Makayla’s body trembled as she stared at the empty space where Gino had been. The clearing around her was deathly silent, the air thick with something unnatural, something wrong. It pressed against her skin, wrapping around her like invisible chains, tightening with every breath she took.
He was gone.
No, no—not gone.
Taken.
She could still feel him—somewhere, just out of reach, slipping further and further into the abyss.
The entity watched her, its form shifting, like a shadow given life. Its smile was slow, patient, stretching wider as if savoring the moment.
"You see now, don't you?" it murmured, its voice curling around her like smoke. "You were too late. Too weak. Too human."
Makayla's hands clenched into fists.
She wasn't human.
Not completely.
And she wasn't weak.
Mikhai
