After leaving the small, unremarkable shop, Lian and Elara melted back into the chaotic flow of Vorthex Prime’s lower districts. The air was thick with the clamor of endless trade — auctioneers shouting in a dozen languages, the sizzle of street food stalls, the metallic clang of weapons being tested, and the low murmurs of deals struck in shadowed corners. Neon lights flickered overhead, casting shifting colors across the crowded walkways and floating platforms that connected the massive bazaar.

They moved with practiced caution, hoods low, staying in the denser crowds where surveillance drones had a harder time locking onto faces. Lian kept one hand near the hilt of his short hammer-blade beneath his cloak, while Elara walked silently at his side, her alloy legs making no sound on the worn metal plating of the streets. Every few minutes, Lian would subtly change direction, doubling back through narrow alleys or slipping behind towering cargo stacks to ensure they weren’t being followed.

The information from the Kraith had been useful, but Lian’s instincts screamed that the serpent-like broker was not to be trusted. Information sellers on Vorthex Prime rarely worked for just one client. Loyalty here was measured in credits, not honor.

They had barely gone three blocks when Lian made his decision.

He signaled Elara with a slight tilt of his head — a silent cue they had developed during their training sessions. She understood immediately and continued walking forward at the same steady pace, blending into a group of Veyari merchants haggling over a crate of glowing Qi crystals.

Lian slipped away.

He doubled back through a side alley, using the roof-hopping technique the old blacksmith had taught him months ago. His movements were silent, his new Stellar Circuit Late aura carefully masked so it wouldn’t leak and draw attention. He circled around the block and approached the small shop from the rear, climbing onto a nearby rooftop and dropping down into the narrow gap behind the building.

He waited.

Minutes passed.

Then the Kraith emerged from the front door, locking it behind him with a heavy click. The serpent-like being slithered a few steps into the alley, glancing around once before raising its clawed hand.

A small holographic projector embedded in the scales of its wrist flickered to life. A blue-tinted image appeared — a hooded figure whose face was obscured by digital distortion.

The Kraith spoke in a low, sibilant hiss.

“They have left. The Ghost and the half-cyborg. I gave them the location of the auction house as instructed. They suspect nothing.”

The hooded figure on the hologram nodded once.

“Good work. The credits have been transferred. Double the usual rate for your discretion.”

The call ended with a soft chime.

The Kraith lowered its hand, a satisfied flicker crossing its cold eyes as it checked the incoming payment on its wrist device.

It never saw the dagger coming.

Lian dropped from the rooftop like a shadow.

The blade flashed once — silent, precise — and buried itself deep into the back of the Kraith’s hooded head, piercing straight through the skull and into the brain.

The serpent-like body jerked once, venomous fangs snapping uselessly in the air, then went limp.

Lian caught the falling form before it could hit the ground with a loud thud. He dragged the body back into the narrow gap behind the shop, out of sight from the main alley.

He pulled the dagger free with a wet sound, wiped the blade clean on the Kraith’s cloak, and sheathed it.

Then he took the holographic projector from the dead broker’s wrist, along with the small data chip the Kraith had been carrying. He slipped both into a hidden pocket inside his cloak.

After a quick search of the body — confirming no other trackers or recording devices — Lian stood up.

He closed the shop’s back door behind him, making sure it looked undisturbed, then slipped away through the shadows.

Elara was waiting for him in a quiet corner two blocks away, leaning against a stack of shipping crates. Her blue cyber eyes scanned him as he approached.

“Did you ask him what you said you forgot?” she asked quietly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Lian smiled — a small, calm smile that didn’t reach his void eyes — and nodded.

“Yes. I did.”

She didn’t press further.

They both faded into the shadows, moving like ghosts through the crowded lower levels of Vorthex Prime, heading back toward the dingy hab-block room they had rented earlier.

Elara never knew that Lian had killed the Kraith.

She assumed he had simply double-checked the information or asked one last question.

Lian kept that secret close.

Back in their small, dimly lit room, they locked the door and activated the basic privacy field the old blacksmith had provided.

Lian pulled out the holographic projector and the data chip.

They spent the next several hours carefully going through the information.

The Kraith had been thorough.

The white-eyed old man had indeed been on Vorthex Prime three months ago.

He had attended a highly exclusive, invitation-only auction in the deepest underbelly district — a place known only to the richest and most ruthless collectors.

What he had purchased was a weapon called the Void Reaver.

According to the encrypted notes, it was an ancient artifact, said to be forged from the remains of a fallen progenitor. A single strike could tear through a Nebula Dominion realm cultivator’s domain, shatter their core, and devour their soul in one hit. It was one of the most forbidden and expensive items ever traded on the black market.

Lian and Elara both gasped when they read the estimated power level.

Nebula Dominion.

They were both still relatively weak in comparison.

Even with Lian at Stellar Circuit Late and Elara at Early to Middle, a weapon like that could end them instantly if used against them.

The notes also contained a partial trail.

The white-eyed man had left Vorthex Prime shortly after the auction, heading toward a dead zone in Sector 7 — a region of ruined planets and abandoned precursor ruins known for its extreme danger and lawlessness.

Lian stared at the data for a long time.

His void eyes were cold.

Elara watched him carefully.

“A long way to go,” she said quietly.

Lian nodded slowly.

“But we will make it.”

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes — a brief, almost imperceptible glance.

In his mind “Even if it means sacrificing everything... and everyone.”

Elara didn’t notice.

The room fell silent again.

Outside, the endless bazaar of Vorthex Prime continued its chaotic trade — weapons, slaves, organs, secrets — all for sale to the highest bidder.

And somewhere in the darkness, the white-eyed old man and his shadow were still moving.

Lian and Elara had their first real clue.

The hunt had truly begun.

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)

Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.

Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.

Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.

Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.

Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc.