Behind her, two eyes ignited in the darkness—glowing red, sharp and unblinking.

  She spun toward them, heart jolting, but the moment she turned, the mist surged. Lara’s body vanished into the shadows as if the darkness itself had swallowed her whole.

  “Damn it!” the attacker snarled. She snapped her gun up, barrel leveled straight at the crimson glow. “What’s the big idea!? Back off—they’re my targets!”

  Silence answered her. Thick. Absolute.

  “Don’t you know who I am!?” she barked, forcing confidence into her voice. “I’m Fei—from the Fang Gang!”

  Nothing. No movement. No sound. Only those eyes, burning steadily through the haze.

  As Fei kept staring, a cold realization crawled up her spine. The gaze wasn’t coming from just one place.

  She was being watched—from everywhere.

  “Tch!”

  Ice erupted from her body in a violent burst. The shattered road detonated outward as jagged spears of frost tore up from the ground, firing in every direction, slicing through the mist with shrill, cracking screams.

  She locked onto the glowing red eyes in front of her and fired again—ice lances screaming straight toward them.

  It was useless.

  Every attack passed straight through the shadowed figure, shattering harmlessly into mist and fragments of frost beyond. The red eyes didn’t flinch. They didn’t move.

  The darkness remained untouched.

  A bead of sweat slid down Fei’s stunned face, cold against her skin. Fear had fully taken hold now, flooding her eyes as the shadow finally moved.

  It stepped forward, slow and deliberate, each motion heavy in the suffocating mist as it closed the distance between them.

  Fei stood frozen. Helpless. She knew it—every instinct screamed it at her. Her attacks were meaningless.

  "I… can’t win".

  Her teeth ground together as desperation twisted her expression. With a shaking hand, she raised the gun and pressed it to her own head.

  The shadow did not react.

  It showed no expression, no hesitation. It simply kept walking toward her, silent and inevitable.

  At last, the shadow drew close enough for Fei to see.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Her breath caught.

  It was just a teen.

  Shock flickered across her terror-stricken face, disbelief breaking through the fear. “Who…?” she whispered. Tears slipped free, trailing down her cheeks as despair hollowed her expression. That was all she could feel now—despair.

  The mist-shrouded teen said nothing. He only watched as she unraveled before him.

  “Just who would hire you!?” she cried, voice cracking.

  No answer came.

  “I’m screwed—! I’M SCREWED!” Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees. The air closed in on her lungs, thick and choking, each breath harder than the last as the mist pressed down.

  “No… no, I can’t die here!” she gasped. “Not while they’re still in his dirty hands!”

  With a sudden jolt of desperation, she forced herself back to her feet. Her hands trembled as she raised the gun once more, aiming it straight at him.

  “Who hired you?”

  The teen finally spoke, his voice cold and flat, cutting through the mist.

  Fei stiffened, surprise flashing across her face, but she forced herself to hold it together. “You expect me to just tell you?”

  In the next instant, the world crushed down on her. An unseen weight slammed into her body, dragging her toward the ground.

  “Yes,” the teen replied to her calmly. “But not now.”

  “What—!?”

  Her legs buckled as the invisible force overwhelmed her. She hit the broken road hard, breath knocked from her lungs, the pressure pinning her in place.

  Now she lay there, helpless against the shattered ground, her back fully exposed—completely vulnerable to whatever came next.

  Then the mist surged once more. Darkness wrapped around Fei’s body, swallowing her whole—until she vanished as if she had never been there at all.

  At that same moment, a fiery explosion tore through the building Alcy had been hurled into. Flames and debris burst outward, lighting the ruined street beneath the broken tracks.

  “LARA!”

  Alcy’s roar ripped through the chaos, raw and feral, echoing like a beast starved for battle as fire and smoke billowed around him.

  “Relax. She’s safe. Come with me.”

  “You—!?” Alcy froze in shock as he realized it was the same mysterious teen standing before him.

  Without another word, the teen turned and began walking away, his steps unhurried, almost dismissive.

  Rage exploded in Alcy’s chest. He leapt after him, fury driving his body faster than thought.

  Then—

  Something burst from the teen’s back.

  A towering, shadowed form tore free with a scream that sounded like a thousand bats shrieking at once. The air vibrated with it, the sound clawing into Alcy’s skull.

  He saw it—truly saw it—and terror obliterated every trace of anger. The horror reflected instantly on his face, raw and unmistakable.

  It wasn't just fear; it was the weight of a thousand deaths pressing against Alcy's chest, making his fire feel like a guttering candle in a hurricane

  Alcy’s legs gave out. He collapsed onto the ruined road, his body shaking uncontrollably, fear seizing him in a way he had never known before.

  The shadowed figure’s eyes flared, burning red in the darkness. For a brief, dreadful moment, they fixed on Alcy—then the creature vanished, dissolving back into nothingness.

  In its absence, another gaze remained.

  The mysterious teen stood there, silent, his own eyes now glowing the same deep crimson. The stare he gave Alcy was cold, absolute, and unwavering—far more terrifying than the shadow that had disappeared.

  Alcy swallowed hard. His throat felt tight as he forced the words out. “Where… is my sister—” His voice trembled, but his eyes burned with vengeance, sharp and unyielding.

  “Safe,” the teen replied evenly. “For now. Come.” His glowing gaze lingered for a moment before he added, almost casually, “Or would you rather stay and explain to the police what happened here?”

  The choice wasn’t a choice at all.

  Alcy clenched his fists, then slowly pushed himself to his feet. Every part of him screamed to fight, to demand answers—but he couldn’t resist. Not with Lara’s life hanging in the balance.

  Without another word, he followed.

  The Master just summoned a literal shadow monster! What do you think it is?