Chapter 6 · Hounds of the Neon District

"Stay down, you glitching piece of shit!"

I screamed it while diving behind a rusted dumpster, the metal screeching as a bolt of raw, violet energy slammed into the concrete where my head had been a second ago. The air smelled like ozone and burnt plastic.

Jax wasn't just a contract breaker; he was a junkie for the Void. He’d juiced himself up with forbidden cards, and now his skin was literally cracking, leaking that shimmering purple filth. He didn't even look human anymore—just a shaking, twitching mess of veins and desperation.

"I can feel it, Kane!" Jax howled, his voice sounding like two slabs of granite grinding together. "The power! I don't need the Collector! I don't need any of you!"

I peeked over the edge of the dumpster. He was ten feet away, vibrating so hard the puddles around his boots were rippling. My hand went to the deck in my pocket. My fingers were shaking. Not from fear—though there was plenty of that—but from the debt. Every time I touched these cards, I could feel Silas’s cold thumb pressing against my soul, reminding me that I was on a very short leash.

"You're not powerful, Jax.