The journey toward the ruins beneath the Viscount Manor took them through forgotten parts of M. City few dared enter — collapsed subway lines, ancient sewer networks repurposed by black-market smugglers, and pockets of wild Qi-beasts that had escaped from illegal breeding rings.
Matt and Viviennie moved mostly in silence at first, communicating through short gestures and the occasional shared bloodlust warning from the system. Being near her accelerated his awakening steadily — it sat at 78% by the time they reached the outer perimeter of the manor grounds.
Viviennie proved surprisingly knowledgeable. “The Viscount’s family has hoarded pre-Qi artifacts for generations,” she explained as they crouched in the shadows of a massive drainage pipe. “They think the old powers can be turned into
