The room was a vortex of tension, Lucian’s chilling smile boring into me. Rigel stepped forward, placing himself protectively between me and the enemy. His stance was firm, his hand gripping the hilt of his weapon like it was an extension of himself.“This ends here,” Rigel said, his voice a low growl.“Oh, but it hasn’t even begun,” Lucian replied smoothly, his tone laced with amusement. He gestured lazily, and the room filled with an unsettling laughter, the sound coming from the shadowy figures that encircled us. I narrowed in confusion, I could not fathom what was brewing.Just as Rigel prepared to strike, a voice pierced through the din—a voice that froze the blood in my veins.“Stop!”I turned toward the sound, my heart sinking as a figure stepped into the dim light. It was someone I hadn’t seen in years, someone I had once trusted with everything: Alex.Alex had been more than a friend; he had been my confidant during some of the darkest days of my life. Seeing him here, stand
Every second stretching into eternity as I stood in the wrecked chamber. My pulse raced, the pressure of the moment pressing on my chest. Rigel was gone, dragged away into the enemy’s stronghold, and I was alone amidst the chaos I’d created.Lucian stood before me, his polished demeanor a stark contrast to the destruction I’d caused. He adjusted his suit as though the shaking walls and falling debris were mere inconveniences.“You’ve made quite the impression, Daniel,” he said, his voice smooth, almost mocking. “Raw power like yours is rare—untapped, uncontrollable. I have to say, I’m impressed.”The compliment felt like a slap in the face, his words laced with condescension. I tightened my fists, my knuckles whitening and my teeth gritting as the lingering energy buzzed just beneath my skin. Just watching him stare at me and listening to him talk sarcastically made my blood boil so much I wished I could swing a punch across his face.“Where is Rigel?” I demanded, my voice sharp, thou
My lungs burned with every desperate breath as we stumbled through the dense underbrush. The night wrapped around us like a suffocating cloak, the silence shattered only by the distant howls of our pursuers. Rigel’s grip on my arm was firm but trembling—a sign he was far more injured than he let on.“Faster,” he urged, his voice strained.“I’m trying,” I snapped, my legs wobbling with exhaustion. “You’re not the one about to collapse.”His dark eyes flicked toward me, a flash of guilt visible even in the faint light of the crescent moon. “We can’t stop. If they catch us—”“I know,” I interrupted, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat. “I know what happens if they catch us.”A thick root snagged my foot, sending me sprawling into the dirt. Rigel was at my side in an instant, his strong hands pulling me upright. I could see the pain etched into his face, but he didn’t complain, didn’t falter, rather he acted as though he felt no pain at all.“We’re close to the river,” he said, his t
The forest loomed around us, its shadows twisting and stretching as if mocking our frantic escape. My legs screamed for rest, but fear overrode exhaustion. Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves sent my pulse racing. I clung tightly to the Rigel’s arm, his presence the only thing tethering me to sanity as the enemy’s pursuit grew louder behind us.“We can’t outrun them,” I panted, nearly tripping over a root. “They’re too close!”“Keep moving,” he growled, his voice a mix of determination and fatigue. “I won’t let them take you.”His words should have comforted me, but the sight of the blood staining his side and the unnatural glow radiating from the mark on his chest stole any sense of security. Whatever was happening to him was getting worse, and we were running out of time.Suddenly, the forest ahead of us seemed to shift. A figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked in darkness. My stomach twisted into a knot of dread.“Stay behind me,” Rigel ordered, stepping forward to shield me
The forest was a labyrinth of shadows, its tangled roots and gnarled branches clawing at my every step. I followed Selene, her movements were so precise, like she knew this place better than the back of her hand. Behind me, was Rigel and he was silent, his presence both comforting and unnerving. I could not stop worrying about him and I did not even know why I cared so much for him. Anytime he was in pain it was as though I was in pain as well.“Are you going to tell us where we’re going, or do we just keep trusting the mystery tour guide?” I said, my voice sharper than I intended and I stopped walking.Selene glanced back, her expression unreadable in the faint moonlight. “Patience, Daniel. You’ll understand soon enough.”I bit back my frustration, letting out a heavy sigh. That was always the answer, wasn’t it? Soon enough. Like my whole life was just a series of delays, with me stuck in the waiting room of my own damn story.When we reached a wall of vines shimmering faintly unde
The roar from the shadowy figure still rang in my ears as we sprinted through the crumbling sanctuary. My heart pounded like a war drum, each beat echoing the desperate urgency in Selene's voice.“Faster!” she yelled, clutching her side as we dodged falling debris and leaping shadows that seemed to claw at us from the walls.I tried to focus on my feet, on the uneven ground beneath them, but the sanctuary seemed alive with fury. Every step felt like a betrayal—as if the ancient magic here wanted to pull us back and consume us whole."Left!" Selene barked.We veered into a narrower tunnel. It smelled damp, earthy, with a hint of decay. My lungs burned, and my legs screamed for rest, but there was no time to stop. Behind us, the creature roared again, the sound impossibly close.“This way leads outside!” Selene said, her voice strained."How far?" I shouted, though I doubted I wanted the answer.Her silence was damning.Suddenly, the ground beneath us trembled again, and the tunnel ahea
