The Undercity wasn't exactly a welcome home. More like a swamp swallowing whatever falls into it. Going from the clean Lyceum District to the Undercity's messy streets always messed with your head. The air was thick – fried food, factory junk, and body odor. Cheap ads flashing for synth-drugs and black-market gear made the crowded streets glow all sorts of colors, nothing like the Lyceum's plain look.
But tonight, Kaelen strolled through the familiar mess and felt nothing. The usual worry, the fear of getting mugged, was gone. Instead, there was a quiet power in his chest, like a sleeping animal. The Aspects he'd grabbed felt good, like a warm blanket. The Spatial Pocket? A silent, cool lake. The fire thing? A banked forge. The stone skin was like a tough mountain.
He was packing heat, disguised as lunch.
His goal was The Rusty Bolt, a bar built into the bottom of an old highway overpass. It was a chill spot where Nulls, weak Aspect users, and info dealers hung out in a cloud of fake smoke and desperation. It was also where Kaelen was meeting Elara.
He shoved through the heavy curtains, and BAM – The Bolt's special vibe hit him. The place smelled like greasy noodles and cheap booze. Loud music and shouting bounced off the walls. He checked out the booths, his senses sharp. He could feel the faint energy from other Aspects – super strength near the bar, sound tricks from a table in the corner. Weak stuff, compared to what he was carrying.
He found her in their usual spot, a booth hidden in the shadows. Elara was staring at a data-slate, typing like crazy. A half-empty fizzy drink sat next to her. She was a Null, like he used to be, but she had a different kind of thing going on. Elara could find patterns in anything, lies in the truth, and weak spots in the toughest systems. She was his only friend, the only one who hadn't treated him like garbage.
She looked up as he sat down. Her smart, amber eyes narrowed. You're late. And you look...different.
How so? he asked, his voice calm. Too calm. The hunger was quiet, gone, leaving his head super clear.
I don't know. You're not all hunched over. And your eyes...they're not screaming for help anymore. She leaned in, whispering. What happened at the Lyceum? Did they actually find you something?
Kaelen stared back. He trusted Elara, but what he had become was a dangerous secret. One wrong word and they were both done. They didn't. I'm still Null.
The biggest lie he'd ever told. On paper, he was. The lie tasted nasty.
Elara looked sad. Oh, Kaelen. I'm really sorry. She held his hand. Her touch felt real, like a life raft. We'll figure something out. We have other options. The black market—
I'm done with the black market, he said, flatly. He pulled his hand back. I need something else. I need you to find someone.
Her eyebrows shot up. Who?
The guy with the Spatial Pocket. The one who got jumped in the Lyceum alley, like, an hour ago.
Elara froze. She slowly put down her data-slate. That's pretty specific. How do you know about that? The cops have sealed the area. Nobody's talking. All I've heard is it was a gang thing, and the victim was a mid-level manager for Omni-Stor. Some guy named Silas.
Silas. That was his name. The guy whose soul he ate.
I was there, Kaelen said, stretching the truth this time. I saw it. I just...ran. I wanna know if he's alive.
Elara looked at him, her hacker senses telling her there was more to come. But she trusted him. She started typing. Okay. I'll see what I can find. Omni-Stor...they're part of Aether-Spire Industries. Bad people. Her screen flashed with code. The official story is...weird. Said Silas was found alive but not responding. His Aspect was gone. No sign of a Severance Rune. They're calling it a 'spontaneous Aspect thing.'
Kaelen felt a chill. Spontaneous stuff was just a story. The Aetherium was covering it up. Why? Did they not get it? Or was the truth even worse?
Those two gang guys, Kaelen said. The ones who jumped him. Can you find them? One had fire, and the other had a stone hide.
Elara slowed down. That's Crimson Fang stuff. Mid-level thugs. Their names are Rork and Jax. She pulled up some old photos. They were found in the same alley, knocked out. Their Aspects...also gone. No Severance marks. The Fangs are mad. They think it was a rival gang with new gear.
Kaelen leaned back, the cold in his veins turning into a plan. The Crimson Fang. They were predators. They had tried to cut up Silas like a steak. What goes around comes around right?
