Echoes of Veridia

The flickering neon sign above reads, simply, "Echoes." It's your first time seeing it, but somehow, it feels intimately familiar. Maybe it's the rain slickening the already grimy streets of Veridia, reflecting the city's muted glow back at you like a broken mirror. Maybe it's the feeling of being irrevocably lost, despite the GPS chirping insistently on your wrist. You're Elias Thorne, a relic hunter by trade, or, more accurately, a glorified dumpster diver for the rich and eccentric. Usually, you're chasing dusty artifacts in forgotten temples, but this… this is different. A frantic, garbled message, a coded location, and a promise of uncovering something far more valuable than any ancient crown brought you here. This place, the "Echoes" bar, reeks of stale beer and forgotten dreams. The music inside is a low, hypnotic hum, punctuated by the clinking of glasses and the murmur of hushed conversations. It's a place where secrets are traded like currency, and the truth is a rare commodity. You push open the heavy oak door, the hinges groaning in protest, and step inside. The air is thick with smoke, the dim light casting long, distorted shadows that dance with your every movement. A bartender, a woman with eyes as sharp as shards of glass, wipes down the counter, her gaze lingering on you for a moment longer than necessary. She knows you're new here. She knows you're looking for something. This isn't just a bar. This is a nexus point, a crossroads between realities, a place where the past bleeds into the present, and the future whispers in the corners. The artifacts you usually seek are merely trinkets compared to what lies hidden within these walls. Within the echoes of Veridia itself. Your contact is here. Or was. He was supposed to meet you hours ago. Now, only a lingering sense of unease and the faint smell of ozone hang in the air. Your journey begins now. You're about to delve into the hidden heart of Veridia, a city built on secrets and powered by forgotten technologies. Beware, Elias Thorne. The echoes you're about to hear may shatter more than just your sanity. They may shatter reality itself. What will you choose to believe? And more importantly, who can you trust? The answer, you will soon discover, is no one. Good luck. You'll need it.