The forest was eerily quiet as we left the hollow sanctuary, as if holding its breath after our narrow escape. The cool night air did nothing to calm the fire raging inside me. My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to keep moving until we reached a clearing.“Here,” Selene said weakly, her hand gripping my shoulder. “Set me down.”I lowered her onto a moss-covered rock, the faint moonlight revealing the blood staining her sleeve. She winced, but her sharp glare dared me to fuss over her.“Don’t you dare faint on me now,” I said, trying to mask my worry with sarcasm.“I’m not the one trembling,” she shot back, though her voice lacked its usual bite.I ignored her and turned to him—Rigel—who leaned against a tree, silent as ever. His face was unreadable, but his body language betrayed him: his shoulders were tense, his breathing uneven. He did not die but rather he came back more injured.“That’s it,” I snapped, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “We’re not moving a
The campfire crackled softly, its warm light casting glinting shadows on the trees surrounding us. The forest had become unnervingly quiet, as if the world itself held its breath, granting us this rare truce from chaos. Each step I took, I took in fear. Never did I think my life would get this chaotic—that every minute would feel like an attack. It felt like a scene straight out of a movie.Selene slept a few paces away, her figure curled against the cool night air, while I sat closer to the fire, struggling to process the storm of emotions brewing within me. I felt so fucked in that moment. I wanted to close my eyes and snap back to my former boring, shitty life, but I couldn’t.I glanced at Rigel, seated across the fire. His face was illuminated by the orange glow, the sharp lines of his features softened by the flickering light. He looked distant, lost in thought, yet there was tension in the way he clenched his jaw and held his shoulders taut, as if bracing for something inevitabl
The tension in the sanctuary was like a drawn bowstring, taut and ready to snap. None of us trusted one another fully, not anymore. The events of the past few days had left deep cracks in whatever fragile unity we’d once had, and now we were expected to decide whether to risk everything.Adrian stood at the center of the room, leaning against the edge of the map table with his arms crossed. His usual charm was gone, replaced by something colder, sharper. “We don’t have time to debate this endlessly,” he said, his tone clipped. “The stronghold isn’t just their base. It’s their heart. If we take it out, we cut them off at the source.”Rigel, standing stiffly in the corner, folded his arms across his chest. “And what happens if this is just another one of your games, Adrian? We follow your lead, walk into a trap, and end up dead—or worse.”Adrian didn’t flinch, but I saw the flicker of irritation in his eyes. “I’ve risked my life to help you this far,” he shot back. “What more do you wan
I followed Adrian through the lit corridors of the sanctuary, my footsteps light but my heart heavy. Something about the way he’d insisted we talk in private had set me on edge, but it wasn’t just his words. It was his expression—a fleeting mix of guilt and urgency that he hadn’t managed to mask.He turned sharply down a passage I hadn’t noticed before, leading us into a secluded alcove. The air felt cooler here, damp with an unsettling stillness.“I need to know what’s really going on,” I said, breaking the silence. “No more cryptic warnings, no more half-truths. If you want my trust, you’re going to have to earn it.”Adrian sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You think I don’t want to tell you everything?” he said, his voice low and strained. “You think I don’t want to lay it all out, clear as day? But it’s not that simple, Daniel. Not with the stakes we’re dealing with.”“Try me,” I said, crossing my arms.He hesitated, his gaze darting toward the shadows as if someone might
The air in the sanctuary felt heavy, like it was carrying the weight of unspoken accusations and unresolved tension. Adrian sat in the center of the room, his face was a mask of anger and defiance, but beneath that, I could see something else—maybe hurt, maybe frustration. I couldn’t tell. Across from him, Rigel stood rigid, his arms crossed over his chest, radiating a mix of fury and suspicion.Everyone else had scattered after the initial confrontation, though I could feel their eyes lingering on us from the shadows, waiting to see how this would play out. I stayed rooted to the spot, stuck between two men I didn’t know how to reconcile.“This is ridiculous,” Adrian said, breaking the silence. His voice was sharp, cutting through the room like a blade. “You’re accusing me of betraying the group with no real proof. Just a bunch of convenient coincidences that make me an easy target.”Rigel’s laugh was cold and bitter. “Convenient?” he echoed, stepping closer. “We found a blood-staine
