The courtyard lights went out, plunging everything into pitch black.
Maya froze, heart hammering. The wind whipped through the archway, carrying the smell of wet stone and something sour—like rotting meat. She couldn't see anyone. Not Niko. Not Ti. Not Mountain Rush.
Only footsteps.
Soft. Fast. Circling.
Something skittered across the cobblestones. Her breath caught in her throat. The sound wasn't human—too quick, too light. Like nails tapping glass.
A whisper brushed past her ear: Leave.
Maya stumbled back, hands out, but the courtyard had vanished into shadows. The only thing she could hear was her own ragged breathing—and the steady rhythm of something else breathing closer.
Then, a flash.
Blue light erupted as Niko's blades ignited with glowing runes, carving sharp arcs through the dark. The brief glow lit his face: calm, eyes narrowed, no fear.
"On your left," he barked.
Ti's rifle cracked, a bolt of blue energy slicing the dark. Sparks lit up the courtyard, illuminating the creature for half a heartbeat. It was taller than any of them, body shifting like smoke, limbs bent wrong, its face a swirling blur.
Then darkness swallowed it again.
"Move!" Mountain Rush's deep voice thundered as he slammed into Maya, shoving her out of the way. A clawed hand swiped where she'd been standing, slicing through her jacket.
Maya hit the ground hard, gasping.
The monster hissed—a low, metallic screech—and lunged.
Niko moved first, his glowing blades cutting through the shadows like lightning. Ti's shots came sharp and rhythmic, hitting the creature's limbs, slowing it down but not stopping it.
Mountain Rush charged forward, his body glowing faintly orange as heat rippled off him. He tackled the creature mid-lunge, forcing it back a step.
"Go!" he barked, shoving Maya behind him.
She scrambled up, heart pounding. Every flash of light revealed chaos—shadows twisting unnaturally, the creature flickering in and out of view like broken film. Its movements were wrong. It didn't walk, it snapped forward in bursts, vanishing and reappearing inches from its prey.
It wanted her.
Every time she moved, its head snapped in her direction, its face rippling like static.
"Don't run," Ti hissed, reloading in one smooth motion. "It'll chase."
Maya froze, chest heaving.
The creature turned its attention to her, its head tilting. Slowly. Too slowly.
Then it was there.
A claw hooked into her sleeve, ripping it clean open. She screamed, stumbling back. The creature leaned in close enough for her to smell it—something acrid, like burning wires.
A flash of blue. Niko's blade sliced through its arm. The creature screeched, stumbling back into the dark.
He grabbed Maya by the wrist, yanking her behind him. "You shouldn't be here," he growled. His voice was calm, but his grip was iron. "Now it knows you."
The monster reappeared near Ti, leaping at her from the shadows. She rolled aside, firing mid-dodge. A shot hit its leg, sending black mist spraying across the cobblestones. The smell burned Maya's throat.
"Lantern!" Niko barked.
A glowing charm flew through the air. Mountain Rush caught it and slammed it into the ground. Golden light burst out in a shockwave, pushing the shadows back. The creature shrieked and recoiled, its body flickering.
"Again!"
Another charm lit up. The monster hissed, twisting and lurching away, its form flickering like a bad projection. It darted to the edge of the courtyard, body melting into the dark until it was gone.
Silence fell.
Rain dripped steadily from the archway. Maya stood trembling, clutching her shredded sleeve. Her ears rang from Ti's rifle, her lungs burned, and her whole body shook.
Mountain Rush crouched to retrieve the glowing charms, his face grim. "It's gone. For now."
"No," Niko said, sheathing his blades. "It's not gone. It's hunting."
Ti scoffed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Great. Now it's got a scent. And a favorite."
They all looked at Maya.
"You're welcome for saving your life," Ti said coldly, slinging her rifle over her shoulder.
Maya swallowed hard. "I—thank you."
Ti's lip curled. "She's dead weight."
"She's marked," Niko corrected. "That thing wasn't hunting her before. Now it is." He turned to Maya, voice sharp. "You leave this courtyard alone again, and you won't make it back."
Her throat tightened. She couldn't tell if he was threatening her or trying to keep her alive.
Mountain Rush put a hand on Niko's shoulder. "Ease up. She didn't know." He turned to Maya. "Nobody does, at first." His voice was calmer, almost kind.
Niko didn't soften. He studied her like a puzzle, his expression unreadable.
They walked her back in silence, weapons out, eyes scanning every shadow. Maya's mind spun. She'd just seen something impossible—a monster that moved faster than thought, a group of students fighting like a trained unit. And she was alive only because of them.
But she didn't feel safe.
When they reached her dorm, Ti stopped in the hall. "Stay put. If you value breathing."
Then they were gone, vanishing down the corridor as quickly as they'd appeared.
Maya opened her door. Her hands shook as she flicked on the light.
There, on the floor, was the note.
The same one from last night. But now, there were two new words beneath the first:
RUN.
YOU HAVE TWO NIGHTS.
Her stomach dropped.
Someone else was watching her. Someone who knew what was coming.