Elias Thorne, a neutral middleman known as The Merchant, finds his life in danger after his courier is murdered and he is framed for the crime. He is left holding a mysterious obsidian seal which is actually a key to a plot to destroy the city by detonating underground gas lines. To clear his name and save the city, Elias forms an unlikely partnership with Detective Silas Thorne. Together they discover that the conspiracy is led by Elias’s own mentor, Barnaby, and involves the highest levels of government. In a final act of redemption, Elias returns from hiding to stop the explosion, seemingly sacrificing his life to save the people of the city. However, he secretly survives the blast and moves away to start a peaceful new life under a different name, finally leaving the world of shadows behind.
