The first time I heard it, I thought it was a whisper.
A voice crawling through the static, soft enough to make me doubt if it was real.
> "Kael… can you hear me?"
The city hadn't stopped humming since the night of the Ghost Signal. Everywhere I went — rooftops, alleys, even the abandoned train lines — the neon lights flickered in rhythm with something unseen. Like Neon Haven itself had found a pulse.
I moved through the shadows, my cloak still damp with rain. The streets were quieter now, but not calm. People stared at their holo-screens, transfixed, their eyes glowing faint blue. The signal was inside them.
> "You woke it," the voice said again.
"Now you have to finish it."
"Who are you?" I whispered.
Static replied. Then silence.
I pressed two fingers to my temple — the implant there still worked, though the signal made it ache. My HUD flickered: [ERROR: CONNECTION LOST TO VOSS NETWORK]
Good. That meant they couldn't track me — for now.
But someone else could.
---
I found shelter in an old transit terminal, buried beneath layers of forgotten tech. The walls were covered in graffiti — old rebellion symbols, half-faded slogans like "Truth is buried under neon."
I sat against the cold metal wall and drew my blade. The glow dimmed as if sensing the quiet.
"Project Requiem," I murmured.
The words felt heavy on my tongue. Like I'd spoken a curse.
Fragments of memory flickered in my mind:
A scientist's eyes behind glass. A child's hand pressing against the same glass from inside.
A voice saying — "We built him to protect the system… or destroy it."
The signal inside me pulsed, syncing with my heartbeat.
Was that what I was built for? To burn this place down?
Before I could answer myself, a metallic clang echoed through the terminal.
I froze.
Footsteps. Light, precise, mechanical.
Then — movement in the shadows.
Female voice:
"Easy. I'm not with them."
A figure emerged from the dark — sleek armor, matte black, glowing cyan circuitry tracing along her skin-tight suit. Her eyes flickered between human brown and digital blue.
KAEL:
"Who are you?"
WOMAN:
"Name's Lyra. You're the one they call Subject 09, right?"
Her tone wasn't fearful. Curious, maybe even impressed.
KAEL:
"Used to be. Now I'm just trying to stay one step ahead of whoever's cleaning up the mess."
She smirked.
"Then you're going to need help. Because they've already deployed the Spectres."
KAEL:
"Spectres?"
LYRA:
"Artificial hunters. Designed to erase anything infected by the Ghost Signal."
(beat)
"You're one of them, Kael."
The words hit harder than I expected.
KAEL (V.O.)
Spectres… machines that hunt ghosts.
And now they're hunting me.
Before I could respond, the floor trembled.
Somewhere above, a siren wailed — low, distorted. Then the terminal lights flickered violently.
Lyra's eyes turned fully blue.
"They've found us."
A mechanical roar filled the air as part of the ceiling collapsed — three SPECTRE DRONES descended through the dust, sleek and deadly, black as oil.
KAEL (V.O.)
They didn't fly. They glided, like shadows made solid.
Lyra pulled two magnetic pistols from her belt and fired, blue bolts crackling through the haze. I drew my blade, its edge screaming to life in electric blue.
The fight was fast and brutal — lights, sparks, metal screams.
Lyra moved like she'd done this a thousand times, her shots synchronized with my swings.
One drone tried to flank; I leapt onto its back, plunged my blade through its core, and sent it crashing into another.
The last one emitted a strange hum before exploding into light.
When the smoke cleared, Lyra was already scanning a portable holo-map.
LYRA:
"That signal inside you — it's not random. It's a map."
KAEL:
"A map to what?"
She looked up, her expression caught between fear and awe.
LYRA:
"To the Origin. The first node. The heart of Neon Haven."
I looked at my blade — the glow steady, almost expectant.
KAEL (V.O.)
For the first time, I felt it wasn't leading me to destruction… but to truth.
Outside, lightning flared across the skyline.
Somewhere deep within the city, something called to me again — the same voice, clearer now.
> "Kael… come home."