The breach was chaos incarnate. The sanctuary, once a place of calm and relative safety, now swarmed with the rogue faction’s dark figures. Their presence was suffocating, an ominous tide of shadows moving with precision and deadly intent.I could barely hear myself think over the clash of weapons, the shouts, and the guttural cries of pain. My mark burned hot on my chest, its steady pulse growing erratic with every moment of danger.Rigel was at my side, his movements lethal and efficient, cutting through the attackers with ease. Selene commanded the others like a general, her voice sharp and clear even amidst the chaos. And then there was Adrian.Adrian was... everywhere. His blade gleamed as he fought off three attackers at once, his movements fluid and almost theatrical. He turned the tide at every corner, stepping in to save others with a heroism that should have been reassuring. But something didn’t sit right.Every door they breached, every point of attack—it was as if they alr
I didn’t sleep much that night. The faint glow of my mark, now spreading across my chest, felt like a brand—warm, steady, and impossible to ignore. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it pulsating like a living thing, as though it had its own heartbeat.Rigel had insisted on keeping watch, his figure a shadowy sentinel by the doorway. He hadn’t said much after I’d caught him staring at the mark, his expression unreadable but heavy with something that felt like dread. Adrian, of course, had smirked his way through the tension, tossing out half-hearted reassurances as though nothing could rattle him.“Get some rest,” Rigel had muttered to me at some point, though his tone carried none of the softness it usually did.I hadn’t responded. What could I say? That I was terrified of what was happening to me? That I didn’t know if I trusted either of them—or myself?By morning, the unease hanging over us had thickened into something palpable. Selene’s sharp, no-nonsense demeanor didn’t help. Sh
The sanctuary was still, the kind of quiet that felt both comforting and unsettling. For the first time in days, we weren’t running or fighting for our lives, but the tension between us made the air feel heavier than ever.We all sat around a flickering fire in the main hall, its light playing off the rough stone walls. Selene, who was usually the picture of strength, stared at the flames like they held some kind of answer.“This place reminds me of home,” she said after a while, her voice softer than I’d ever heard it.I glanced at her, surprised. Selene didn’t talk about her past. Not ever.Adrian, leaning back against the wall like he had all the time in the world, tilted his head. “You never mentioned where you’re from. What was it like?”Selene hesitated, her fingers tightening around the edge of her cloak. “Small. Quiet. Just a little village where nothing much ever happened.” Her eyes didn’t move from the fire. “We weren’t important. Just farmers. But we were happy.”Her voice
Adrian’s sanctuary was nothing like I expected. We followed him through winding paths deep in the forest until he led us to a hidden clearing, surrounded by towering trees that formed a natural barrier. Beyond the clearing stood an old, weathered stone structure, half-covered in ivy and moss. Despite its age, there was something undeniably sturdy and welcoming about it—a fortress carved out of time itself.“Welcome to my humble abode,” Adrian said, gesturing grandly as he pushed open the heavy wooden doors.Inside, the air was cool and smelled faintly of cedar and smoke. The central hall was lit by a massive fireplace, its flames casting dancing shadows on the high, vaulted ceiling. The walls were lined with shelves filled with books, maps, and an assortment of objects that looked both ancient and dangerous.“This place,” Adrian began as he moved toward the fire, “is a refuge. A sanctuary for those who’ve been caught in the crossfire of supernatural wars. No one finds it unless I want
The sunlight peeked through the trees, casting long shadows on the forest floor as we packed up our things. Despite the tension hanging in the air, Adrian moved around like he didn’t have a care in the world. His every move was smooth, deliberate, and annoyingly confident.I didn’t know how he managed to make a simple task like rolling up a bedroll look like some kind of performance, but he did. The guy even whistled a tune like he wasn’t on the run from people—or creatures—who wanted us all dead.“Daniel,” he called out, his voice laced with amusement. “You’re going to wear out those boots if you keep staring at them like that.”I looked up from the straps I’d been fumbling with and found him leaning against a tree, arms crossed and a grin on his face. That damn grin.“Just trying to make sure they’re secure,” I replied, probably a little too defensively.Adrian chuckled, pushing off the tree and sauntering over. “Or maybe you’re trying to avoid the fact that you’ve been unusually qui
The forest’s oppressive darkness pressed in from all sides, the faint rustling of leaves punctuated by the distant growls of the creatures still hunting us. My legs felt like lead, each step harder than the last as adrenaline began to wane. Selene stumbled ahead, her breaths sharp and uneven, her usual confidence cracked under the strain of the fight. In fact everyone was tensed.Behind me, Rigel loomed, his presence as solid and overwhelming as ever. But his silence was more unnerving than any sound. He hadn’t said a word since the creatures attacked, and the tension between us was thicker than the fog that clung to the forest floor.“Daniel, we need to stop,” Selene panted, leaning against a tree. Her face was pale, her hands trembling as she tried to summon another spell.“We can’t,” Rigel growled, his eyes scanning the shadows. “They’re still out there.”“And we’re sitting ducks if we collapse from exhaustion,” she shot back, her tone sharper than I’d ever heard it.A sound—a low w