Rain slicked streets stretched like black veins through Virelia's lower sectors. Neon reflected in puddles, painting the alleys in fractured light. Every shadow was a threat, every drip of water a heartbeat you could hear if you listened too closely.
Kael carried Elaris through narrow maintenance tunnels, her wings tucked, chest still glowing faintly. The Heart of Seraphis pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat soft, insistent, a silent warning.
Elaris (breathless, whispering): "They'll follow us… right?"
Kael's eyes scanned every corner. "Already are. DreamWare won't let a prize like that walk away. And neither will half the crime families in this city."
Her fingers grazed the side of his arm. Not by accident. He caught it, gaze locking on hers in the dim light. Nothing said. Everything said.
A low hum vibrated through the corridor. Small drones, barely visible, hovered overhead scanning, calculating. Kael's blade whispered into existence, a black steel arc humming with lethal energy.
Kael (softly, almost to himself): "Hunters in the dark… they'll learn quickly."
Elaris nodded. Her wrist console flared holographic overlays of the drones, their trajectories, weak points. Her pulse synced with the Heart's rhythm. "I can disable them," she said. "But I'll need you close."
He grinned faintly. "I never leave your side."
She allowed herself a fleeting smile, then focused. Wings flickered beneath her cloak, energy spikes slicing through the surveillance net, cutting the drones' signals. Sparks cascaded in the mist like shattered stars.
One drone fell then another. But more were coming.
Footsteps echoed. The sound of boots in puddles. Figures in dark coats emerged corporate enforcers, augmented with cybernetic limbs, eyes glowing red.
Kael stepped in front of her. "Back-to-back," he ordered. "And don't hold anything back."
Elaris shifted, wings rising just enough to glow. Together, they moved a synchronized storm of steel, fire, and neon light. A blade here, a wing there, disabling drones midair, throwing enemies into walls and puddles.
Amidst the chaos, a moment of quiet Kael's eyes met hers again. No words needed. The Heart pulsed faster. She felt it whispering trust. survive. fight.
The rain turned harder. Shadows lengthened. Neon flickered.
And somewhere above, a black hovercraft sliced the clouds. Eyes, unseen, watched. Calculating. Waiting.
Kael (gritting teeth, voice low): "We're not the prey tonight. We're the storm."
Elaris's lips curved into a smirk. "Then let's make them remember it."
The city held its breath. Two half-human, half-machine, dancing through danger, unstoppable. And the Heart of Seraphis pulsed like a drum in the dark announcing that the real hunt was only beginning.