Neo woke before the alarm.
That alone was irritating.
He held still for a breath, staring at the ceiling while the day pressed against the edges of the room like something waiting at a locked door. Gray Hand. The building. The people who would be there. The ones already inside. And the Godscar Ruin behind all of it, dangling like a promise made by a liar who happened to be holding treasure.
He scrubbed a hand down his face and got up.
By the time he stepped outside, the city was easing into morning. The sky carried that washed-out color just before the sun committed to anything. Delivery vans rumbled through the streets, a few cafés had bled their light onto the pavement, and one man in a wrinkled suit was already losing an argument with his phone. Arandom always managed a composed face from a distance, even when it was half-awake and ugly up close.
Neo met Alice first.
