The silence left in the wake of the assassin's retreat was unnerving.
Aeron remained still, his blade still raised, his breath uneven. His body felt drained, as if the assassin's touch had stolen more than just energy. Kael, standing beside him, wiped the blood from his lip, eyes dark with thought.
"You're not going to like what I'm about to say," Nyxus murmured in his mind.
Aeron scowled. "Then don't say it."
"That thing wasn't just an assassin—it was enhanced by a system. Not like yours, but something artificial."
Aeron's grip on his sword tightened.
Another system user. Someone with powerful backers.
Kael exhaled slowly. "You think it'll be back?"
Aeron wasn't sure how to answer that. The assassin's retreat wasn't because it was losing—it left because it had gathered enough information. That meant whoever sent it had more in store.
"We should move," Aeron muttered. "This dungeon isn't safe anymore."
Kael glanced at him, then nodded. "Agreed. But where to?"
Aeron didn't have an answer.
For now, they needed to disappear.
---
(A New Shadow in the City)
Hours later, Aeron and Kael had made their way back to the outskirts of Blackveil, a city that thrived in the shadows of dungeon-run economies. Corrupt guilds operated here with little restraint, and power was dictated by strength rather than law. It was the perfect place to lay low—but also dangerous if the wrong people noticed them.
Aeron kept his hood low, his steps light as they entered a dimly lit tavern. The stench of ale, sweat, and deception filled the air. Conversations were spoken in hushed tones, deals made in the corners where shadows pooled.
It felt like home.
Kael found them a seat near the back, away from prying eyes. Aeron scanned the crowd, noting who was armed, who was watching, who was waiting for a fight.
"Careful," Nyxus warned. "I can feel something… off."
Aeron was about to ask what he meant when a low voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You don't belong here."
Aeron turned his head slightly. A man had appeared beside their table, tall, lean, with sharp eyes that flickered with recognition.
Kael tensed beside him. "You got a problem?"
The man smirked. "No problem. Just an observation."
Aeron studied him. Something about him felt dangerous.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The man slid into the seat across from them, completely unbothered by the tension in the air. "The better question is" he leaned forward, voice dropping "Who are you, Aeron?"
Aeron's blood froze.
Kael reached for his sword, but Aeron lifted a hand to stop him.
"He knows you," Nyxus warned. "Be smart."
Aeron met the man's gaze. "You seem to know a lot for someone I've never met."
The man smiled, a slow, calculated expression. "Let's just say… I make it my business to know interesting people."
Aeron remained silent, waiting.
The man finally leaned back, his smirk widening. "The assassin wasn't the only one watching you. And you're making quite a name for yourself."
That wasn't good.
Aeron exchanged a glance with Kael. They had been careful. No one should have connected him to his past, let alone known enough to seek him out.
The man's smirk didn't fade. "Relax. I'm not here to kill you."
"Then what do you want?" Aeron asked coldly.
The man tapped his fingers against the wooden table, considering his words. Then, finally, he said—
"I have a job for you."
Aeron's muscles remained tense as the stranger's words hung in the air.
"I have a job for you."
Kael's fingers twitched near his blade. "You've got the wrong people."
The man's smirk didn't waver. "Oh, I don't think so." He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with intrigue. "Aeron, a supposed dead hunter, reappears in a dungeon stronger than before. Then, an unknown assassin enhanced by a system tries to eliminate him. Sounds like a story worth following, don't you think?"
Aeron forced his expression to remain neutral. Who was this man? And more importantly—how did he know so much?
"He's not ordinary," Nyxus murmured in his mind. "There's something… familiar about him."
Aeron didn't like that.
The man exhaled, watching them. "I'll make this simple. You don't trust me, and I don't expect you to. But what if I told you I have information about the assassin?"
Kael stiffened. Aeron's jaw clenched.
"You're bluffing," Aeron said.
The man tilted his head. "Am I?" He took something from his coat pocket and slid it across the table.
Aeron's eyes narrowed. It was a small metal emblem, engraved with a symbol he had seen before.
The assassin's armor had the same marking.
His fingers clenched involuntarily.
"I see you recognize it," the man murmured, watching his reaction carefully. "That's your first clue. The second?" He leaned back, voice dropping lower. "They weren't just after you. They were sent to test you."
Kael scowled. "Test him?"
The man nodded. "And from what I gathered, you passed."
Aeron's stomach churned. He already suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed was different. Someone was watching him. Evaluating him. And if they sent an assassin once…
They'd send someone worse next time.
"So, tell me," Aeron said coolly, masking his unease. "Why would you give me this information?"
The man's smirk returned. "Because, Aeron, I need something that only someone like you can retrieve."
Kael scoffed. "Of course you do."
The man ignored him. "A dungeon in the lower districts—off-limits, according to the Guild. Something was sealed there a long time ago. Something I want." His eyes darkened slightly. "And I believe you might be the only one capable of surviving what's inside."
Aeron tapped his fingers against the table. "You still haven't told me who you are."
The man gave a slight nod. "Call me Veyren. That's all you need to know for now."
The name meant nothing to him. But the way Nyxus stirred uneasily in his mind told him this was no ordinary informant.
"This man… he's playing a long game," Nyxus warned. "Be careful."
Aeron met Veyren's gaze. "Let's say I'm interested. What's in this dungeon?"
Veyren's smirk thinned. "A fragment of an artifact—one that belonged to a Fallen Deity."
Aeron's heart skipped a beat.
His eyes flicked to Kael, whose expression had darkened.
"You expect us to believe that?" Kael said.
Veyren shrugged. "Believe what you want. But that artifact could be exactly what you need. It might even help with that little… condition you're trying to cure."
Aeron's blood ran cold.
Kael reached for his sword. "That's enough"
Aeron lifted a hand, stopping him. "How do you know about that?"
Veyren's smirk remained, but his tone turned serious. "Because the Guild isn't the only one interested in what's hidden in these dungeons. And because I know exactly what you're looking for."
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
Aeron's mind raced.
Was this a trap? A test? Or something more?
"Think it over," Veyren said, standing from the table. "But don't take too long. You're not the only one looking for power in the dark."
He turned, disappearing into the crowd.
Aeron exhaled sharply.
Kael was glaring. "We can't trust him."
"We don't have to," Aeron muttered, eyes locked on the metal emblem in his palm.
But if that dungeon really held something connected to a Fallen Deity…
Then he had no choice but to go.
---