“The Fall into Darkness” – Part 1

The Decision – No Turning Back

The rain pounded against the metal of the roof as the city below was swallowed by darkness.

Aria stood still, feeling the cold wind on her skin.

Reeve waited.

His gaze was calm, but there was no patience in his eyes.

"You know what you have to do."

It was not a question.

The rain dripped from her hood, ran down her fingers.

Yes. She knew.

She just couldn't say it.

Because if she did – then it would be real.

Then there would be no turning back.

Reeve stepped closer, his gaze piercing.

"So?"

The city lights flickered in the distance.

So many people who would never know what decisions were being made here.

So many lives that would never suspect their world was ruled by those who lived in the shadows.

"Aria."

His tone sharpened.

He didn't give her room to hesitate.

She took a deep breath.

And then she said it.

"I'm ready."

The First Trial – Blood Writes the Rules

As soon as she spoke the words, Reeve turned and motioned for her to follow.

The rain followed them as they moved through a narrow alley where the light barely reached.

Aria asked no questions.

Because she knew there was nothing she wanted to hear.

The door where they stopped was unremarkable. No sign. No name.

Reeve knocked twice.

A soft click.

The door opened silently.

The room was cold.

The air smelled of old metal and blood.

Aria could feel that she was not alone.

Three figures were waiting.

One of them was Vex.

He sat on a crate, arms resting loosely on his knees, as if this were just an ordinary conversation.

"There she is."

It was not a greeting.

Reeve stepped aside, leaving her alone in the center of the room.

Vex stood up.

"You know why you're here?"

Aria held his gaze.

"Yes."

A nod.

"Then let's begin."

The blow came without warning.

Aria stumbled, her skull throbbed.

She tasted blood.

Vex stood there as if he had never moved.

"Get up."

Not a request.

A condition.

Aria's fingers dug into the floor.

She did not tremble.

She got up.

The Second Trial – The Choice Between Life and Death

The door on the other side opened.

Two men dragged someone inside.

A bound man, his face marked by fear.

Vex spoke in a calm voice.

"He betrayed us."

"He tried to sell us out."

"And now you will prove that you're worthy."

He held out a gun to her.

Aria's fingers twitched.

She felt the weight of the weapon before she even touched it.

"You have two choices," Vex said.

"Either you pull the trigger… or you have no place here."

Her chest tightened.

The man breathed heavily.

"Please…"

A single word.

But it didn't matter.

It couldn't matter.

But it did.

Aria took the gun.

Her fingers felt foreign.

"Do it," said Vex.

She raised the weapon.

The silence was louder than any sound she had ever heard.

Then she pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the room.

Blood dripped onto the floor.

Vex stepped closer.

He leaned in, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Your blood is our blood. Our blood is your blood. Now you belong to us."

The First Missions – The Slow Descent

Aria was never asked if she was ready.

The Blood Chain took her with them, and she followed.

The first missions were simple.

Courier tasks. Spying. Watching.

But it didn't take long before they demanded more.

"Do you remember your trial?" Vex stood in front of her, twirling a knife casually in his hands.

"You survived it. Now earn your place."

And so it began.

First mission: Intimidation.

A man who hadn't paid his debts.

Aria stood before him, letting him see the knife in her hand.

"Pay," she said.

He paid.

Second mission: The Warning.

Another man. This time, no knife. This time, only words.

"If you talk, you won't be asked again."

He did not talk.

Third mission: The Borderline.

She saw for the first time what the Blood Chain really was.

An interrogation.

A bound man.

His screams echoed in her ears.

But she asked no questions.

She couldn't.

The Dark Turn – Aria Becomes a Hunter

Time changed her.

The first nightmares came after only a few weeks.

She avoided mirrors.

She couldn't look at her face.

Because when she did, she no longer knew if it was still her own.

The missions became harder.

She had to hunt people. She had to fight. She had to decide who lived and who didn't.

And one night, no different from the others, she was given her name.

"Spirit."

"Fast. Silent. Deadly."

It was not praise.

It was simply a fact.

Spirit felt nothing anymore.

But when she was alone at night…

She heard the voices of those she had killed.

And she knew they would never leave her.