To Rule an Empire

The rain drummed relentlessly against the glass of Zenith Corp’s skyscraper, the world outside lost in a swirling mist of neon and shadow. Arden stood in her corner office near the top floor, gazing out over the city she had fought tooth and nail to control. The empire was within reach—she could almost taste it. Yet something was wrong. The surface of the glass felt too cold, too solid, like a barrier between her and the power she so desperately craved.

Her reflection stared back at her from the darkened window, but it wasn’t quite right. The rain outside blurred the lights of the city, but her reflection remained clear. Too clear. The way her reflection’s eyes gleamed in the half-light, too sharp, too aware—it sent a chill crawling down her spine. Her hand hovered over the glass, her fingertips brushing the surface, feeling the cold pulse of it beneath her skin.