The Ghost from the Past

The rain had softened to a whisper as Aeris, Kael, and Vex waited in the shadowed lobby of an abandoned skyscraper. Neon lights flickered intermittently outside, casting long, fractured shadows across the cracked tile floor. The air was thick with tension and the faint scent of ozone from flickering wires overhead.

A soft click echoed, and the heavy metal door creaked open.

A slender figure stepped inside, face obscured beneath a hood. Her eyes — sharp, haunted, and cold — scanned the room with practiced caution.

"I'm Lira," she said, voice like silk wrapped in steel. "Used to work for them… until I couldn't stomach what they were doing."

Kael's hand instinctively moved to his sidearm, but Aeris held up a hand.

"We need your help," Aeris said, locking eyes with Lira. "We want to take them down — from the inside out."

Lira's gaze flickered to the decrypted drive in Aeris's hands.

"Then you're braver than I thought. Or desperate."

Vex stepped forward, voice clipped. "We don't have time for hesitation. They're already onto us."

Outside, the city buzzed like a living beast — neon veins pulsing beneath the rain-soaked sky.

Aeris felt the weight of countless choices pressing down, but with Lira's arrival, the game had changed.

This ghost from the past might be their last hope — or their deadliest mistake.