The observer didn't move. It simply stood there at the edge of the hallway, featureless, still, and silent.
Like a cutout of darkness shaped into the outline of a person. No face, no eyes, no mouth. Yet Mikail could feel it. Its attention was like cold fingers brushing against the back of his neck.
It watched them.
Not with malice. Not with fear.
But with curiosity.
And then it was gone. Melted into the shadow behind it, vanishing like it had never been there.
The room was quiet now, save for the shallow breathing of the three defenders.
Then, a sound.
Not a growl, not a shriek.
A scream. A human scream.
Mikail's head snapped toward the direction it came from, beyond the living room, through the back corridor, and out into the streets of the Zero Zone.
"That wasn't a Shadow," Melisa said, eyes wide.
"No," Moona agreed, her barrier dropping as the immediate threat faded. "That was a person"
Without hesitation, Mikail turned. "We move. Now"
