CHAPTER 12: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
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The next day, Verdan's skyline gleamed like nothing had happened—glass towers piercing the sky, monorails humming, crowds moving in waves like ants pretending their city wasn't rotting underneath.
Kaien felt like he'd been peeled open and stitched back with fire.
Underneath his hoodie, his body was covered in bruises and bandages. The aftermath of the Crimson Vial left a pulsing ache in his bones. The system was quiet—too quiet.
He wasn't used to silence.
> [New Objective: Infiltrate the Underground Market]
Location: Level B-7, Skyreach Metro Hub
Goal: Locate "The Locksmith"
Reward: Unknown
Difficulty: HIGH
Kaien zipped his hoodie up tighter, slung his backpack on, and stepped off the tram. Skyreach was packed—commuters, tourists, synthetic vendors. But only one elevator led down to the forgotten levels. The ones erased from public maps.
He swiped a counterfeit access card. The door hissed open.
As he descended into the shadows, the scent of ozone and rot thickened. The hum of machinery gave way to whispers. Flickering lights. Glowing graffiti that pulsed with strange runes.
Level B-7 looked like the underworld's own night market—metal stalls, glowing signs, cloaked vendors hawking banned augments and relics. Holograms flickered over rusted archways.
Everyone down here had secrets.
Kaien moved fast. No eye contact. No hesitation. He followed the marker the system had implanted in his vision.
To the Locksmith.
The stall was small. No name. Just a red symbol etched into the steel shutters: a broken key. A girl in her twenties sat cross-legged inside, repairing a shattered cybernetic arm while chewing bubblegum.
She didn't look up. "You're late."
"You know who I am?" Kaien asked.
She grinned without smiling. "You've got that hunted look. And the system pinged me the second you stepped on the platform."
Kaien tensed. "You're a Closer?"
She held up a finger. "Not anymore. I'm something worse. I sell to Closers."
She slid him a tiny black chip. "This'll unlock the backdoor to your system. One time use. But if Echelon finds out you used it—"
"They already tried to kill me twice this week," Kaien said, taking the chip. "I'm on a roll."
As he turned to leave, someone grabbed his shoulder.
He pivoted on instinct—blade drawn.
It was Zayne.
Kaien froze.
His childhood friend. His dormmate. The one person he trusted.
Zayne's eyes were cold, his usual warmth replaced with something… fractured.
"Didn't expect to find you here," Zayne said flatly.
Kaien lowered the blade. "What the hell are you doing down here?"
Zayne stepped closer. "Looking for you."
Then he smiled—and it wasn't his smile.
Kaien moved, but too slow.
Zayne's palm hit his chest—hard. A sigil burst outward, knocking Kaien off his feet and into a stall. Shattered glass rained around him.
> [SYSTEM WARNING: Energy Disruption Detected – Countermeasure Active]
Kaien coughed blood. "Zayne, what—what the hell are you doing?!"
Zayne walked toward him, each step heavy with regret.
"You weren't supposed to level up, Kai. You weren't supposed to matter."
Kaien's heart dropped.
"You're with them."
Zayne hesitated. Then nodded once.
"They offered me safety. You? You chose chaos."
Kaien pushed to his feet, hands blazing with Void energy. "Then let's burn."
And the market exploded into chaos.
Vendors scattered. Systems sparked. Zayne activated a runic sword from thin air—Kaien met him head-on, power clashing in a spray of light.
Their fight tore through the alleyways, each strike laced with history.
"WHY?!" Kaien roared, slamming his fist into a wall near Zayne's head. "Why betray me?!"
Zayne's eyes flickered—pain flashing briefly. "Because you're not the only one trying to survive."
He vanished in a ripple of energy, leaving Kaien surrounded by wreckage.
> [System Update]
Target: Zayne Vale—Infiltrator of Echelon
Status: High-Value Traitor
Quest Chain Unlocked: "Friend Turned Blade"
Objective: Find the reason Zayne joined Echelon.
Reward: ???
Penalty: ???
Difficulty: Unforgiving
Kaien stood there, fists trembling.
The city had just taken everything from him.
Now?
He was going to tear it apart to get it back.
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