AUTHOR: CrimsonQuill793
Chapter 2:
Seraphina swallowed hard, trying to wet her throat. His name sent a tremor through her body, like the echo of a dream she couldn't quite place—laced with longing, and something colder… fear.
"I don't care who you are," she snapped. The defiance came quick, but it barely masked the chaos unraveling inside her. Her whole life—built on reason, safety, control—was tilting under the weight of this moment.
Going with him? That would be madness. A betrayal of her better judgment.
But still... that memory. The ghost of his touch. It haunted her—warm, familiar. Too familiar. He felt like something she'd been chasing in those endless, restless nights at the museum. Something she was desperate to find, even if she never knew what it was.
"You're a stranger," she said, voice rising. "You show up in the middle of the night—out of nowhere—and expect me to just leave with you? Are you even listening to yourself? That sounds insane!"
Her voice cracked at the end, sharp and a little wild. She was trying to resist the pull, the strange gravity drawing her toward him.
Then, a gust of wind slammed against the window, rattling the glass in its frame.
Seraphina flinched.
The storm had quieted—there was no wind.
The air suddenly felt heavier, like it was pressing in on her chest.
Lucian's head snapped toward the window. His whole body went tense.
"They've found you," he said. Calm, but serious. "We have to go. Now."
Seraphina's stomach dropped.
They?
Her hand hovered near the lock. She didn't know whether to slam the door or keep asking questions. Every part of her screamed that this was wrong. That he was dangerous.
But his stance wasn't threatening. It was... protective.
She stepped back, slowly, her hand trembling on the doorknob. It felt cool under her palm. Cold, actually—especially compared to the heat rising in her chest.
"You need to explain," she said, louder now. "Right now. Why are you here?"
Lucian's eyes flicked past her shoulder, scanning the room. His voice dropped low.
"There's no time. I should've found you sooner. I would have, if I could. I'm sorry." He looked at her then, and for a second something raw flashed in his eyes. "They've tracked you here. If we stay, you won't make it through the night."
She exhaled, pulse racing. "Who is after me?" she demanded. "Because if this is some mystical conspiracy crap, you're going to have to do better."
Lucian hesitated. For the first time since he arrived, something in his face shifted—uncertainty, maybe. Regret.
"Shadows," he said finally, almost a whisper. "They move through the gaps time forgot… looking for the weapon."
He met her eyes again. And something in the way he looked at her made her blood turn cold.
"They've been watching you. Waiting for your seal to weaken. And now… they've found your threads."
"My what?" she whispered.
"Your threads. The traces of who you are." His voice was quiet. Serious. "They're unraveling."
"I… I don't understand," she said.
Then—CRASH.
The window behind her exploded inward. Glass rained down across the floor. The wind roared through the apartment like a living thing.
And with it… came darkness.
It wasn't normal shadow. It breathed. Moved. Twisted and curled like smoke with a mind of its own.
The air dropped in temperature so fast, it burned. Lights flickered overhead.
Lucian moved before she could react.
One moment, he was at the door. The next, he was in front of her, gripping her wrist—not rough, but firm.
"You don't have to understand," he yelled over the wind. "You just have to run."
Something black and fast struck toward her—a whip of living darkness. Lucian pulled her back just in time. The force knocked a picture frame off the wall. Glass shattered.
She stumbled, gasping. The air felt thin, hard to breathe. Her skin prickled with cold.
This wasn't just fear.
It was something older. Deeper.
A part of her brain whispered:
You weren't meant to see this.
You are prey.
She tried to wrench herself away. "Wait—my phone! My keys—!"
"Forget them!" Lucian barked. He was already dragging her toward the door. "Move! Now, Seraphina!"
A shriek cut through the air—metal on bone. The temperature kept dropping. Frost crept up the walls. The shadows moved faster now, racing toward them from every direction.
Lucian turned, swearing. "Hold on to me!"
"What? No—what are you—"
"Seraphina, now!"
He didn't wait for her to choose.
He wrapped his arms around her. Tight. Protective. Then—
The air shattered.
The floor vanished.
A pressure like collapsing space folded around her, crushing and disorienting. Wind screamed. Her stomach dropped.
There was no sky. No ground.
Only void.
Then—
Impact.