Thunder rolled across the dark sky.
Rain poured heavily along a quiet roadside on the outskirts of the city. Headlights from a passing car cut through the storm as a couple drove slowly along the empty road.
Inside the car sat Dr. Elias Vale and his wife Mara Vale, a kind middle-aged couple returning home after a late shift at the hospital.
Mara suddenly leaned forward.
"Elias… stop the car."
The headlights had caught something near the edge of the road.
A small figure.
Alone.
Soaked in rain.
Elias quickly stepped on the brakes.
They rushed out into the storm.
Curled beside a broken roadside barrier was a small girl no older than six.
Her clothes were torn.
Mud covered her hands.
But what shocked Mara most… was that the girl wasn't crying.
She simply stared at them with quiet, watchful eyes.
"Sweetheart… where are your parents?" Mara asked softly.
The child didn't answer.
Instead she whispered one word.
"…Aria."
Elias and Mara exchanged a glance.
No car wreck nearby.
No missing persons report yet.
No one searching.
Just a child alone in the storm.
Mara gently wrapped her coat around the girl.
"You're coming home with us."
The girl didn't resist.
But as Elias lifted her into the car, lightning flashed across the sky.
For a brief moment…
The little girl's eyes reflected something far older than her age.
Something silent.
Something observant.
Something that would one day change the world.
That night…
The Vales unknowingly brought home a girl who would grow up to become a ghost feared across the globe.
A name whispered in the shadows.
Dark Nexus.