Elias couldn't sleep.

  Again.

  Not that it was surprising. His thoughts had been tangled ever since that day at the alley, ever since the name Valen had been handed to him like a riddle with no answer.

  And then there was the card.

  It sat on his nightstand, right where he had thrown it, the black surface catching faint slivers of light from the streetlamp outside his window. No number. No address.

  Just a name.

  And a promise.

  For when you’re ready.

  Elias wasn’t sure what irritated him more—the fact that Valen had given it to him in the first place, or the fact that it was working.

  Because he was thinking about it.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  And he hated that.

  —

  Danny found him the next afternoon.

  Or maybe he had been looking for him all day.

  Danny was that kind of guy.

  “Damn it, Elias, do you ever pick up your phone?”

  Elias blinked up at him from where he was slumped on a café table, barely touching his coffee. Dark circles under his eyes, mind still somewhere else.

  Danny looked fine. That was the frustrating thing about him. Too put-together, too awake, like the world didn’t drag him down the way it did Elias.

  His blond hair was a little messier than usual, like he’d been running around the city.

  Which meant—he had been looking.

  Elias sighed, leaning back. “Thought I turned it off.”

  Danny scowled. “Yeah, I figured, but that didn’t stop the rumors.”

  Elias raised an eyebrow. “Rumors?”

  Danny scoffed. “You disappeared, man. Again. People saw you running off after the gig. No one knew where you went. And now you look like you haven’t slept in a week.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Elias forced a smirk. “Thanks, I love when my insomnia gets public recognition.”

  Danny didn’t laugh.

  He pulled out a chair, sitting across from Elias, arms crossed. “Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on?”

  Elias hesitated.

  He could lie.

  He probably should.

  But Danny was one of the only people left who actually cared.

  Not just because they had been rivals once. Not just because they had both been trying to claw their way to the top in an industry that didn’t care about them.

  But because Danny had been there when everything fell apart.

  When Elias had lost his spark.

  When the world had started forgetting his name.

  And through it all, Danny had stayed.

  That was just who he was.

  The problem was—Danny wasn’t staying this time.

  —

  “I’m moving,” Danny said abruptly.

  Elias blinked. “What?”

  Danny exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I got an offer. A job. Not just playing gigs, but actual stability. You know, that thing normal people crave?”

  Elias stared. “And you’re taking it?”

  Danny gave him a look. “Elias. Do I look like someone who can afford to turn down stability?”

  Elias opened his mouth, then closed it.

  Okay. That was fair.

  Danny had been working himself into the ground for years, juggling performances, side jobs, whatever it took to keep himself afloat.

  He had earned this.

  Elias should be happy for him.

  He should say something supportive.

  Instead, all that came out was: “Where?”

  Danny hesitated. “Chicago.”

  Elias felt something in his chest tighten.

  “That’s not just moving, man. That’s—you’re leaving.”

  Danny leaned forward. “Elias. I’ve spent years here, waiting for something to happen. And the truth is, nothing’s going to happen unless I make it happen.”

  Elias swallowed hard.

  It wasn’t like Danny was wrong.

  But still—

  “You should come with me.”

  Elias froze. “What?”

  Danny shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. Like he wasn’t offering him an out. “You need a fresh start. This place is—man, you and I both know it’s eating you alive. If you don’t do something soon, you’re gonna—”

  He trailed off, shaking his head.

  Elias forced a laugh. “Gonna what?”

  Danny held his gaze. “Disappear.”

  The word hit harder than it should have.

  Elias looked away.

  Danny sighed. “Look, I’m not asking for an answer right now. Just… think about it.”

  Elias nodded, but they both knew the truth.

  He wasn’t leaving.

  —

  The card burned a hole in his pocket all day.

  He could feel it.

  Like it was waiting for him to make a decision.

  By the time night settled over the city, Elias knew he had to do something.

  If only to prove to himself that Valen had no power over him.

  He pulled it out, staring at the name.

  For when you’re ready.

  He wasn’t.

  But maybe that didn’t matter.

  Maybe—

  “You shouldn’t.”

  The voice cut through the night.

  Elias froze.

  Turned.

  And for the first time, he saw her.

  A woman, standing near the alley entrance, arms crossed, watching him like she had already decided how this would go.

  Sera.

  —

  She shouldn’t have done it.

  Sera knew better than to get involved this early.

  She had always known when to wait.

  When to let the pieces fall where they were meant to.

  But this time—

  She had moved first.

  And she wasn’t sure if that was a mistake.

  Elias turned toward her, brows furrowed. “Who—”

  “You shouldn’t call him,” she said again, motioning to the card. “You won’t like what happens next.”

  Elias frowned, slipping the card back into his pocket. “You know Valen?”

  Sera’s jaw tightened. “Better than you do.”

  Elias studied her.

  There was something off about her.

  Not in the way Valen had been—not unreal, not untouchable.

  But watchful.

  Like she was looking at more than just him.

  Like she was seeing something he wasn’t.

  “You’ve been following me,” Elias said, realizing it as the words left his mouth.

  Sera didn’t deny it.

  Elias exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. “Fantastic. Another person who knows more than I do.”

  Sera tilted her head slightly. “You don’t seem surprised.”

  Elias let out a breathy laugh. “At this point? I don’t have the energy to be.”

  Sera hesitated.

  He was different this time.

  She had seen him lost, desperate, angry.

  She had seen him fighting against the current.

  But this version of Elias—

  He was still fighting.

  Just not in the way he used to.

  And that worried her.

  Elias sighed, rubbing his temples. “Look, I get that I should probably be concerned about some random stranger knowing more about my life than I do, but I have enough problems. So either you tell me what’s going on, or—”

  “Or what?” Sera interrupted, voice sharp. “You’ll go to him?”

  Elias stiffened.

  Sera

  stepped closer.

  “The moment you call him,” she said, voice quiet but firm, “it starts.”

  Elias frowned. “It?”

  Sera didn’t blink.

  “The end.”

  Elias felt it.

  The weight of something bigger than himself.

  And for the first time—

  He hesitated.