WHAT HUNTS IN THE DARK
964 Words
Silence followed Ayla’s scream.
Not peace—never peace—but the kind of silence that comes after something irreversible has happened.
The Nexus chamber dimmed, fractured light settling into faint veins along the walls. The air smelled scorched and cold at the same time, like fire had collided with winter and lost.
Ayla staggered forward.
Ashen caught her before she hit the ground.
For a split second, none of them spoke. They just stared at her—at the faint glow still pulsing beneath her skin, at the way the room itself seemed to lean toward her presence.
Lior broke the quiet first. “Okay,” he said carefully. “So… that went better than expected.”
Rian shot him a look. “She nearly shattered the Nexus.”
“But she didn’t,” Lior replied. “Which is the important part.”
Ayla pulled herself upright, heart still racing. “I felt everything,” she said shakily. “Not just the power—them. Fire. Ice. Shadow. Something else too. Something deeper.”
Ashen’s expression darkened. “That would be the fifth.”
Her breath caught. “You never told me what the fifth power was.”
Before he could answer, the tower shuddered.
A low, distant boom rolled through Elarion, followed by a scream that did not sound human.
Rian turned sharply toward the open archway. “They’re not waiting for dawn.”
The sky outside had changed.
The fractured clouds burned crimson now, veins of darkness spreading like rot across the horizon. Far across the floating city, lights were going out—one by one—entire platforms sinking into shadow.
Ayla’s stomach twisted. “That’s not just Hunters, is it?”
Ashen shook his head slowly. “No. That’s something older.”
Another impact hit—closer this time. The tower groaned, ancient stone cracking along its edges.
Lior clenched his fists, fire flaring instinctively. “Tell me what I’m fighting.”
Rian’s jaw tightened. “Voidbound.”
Ayla felt the word echo inside her chest.
“Creatures born where realms collapse,” Rian continued. “They don’t hunt power. They devour it.”
Ashen looked at Ayla. “And now they can feel you.”
As if summoned by his words, the air split outside the platform. Something massive pulled itself into view—its form half-solid, half-smoke, eyes glowing like dying stars. Wherever it hovered, the light dimmed, drained away.
Ayla took a step back. “That thing is eating the city.”
“Yes,” Ashen said. “And it won’t stop until it reaches you.”
The Voidbound screamed.
The sound shattered glass across nearby platforms and sent a shockwave through the tower. Ayla dropped to one knee, clutching her head as pain exploded behind her eyes.
Images flooded her mind—cities burning, skies collapsing, a version of herself standing alone in endless dark.
“Get out of her head!” Lior roared, launching a blast of fire at the creature.
The flames hit—and vanished. Consumed.
Rian swore under his breath. “Fire won’t work.”
Ashen stepped forward, shadows rising violently around him. “Then we don’t fight it head-on.”
Ayla forced herself to stand, despite the tremor in her legs. “It reacted to me,” she said. “When it screamed—I felt it pull.”
Ashen turned sharply. “Ayla—”
“I know,” she cut in, fear threading her voice but not stopping it. “But if it wants me… then I can make it follow.”
Lior stared at her. “You’re suggesting you bait a realm-eater.”
She swallowed. “I’m suggesting we stop it from reaching the city.”
Rian studied her for a long moment, then nodded once. “She’s right. And she’s strong enough now.”
Ashen looked torn—then resolute. “Then we do this together.”
The Voidbound surged closer, tearing through a floating bridge as if it were paper. Screams echoed from distant platforms.
Ayla stepped to the edge of the tower, heart hammering. The air vibrated around her, power responding to her fear—not exploding, but listening.
She lifted her hands.
The glow returned—brighter than before.
The creature froze mid-air, its attention snapping fully to her.
“Hey,” Ayla whispered, voice shaking but firm. “Over here.”
The Voidbound screamed again—and charged.
“Now!” Ashen shouted.
Lior unleashed a blazing path across the sky, forcing the creature’s trajectory.
Rian sealed escape routes with walls of ice and light.
Ashen grabbed Ayla’s hand, shadows wrapping around them both as he pulled her into motion.
They ran—not away from the monster, but with it chasing them, luring it beyond the city’s edge.
Below them: nothing.
Above them: a broken sky.
And behind them, something ancient and hungry closing in fast.
Ayla’s pulse thundered as realization hit her full force.
This wasn’t survival anymore.
This was war.
And the dark had finally learned her name.
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