The city bustled like it always did, but Lianna walked through it as if wrapped in glass.
Every sound—car horns, vendors calling, laughter—felt far away, muted by the storm in her chest. She carried herself as though nothing was wrong, her hair tied neatly, her books clutched against her chest, but every step was heavy, haunted.
No one else could see the faint shimmer that danced at the edge of her vision, no one else could feel the pulse in her wrist as though it beat to a rhythm not her own.
You became mine.
Kael's words still rang in her head, making her stomach twist.
She shook herself violently as she walked, ignoring the curious glances of strangers. If she thought too hard about him, she could almost sense him, like his shadow lingered behind her shoulder even when the street was full of ordinary people.
Her phone buzzed.
Elena.
Lianna hesitated before answering.
"Hey," she said, forcing her voice steady.
"Don't 'hey' me," Elena snapped. "You disappeared last night and didn't answer my calls! Do you know how close I was to calling the police?"
Guilt stabbed through Lianna. "I'm sorry. I… needed space."
"Space? Lianna, you've been acting so weird lately. What's going on?"
Lianna bit her lip. Her throat tightened with everything she wanted to say—the shadows, the bond, Kael. But she couldn't. Elena wouldn't understand. Worse, Elena might get pulled into the danger.
"I just… had a panic attack," Lianna lied. "I'm dealing with it."
Elena was silent for a long moment. "…You promise?"
Lianna squeezed her eyes shut. "I promise."
She hated how easily the lie slid out.
They ended the call soon after, and Lianna tucked the phone away, her chest heavy with guilt.
But then the pulse in her wrist flared again, sharper this time, and she hissed softly in pain. She ducked into an alley, pulling back the bandage.
The mark glowed faintly, the shape twisting as if alive.
"No, no, no…"
The air thickened. A ripple passed through the shadows cast by the walls, and a figure detached itself, forming into something vaguely human. Its face was hollow, eyes like empty voids.
Another shadow creature.
Lianna's breath hitched. She stumbled back, clutching her wrist.
It hissed, advancing.
"Stay away!" she screamed.
And then it happened.
Her wrist burned like fire, the mark blazing brighter. Light burst from her palm, lashing out like a whip of energy. It struck the shadow creature, tearing through it in a spray of smoke.
The alley fell silent.
Lianna stood frozen, her hand still glowing faintly, her chest heaving.
She had done that.
Her.
The fear tangled with awe, twisting in her stomach until she could barely breathe.
But before she could think, a voice slipped from the shadows, smooth and unyielding.
"You've awakened."
Lianna spun. Kael stood at the alley's mouth, watching her with storm-gray eyes that burned with something she couldn't name.
Her pulse stuttered. "No. No—I didn't… I didn't mean to—"
He stepped closer, shadows clinging to him like a living cloak. "It was inevitable. The bond isn't passive—it breathes with you, acts when you're threatened. This is only the beginning."
Her hand trembled as she stared at the mark. "What's happening to me?"
Kael's gaze softened almost imperceptibly. "You're becoming what you were always meant to be."
Lianna shook her head violently, backing away. "I don't want this! I never asked for this!"
His voice was low, steady, but carried the weight of thunder. "Fate doesn't care what you want."
Her legs weakened. She slid down against the alley wall, covering her face with shaking hands. "Why me?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. He crouched before her, not touching her, just close enough that his presence surrounded her. "Because your soul carries the key. The shadows know it. That's why they hunt you."
Her throat closed. "A key? To what?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "To chains older than this world. To power that can end it—or save it. That is why I was sent to you."
Lianna lifted her head slowly, her eyes wide, desperate. "And you expect me to just… accept this? Accept you?"
Kael's eyes locked onto hers, unflinching. "You don't need to accept me. You need to survive. The rest will follow."
The silence between them was thick, every heartbeat echoing in her ears.
And then Kael straightened, his shadow cloak curling around him. "Come with me. You can't fight this alone anymore."
Lianna's chest tightened. She wanted to refuse, to scream again that he had no right. But when she closed her eyes, she saw the shadow creature collapsing under her light—and the terror of knowing there would be more.
Her trembling voice barely rose above a whisper. "Where would we go?"
Kael extended his hand. "Somewhere safe. For now."
Lianna stared at that hand, her entire world tilting on its axis.
If she took it, there was no going back.
If she didn't, she might not survive the night.