Mr Erik

Hunters in the Dark

The first hunter moved without sound.

Kai barely had time to react before the stranger grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backward. A blade cut through the space where Kai had been standing seconds earlier.

"Move," the stranger said quietly.

Kai stumbled as the stranger pushed him toward a narrow gap between stalls. The market, once calm and mysterious, had turned chaotic. Merchants were packing up, lanterns flickered violently, and shadows seemed to crawl across the ground like living things.

"Why are they after me?" Kai asked, breath uneven.

"Because you took the pendant," the stranger replied.

Two hunters dropped from a nearby rooftop. Their eyes glowed red beneath black masks, and their movements were precise — practiced.

Kai stepped back.

"I don't even know what this thing does."

"You will," the stranger muttered.

One of the hunters lunged forward.

The stranger moved fast. Steel clashed. Sparks flew as blades collided. Kai backed away, heart racing.

He needed to help.

But he didn't know how.

Another hunter rushed toward him. Kai raised his hands instinctively.

The pendant burned.

A pulse of dark energy exploded outward.

The hunter was thrown backward, crashing into a stall.

Kai stared at his hands.

"Did I just—"

"Yes," the stranger interrupted, blocking another attack. "And now they definitely won't stop."

The remaining hunters paused briefly, reassessing.

Then more appeared.

Kai swallowed.

"That's… a lot."

"Run," the stranger said.

They ran.