The Veil Of Ages

(Ethan’s POV – Stepping into the Unknown)

Shanghai at night was a city of movement.

The glow of neon signs flickered against the rippling surface of the Huangpu River, the sound of distant car horns blending into the murmur of people walking along the boardwalk.

Ethan stepped onto the waterfront, his eyes scanning the crowd.

Voss was here. Somewhere. Watching.

Every instinct told him this was a trap.

But he had come anyway.

Because Nadia was missing.

Because Aegis was moving.

Because if he didn’t do this, he’d never know the truth.

His phone buzzed.

A message from Renji.

> Renji: "You’re in position. Keep your phone on. I’m tracking from here."

Ethan typed back quickly.

> Ethan: "Understood. No signs of him yet."

 @@novelbin@@

A second message came in.

> Aryan: "You sure about this, old man?"

Ethan smirked slightly.

> Ethan: "Not at all."

Then—

A voice.

Smooth. Calculated. Right behind him.

"Good evening, Carter."

Ethan’s breath hitched.

He turned.

And there he was.

Nathaniel Voss.

Standing just a few feet away.

Dressed in a dark coat, hands in his pockets. Expression unreadable.

The game had officially begun.

---

(The Offer – A Game of Words)

"You don’t look surprised," Voss said, tilting his head slightly.

Ethan forced himself to stay still. "I figured you’d be watching."

Voss chuckled. "Smart. You always struck me as the careful type."

His gaze flickered over Ethan, assessing him.

Ethan felt it.

Like Voss was looking straight through him.

"Shall we walk?" Voss gestured toward the boardwalk. "Or would you rather stand here, looking uncomfortable?"

Ethan hesitated.

Then, reluctantly, he followed.

---

(The Game Begins – One Question Only)

They walked along the river, the city lights casting long shadows.

Voss moved calmly, as if this was nothing more than a casual meeting.

Finally, he spoke.

"You came for answers," he said. "So ask your question."

Ethan didn’t waste time.

"Where is Nadia?"

Voss smiled. "Straight to the point. I like that."

Then, his eyes darkened.

"She’s safe. For now."

Ethan’s fists clenched. "That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only one I can give you," Voss said smoothly. "Because Nadia is no longer in your hands. She made a choice. She walked away from your world… and into mine."

Ethan’s stomach twisted.

Was he lying?

Or had Nadia really joined Aegis?

---

(The Warning – A Truth Ethan Wasn’t Ready For)

"Why would she join you?" Ethan asked sharply.

Voss turned to him, gaze sharp. "Because she saw something."

Ethan frowned. "Saw what?"

Voss smirked. "Now that would be two questions, wouldn’t it?"

Ethan exhaled sharply. "Cut the mind games."

Voss stopped walking.

For the first time, his expression hardened.

"You think you’re chasing the truth, Carter," he said quietly. "But what if the truth is chasing you?"

Ethan stiffened. "What does that mean?"

"It means…" Voss took a step closer, voice dropping.

"That you are not the only ones looking for these artifacts."

Ethan’s pulse quickened. "Who else is involved?"

Voss chuckled. "You’ll find out soon enough."

Then, before Ethan could respond—

Voss stepped back into the crowd.

And disappeared.

---

(Ethan’s POV – Aftermath of the Meeting)

Ethan stood frozen.

His heart pounded.

Voss had vanished.

But his words remained.

"You are not the only ones looking for these artifacts."

He grabbed his phone, typing quickly.

> Ethan: "Meeting’s over. I have information."

A reply came almost instantly.

> Renji: "Get back. Now."

> Aryan: "What the hell happened?"

Ethan took one last look at the empty boardwalk.

Then, he turned.

And walked away.

---

Chapter 11B: The Real Hunt Begins

---

(Ethan’s POV – Returning with More Questions Than Answers)

The taxi ride back to his hotel felt longer than it should have.

Ethan sat in the backseat, staring out at the blurry neon lights of Shanghai. His mind was running through every word Voss had said.

