A Rune That Saved Them (prologue)
The streets of Zaun never slept. Neon lights flickered in the misty haze of toxic fumes, drowned out by the distant roar of machines. Deep in the heart of the Undercity, two sisters ran for their lives.
Vi held Powder's trembling hand tightly, their hearts pounding louder than the footsteps chasing them.
Behind them, enforcers barked orders, their boots crushing puddles of oil and grime.
"This way!" Vi shouted. But the path ahead led only to a dead end—a jagged metal wall rising to nothing but eventual darkness.
Powder clung to her sister's arm, tears streaking her dirt-covered face. "Vi… what do we do?"
Vi's chest tightened. She had no answer. No plan. She had promised to protect Powder, to keep her safe no matter what.
But now, with nowhere left to run, she could only hold her sister close and prepare for the inevitable.
And then the light came.
It wasn't the harsh glow of an enforcer's searchlight. It was soft, warm, almost alive. A faint blue shimmer appeared in the air that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat.
A hooded figure emerged forward from the shadows, holding a small, glowing rune.
"Take this," the figure said, as they pressed the rune into Vi's trembling hands. "It will save you."
Vi hesitated for only a moment before clutching the rune and Powder tightly. Its warmth seeped into her skin, working to steady her racing thoughts.
The figure raised their hand, and the air around them shimmered and cracked, as though reality itself was bending.
"Go," the figure urged.
The world around them suddenly dissolved into nothing. Vi and Powder closed their eyes.
When they opened their eyes again, the sisters looked around them, relieved to find no enforcers in sight. Somehow they ended up on a quiet ledge overlooking the Undercity.
Powder gasped, spinning in disbelief, while Vi stared at the rune in her hands. It glowed faintly, its power undeniable. Magic. Real magic.
From that day forward, Vi would never forget the magic that saved them.