ruled the world.
Jona sheathed his sword and kept moving. The encounter had cost him time. He needed to reach Fennec before the serious hunters mobilized.
Ten minutes later, he found it.
The building stood alone on a corner, its windows boarded, its door hanging crooked on broken hinges. But above the entrance, barely visible under grime and weather damage, was a symbol: a crescent moon wrapped in chains.
House Mozzeri's crest.
Jona's breath caught. He'd heard about safe houses scattered through the slums, hidden bolt holes his mother's House had maintained. Most were destroyed or claimed by others. But this one...
He pushed through the door.
Inside was wreckage. Furniture lay broken and scattered. Papers littered the floor, their ink faded to illegibility. Rats had nested in the corners. But on the far wall, someone had carved names. Dozens of them, maybe hundreds.
Venna Mozzeri. Rico Mozzeri. Thalia Mozzeri.
The fallen. House members killed when the other Great Houses had crushed Mozzeri into dust. Jona ran his fingers over the carved letters, feeling the grooves. His mother's name wasn't here. She'd survived the fall, fled to the streets, died years later from sickness no healer would treat.
House Mozzeri. Shadows and intrigue. Fallen but not forgotten.
Grief hit him like a wave. All these names. All these lives. Erased because they'd been in the wrong place when the Great Houses decided to consolidate power. His mother had told him stories of festivals, of masters training together, of a community that protected its own.
Gone. All of it.
But standing in these ruins, Jona felt something else kindle in his chest. Not just grief. Rage. Determination. He had a mastery now. He had potential. Maybe, somehow, he could rebuild. Not just for himself.
For them.
[Quest Unlocked: Legacy of Shadows]
[Objective: Restore House Mozzeri - 0/1]
[Warning: Long-term objective. Requirements unknown.]
Jona smiled grimly. The system thought big. He liked that.
A sound outside made him freeze. Footsteps. Organized. Military.
He moved to a broken window and peered through gaps in the boards.
His blood went cold.
Two dozen figures marched down the street in formation. House Priolo colors. Mech-guards flanking them, brass limbs gleaming in lamplight. And at the front, a woman who moved like violence incarnate.
Mid-twenties. Athletic build. Blonde hair pulled back in a severe braid. She wore practical armor, not the ornate nonsense Jin had favored, and carried a longsword that hummed with power. But it was her eyes that caught him. Intense. Focused. Burning with righteous fury.
[Threat Analysis: Kiarra Priolo - Will Mastery, Tier 3]
[Relationship: Hostile]
[Warning: EXTREME DANGER - Flee Immediately]
Jin's sister. Jona had seen her at tournaments, watched her demolish opponents with terrifying efficiency. Where Jin had been arrogant and cruel, Kiarra was disciplined. A true believer in House Priolo's justice philosophy.
Which meant she'd hunt him to the ends of the earth for killing her brother.
"Spread out," Kiarra's voice carried clearly. "The trail ends in this district. Shadow mastery means he'll hide in darkness. Check every building. Every basement. I want him found before dawn."
Her squad split into groups, moving with practiced coordination. Three hunters headed toward Jona's building.
He had maybe thirty seconds.
Jona slipped out the back, moving on instinct. The alley behind was darker, narrower. Perfect. He pressed himself into a shadowed alcove and focused.
The shadows responded, wrapping around him like a cloak. Not invisibility, but close. His new mastery let him blend, become part of the darkness itself. Anyone looking directly at him would see only more shadow.
[Passive Ability Activated: Shadow Shroud]
[Duration: Until movement or detected]
Footsteps approached. Two hunters entered the alley, sweeping it with lanterns. They passed within five feet of him. Jona held his breath, not daring to move.
"Nothing here," one said. "Just rats."
"Check the end. Captain wants thoroughness."
They moved past. Jona waited until their footsteps faded before releasing his breath. His heart pounded so hard he thought they'd hear it.
Kiarra's voice rang out from the main street. "Anything?"
"Negative, Captain. Building's been abandoned for years."
"Keep searching. He's here. I can feel it."
Jona needed to move. Now. While they were focused on the wrong area.
