WebNovels

Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: The Gray Crossing

The air here felt heavier, thicker—as if each breath had to be pulled through water. The sky was a uniform slate color, and the ground was a maze of broken stone paths that seemed to lead nowhere.

The girl straightened, flipping the mercury-blade once before sliding it into a sheath at her hip.

You have no idea where you are, do you?"

Zain shook his head. "Not a clue. But I'm guessing it's not Nevada anymore."

She grinned. "Not even close. Welcome to the Gray Crossing. You're standing between two worlds—and neither of them will keep you safe for long."

Zain's pulse still matched the rhythm from the Vault.

Dum. Dum. Dum.

It was louder here, echoing faintly through the stones beneath his boots.

Who are you?" he asked.

She tilted her head, studying him. "Someone who's been waiting for you for… longer than you'd believe. You're late, by the way."

Before he could reply, the sound of metal scraping against stone echoed from somewhere behind them. The girl's smile vanished.

She grabbed his wrist. "We have to move. Now."

They raced down one of the crumbling paths, the horizon shifting with every step—as if the Crossing was rearranging itself to block the way. In the distance, jagged towers loomed, wrapped in coils of black mist.

"What's chasing us?" Zain asked.

"Not what," she said. "Who. And trust me—you don't want to meet him without your magic awake."

Zain stumbled. "Magic? I'm a coder."

"Not anymore," she said, dragging him onward. "The moment you touched that crystal, you became something else. You'll feel it soon."

They stopped at a massive stone archway, its surface carved with the same runes from the Vault. The girl pressed her palm to it. The runes flared, and the arch filled with a swirling field of silver light.

She looked at him one last time. "Step through and you might survive the day. Stay here, and you're dead before you can explain what 'JavaScript' is."

Behind them, a shadow began to rise—tall, humanoid, but with too many limbs.

Zain stepped through.

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