The echo of destruction still resonated in the distance.
Leaning against the wall of an abandoned building, gasping as if I'd run a marathon, I tried to control the trembling in my legs. The demon was still out there. I could hear it. Sometimes the pounding faded away, other times it came dangerously close, as if it were combing the area in concentric circles, searching for me with a patience I hadn't expected from such a beast.
It can't see me, I thought, but it knows I'm close. It's looking for me. It will find me.
And when it did, I would die.
That certainty settled in my stomach like a block of ice. I would die because I was human. A normal, weak human, without training, without weapons, without anything. I would die because that's how things worked: the predator hunts, the prey dies.
But then...
Wait.
My thoughts screeched to a halt. Something in my brain, some residue from the novels I'd read in my previous life, began connecting dots.
Reincarnation.
I had died and awakened in another world. A world with demons. A world with monsters.
A world where the reincarnated, by universal law, by narrative cliché, by whatever the hell...
Have to have a special power.
"Fuck," I whispered, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, a spark of hope ignited in my chest. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why didn't I think of this before?"
I closed my eyes.
Concentrate. Imagine it as hard as you can. Materialize it. That's how it works in all the stories, right?
I didn't know if it would work. I didn't know if I actually had a power. But it was all I had. My only bullet.
I breathed in deeply. Exhaled. I let the noise of destruction fade into the background, let fear become a distant hum, let my consciousness sink inward.
I want to be strong. I want power. I want...
Something answered.
It was as if a switch had been activated deep within my being. A connection I didn't know existed, a conduit to something larger, older, darker. I opened my eyes with a start.
And the world was different.
Everything was sharper. The edges of objects, the textures of the walls, the tiny insects moving in the cracks. I could see every detail with superhuman clarity. Night was no longer darkness; it was a tapestry of grays and blacks where every shadow had weight, volume, life.
But the most important thing was the connection.
The shadows.
All the shadows.
I felt them as extensions of myself. The shadow of the dumpster, the streetlamp's shadow, my own... they all spoke to me in a silent language, all waiting for an order.
"I don't believe it," I whispered, an incredulous smile creeping onto my face. "This is... this is incredible."
I extended a hand, looking at the shadow my body cast against the wall. Sword, I thought forcefully. I need a sword. Give me a sword.
The shadow moved.
It was subtle at first, like a ripple in water. Then, with a speed that stole my breath, the darkness beneath my hand began to solidify, to rise, to take shape. Black metal emerged from nothing, lengthening, sharpening, until a sword appeared between my fingers.
It wasn't a normal sword. It was... shadow. Solid shadow. Shadow that cut light instead of reflecting it. Shadow that weighed just right, that fit my hand as if it had been forged for me.
"Wow," was all I could say.
The sword trembled slightly, as if responding to my amazement. I lifted it, turned it, checking its balance. It was perfect. Damn, it was perfect.
A nervous laugh escaped my lips. Then another. Then a full, hysterical, liberating cackle.
"I have a power! I have a fucking power!"
For a moment, fear disappeared. For a moment, I was invincible.
And then, the wall behind me exploded.
Debris flew in all directions. The impact threw me forward, sending me rolling across the ground as I tried to protect my head. Dust filled my lungs, pain returned to every muscle, and when I managed to get up and look back...
There it was.
The demon.
It had torn through the building as if it were made of paper. Its massive body emerged from the hole it had created, its yellow eyes gleaming in the dim light with predatory hunger. Its grayish skin was covered in dust, its claws scraped the ground impatiently, and its mouth of jagged teeth opened in a smile that would freeze anyone's blood.
"I FOUND YOU!" it roared, and its voice was a thunder that vibrated in my bones.
I didn't think.
I didn't have time to think.
My legs acted on instinct, propelling me backward, away from that living nightmare. The shadow sword was still in my hand, but at that moment it was useless. Fear returned, stronger than before, paralyzing.
I ran.
I ran like the coward I was.
But this time, as my feet pounded the ground, as the demon destroyed everything in its path behind me, a part of my brain worked at full speed. Analyzing. Calculating. Planning.
I can't beat it in an enclosed space. Too strong, too fast. I need an advantage. I need...
My eyes looked up.
Buildings. Tall structures, some several stories high. Metal scaffolding attached to facades. Fire escapes. Rooftops.
Height.
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE, HUMAN!" the demon's voice boomed, closer each time. "I'M GOING TO RIP OUT YOUR GUTS AND EAT THEM IN FRONT OF YOU!"
I turned a corner at lightning speed and found myself facing a building under construction. Metal scaffolding climbed its facade like a steel serpent. Without hesitation, I jumped, grabbing the first bar and starting to climb with a desperation bordering on supernatural.
The metal vibrated under my feet as I climbed. My hands bled from the sharp edges. My muscles burned. But I didn't stop.
Stopping meant dying.
"DO YOU THINK THAT WILL SAVE YOU?!"
The building shook. The demon had rammed its base, making the entire structure creak. For a moment I thought it would collapse, that I would fall with it, but the scaffolding held.
I kept climbing.
Third floor. Fourth. Fifth.
Finally, I reached the rooftop. My legs gave out as I arrived, falling to my knees on the cold cement. I panted like a dog, my heart beating so hard I thought my chest would explode.
But I was alive.
For now.
A roar shook the night. Then another. Then the unmistakable sound of claws tearing through metal.
I looked over the edge.
The demon was climbing.
Its claws sank into the scaffolding with ease, its massive body moving with an agility that seemed impossible. It was climbing fast. Too fast.
I stood up with difficulty, the shadow sword still in my hand. It wasn't trembling. I was, but the sword wasn't.
"Okay," I muttered, swallowing hard. "Okay. You're on a rooftop. You have a sword made of shadows. And a killer demon is coming for you."
I smiled. A tense, crazy, dangerous smile.
"Could be worse."
The demon's head appeared over the edge of the rooftop.
Our eyes met.
And in its yellow eyes, for the first time, I saw something that wasn't confidence.
I saw surprise.
I saw... fear?
No. It couldn't be. Demons don't fear humans.
Or do they?
I tightened my grip on the sword, adjusted my stance, and waited.
"Come on, you son of a bitch," I whispered. "Let's see what you're made of."