The skyline of the city loomed ahead, bathed in a restless mix of neon lights and mist. Fred moved through the crowded streets with his head lowered, clutching the black card tighter with every step.
Around him, life continued—vendors hawked food on corners, music blared from open windows, laughter spilled from crowded bars. But Fred felt disconnected, as if a glass wall now separated him from the world he once knew.
Every glance over his shoulder made his skin crawl. Every passerby felt like a potential enemy. This was the price of stepping into a world built on secrets.
--
At the edge of the financial district, Fred found the address Silas had scribbled onto a crumpled napkin:
The Omen Lounge.
It looked abandoned—windows boarded up, graffiti scarring the doors. But when he pressed the black card against the worn-out scanner hidden beside the entrance, the doors swung open with a hiss.
Inside, the world changed.
Warm, golden light flooded the narrow hallway beyond. Velvet drapes lined the walls. At the far end, a sharply dressed woman with fiery red hair and emerald eyes waited for him, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She looked like a siren pulled straight from a forbidden dream.
"Fred," she said in a silky voice, stepping forward. "We've been expecting you."
Fred swallowed hard. "Who are you?"
She offered her gloved hand. "You can call me Ivy. I'm your guide into the new world you've chosen."
Fred hesitated only a moment before shaking her hand. Her skin was ice-cold through the thin glove.
---
Ivy led Fred into a grand ballroom where chandeliers dripped with crystals, and masked figures danced to music only they seemed to hear.
At the center of the room stood a black pedestal, atop which rested a small, silver cube. It pulsed softly with a heartbeat-like glow.
"Your first test," Ivy murmured. "Take the cube. If you succeed, you'll be acknowledged. If you fail…" she trailed off, her smile deepening ominously.
Fred stared at the cube. Around the edges of the room, the dancers had stopped moving. They watched him now, their masks hiding any hint of emotion.
Every step Fred took toward the pedestal felt heavier. When he reached out for the cube, a shock ran up his arm—painful, but not unbearable.
He gritted his teeth and forced his fingers around it.
Instantly, a voice echoed in his mind:
"Power demands sacrifice. What will you give?"
Visions flashed before his eyes—his old life, the friends he had left behind, the innocence he could never reclaim.
"I give it all," Fred whispered.
The cube's light flared, and the room shuddered as if the very air around him bent under the weight of his choice.
When the light faded, Fred stood alone. The dancers had vanished. Ivy stood at the far end of the room, clapping slowly.
"Welcome, Fred," she said, her voice rich with approval. "You've crossed the threshold."
---
Back in the hallway, Ivy handed Fred a slim, black envelope. "Inside, you'll find your first assignment," she said. "Succeed, and doors you can't yet imagine will open for you. Fail, and…"
Fred didn't need her to finish the sentence. The stakes were clear.
He opened the envelope with trembling hands. Inside was a single piece of parchment, upon which were written three names.
People he would have to find.
People he would have to choose between saving... or sacrificing.
Ivy leaned closer, her breath brushing his ear. "Choose wisely, Fred. In this game, even kindness can be your undoing."
---
As Fred stepped out of The Omen Lounge into the cold night, the city seemed different—darker, more alive.
He wasn't the same person who had walked into the lounge. He had crossed a line, and there was no turning back.
In his pocket, the black card pulsed softly, a reminder that he now belonged to something far larger—and far deadlier—than anything he had ever imagined.
Above him, the stars burned like cold fire in the sky, distant and indifferent to the struggle unfolding below.
Fred squared his shoulders and disappeared into the night, ready to embrace whatever darkness lay ahead.
---