Raen leaned back in the deep leather chair, one that didn't belong in a place like this—an abandoned art gallery turned into a private negotiation room somewhere in the city's Old Quarter. Saelyn stood at the edge of the room, arms folded, expression unreadable.
Then, the door opened.
The man who walked in was no ordinary fixer. Tall, lean, dressed sharply in a suit that didn't draw attention yet whispered power. His hair was slicked back, his eyes sharp and hungry, the kind of look that saw through numbers, lies, and masks.
"This is him?" he asked, glancing at Saelyn, then back at Raen. "You're the one who built Voxframe?"
Raen crossed his arms. "You're the favor I'm being paid with?"
A smirk. "Think of it more like… an exchange of opportunities. I go by Veltren. I deal in things you can't buy in daylight. Materials, energy sources, experimental tech. You're looking to build something… unstable. That requires someone like me."
Raen said nothing, but Saelyn spoke for him. "He's developing a power solution. One that will make him independent."
Veltren raised a brow. "Ah. I figured it was either a death wish or ambition."
He pulled a black case from his side, setting it on the table. With a faint hiss, it opened to reveal a set of documents—one of them a procurement dossier. Rare materials, schematics, sourcing routes... half of it illegal in most regions.
"I don't need you to sell your soul," Veltren said. "But if you want to power that high-tech brain of yours without getting raided by the Energy Commission, we'll have to be careful. What you want is possible—but it comes at a cost. Both in lux… and attention."
Raen's eyes narrowed. "How much attention?"
Veltren smiled. "Enough to make you interesting."
Raen leaned forward, scanning the dossier. The materials weren't cheap, but more importantly—they weren't available through normal channels. Veltren had connections Raen couldn't fake or replace.
He closed the case. "Alright," Raen said. "What's the catch?"
"No catch," Veltren said. "Just a favor. Someday. I might need someone with your skills. Not today. Maybe not even this year. But I always collect."
Raen hated deals like this. But this wasn't a world built on clean lines and honest systems. This was a world that made the strong build shadows of their own.
He extended his hand. "Then we're both in debt now."
Veltren shook it. "Welcome to the undercurrent, Raen."