The day passed in uneasy silence.
They had left the clock tower at sunrise, moving through the city's back alleys and forgotten streets until the buildings thinned and the air grew cooler. Gia led them to a half-collapsed greenhouse on the edge of an overgrown garden, its broken glass ceiling letting the morning light spill over moss-covered tiles.
Kyle checked every corner before allowing himself to stop. His blood weapons had dissolved, but the faint ache in his veins reminded him of the fight with the Hunter.
Felix was already poking around, kicking at overturned pots. "Not bad. Little creepy, but I've stayed in worse. One time, I—"
"Spare us the memoir," Kyle said flatly.
Felix grinned. "Touchy. Must be the blood loss."
Gia knelt by a cracked stone bench, pulling out the last of their food from her bag. "We can rest here for a few hours. Then I'll open the portal. If I push too soon, it won't be stable."
Kyle nodded, though his eyes were scanning the treeline beyond the greenhouse. Something in the air felt… wrong.
The First Sign
It started with a shadow—long and thin—sliding across the cracked tiles, even though the sun was overhead. Kyle's instincts flared instantly.
"Gia. Felix. Get away from the glass."
They both froze.
The shadow coiled and rippled like smoke, crawling along the floor toward them. Then, as if sensing it had their attention, it rose into the air—twisting into a jagged, almost human shape.
Felix muttered under his breath. "Well… that's new."
A voice came from it—not loud, but sharp enough to make Kyle's skin prickle.
"You've killed my hunter."
Gia's breath caught.
The shadow tilted its head, as if studying them.
"Interesting… He was not meant to fail. And yet… here you stand."
Kyle stepped forward, his tone steady but edged with venom. "Who are you?"
The shadow's form shifted, stretching taller until its head brushed the glass ceiling.
"Names are for the living. But you may call me your end."
Felix gave a low whistle. "Bit dramatic, aren't we?"
The shadow ignored him, its gaze—or whatever passed for one—turning toward Gia.
"And you… the girl who bends space. Do you really think you can keep him from me?"
Gia's fingers curled into fists. "I'm not afraid of you."
The shadow leaned closer.
"You should be. When I'm done, there will be nothing left of him to save."
Kyle moved between them, the veins in his arms beginning to glow faint crimson. "Try it."
The shadow paused, almost amused.
"Oh… I will. But not yet. First, I'll let you feel what's coming."
It unraveled into tendrils of black mist that slithered across the floor, brushing against Kyle's boots before sinking into the ground. The cold that followed was sharp, unnatural—it cut through him in a way even steel couldn't.
Then, the voice whispered from everywhere at once:
"I am closer than you think."
And just like that, the shadow was gone.
The Aftermath
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Felix finally broke the silence. "So… that was subtle."
Kyle didn't answer—he was still staring at the spot where the mist had touched him. His blood felt… heavier.
Gia moved closer, her voice low. "Kyle… you're shaking."
He forced himself to still his hands. "I'm fine."
Felix stepped forward, his smirk gone now. "No, you're not. That thing wasn't just a threat. It was marking you. I've seen it before."
Kyle's eyes snapped to him. "Where?"
Felix hesitated, then said, "On someone who didn't live long enough for it to matter."
That night, none of them truly slept. The greenhouse was quiet, but the air felt thick, as if the shadow's presence lingered.
And in the dark, Kyle could still hear the whisper.
Closer than you think.
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