The hunger in him stirred. It wasn't just about filling up anymore. It was about getting better. The stone skin was nice, good defense. But fire felt...rough. Sound stuff, that was cool!
The plan came to him, cold and clear. He would trade up.
Elara, he said, changing his tone with her. Calm , measured and scary. I need everything you have on the Crimson Fang. Where they operate in the Undercity. Their safe houses. Their weakest links.
Elara stared, forgetting her data-slate. Kaelen, what are you saying? You're not just some Null who got lucky, are you?
Before he could answer, a wave of messed-up energy hit him. It felt kinda sharp. Three guys just walked into The Rusty Bolt. They wore Crimson Fang jackets. And one of them, a big dude with a scarred face, was giving off a powerful vibe. Sound thing.
The bar went quiet, fear took over. The Fang members swaggered to the bar, searching the room. They were looking for someone. Or something.
The sound waves were an attack on Kaelen's new senses. It made the energy inside him feel jumpy. The hunger didn't like it. It knew it was a threat.
Elara, Kaelen said, his voice tight. Gimme the data. Then get outta here.
Kaelen—
NOW!
She jumped the command. She sent the data to his cheap comm-link. It's all I got on their low-level business. Kaelen, please stay aware
He didn't answer. He focused on the three Fang members. The sound waves was the biggest threat. The other two felt weaker – enhanced move and a poison thing. They were there to scare the bar into paying them or find a missing package. Probably the credits that were in Silas's wallet.
The hunger gave him a plan. It wasn't just about filling the void anymore. He would trade their gear.
He stood up, ignoring Elara. He walked to the bar, looking calm. He went past the scared people, locking eyes with the sound dude.
The dude noticed him. What do you want, Null? he growled, making Kaelen's teeth hurt.
Kaelen stopped. He focused on the Spatial Pocket, on the wallet. He made a high-value chip show up in his hand, a subtle trick from the pocket.
Think you're looking for this, Kaelen said, holding up the chip. It was one of Silas's.
The three guys froze. The sound dude's eyes grew wide and narrowed. Where'd you get that, you little thief?
The alley behind the Lyceum, Kaelen said, talking up so everyone could hear. He was making a scene. Setting up Witnesses to what's to come. I saw what you did to Silas. And I saw what happened to Rork and Jax. You're not all that.
Direct stuff. A insult to get him mad fast.
The sound dude's face twisted into a rage. You're dead, Null! He went into action.
A wave of messed up air headed for Kaelen, pure sound meant to blow out ears and mess up organs. People screamed and ran.
Kaelen didn't move.
The grey stuff flooded over his skin. The sound hit him like a wall. The sound was deafening . He felt the energy all through him, but absorbed through his skin.
He stood still, untouched.
The sound dude's jaw dropped. What? How—?
His lackeys snapped out their shock and lunged. The one with moving fast was fast, pulling a knife.
Kaelen was quicker. He didn't have fast moves, but he had anticipation. He let the man get close, then dropped the stone armor and unleashed the fire.
A whip of fire exploded, striking his wrist. There was a pop. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. The knife hit the ground, and the man stumbled back, holding his burnt hand.
The poison one pulled a needle-gun, firing a dart filled with poison.
Kaelen activated the stone armor again. The dart hit his chest and cracked, the poison harmless.
Chaos took over the bar. In the confusion, Kaelen locked into his real target. The sound dude, walked backwards and pulled the trigger.
Kaelen stepped closer, a heart beat. He was close enough!
Kaelen reached out and grabbed the man's jacket. He didn't hit him. He simply stare into his eyes.
He focused on the sound wave, and started.
He took it from his chest straight into his body.
The sound dude's eyes rolled back. He went limp.
Sound gone and the void had been replace with the new power.
The two were scared.
Kaelen dropped the sound dude.
Give your boss a message, Kaelen said, The Null got the the jump and you are to be target.
He turned to leave.
He stopped outside.
He stood by wall and laughed.
He focused his thought on the new found power.
He opened the data slate on his head.
The screen displayed the work on Silas.
The hunger was ready for its next kill
Kaelen knew this was not the peak.
He had started with a loaf and will kill all.