Kael's pulse quickened as figures emerged from the shadows—cloaked, armed, and waiting.
A trap.
But not just for them.
Kael's eyes flickered to the dead Syndicate enforcers sprawled across the stone floor. Someone else was already inside.
Whoever they were, they wanted Kael alive.
That meant one thing.
They needed to disappear.
Slipping Into the Dark
Kael glanced at Mira and Orin. No words were needed.
With a flick of his hand, he signaled: Retreat. Find another way in.
Mira moved first, slipping into the nearest corridor, her footsteps ghostlike against the stone. Orin followed, his daggers glinting in the dim torchlight.
Kael exhaled slowly, backing away just as the cloaked figures advanced. They hadn't seen him—yet.
He pressed himself into the shadows, blending into the darkness.
Then, with practiced precision, he vanished.
A Forgotten Passage
Mira led them through a narrow side passage, barely wide enough for two. Dust-covered. Ancient. Forgotten.
Orin ran a hand along the wall. "Looks like no one's been down here for years."
Mira frowned. "That doesn't mean it's safe."
Kael studied the passage carefully. The Syndicate was ruthless—but they weren't careless.
There had to be a reason this route was left unguarded.
And he was about to find out why.
A Deadly Puzzle
A few steps in, Kael froze.
Something was wrong.
The air was too still. The floor too clean.
His gaze dropped to the stones beneath his feet. Perfectly aligned. No dust. No cracks.
Then he saw it—the faintest indentation in the stone.
A pressure plate.
Kael's mind raced. A trap designed for intruders.
One wrong step, and—
Click.
Orin had stepped forward.
Kael lunged. "Move!"
But it was too late.
The walls groaned. Metal gears turned.
Then—arrows shot out from the darkness.
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