The rain hammered down on Novaris like a relentless drumbeat, turning the neon-lit streets into rivers of light and shadow. Mira Kael pulled her coat tighter around her as she navigated the crowded sidewalks, her eyes scanning the faces—each one a story, a secret waiting to be uncovered.
Her phone buzzed. A message from an anonymous source: "Meet me at the old observatory. Midnight. Come alone."
Mira's pulse quickened. The observatory had been abandoned for years, a relic of a forgotten era perched on the city's edge. But if there was anyone who could shed light on the recent disappearances, it was here.
She arrived just as the clock struck twelve. The fog curled around the crumbling dome as a figure stepped out from the shadows.
"Are you Mira Kael?" the voice whispered.
"I am. Who are you?"
"No time to explain. The scientist—Dr. Elias Renner—didn't just disappear. He was taken. And what he was working on…it could change everything."
Before Mira could ask more, the figure handed her a small data chip.
"This is all I could salvage. Be careful. They're watching."
The figure vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving Mira alone with the cold wind and a mystery that would pull her deeper into Novaris's darkest secrets.