The Price of My Shadow

Rain had a way of making Noctis look beautiful. It washed the dust from the streets, turned the neon lights into rivers of color, and hid the tears of people who had long forgotten how to cry. Kael Arden stood outside St. Aurelius Hospital, soaked to the bone. The envelope in his hand felt heavier than stone. He didn’t need to open it again. He already knew what it said. Outstanding Balance: 1,840,000 Crowns. He stared at the number until it blurred. Inside the intensive care unit, his mother was fighting for every breath. Outside, he was losing the fight to save her. The hospital doors slid open. A doctor stepped outside, still wearing his white coat. “Mr. Arden?” Kael looked up. “We’ve done everything we can for tonight,” the doctor said gently. “But we can’t continue the treatment unless the payment is made.” “I just need a little more time.” The doctor lowered his eyes. “I’m sorry.” Those two words hurt more than the rain. Kael watched the doctor disappear back into the building. He pulled out his phone. Bank Balance: 43 Crowns. Forty-three. Not enough for medicine. Not enough for food. Certainly not enough to save a life. His fingers tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white. He had already sold his motorcycle. He had already borrowed money from friends. He had already worked double shifts. There was nothing left to sell. A notification appeared. UNKNOWN NUMBER What would you sell to save someone you love? Kael frowned. Probably another scam. He locked the screen. The phone vibrated again. I’m serious. His heartbeat slowed. Another message arrived before he could think. Look across the street. Kael raised his head. On the opposite sidewalk stood a woman beneath a black umbrella. She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t looking at her phone. She was looking directly at him. Even from that distance, he could tell something about her felt… wrong. The traffic lights changed. Cars rushed between them. When the road cleared— She was still there. Waiting. His phone vibrated a third time. Your mother has twenty-three days left. Kael froze. No one knew that. Not even his relatives. Only the doctors. Cold crept through his chest. He typed with trembling fingers. Who are you? The reply came instantly. Someone who buys things money can’t. Rain dripped from his hair onto the screen. He swallowed hard. What do you want? This time, the typing indicator lingered for several seconds. Then the message appeared. Your shadow. Kael laughed. A nervous, exhausted laugh. “What kind of joke is this?” The woman slowly lifted one gloved hand. She pointed—not at him— But at the ground beside him. Kael looked down. The hospital lights stretched his shadow across the wet pavement. For a brief moment… It moved. Not with him. On its own. Kael stopped breathing.