INTRODUCTION

  Thunder rumbled across the **obsidian sky**, lightning carving jagged scars through the darkness. Rain lashed against the towering skyline of **Erevar Prime**, neon lights flickering as they fought against the storm. **But the real danger wasn’t the storm. It was what lurked in the shadows.**

  **Jasper Lightningheart ran.**

  Boots slammed against the metal walkway of the **Dominion Research Spire**, alarms screaming behind him. Blood dripped from a fresh wound at his side—a magitek lance had grazed him during his escape. The pain barely registered. He had bigger problems.

  **In his hand, the stolen data crystal pulsed with arcane symbols—a secret too dangerous to exist.**

  The Dominion wasn’t protecting the world. It was preparing to destroy it.

  Behind him, the sounds of pursuit **closed in**. The **clank** of magitek sentinels, the high-pitched **whir** of drone scanners, the **thudding boots** of elite Dominion soldiers. But none of it sent a chill down Jasper’s spine like the voice that crackled through his earpiece.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  *"You always were fast, Lightningheart,"* the voice drawled—smooth as silk, cold as steel. *"Not fast enough, though."*

  Jasper skidded to a halt, plasma pistol snapping up—**but the figure waiting for him at the end of the walkway was no ordinary soldier.**

  **Ren Skydraenz.**

  The **Windstalker.**

  Draped in a sleek, black-and-crimson combat suit, Ren’s presence was suffocating—like the very air had been stolen from the world. A **plasma blade hissed to life in his hand, violet light cutting through the rain**. His emerald eyes locked onto Jasper, filled with something sharper than the weapon he wielded.

  Betrayal.

  *"Hand it over, Jasper."* Ren’s voice was calm, almost bored. *"You know how this ends."*

  Jasper clenched his jaw. **One chance. One shot.**

  *"You don’t even know what you’re fighting for, Ren."* He took a slow step backward toward the ledge. *"They’re lying to you. To all of us. If they open the Dark Realm—"*

  *"I don’t care,"* Ren cut in, voice like a blade. *"Power belongs to those who take it. And you? You threw yours away."*

  Then **he moved**.

  **Faster than lightning.**

  Ren’s blade **slashed through the rain**, Jasper barely twisting in time to avoid the killing blow. **Sparks exploded** from the railing as the energy blade sheared through metal like paper.

  Jasper didn’t wait.

  He **turned and leaped into the void.**

  Wind roared in his ears as **the cityscape blurred past in a dizzying rush**. He reached for his belt—fingers grasping the stolen grappling magitek—

  **Click.**

  The line caught. His arm wrenched painfully, but the force **swung him hard—**right onto the roof of a speeding hover-train below.

  **He hit the metal surface, rolled, exhaled.**

  **Alive.**

  But **Ren was already moving.**

  **The hunt had begun.**

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