Ashes: Book 1 of the Shadows Series - By Tristan Carver

Into the Shadows

The silence of Daylen's dorm room wrapped around him like a suffocating blanket. The weight of everything he had seen and learned in the past few days pressed down on him, relentless and unyielding. The cold light of dawn had barely begun to creep through the blinds, but he hadn't slept a wink. Instead, he had spent the entire night staring at the ceiling, mind racing with thoughts of Kael, the rebellion, and the world he had once believed to be perfect.

He'd gone with Kael to the warehouse, seen the truth, and now he was trapped between two worlds—the life he had known as an Elite and the grim reality that lay beneath Veritara's polished surface.

His hands trembled as he sat up, glancing around his room. The sterile neatness of it now felt foreign to him, as if it belonged to someone else. The immaculate posters of Veritara's shining cities, the crisp Elite uniform hanging in his closet—it was all a lie. A perfectly crafted illusion designed to keep people like him blind to the suffering of the masses. He had been one of the privileged, groomed from birth to stand at the top, but at what cost?

Daylen stood, his legs shaky as he made his way to the small window. He parted the blinds and gazed out at the campus below. Security drones buzzed overhead, more frequent now, their black metal forms slicing through the pale morning sky. His heart tightened at the sight, paranoia seeping into his thoughts. Kael had warned him about the government's surveillance—how they watched everything, controlled everything. Was that drone watching him now? Did they know what he had done, where he had been?

He stepped back from the window, his pulse quickening. Calm down, he told himself, rubbing his eyes. But the anxiety didn't fade. Instead, it worsened, the fear crawling up his spine like icy fingers. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched—that the eyes of Veritara were on him, waiting for him to slip up.

A soft ping broke through his thoughts. He frowned, glancing over at his communication device. A small message had appeared on the screen, its source encrypted. Daylen's heart skipped a beat as he quickly crossed the room and opened it.

Meet me at the corner of Conclave and East tonight. Don't be late. –K

His breath caught in his throat. Kael. He knew this was coming, knew that his involvement in the rebellion couldn't stop with just one visit. But the message felt like a tether yanking him deeper into the shadows of Veritara. He read the message again, his mind warring with itself. He could ignore it, pretend none of this had ever happened. Go back to being Elite, back to the safe, comfortable life he'd known.

But he knew that wasn't possible anymore. Not after what he'd seen. The image of the children in the warehouse, their wide, fearful eyes as they stared up at him, was seared into his mind. He couldn't just forget. He couldn't pretend.

With a deep breath, Daylen deleted the message, grabbed his jacket, and slipped out of his dorm. The campus was still quiet, the early morning light casting long shadows across the manicured lawns. He walked quickly, every step accompanied by the sound of his pounding heartbeat.

As he neared the campus gates, he hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the towering buildings behind him. They loomed like sentinels of the old world—the world he was turning his back on. But he couldn't go back, not now. Taking a final breath, he slipped through the gates and into the city beyond.

The streets of Veritara felt different at night. The gleaming towers and pristine walkways that had once inspired awe now felt cold, oppressive. Daylen kept his head down as he moved through the dimly lit streets, avoiding the gaze of the few citizens still out this late. His thoughts swirled, each step feeling like it carried him further from the life he had known.

He finally arrived at the corner of Conclave and East, the location Kael had sent him. The streets were nearly deserted, save for the occasional security drone that whizzed by overhead. His pulse quickened as he scanned the area, searching for Kael.