The rain fell in rhythm over the Lower Wards of Noctheos, as if the heavens themselves sought to wash away the filth that clung to the city's crumbling streets. The air was thick with the ever-present stench of decay filled the slums.
Revik Stormclaw knew this place well. He had spent his entire life running through its grim streets, never pausing to rest. Tonight was no different—he ran with the ferocity of a man who had nothing left to lose. His boots splashed in the puddles as he pushed forward, ignoring the strain in his legs, ignoring the exhaustion that gnawed at him.
His heart raced in time with his pounding footsteps, but it was not the rain, the cold that gripped his mind. It was the face of his sister, her pale face and weak breath seem to haunt him as he ran.
His fingers clenched tightly around the hilt of the Stormfang Blade at his side, the weapon that had seen him through countless battles and dangerous deals. It felt heavier now, as if the weight of his desperation had added to it.
Revik's eyes were set, fixed on the distant shape of a house—his destination. He had done everything, fought countless battles, taken on jobs far more dangerous than any man should. But now, in the dead of night, with the rain falling like daggers, he had nowhere else to turn.
He reached the door. And with a desperate motion, he raised his fist and slammed it against the wood. The sound of his knocking was deafening in the silence of the night
**Bang Bang Bang**
The cold rain dripped off his soaked hair, his cloak plastered to his back, but he didn't care. There was no time to care. Only one thing mattered: his sister.
The door creaked open, revealing a man standing in the doorway.His face was hidden in shadow, but his eyes intense stared through the dark. Brian was tall and lean, his clothes messy and his face showing signs of age and hard living, and it was clear that Revik wasn't the first man to come begging for a miracle.
"So you're the one disturbing my peace at this hour," the man shouted, his voice was a mixture of irritation and disbelief.
Revik's breath caught as his hands trembled—not from the cold, but from deep emotion. His voice broke as he fell to his knees in the rain, his eyes were full of desperation.
"Please... help my sister. She's... she's dying. You're the only one who can..."
His voice cracked with emotion, but the words came out anyway. His mind screamed for him to hold it together, but everything inside him was unraveling. Lyra was dying. He had to do something.
Bruan 's face twisted in disgust, and he stepped back, pulling the door with him so that only his voice remained in the space between them.
"I've already told you, there's nothing that can be done!" Brian's shout was final. "I'm not your savior. I've helped you before, but there's no magic here, no cure that I can give you. Go away, Revik. You're wasting your time."
His fists clenched as he stared at the man in front of him. The door had barely opened, but it was enough for Revik to see him: Brian, the so-called healer. Bran had been a man of dubious means, but he had always had a reputation for getting things done—when the price was right.
And Revik had paid with blood and favors, with every ounce of his life's work, hoping that this man, this fool, would hold up his end of the bargain. But now—now he was being told that all of it had been for nothing.
"Please..." His voice cracked but still he pushed the words out. "Please, Brian… she's my sister. I need you to help her."
Brian's face twisted in disdain, and before Revik could say another word, Brian's voice snapped at him like a whip.
"She's nothing to me, Revik. She's a dead woman walking. You can beg all you want, but you can't save her," he spat "She'll die, just like everyone else. It's inevitable—her time just came sooner."
Revik's eyes shot wide open, his anger exploded like wildfire. and before he could stop himself, his hand shot out, grabbing Brian by the collar and lifting him off his feet.
"You listen to me, you bastard!" Revik's voice was like thunder, he tightened his grip until Brian's face turned pale.You'll take that back, or I'll tear your damn tongue out!"
Brian's eyes widened in fear, but there was still defiance there, a spark of arrogance. He reached up, slapping at Revik's hand with a face of disgust.
"Let go of me, Stormclaw. You're wasting your time. Lyra is as good as dead. No matter what you do, nothing will change that." Brian snarled.
Revik felt his heart beat heavily, and his whole body burned with rage. In a heartbeat, his hand released Brian's collar, only to draw the Stormfang Blade from his side.
Without a second thought, he pointed the blade toward Brian's throat "I'll carve you open right here, right now, if you don't take back what you just said."
Brian's eyes flickered with fear, he stepped back, his back pressing against the doorframe. His confidence was starting to crack, but even then, he didn't back down.
"You think you can scare me, Stormclaw?" Brian's voice was strained, but still stubborn. "You're not the first man to threaten me, and you won't be the last. If you're too stupid to understand that, then you can go ahead and kill me. But it won't change a damn thing."
Revik's entire body shook, but just as the rage bubbled to the surface, a voice cut through the tension.
"Revik Stormclaw, what in the gods' name do you think you're doing?"
A woman appeared in the doorway, looking scared, but speaking with confidence.She stood by the door, her hand wrapped around her husband's arm for protection.I t was Brian's wife—Sera.
Her eyes flared with anger, and she took a step forward, her hands raised, though it was clear she was just as scared as Brian.
"Leave now, or I'll make sure you never set foot in this place again!" Sera shouted, her voice was laced with fear.
Revik's grip on his sword tightened, but his eyes shifted between Sera and Brian. The anger was still there, but he put the stormfang blade back in its scabbard, and it slid in with a quiet hiss.
"Don't test me again, Brian," Revik's voice was cold. "I will not forget this."
Brian remained silent, his eyes watching Revik like a predator sizing up its prey. His lips curled into a sneer, but he said nothing more.
Revik had no time to calm down before he heard fast footsteps splashing through the rain. A small boy, soaked from the storm, ran up to him and stopped. His hair stuck to his forehead, and his thin body shook from the cold.
"Revik!" the boy wheezed. "They're almost here! Nadia—she's calling for you!"
Revik's heart slammed against his ribs. His entire body tensed, and for a moment, everything else faded—the rain, the cold. Only one thought took hold.
Lyra.
Without another word, he turned sharply on his heel, his boots splashing against the rain-soaked ground as he broke into a sprint. The boy scrambled to keep up, but Revik didn't slow. He couldn't afford to.