Chapter ten
285 Words
The Hunters Arrive
Morning came too fast.
Lydia barely remembered falling asleep, but she woke up still in her clothes, sitting on the edge of her bed like her body had refused to relax even for a second.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kael was gone.
For a moment, she wondered if everything that happened last night was just her imagination. The shadow. The mark. Him.
But then she saw it.
A small crack in the wall near her window.
Like something had hit it… from the outside.
Her heart picked up immediately.
She got up slowly, walking toward the window. The street outside looked normal. People walking, cars passing, nothing unusual.
Still, something felt off.
Her wrist tingled.
Not burning this time.
Just… warning her.
Lydia pulled her sleeve down and turned away from the window—
And froze.
There were three men standing inside her room.
Not breaking in.
Not forcing anything.
Just there.
Like they had always been there.
Lydia stumbled back instantly. “W-what—how did you—”
One of them tilted his head slightly. Calm. Almost bored.
“She carries the mark,” he said.
Another stepped forward, eyes narrowing at her wrist.
“First seal confirmed.”
Lydia’s voice shook. “Who are you people?”
The first man smiled faintly.
“People?” he repeated like it was funny.
Then his gaze sharpened.
“We’re what comes after the warning.”
Her chest tightened. “What warning?”
Before they answered, the air in the room shifted.
A low sound echoed behind them.
Kael’s voice followed.
“You’re early.”
The men didn’t even turn immediately.
They just smiled.
Like they were expecting him too.
- Writer
