The world snapped back into focus with a gasp.
Zain was lying in the middle of a dusty road, the taste of ash in his mouth. The Vault, the desert, the hooded figure—gone. In their place, sun-scorched hills stretched to the horizon. The distant hum of an engine grew louder.
He pushed himself up, chest aching. That's when he saw it—a faint, golden pattern burned into his skin, just over his heart. The same design from the crystal. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
A shadow passed overhead.
Not a cloud.
A black drone, sleek and silent, drifted above him like a vulture. Its lens rotated, locking onto him. He scrambled to his feet.
The hum of the engine became a roar. From over the ridge came a matte-black SUV, tires kicking up gravel. It was moving too fast for this road—too fast for human reflexes.
Zain bolted into the scrubland, feet tearing through brittle grass. The SUV skidded to a halt and three figures stepped out. Same black tactical suits. Same featureless visors.
One raised a hand—and the air itself shimmered, like heat off pavement. The ground ahead exploded in a spray of dirt, a warning shot.
Zain ducked behind a boulder, panting. His fingers brushed the manuscript in his bag.
The golden mark on his chest burned. The crystal's voice echoed in his mind:
"Run north. Trust the old lines."
Old lines? He risked a glance over the rock—just as a Shadowkeeper's visor locked on his position. A flicker of movement caught his eye—a set of ancient stone posts half-buried in the field, stretching toward a distant ridge.
Zain ran for them.
The Shadow keepers followed.When he crossed between the first two posts, the air rippled—and the world shifted. The sky turned gray. The hills were gone. The boulder behind him was now a jagged monolith of black stone.
The Shadow keepers stopped at the boundary, hissing like snakes.
Zain didn't stop running until the posts were far behind. Only then did he realize he wasn't alone in this strange, gray world.
A girl in a tattered leather coat was leaning against a pillar, twirling a blade that shimmered like mercury.
She smirk
Took you long enough, Keyholder."