Chapter Four — Echoes in the Dark
The night had thickened into a velvet shroud as Eden stepped back into the labyrinthine streets of the city's underbelly. Neon signs flickered like distant warnings, casting long, fractured shadows that seemed to reach for her with every step. The air was heavy with the scent of rain-soaked asphalt and distant smoke—remnants of a world that didn't want to be found.
Eden's fingers brushed the collar of her leather jacket, clutching it tighter around her slender frame. Her thoughts churned like the restless sea—each wave dragging deeper secrets from the dark depths. Riley's disappearance haunted her, a ghost with sharp teeth she could neither ignore nor confront.
The message on her phone pulsed silently: "Trust no one."
But how could she navigate a world where every smile hid a blade, every whisper carried a lie? The cage had teeth, and Eden was beginning to feel their bite.
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She moved with cautious purpose, winding through narrow alleyways that twisted like veins beneath the city. The familiar glow of Edenfall's discreet entrance was a beacon in the chaos, but tonight, it felt less like sanctuary and more like a trap closing in.
Damian's warnings echoed in her mind—rules that bound this dark world like chains. But rules were made to be broken, weren't they? And Eden was learning fast how dangerous that could be.
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Inside the club, the air pulsed with tension. Music throbbed beneath the layers of whispered deals and stolen glances. Eden's eyes scanned the crowd, searching for answers hidden in the flicker of candlelight and shadowed corners.
Then, a voice cut through the haze.
"Lost in the dark, or looking for the edge?"
Eden turned sharply to see a woman leaning against the bar—tall, elegant, her eyes like shards of ice. The woman's smile was both a challenge and a promise.
"I'm looking for the truth," Eden said, voice low.
"Careful what you wish for," the woman replied. "Truth here is a venom that kills slow."
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As the night spiraled deeper into secrets and lies, Eden realized the cage wasn't just a place—it was a state of mind. And breaking free meant more than survival. It meant confronting the shadows she'd long tried to ignore.