And then all hell broke loose.
The ground trembled beneath Aria's feet, a deep, bone-shaking rumble that seemed to rise from the very earth. The air thickened with a strange, metallic scent, sharp enough to make her eyes water. Somewhere to her left, a shadow detached itself from the wall, moving with unnatural speed.
Her instincts screamed at her to run.
A deafening crack split the night, and the stone arch behind her crumbled as if struck by invisible hands. Dust swirled into the air, choking her breath, but she couldn't stop. She tore forward through the narrow alley, her heart pounding hard enough to drown out everything else, until she heard it.
That voice again.
"Left!" It was urgent now, closer, like he was running alongside her though she saw no one.
She didn't think so. She veered sharply, boots skidding against the uneven cobblestones. Something whistled past her ear, sharp, fast, embedding itself into the wall where she had been a heartbeat ago. The stone hissed and sizzled as if burning from the inside.
What was that?
The alley opened into a wider street, but the moment her feet hit the open space, the world seemed to slow. Figures stood at the far end, cloaked in black, faces hidden, their presence heavier than the shadows themselves. The nearest one tilted its head, and Aria swore the darkness around it moved.
She stumbled back. "What do you want from me?"
None of them spoke.
Then, a blur, someone stepped between her and them, moving faster than her eyes could track. His hand caught hers with a grip like steel.
"Run if you want to live," the boy said, and for the first time, she saw his face clearly. His eyes were like molten gold in the dim light, glowing faintly, almost inhuman.
Her mind froze. Is this Elias?
She didn't have time to ask. He yanked her into another turn, leading her through a maze of crumbling streets she didn't recognize. The cloaked figures followed, their footsteps silent, but their presence pressing closer with every turn.
The buildings grew taller, the alleys narrower, until they burst into a courtyard bathed in silver moonlight. The boy stopped so suddenly she nearly crashed into him.
"They've cut us off," he muttered, scanning the rooftops.
Aria's breath came in ragged gasps. "Who are you?"
Instead of answering, he stepped in front of her, pulling something from his coat. A silver blade, etched with symbols that pulsed faintly like they were alive.
"That's not important right now," he said without looking at her. "What matters is that they don't take you."
The air around them seemed to shift, growing colder despite the moonlight. The cloaked figures fanned out, moving like predators encircling prey. Their steps were soundless, their faces still hidden beneath deep hoods.
Aria's pulse thundered in her ears. Every instinct screamed at her to move, but her body refused. It was as if the shadows themselves were pressing her into place.
Elias, if that was really his name, stood in front of her like an unmovable wall. His glowing eyes flicked from one enemy to another, assessing. His grip tightened around the silver blade, the faint glow of the etchings reflecting in his gaze.
"They're not human, are they?" Aria whispered, her voice trembling.
His reply was quiet, but it cut through the tension. "Not anymore."
One of the cloaked figures moved first, a blur of darkness, rushing toward them with unnatural speed. Elias sidestepped, his blade flashing in a swift arc. The thing recoiled, a distorted hiss escaping from under its hood. Aria saw the blade slice through shadow as if it had form, splitting the darkness into curling wisps that dissolved into the air.
Two more lunged from opposite sides. Elias blocked one, kicked the other back, his movements precise, almost too fast for her eyes to follow.
"Aria, stay behind me!" he barked, driving his blade into the ground.
The symbols flared bright, and a silver light spread outward in a circle. The cloaked figures halted just beyond the glowing edge, pacing like wolves at the border of fire.
"What is that?" Aria breathed.
"A ward," Elias said, his tone sharp. "It won't hold them for long."
As if to prove him right, one of the figures began pressing forward, the darkness around it writhing like snakes. The light hissed and flickered where it touched the shadow.
Elias turned to her, eyes burning. "Do you trust me?"
She blinked. "I don't even know you…."
"Do you trust me?" he repeated, louder this time, urgency cutting through her fear.
Her chest tightened, but she nodded.
"Then when I tell you to run, you run, don't look back, don't stop. No matter what you hear."
The air cracked. The ward shattered like glass, the pieces vanishing into nothing. The shadows surged forward in a tidal wave.
Elias moved. Faster than before. He met the first figure head-on, his blade catching moonlight as it struck. Sparks of silver and black clashed, spilling across the courtyard. Aria backed away, heart hammering, every part of her screaming that she shouldn't be here.
One shadow broke past him. It darted toward her, its hood falling back just enough for her to see what lay beneath, eyes glowing red, a mouth stretched into something far too wide, teeth like jagged shards of obsidian.
Aria stumbled, scrambling for something, anything, to defend herself. Her hand brushed against a broken piece of stone. She gripped it and swung wildly. The shadow caught her wrist in an icy grip, squeezing until pain shot up her arm.
Before it could strike, Elias was there, wrenching it away and driving his blade through its chest. The figure dissolved into black mist, but not before letting out a scream that made the hair on her neck stand on end.
More shadows poured in.
"There are too many!" Aria cried.
"That's why you run." His eyes locked on hers. "Now!"
She didn't think. She ran.
Her legs carried her through the archway, down a twisting street she didn't recognize. Behind her, the sounds of battle echoed, metal against something that wasn't quite flesh, hisses and snarls, Elias's voice shouting words she didn't understand.
Then…. SILENCE.
She skidded to a stop, chest heaving, the quiet pressing in like a weight. The moonlight above flickered, dimming as if something massive passed in front of it.
From the shadows ahead, a shape emerged. Tall, imposing, its cloak dragging along the ground. This one's hood was already back, revealing a face that looked both human and wrong, skin pale as bone, eyes a swirling storm of black and red.
It smiled.
"You're harder to catch than I expected," the figure said, its voice like silk over broken glass. "But now… I have you."
Before Aria could move, the shadows around her solidified, forming walls. And just as panic gripped her, the figure leaned closer.
"You have no idea what you are, do you?" it whispered.
Her breath caught. "What am I?"
The figure's smile widened. "Oh… Elias hasn't told you?"
A hand shot out, impossibly fast, and everything went black.