He slipped from building to building, using every shadow, every patch of darkness. His new senses guided him, showing safe paths, warning of patrols. The squad was thorough, but they were searching for someone running. Not someone who could become shadow.
Twenty minutes of nerve-shredding evasion later, Jona reached the edge of their search perimeter. He risked a glance back.
Kiarra stood in the street, bathed in lamplight, staring directly at his position. Her eyes narrowed.
She knows.
Jona ran.
He heard shouts behind him, the clank of mech-guards activating pursuit protocols. But dawn was breaking, painting the sky gray, and ahead he could see walls. Tall. Reinforced with metal plates. Guard towers at the corners.
House Fennec's compound.
Jona sprinted the final hundred yards, legs burning, lungs screaming. Behind him, Kiarra's squad was closing. He could hear her shouting orders.
The compound gates stood shut. Two guards watched from above, crossbows ready.
Jona skidded to a stop ten feet from the gate, hands raised. "Sanctuary! I'm here for sanctuary!"
One guard laughed. "You and half the city, kid. Gates are closed."
"I killed Jin Priolo!" Jona shouted. "I have Underworld mastery! Boss Ren will want to see me!"
The guards exchanged glances. Behind Jona, footsteps thundered closer. Any second now, Kiarra would round the corner.
The gate cracked open. A man stepped through.
He was older than Jona expected, maybe forty, with gray threading his black hair. Compact build, scarred hands, eyes that had seen too much. He wore simple clothes, no armor, but power radiated from him like heat from a forge.
[Threat Analysis: Boss Ren Fennec - Smoke Mastery, Tier 5]
[Relationship: Neutral]
[Warning: Do not antagonize]
Boss Ren studied Jona for a long moment. Then he smiled. Not friendly. Predatory.
"So you're the shadow who pissed off Selene," he said. "Gutsy. Stupid. But gutsy."
"Will you help me?" Jona asked.
Behind him, Kiarra burst into view. She saw him, saw Ren, and stopped. Her hand moved to her sword hilt.
"Boss Ren," she said coldly. "That man is a murderer. House Priolo demands his surrender."
"House Priolo can demand whatever it wants," Ren replied. "My territory. My rules."
"You'd risk war over street trash?"
"I'd risk war over a good laugh. And this kid's story sounds hilarious."
Kiarra's jaw clenched. For a moment, Jona thought she'd attack anyway. But even she wasn't crazy enough to assault a Tier 5 master in his own territory.
"This isn't over," she said to Jona. Her eyes promised death. "You'll leave eventually. And I'll be waiting."
She turned and marched away, her squad following.
Jona exhaled shakily. "Thank you. I'll—"
"Don't thank me yet," Ren interrupted. He gestured to the compound. "You want my protection? Fine. But nothing's free in this world, shadow-boy. You work for it."
"What do you want?"
Ren's smile widened. "Simple test. You pass, you stay. You fail..." He shrugged. "Well, Kiarra's still outside. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you again."
"What's the test?"
"Three days from now, there's a tournament. Underground. Houseless fighters grinding for prize money and reputation. You enter. You win three matches. Do that, and we'll talk about making this permanent."
Jona stared. "You want me to fight in a tournament? With every bounty hunter in the city looking for me?"
"I want to see if you're worth the trouble." Ren's eyes glinted. "You killed a Great House heir. Impressive. But anyone can get lucky once. Show me you've got skill, guts, and brains. Show me you're not just another ambitious corpse waiting to happen."
[Quest Received: Prove Your Worth]
[Objective: Win 3 tournament matches - 0/3]
[Time Limit: 3 days]
[Reward: House Fennec Sanctuary (Permanent)]
[Failure: Expulsion from compound]
Jona looked at the quest notification, then at Ren's challenging smile, then back at the gates where safety waited.
Three days. Three fights. And if he lost, he'd be thrown back to the wolves.
"Deal," Jona said.
Ren laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Welcome to House Fennec, shadow-boy. Try not to die before the fun starts."
The gates swung open, and Jona stepped into the compound.
Behind him, the sun rose over the Crimson Capital, painting the sky red as blood.