The shard in Kael's coat felt heavier with every step, like it had swallowed a piece of his own weight. The woman—still without a name—walked ahead, her shoulders stiff, her head turning slightly with every distant sound.
The corridor dipped, leading them into a space that felt wrong from the moment Kael stepped inside. It was circular, the walls lined with thin, vertical slits that wept a constant draft of cold air. The floor was covered in a fine layer of black dust.
The lantern sputtered.
Something moved in the slits.
At first, Kael thought it was just shadow shifting. Then the shadows slid forward, peeling themselves out of the walls, revealing bodies—humanoid, but too thin, their limbs far too long. Their faces were smooth, featureless, except for deep, vertical ridges where eyes should have been.
They moved without sound.
The woman's hand went to the hilt of a short, curved blade at her hip. "Don't let them touch you," she said, voice low.
Kael's mouth went dry. "Why—?"
Before he could finish, one lunged.
It didn't run—it unfolded, its limbs snapping forward like springs. Kael barely had time to swing his lantern, the flame flaring as it struck the creature in the chest. The thing shrieked—not from its mouth, but from everywhere, the sound rattling the walls.
Another came from his left. Kael drew the knife he'd been carrying since the city, slashing upward. The blade bit into something that wasn't quite flesh, more like wet parchment. The creature jerked back, black fluid spilling in threads that curled and smoked on the floor.
The woman moved like water, stepping into the reach of one of them, her blade cutting in a single, decisive arc. The thing collapsed instantly, its body crumbling into dust that joined the black layer already on the ground.
Kael wasn't as graceful. One of the things slammed into him, its fingers like cold iron, curling around his arm. Pain flared instantly—sharp, freezing. His muscles began to lock.
"Kael!"
Her voice snapped him back. He drove the knife into the creature's neck. It made no sound this time, only collapsed, dragging him down with it. The dust got in his mouth, bitter and metallic.
Three more were coming.
The woman reached into her belt and tossed something toward him—a strip of dark cloth tied around a shard of glass. "Break it!"
Kael didn't think. He slammed it against the ground.
Light erupted—not warm, not comforting, but pale and sharp, slicing through the air like a blade. The creatures froze, their limbs trembling. The light seemed to burn them, their forms collapsing into ragged silhouettes before crumbling to dust.
The light faded almost instantly, leaving them in near-dark again. The only sound was their own breathing.
Kael wiped his mouth, his heart hammering. "What the hell were those?"
The woman sheathed her blade. "Collectors. They take pieces. Fingers. Eyes. Memories. You'd be less than you are now if they had finished."
He swallowed hard. "And there are more of them?"
She didn't answer. Which meant yes.
But as they left the circular chamber, Kael couldn't stop glancing at the coat where his shard lay hidden.
Because when the light had flared… he could have sworn it was the shard in his pocket that pulsed in answer.