The First Job

Nova regretted his decision almost immediately.

The moment he said, I'm in, Reeve's smirk widened like he'd just won a bet. That alone should have been a warning.

Now, he stood in a dimly lit alley, the cold night air pressing against his skin. The streets behind him were alive with the distant hum of city life, but here, in the shadows, it felt like a different world entirely.

Reeve leaned against a crumbling brick wall, lazily flipping a coin between his fingers. "Alright, street rat. Let's see if you're actually worth my time."

Nova kept his expression neutral. "What do you want me to do?"

Reeve nodded toward a narrow street. "Simple. There's a merchant on the east side of the district. Runs a little shop, sells rare goods. Expensive goods." He paused, letting the implication sink in. "You're going to break in and bring me something valuable."

Nova's stomach tightened. He'd stolen before—small things, food, trinkets, anything to survive. But this? This was different. This was planned. Calculated.

Reeve must have noticed his hesitation because he chuckled. "You backing out already?"

Nova clenched his jaw. "No."

"Good." Reeve tossed the coin into the air, catching it without looking. "And one more thing—don't get caught. If you do… don't mention my name."

The warning was clear. If things went wrong, Nova was on his own.

---

The shop was nestled between two larger buildings, its windows covered with thick curtains. A single lantern flickered near the door, casting long shadows.

Nova crouched in a nearby alley, studying the building. The lock on the front door looked sturdy. He doubted he could pick it. The windows, then.

He moved quickly, heart pounding, fingers tingling with nerves. He hoisted himself up onto a stack of crates, reaching for the edge of a second-story window. It was old, the wood slightly warped. He wedged his fingers underneath and pushed.

Nothing.

Nova gritted his teeth and tried again. This time, the window groaned and slid open just enough for him to slip through. He swung his legs over and dropped inside, landing lightly on his feet.

The room was dark. Shelves lined the walls, filled with objects that gleamed in the faint moonlight filtering through the cracks in the curtains. Jewelry, artifacts, things far beyond his understanding.

He moved carefully, fingers ghosting over polished wood and cool metal. He didn't know what Reeve considered valuable, so he grabbed the first thing that looked expensive—a small silver box with strange engravings.

Then, he heard it.

Footsteps. Coming closer.

Nova froze.

A shadow passed beneath the doorframe. The slow creak of a floorboard.

His breath caught. Someone was awake.

For a moment, time stretched thin. He had two choices—run or hide.

His instincts screamed run.

But something about the box in his hands made him hesitate. The engravings looked familiar, like something he'd seen before in a distant memory. Something connected to his parents.

The footsteps grew louder. A key rattled in the lock.

Nova's pulse hammered.

What now?

---