"She made a choice."

"You are not the only ones looking for these artifacts."

Voss was a manipulator. A strategist. Nothing he said was without purpose.

So what was he really trying to tell Ethan?

That Nadia had joined them willingly?

That another organization was in play?

Or that this was just the beginning?

His phone buzzed.

A message from Renji.

> Renji: "You’re in position. Keep your phone on. I’m tracking from here."

Another from Aryan.

> Aryan: "You sure about this, old man?"

Ethan smirked slightly.

> Ethan: "Not at all."

But before he could send another reply, his screen flashed with an incoming call.

Renji.

He answered immediately.

"You’re back at the hotel?" she asked, her voice sharp.

"Almost," Ethan muttered. "What’s going on?"

There was a pause.

Then, Renji’s voice dropped.

"I found something."

---

(Renji’s POV – The Search for Missing History)

Renji’s eyes flicked between four open monitors, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

She had been digging into artifact records for hours.

Looking for patterns. Missing files. Clues that didn’t add up.

And finally—

She had found something.

Her breath was steady, but her heart wasn’t.

"Remember how we thought Aegis was the only group moving artifacts?" she asked.

Ethan’s voice came through the call. "Yeah?"

Renji clicked into a restricted-access file.

"Then tell me why I just found evidence of another organization doing the same thing—three years ago."

Silence.

Then Aryan’s voice cut in. "What are you talking about?"

Renji adjusted her glasses, scanning the data again.

"There was an artifact recovered from a private collection in Turkey," she explained. "A weapon. Its historical record was wiped. No museum listing. No auction data. No evidence of its current location."

Ethan exhaled sharply. "And you’re saying Aegis wasn’t involved?"

"No." Renji clicked to expand the hidden metadata.

"Because according to the original transfer logs… Aegis never touched it."

She took a slow breath, reading the name that appeared in the records.

> "Recovered by: The Sentinels."

She felt the weight of it before she even said it aloud.

Then, finally, she spoke.

"A group called The Sentinels took it instead."

---

(Aryan’s POV – The Call That Changes Everything)

Aryan stared at his screen.

The name meant nothing to him.

But the implications?

They changed everything.

Until now, Aegis had been their main focus. The ones pulling strings behind the scenes. The ones taking artifacts, rewriting history, controlling knowledge.

But if The Sentinels were also moving pieces?

That meant Aegis wasn’t the only shadow in this game.

And that meant the battle for these weapons was bigger than they thought.

Aryan leaned forward, typing quickly.

> Aryan: "If they’re real, why haven’t we heard of them before?"

Renji responded almost instantly.

> Renji: "Because someone erased their existence."

Aryan exhaled slowly.

This wasn’t just corporate secrecy anymore.

This was something else.

Something older.

Something designed to be forgotten.

And that realization sent a chill through him.

---

(Ethan’s POV – The Weight of the Unknown)

Ethan stepped into his hotel room and locked the door behind him.

He tossed his phone onto the bed and ran a hand through his hair.

Voss had hinted at it.

But now Renji had confirmed it.

There was another organization involved.

And if The Sentinels had been moving artifacts before Aegis even stepped in…

Then what the hell were they really after?

His phone buzzed again.

Another message.

But not from Renji or Aryan.

A new number.

No name.

Just one sentence.

> "Some artifacts were never meant to be found."

Ethan’s breath hitched.

Because suddenly—

He wasn’t sure if they were the ones hunting the artifacts.

Or if the artifacts had been leading them somewhere all along.

---

End of Chapter 11

---

Short Story: A Day in the Life of Renji

---

(Morning – The Weight of Expectations)

Renji woke up before her alarm. Again.

She stared at the ceiling, listening to the faint sounds of the city outside.

It was 5:30 AM. She could try to sleep for another half-hour, but she knew it was pointless.

Her mind was already awake. Already overthinking.

What needed to be done today?

What emails were still unanswered?

