CHAPTER 2 : Shadow and Awakening
636 Words
The city hummed below them — cars, sirens, the neon glow of Times Square slicing through the night. May sat on the edge of a rooftop, knees pulled to her chest, heart still racing. Ethan leaned against the wall, bandaged and pale, trying not to move.
"I can't believe that just happened," May muttered, her voice shaking. "A... a monster. In the streets. In New York. Are you even real?"
Zayn stood a few meters away, arms crossed, watching her like a hawk. Calm. Too calm.
"They're real," he said flatly. "And they're coming for you again. And again. And again. Until you either come with me... or die trying to protect the people you love."
May's eyes snapped at him. "People I love? Ethan?" She glanced at him — his chest rose and fell, barely conscious. "You mean him?"
"Yes," Zayn said. His gaze was hard, unwavering. "Do you want what happened to him to happen to everyone else you care about?"
May swallowed hard. Her stomach churned. "Of course not... but I'm not just going to leave him behind!"
Zayn's expression softened, but only slightly. "I know you won't. That's why I'm here."
She stood, pacing. Panic mixed with adrenaline made her jittery. "And what about me? What am I supposed to do? Hide in some... some safe house forever?"
Zayn shook his head. "No. You need to learn to survive. You're not an ordinary human. You never were."
May froze. Her chest tightened. "I... I'm not?"
"No," he said. "You have the bloodline of the third anchor. The monsters aren't hunting you by accident. Your powers are... latent. And they're waking."
May laughed nervously. "Latent? Powers? Are you serious? What is this, a comic book?"
Zayn ignored her sarcasm. Instead, he focused on the small movements in the shadows nearby. "Watch."
A pigeon flew past. Time seemed... wrong. The bird's wingbeat stuttered in her vision, slowing then speeding unnaturally. She blinked, and the moment passed, but the sensation lingered in her chest.
What... was that? May whispered.
"That," Zayn said, "was your first real glimpse. You're seeing the world differently — faster, slower, in ways humans can't. You dodged your first attack instinctively. That's your power starting to surface."
May's stomach twisted. "I don't want powers. I want normal! I want-" She cut herself off, remembering Ethan. Her gaze darted towards him — bruised, pale, but alive. Alive because she ran.
Before she could think further, a sound — a low, scraping whisper of movement — made her freeze. Shadows shifted on the rooftop behind them.
"Not again," she muttered.
B-rank monsters emerged, larger than the first, their claws glinting in the neon glow. They moved fast, their eyes fixed on her.
Ethan groaned, trying to get up. "May... help me..."
"Stay down!" she yelled. She felt the strange pulse in her chest again. Her vision sharpened, movements instinctive. She dodged the first swipe, stumbled, then rolled behind a metal vent.
Zayn moved like a shadow himself, intercepting the nearest monster. "You need control. Focus!"
May gritted her teeth, heart pounding. She lunged, throwing a steel pipe she grabbed at the nearest creature. It staggered. She ran — instincts guiding her, every step faster, sharper.
Zayn caught up, intercepting the second monster. His shadow twisted, wrapping around it before dragging it into darkness.
May froze in the middle of the rooftop, chest heaving, adrenaline and fear mixing into a cocktail she didn't understand.
"You're stronger than you think," Zayn said, voice low, almost a whisper. "But if you don't learn to harness it... they'll kill everyone you love. Do you understand?"
She nodded, trembling, knowing it was true. The city stretched beneath them, neon lights beautiful, dangerous, alive. And somewhere, far above, the shadows whispered again:
The third anchor awakens. The King waits
- Writer
