Kaelen slipped into the darkness , disappearing into the dark gaps between the flickering torches. When he reappeared, he was already moving on the cracked cobblestones of the Lower Wards.
Eryndor, the Land of Eternal Twilight, was a place of many layers, but the Lower Wards of Noctheos were its darkest and most dangerous part. Even the Shadow Guard, the city's enforcers, avoided it, knowing the risks were too great.
Yet tonight, they were here. And they were hunting him.
Voices shouted through the narrow streets as armored soldiers moved like hunting dogs, their weapons shining under the moon.
Kaelen ducked low, pressing himself into the corner of a building as a patrol swept past. He could hear Veylen's voice barking orders.
"He's here. I want every street covered. No one enters, no one leaves. Do not let him reach the Hollow Market!"
A slow grin curled Kaelen's lips. Veylen knew him well.
The Hollow market was located deep beneath the lower wards of Noctheos,hidden from the eyes of the unworthy. It was a place where the law held no power, where the desperate and the dangerous coexisted in uneasy truce.
It was a haven for the outcast, a sanctuary for those the upper city had discarded. For Kaelen, it was the only place where he was truly free. If he could slip past the patrols and vanish into its depths, not even Veylen and his elite hunters would be able to follow.
Without hesitation, he stepped back into the shadows, and the world around him blurred.
One instant, he was pressed against the crumbling brick, the next,he slipped through a gap in the moonlight and appeared on a rickety rooftop. The moment he landed, he broke into a sprint, jumping over beams and broken tiles with grace.
Below, the Shadow Guards had not yet spotted him, but their senses were sharp, honed from years of hunting the unnatural. It wouldn't be long before they realized where he had gone.
A whistling sound cut through the air—
Kaelen twisted, narrowly dodging the razor sharp dagger that embedded itself into the wooden beam beside him. His smirk widened. So they were getting serious.
Veylen stood below, his eyes locked onto Kaelen. Then, he lifted his hand—a silent command that needed no words.
The rooftops erupted into chaos.
Shadow Guards immediately leaped onto the rooftop. Kaelen barely had time to evade as one lunged toward him, twin daggers. He twisted midair, then he reappeared behind his attacker.
With a swift strike, he drove his elbow into the soldier's spine, sending him sprawling off the roof. A sharp yell echoed as the man crashed below.
Two more guards attacked from opposite sides, forcing him to duck as their swords clashed near his head. He spun and kicked one in the knee, sending him sprawling, while the other lunged toward his ribs with a blade.
Kaelen stepped into the darkness again, vanishing before the blade could bite. He reappeared a dozen feet away atop a crooked wooden beam.
"Damn you, Kaelen!" Veylen's voice rang out, the frustration was thick in his tone. "Stop running and face your fate!"
Kaelen chuckled. "If I wanted to be shackled, Veylen, I would've walked into your arms at the tavern."
Veylen's glare darkened. With a flick of his wrist, a burst of shadow erupted from his palm—it was a type of shadow magic only the highest-ranking Shadow Guards could wield. The tendrils shot toward Kaelen reaching for his legs.
Kaelen dodged, Darkness wrapped around him as he vanished between the swirling shadows. He landed smoothly, just as a blast of power tore through the spot he had just left.
Without waiting for another attack, he turned and sprinted for the edge of the roof, where the buildings sloped downward toward the Hollow Market. If he could make it there, he'd be out of their reach—at least for now.
The Shadow Guard gave chase. Kaelen could hear their boots pounding behind him, But this was his domain. This city had been his playground long before it had been his prison.
With one final burst of speed, he flung himself off the rooftop—
Kaelen felt the wind rush past him as he leaped from the rooftop,the city of Noctheos was spread out below .He moved with skill, landing easily like he had done many times before. But this time, something was wrong.
His eyes lost focus, and his body slowed down immediately. It felt like a strange force was pressed against him, draining his strength.Then he felt it, invisible chains of darkness wrapped around him, holding him in place. He clenched his jaw. Not now.
The curse was stirring.
A sharp pain stabbed through his head, scattering his thoughts like broken glass. Dark whispers curled around his ears.
His own shadow twisted unnaturally at his feet, stretching in ways it shouldn't. It coiled like a serpent, winding around his boots and creeping up his legs. Kaelen's breath hitched as it seemed to pull at him, as though it had a life of its own, one that wasn't his.
Then—
He lost his balance and twisted, his body spinning uncontrollably.
The air was stolen from his lungs as he crashed through a rooftop, The air was stolen from his lungs as he crashed through a rooftop, sending him tumbling into the darkness, where he hit the stone floor with a painful thud.
He tried to get up, but his body was too weak, his shadow stirring unnaturally beside him.He heard boots hitting the ground. The Shadow Guard had tracked him down.
"Kaelen!" Veylen's voice rang sharp with triumph. "You should have surrendered."
Kaelen gritted his teeth and forced himself to look up. His vision blurred, and everything around him grew dim.Bur, He could just make out the guards closing in with their torches. His shadow slithered away from him, recoiling from the torchlight as if in pain.
His Shadow. A curse. A death sentence. And now, a weakness.
Veylen crouched before him, with his one gloved hand gripping Kaelen's chin,forcing him to meet his eyes.The commander's eyes were unreadable, but there was no mistaking the grim satisfaction beneath them.
"It's begun, hasn't it?" Veylen murmured, tilting Kaelen's face toward the light. "You can't fight it. Just accept your fate"
Kaelen's smirk wavered. He tried to summon his usual sharp retort, but the words were stuck in his throat and his breath came in gasps.
Veylen sighed. "It's time to stop running."
With a flick of his wrist, he signaled the guards. The enchanted shackles closed around Kaelen's wrists. As soon as they locked, his shadow stopped moving, settling still as if it were trapped with him.