What was she forgetting?

It never stopped.

So instead of fighting it, she got up.

---

(Family – Present but Distant)

By 6:30 AM, she was sitting at the breakfast table with her family.

Her parents, traditional, reserved, practical. They loved her, but they didn’t understand her.

Her older brothers, all working men, already deep in their own conversations.

She was the only daughter. The only one still figuring things out.

"You're up early again," her mother noted, setting down a bowl of rice.

"Yeah," Renji muttered, scrolling through her phone.

"You should rest more," her father added, taking a sip of his tea.

"I’ll try," she lied.

They meant well. She knew that.

But they wouldn’t understand why she was like this.

Why the idea of "resting" made her feel more stressed.

Why she couldn’t just sit still while Nadia was missing.

So she didn’t explain.

She just nodded, finished her coffee, and excused herself.

Because that was easier.

---

(The Others – A Connection She Struggled With)

Her phone buzzed as she left the house.

A message from Aryan.

> Aryan: "Yo, don’t overwork yourself today."

Renji scoffed. The irony.

She started typing a sarcastic reply—

Then stopped.

She knew Aryan meant well.

But she also knew he didn’t really expect her to listen.

Instead, she just sent:

> Renji: "You too."

He’d ignore it, obviously.

But that wasn’t the point.

Another message came in, this time from Ethan.

> Ethan: "Any updates on the search?"

Right. Work first.

She’d talk to them later.

If there was time.

---

(Work – The Place She Felt in Control)

By 9:00 AM, she was at her desk, drowning in reports and data.

This was where she thrived.

Numbers. Structure. Systems.

Things that made sense.

Unlike emotions.

Unlike people.

Unlike the messiness of losing a friend and not knowing where she was.

She checked her screens.

 Aegis records – No changes.

 Nadia’s last known location – Still nothing.

 Background searches on The Sentinels – A few more leads, but nothing concrete.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard.

She was good at this. Finding patterns.

If there was an answer, she’d uncover it.

Because that’s what she did.

She solved problems.

But Nadia wasn’t a problem to solve.

And that terrified her.

---

(Lunch Break – That She Never Took)

By 1:30 PM, her stomach growled.

She ignored it.

She was still running data cross-checks, trying to pinpoint connections between The Sentinels and past artifact recoveries.

A call popped up on her screen.

Ethan.

She hesitated.

Then, reluctantly, answered.

"You’re still working, aren’t you?" Ethan’s voice came through, flat but amused.

"Obviously," Renji muttered, still typing.

"You eat yet?"

She hesitated. "...Kind of."

Ethan sighed. "That’s a no."

"Not the point," she deflected. "Did you call for a reason?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "We need to talk about The Sentinels. I think we’re missing something."

Renji leaned back, rubbing her eyes. "Fine. But only if you stop lecturing me about food."

"No promises," Ethan said, and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

For a moment, she almost smiled.

Then, just like that, the conversation shifted back to work.

And the moment was gone.

---

(Evening – The Silence That Follows Work)

By 7:30 PM, she was home.

Alone.

Again.

Her apartment was quiet. Too quiet.

She checked her messages.

 Ethan sent an update about The Sentinels.

 Aryan made some joke about quitting his Systic job before even starting.

 And Nadia’s last message… still sat there. Unread.

Renji stared at it.

She knew she should delete it.

She knew it wasn’t helping to keep reading it.

But she did anyway.

> Nadia: "Call me when you’re free. I found something interesting."

It had been her last message.

And Renji had been too busy to answer.

Now she might never get the chance.

She closed her eyes, exhaling.

Then, finally, she forced herself to type into the group chat.

> Renji: "Still looking. I’ll update soon."

Ethan’s reply came immediately.

> Ethan: "We’ll figure this out."

> Aryan: "Go to sleep, nerd."

Renji stared at her screen.

Then, finally, she put the phone down.

Not because she was done.

But because if she didn’t stop now—

She never would.

---