Lucien had learned early that the city never truly slept.
It only pretended to.
From the rooftop, the streets below looked calm—wet asphalt reflecting neon lights, traffic humming like a distant pulse. But he knew better. The city was always watching. Waiting.
He crouched near the edge, coat pressed close to his body, eyes fixed on the armored truck idling near the loading dock below.
Simple job, they'd said.
Lucien didn't believe in simple jobs.
The drop was clean. His boots barely made a sound as he landed on the truck's roof, fingers already finding the seams of the hatch. Muscle memory took over. No hesitation. No wasted motion.
This wasn't his first theft.
Still, his chest felt tight.
Not fear. Something closer to anticipation… or warning.
As the lock clicked open, a faint shimmer crossed his vision.
Lucien froze.
Text hovered in the air, pale and unreal.
Shadowhand System activated.
First Quest: Retrieve the Valerian Gem.
Failure is not recommended.
He stared at it for a long moment.
"…I'm tired," he muttered. "That's all this is."
The text didn't disappear.
Lucien exhaled slowly and opened the hatch.
Inside the truck, metal cases were stacked neatly, each marked with sealed insignias. Expensive. Dangerous. Not what he was here for.
The Valerian Gem sat alone in a smaller case, faintly glowing as if aware of his attention.
The moment his fingers brushed it, footsteps echoed nearby.
Lucien turned.
A guard stood at the far end of the alley, hand already reaching for his weapon. Their eyes met.
Lucien's mind calculated distance, timing, angles.
Then something else stirred.
A laugh escaped his throat.
It wasn't intentional.
It wasn't his.
The world sharpened.
His body moved before his thoughts could catch up—closing the distance in a blink, striking with a precision that felt too clean, too eager. The guard collapsed without a sound.
Lucien staggered back, breath uneven.
"What the hell…" he whispered.
His hands were steady. His heartbeat wasn't.
Text flared again.
Combat engagement detected.
Hidden condition met.
Aggression enhancement applied.
Lucien clenched his fists.
He didn't remember deciding to fight.
He didn't remember enjoying it.
The gem pulsed faintly in his grip.
A whisper brushed the edge of his thoughts—amused, satisfied.
Good. You didn't hesitate.
Lucien's stomach twisted.
"No," he said quietly. "That wasn't me."
There was no answer.
Only silence—and the weight of something watching from inside his own mind.
Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance.
Lucien closed the case, secured the gem, and disappeared into the night, unease clinging to him far longer than the rain.
Behind him, the city swallowed the alley whole.
And somewhere deep inside, something smiled—
already looking forward to the next time Lucien lost control.