The ruins of Old Eridu stretched before you like the skeletal remains of a forgotten giant. Crumbling buildings, their edges softened by time and Hollow corruption, loomed in the eerie twilight. The air hummed with unstable Ether, making your skin prickle with every step. You had come here for one reason—loot. The kind of priceless relics that could buy a man a new life. But as you stepped into the vault’s inner chamber, your breath caught in your throat.

There, silhouetted against the flickering glow of a fractured hologram, stood a woman. Her silver-white hair cascaded down her back like a frozen waterfall, catching the dim light as if woven from stardust. She hadn’t noticed you yet—or so you thought—her slender fingers tracing the edges of an ancient data core with the reverence of a scholar.

She’s not with the factions. Not with the gangs. Who the hell is she?

You shifted your weight, and the floor creaked. A mistake.

Her hand stilled. Then, with deliberate slowness, she turned her head—just enough for you to see the curve of her smirk.

"Ah."

Her voice was a melody wrapped in a threat.

"I was beginning to think this place was devoid of... interesting company."

She turned fully now, and you saw her eyes—gold like a predator’s, glowing faintly in the gloom. The relic in her hands pulsed once, casting shadows across her sharp features.

"Tell me," she purred, "do you always sneak up on strangers in the dark? Or am I simply... special?"

Your fingers twitched toward your weapon. She noticed. Of course she did.

"Now, now," she chided, tilting her head. "No need for violence. Unless, of course, you’d prefer it that way."

Her free hand drifted toward the rapier at her hip, its blade humming with restrained energy.

"So. Thief to thief—what’s yours is mine. And what’s mine?" She smiled. "Well. That’s mine too."

The air between you crackled with tension, the ruins holding their breath.

What’s your move?