Chapter 1: Awakening the Unknown
The evening sky was endless above Silver City, the stars shining like hot coals on the horizon. In the heart of the city, skyscrapers towered with the beating hum of humanity, unaware of what was to unfold. Among them, a single solitary figure stood atop a building, veiled in shadows, gazing out over the thronged streets far below.
Zara Kane was a voice mentioned in the city's worst streets. A childhood orphan, she had grown to survive by brains, caught in the gaps between the world without anyone to even see. Something inside of her was stirring, however—something that had slumbered for years. She began to have headaches, jagged jabs of pain that blinded her sight. But as the days passed, pain became strength. Undetectable powers spun at her fingertips, and the very fabric of existence itself seemed to bend with her presence.
This evening, Zara would not flee.
Standing on the rooftop, memories of the night that had brought her here came back to her. Three weeks earlier, she was merely a petty thief, stealing from the rich to survive. But on this night, she had strayed into a secret laboratory hidden beneath the city, where strange, glowing markings on the walls pulsed with a rhythm that called to her.
She couldn't resist touching them. The moment her fingers crossed the glowing letters, a surge of energy coursed through her, like a dam bursting open. It was choking, terrifying, and yet—liberty. She had collapsed to the ground, vision fading as memories that weren't hers swamped her brain. She saw images of ancient warriors, lost civilizations, and a figure draped in a cloak of pure light. When she awoke, she was forever altered.
In the next few days, she found out what she could do. Shadows swirled around her, whispering secrets only she could hear. She could mold the darkness into tendrils, shields, even blades. And with every use, her connection to the symbols became stronger.
Her new power had a cost, however. Someone else was following her down. The first attack was precipitous—a band of mercenaries, their eyes emitting the same unearthly shine as the runes in the laboratory, ambushed her in a back alley. Zara had escaped by the barest second, summoning her powers mindlessly to blast through their ranks. The attacks had grown in frequency and synergy since then. Whatever their orchestrator was looking for, they were going to get it, and they were not going to rest until they did.
Zara pushed the memory aside and focused on the task at hand. The Silver City underworld was filled with rumors of a mysterious patron backing the mercenaries, one strong enough to control the criminal elite of Silver City behind the scenes. If she could find this person, she might uncover some secrets regarding her powers—and end the attacks.
A figure moved out of the corner of her vision, breaking her concentration. She tensed, her eyes narrowing as a man stepped out of the shadows. He stood tall, his black cape flowing behind him in the gusty night air, and a mask covering his face, but his eyes—icy and calculating—are on hers with an unblinking intensity.
"You do not belong here, Kane," the man replied, his voice low and threatening. "You're tampering with forces you cannot understand."
Zara's heart racing, she restrained herself from panicking. She inched forward, letting darkness spill across her hands. "I am learning enough," she told him resolutely. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
The man cackled. "You're a pawn in a far larger game. The power you've reached is the property of the Eclipsed Order. And now, you're its property—no matter if you like it or not."
By the time Zara could say anything, the man was gone, disappearing into the darkness like smoke. She cursed and lifted her head, the weight of his words pressing down on her shoulders. The Eclipsed Order. She'd never heard of them, and the name put a shiver down her spine.
Zara turned around, her gaze scanning the city. Whatever playing field was being utilized, she was not going to be a pawn. She curled her fists, the shadows closing about her like a second skin.
Dawn was rising, but tonight she indulged in the dark.