The night air thickened with tension as the hooded figures closed in, their silver-threaded cloaks glinting faintly under the moonlight. Elena's breath caught in her throat. These weren't demons. They weren't shadows. They were human—yet the power radiating off them made her skin prickle.
Adrian's body shifted subtly in front of her, his shadows curling tighter, forming a barrier of darkness. He was her shield once again, but this time his opponent wasn't a mindless beast. These were Hunters—men and women trained to kill creatures like him.
The leader raised a silver-tipped spear, its edge gleaming with an unnatural light. "Adrian Valefor. Son of the abyss. By decree of the Order, your existence ends tonight."
Adrian smirked, but his crimson eyes blazed with lethal fire. "How quaint. You think you can erase me with shiny sticks and old words?"
The leader didn't flinch. He gestured, and two Hunters moved forward, their movements sharp and practiced. They weren't reckless. They weren't afraid.
Elena clutched Adrian's coat from behind, her voice trembling. "Adrian… please, let's just go—"
"Go?" Adrian's voice was silk over steel. He didn't look at her, his gaze locked on the enemy. "If I run, they'll follow. They'll never stop. The only way forward…" His shadows flared like wings behind him. "…is through."
The first Hunter lunged, spear arcing downward with precision. Adrian moved like liquid shadow, catching the weapon with a tendril of darkness that coiled around the shaft and snapped it in half. Before the man could react, Adrian's fist slammed into his chest, sending him flying into a tree with bone-cracking force.
The second Hunter tried to flank him, blades glowing faintly with holy runes. Adrian ducked, his movements fluid, almost predatory, then lashed out with his shadows, pinning the man to the ground.
Elena gasped. These weren't demons—these were people. "Adrian, stop! You'll kill them!"
For the first time, his gaze flickered back to her. Crimson softened, just a fraction. "They came here to kill me. To kill us. Mercy won't save you."
The leader advanced, eyes burning with zeal. "Your kind doesn't deserve mercy." He swung his spear in a wide arc, silver energy crackling along the blade. Adrian blocked with a wall of shadows, but when the spear met it, the darkness hissed and sizzled, burning away.
Adrian grimaced, his jaw tightening. "Silver runes. Clever."
Elena's heart thundered. She could feel the heat of the battle, the raw clash of darkness and light. She knew Adrian was powerful, but these Hunters weren't ordinary. They had come prepared.
Another pair moved in, surrounding him. Adrian's shadows writhed and struck like serpents, keeping them at bay, but Elena could see it—the silver burned him, weakened him. Every strike against those weapons left smoke rising from his arms, his veins glowing faintly as if poisoned.
Her chest tightened. He was strong, but he wasn't invincible.
"Adrian!" she cried. "You can't fight them all—"
He cut her off, voice raw and fierce. "I don't need to fight them all. I just need them to remember why they should fear me."
He spread his arms, and the forest darkened. Every shadow stretched unnaturally long, swallowing moonlight, smothering the clearing in pitch-black. The Hunters faltered, their coordinated movements breaking. Whispers filled the air—low, guttural, almost like the voices of demons riding on Adrian's power.
Elena shivered. The very ground trembled beneath them. She could feel it—Adrian was letting go, tapping into the abyss that lived in his blood.
The leader shouted, "Hold your ground! He's trying to break your will!"
But fear had already seeped in. One Hunter stumbled back, clutching his ears as if the whispers were inside his head. Another dropped his weapon entirely, shadows crawling up his arm like snakes.
Adrian's laughter rolled through the clearing, dark and merciless. "You call yourselves Hunters, yet you cower like prey." His crimson gaze locked on the leader. "Tell your Order this—Adrian Valefor does not kneel. Not to mortals. Not to gods."
He thrust his hand forward, and his shadows exploded outward, slamming into the Hunters like a tidal wave. Cloaks tore, weapons scattered, bodies were thrown into the trees like ragdolls. Only the leader remained standing, panting, his spear glowing brighter as he forced his feet to hold ground.
Adrian stalked toward him, every step deliberate. "You came here to kill me. Now look at you." His shadows coiled at his side, ready to strike. "Pathetic."
The leader's jaw tightened. He drove his spear into the ground, light radiating outward in a desperate circle of protection. "I swear on the Order—you will fall, devil!"
Adrian's smirk widened. "Not tonight."
He raised his hand, shadows lashing down like a storm. The light barrier shattered under the force, the spear cracking in two. The leader was hurled back, crashing to the ground, unconscious.
Silence.
The clearing stank of smoke and fear. The Hunters lay scattered, broken but alive. Adrian's chest heaved, his power slowly retreating, though the crimson in his eyes still glowed with feral intensity.
Elena stared at him, her body frozen between awe and terror. She had seen him fight demons before, but this… this was different. These were people, and he had torn through them like they were nothing.
Her voice was a whisper. "Adrian… what are you?"
He turned to her, his gaze heavy, shadows still flickering faintly around him. For a long moment, he didn't answer. Then, quietly, almost like a confession, he said:
"Exactly what you're afraid of."