the underground pulse

Down! Now!" Kael barked, shoving Litus into a narrow crawlspace just as the crimson searchlight of a drone swept over the alley. The mechanical hum sounded like a growl.

"They're tracking the thermal drop you caused," Kael whispered, his eyes scanning the rooftops. "Magic leaves a scent, Litus. And right now, you smell like a god in a graveyard."

They reached a heavy iron door reinforced with scrap metal. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of soldering iron and old paper. A girl with grease-stained fingers and goggles that glowed amber looked up from a pile of dismantled sensors.

"Kael? I told you not to come back unless you had something worth the risk," she said, her voice sharp as a blade.

"I have something better, Mina. I have a spark," Kael replied, gesturing toward Litus.

Mina approached Litus, her amber goggles clicking as they zoomed in on the silver pendant. "This isn't just jewelry. It’s an antenna. Every time you use your Instinct, this thing broadcasts your location to the Upper City. You're lucky you're not in a cage yet."

She grabbed a strange, vibrating tool. "I can mask it, but it’ll cost you. I need a drop of that 'Cold Blood' to power the cloaking field."

As Litus hesitated, the book in his bag began to vibrate. It flipped open to a page filled with shifting, liquid ink. A map appeared—not of a city, but of a colossal machine buried deep within the Earth.

"The Mountain..." Litus murmured, his eyes widening. "It's not a sanctuary, Kael. It’s an engine."