The rain had stopped, but the streets of the city were still slick, reflecting the neon lights like fractured glass. Amelia moved quietly, each step deliberate, each breath shallow. Her mind replayed the events at the Hollow City over and over Ren’s revelation, the trace leading to Alexander’s own base, the impossible truth she wasn’t ready to accept.

Somewhere in all of this chaos, she had to find the patterns. The connections. The small threads Damien had left behind, intentionally or ...