Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past

The city never slept, but tonight, it felt like it was holding its breath.

Adam moved like a phantom through the alleys, slipping between the cracks of the waking world. He had abandoned the compromised safehouse hours ago, his team scattering to predetermined fallback points. The attack had confirmed his worst fears—he was no longer just a man preparing for the future; he was a target in a war that had already begun.

A black sedan idled at the curb ahead. Adam adjusted the hood of his jacket, ensuring the shadows concealed his face. He approached the passenger side, rapped his knuckles twice on the window, and stepped back. The door unlocked with a soft click.

Inside, Evelyn waited, her expression hard. "You look like hell."

"Feels about right," Adam muttered, sliding into the seat.

Evelyn pulled the car away from the curb, keeping her eyes on the road. "We lost six assets in the last twelve hours. Three hackers went dark. Marcus confirmed that some of our contacts in the military are being watched. Someone is cutting off our limbs, one by one."

Adam exhaled sharply. He had expected retaliation, but not this fast.

"It's not just humans pulling the strings," he said. "That breach on my laptop? That wasn't just a hacker. It was something else."

Evelyn's grip tightened on the wheel. "Supernatural?"

"Or divine." The word left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Either way, we need to accelerate everything. If the gods are already aware of me, then we don't have months—we have weeks. Maybe less."

She nodded. "Marcus is at the next rendezvous. Lilith too. She said she has information we need to hear."

Adam leaned back, closing his eyes for a brief moment. The past was catching up with him, faster than he had anticipated. If Lilith had answers, he needed them now.

The Ties That Bind

The rendezvous was a closed-down warehouse at the city's edge, an abandoned relic of industry now serving as a temporary war room. Adam and Evelyn entered through the side door, their steps echoing in the cavernous space.

Marcus stood near a makeshift table, arms crossed over his broad chest. Lilith lounged nearby, her ever-present smirk in place as she toyed with a dagger, its blade catching the dim light.

"Took your time," she murmured, flicking the blade into the wood of the table. "Thought you might be dead already."

Adam ignored the bait. "What do you have for us?"

Lilith's smirk faded. She stood, pacing as she spoke. "There are forces moving in the shadows that even I don't fully understand. But I found something. Your name has been whispered in circles that haven't spoken a mortal's name in centuries."

Marcus frowned. "Meaning?"

Lilith exhaled, finally stopping to meet Adam's gaze. "You're being watched by more than just one god. You might have attracted the attention of an entire pantheon."

Silence fell.

Adam clenched his fists. He had prepared for enemies, for the powerful to resist his actions. But an entire pantheon?

"Which ones?" he finally asked.

Lilith hesitated. "There are multiple factions among the divine. Some gods remain neutral, others seek to control, and some... some want everything to burn. Your actions are disrupting the balance. Some see you as an anomaly that needs to be erased. Others might see you as a weapon."

Evelyn cursed under her breath. "Great. So we're either being hunted or recruited into something worse."

Adam nodded slowly. "That means we're running out of time even faster than I thought."

He turned to Marcus. "What about our human enemies?"

Marcus unfolded a map, pointing to several locations. "There's a coordinated effort to eliminate anyone connected to us. Military contacts are being pressured, supply lines are being cut. We have a leak somewhere."

Adam's jaw tightened. "We find the leak. And we send a message."

The Hunt Begins

The next forty-eight hours were a blur of coded messages, dead drops, and surveillance. Adam's network worked in overdrive, tracing the breach back to a single name—Vincent Cross.

Vincent had been an information broker, a valuable one. He had helped set up key contacts, secure financial routes, and even acquire black-market tech. Now, he was selling them out.

Adam didn't have the luxury of a drawn-out interrogation. The betrayal had already cost them too much. He and Evelyn cornered Vincent in a high-rise penthouse, overlooking the city he had profited from.

"Adam," Vincent greeted, all forced charm and false bravado. "This is unexpected."

Adam said nothing. He moved forward, swift and merciless. Within seconds, Vincent was pinned against the glass, Adam's blade pressed against his throat.

"Who paid you?" Adam's voice was ice.

Vincent's mask cracked. "It's bigger than you think," he rasped. "You're fighting an enemy you can't even comprehend."

Adam applied more pressure. "Try me."

Vincent swallowed hard. "They call themselves The Veil. They're not just humans. They're something... older. They knew you were coming, Adam. They've been waiting for you."

Evelyn stiffened. "What the hell does that mean?"

Vincent gave a hollow laugh. "It means you've already lost."

Adam didn't hesitate. He ended it swiftly.

There was no room for mercy. Not anymore.

A War of Ghosts

Back at the safehouse, the weight of the revelation settled over the group.

"The Veil," Marcus muttered. "I've never heard of them."

Lilith was silent, her gaze distant. "I have. But only in whispers. If they've been waiting for Adam, that means they know something we don't. Something about his past."

Adam exhaled. "Then it's time we start uncovering our own mysteries. We're not just fighting for survival anymore. We're fighting for control of the future."

He met their eyes, one by one. "We're done playing defense. It's time to take the war to them."

And with that, the true battle for the Age of Eternity began.