The night pressed heavily over the city, wrapping it in a blanket of damp fog. Streetlamps flickered like tired sentinels, their light cutting weak circles into the darkness. Lucas moved through the alleyways with a deliberate pace, every step measured, every breath quiet. The events from the previous night still clung to him like oil, refusing to wash away no matter how hard he tried to focus.
He replayed the conversation in his head—the cryptic warning, the half-truths, and the strange look in the stranger's eyes. Whoever they were, they knew far too much about him… and about what was coming.
"Lucas."
The voice was soft, almost lost in the rustle of the wind. He stopped, his instincts flaring. His hand moved unconsciously towards the hidden blade at his waist.
From the shadow of an abandoned warehouse, the figure stepped forward. It was the same woman from the night before—the one who had vanished before he could question her. Tonight, she looked different. There was no urgency in her movements, only a cold, steady calm.
"You're being watched," she said simply.
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "That's nothing new."
"Not like this," she countered. "They're not just following you—they're hunting you. And they won't stop until they have what they want."
Her words settled heavily between them. Lucas studied her, searching for a crack in her expression. "And you? Why are you here?"
"I'm here because you have a choice to make," she said, stepping closer. "And if you make the wrong one, everything burns. Not just you. Everyone connected to you."
Lucas clenched his jaw. He hated being cornered by vague threats. "Then stop talking in riddles and tell me what's really going on."
The woman hesitated, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting someone to emerge from the shadows. "It's bigger than you think. There's a faction—one you haven't encountered yet. They've been watching you since the beginning. They know about the package, about the names. They know you're close to uncovering it."
Lucas's pulse quickened. He had spent months piecing together fragments of information, chasing rumors, and surviving traps. Whoever this faction was, they had stayed out of sight—until now.
She stepped closer still, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If you want to survive this, you'll need to move before dawn. Go to the Old Rail Station. You'll find someone there who can help you… if you can convince them you're not a threat."
Lucas stared at her. There were too many holes in her story, too many unanswered questions—but the urgency in her eyes was real.
"And if I don't?" he asked.
Her gaze darkened. "Then you'll never see the sun again."
Before he could respond, she melted back into the fog, vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.
Lucas stood in silence for a moment, his mind running in a dozen directions. The Old Rail Station. It was a dangerous place, abandoned for years, but if what she said was true, staying put was even more dangerous.
He turned toward the distant hum of the city, already mapping the fastest route in his head. Every step would have to be calculated. Every shadow could hide a blade.
As he disappeared into the night, the air seemed to thicken around him, as if the city itself knew what was coming.
And somewhere, in the dark, unseen eyes followed his every move.