Leo took shaky steps, Neo steadying him as his body, still weak from his awakening, threatened to collapse.
What seemed like a short distance to the ruins stretched on endlessly. They'd walk toward a broken pillar that appeared close by, only to find themselves no closer after several minutes of walking.
"The distance here isn't normal," Kaori said, her voice full of frustration. "But we need to keep moving forward, even if it doesn't make sense."
They pressed on through the darkness, hoping to find something further in.
Out of habit, Leo checked his H-phone, which was just a thin holographic grey screen that floated above his wrist whenever he tapped his watch, a nice substitute for a normal smartphone, but like everything else electronic, it remained dead.
Without any way to track time, he could only guess they'd been walking for about an hour when they finally reached the outskirts of the ruins.
The ruins was a beautiful sight, especially due to the contrast with the surrounding darkness.
Broken towers hung in the air, some tilted at odd angles, others split in half and some turned to rubble. The stone was dark gray, almost black, covered in deep cracks that ran through the structures like veins. A few feet away, a dark grey river flowed upward, its droplets rising into the darkness above instead of falling down.
"This doesn't seem real," Leo muttered, watching the liquid defy gravity.
"Stay alert," Neo warned, her grip on his arm tightening. "Something's watching us."
Leo turned his head slowly, scanning the darkness around them. He couldn't see anything, but he felt it too – that sensation of being observed, like eyes following their every move.
A familiar burning sensation on his arm made him wince. He rolled up his sleeve to see the strange marking he'd gotten years ago during a bad childhood memory.
When he was ten, traffickers had tried to kidnap him, planning to sell him off to Venus.
During his escape through an abandoned factory, something had happened, he never quite remembered what, but he'd woken up with this mysterious mark on his arm.
Since arriving in this place, the marking would constantly give him a light itch, nothing to strong but still uncomfortable.
As they entered the ruins, Leo noticed strange markings carved into the walls. He stopped, staring at them with growing unease. The glyphs looked exactly like the one that had appeared on him when he was a kid.
"Those symbols," he said, pointing at the wall. "They're the same as—"
"The ones on your arm," Neo finished. "We noticed."
It was then that he realized something.
His shirt wasn't the same one he remembered wearing, so were his pants and jacket. Someone had changed his clothes while he was unconscious. The thought unsettled him, but he forced himself to push it aside. Now wasn't the time
Still, as the cautious person he was, he tried to get some information out of the two women but before he could, a sound could be heard from behind them.
A low growl echoed through the ruins. Kaori walked ahead without hesitation, while Neo guided Leo forward. Despite his distrust, Leo followed them. Better to stick with the devils he knew than face whatever was making those sounds alone.
As they navigated through the broken buildings, Leo decided to get some answers. "So, why did you really take me? What do you know about these powers?"
"We've been watching you for a while," Kaori said over her shoulder. "Your investigation and espionage skills are impressive for someone so young."
They passed through what might have once been a grand hallway, now split lengthwise with one half floating above the other. Along the walls, Leo noticed deep scratch marks that looked fresh.
"You didn't answer my question," he pressed. "What do you know about these powers?"
Neo sighed. "We know they're different from normal abilities. When you manifested, you created this... space. No one's ever done that before."
"And how exactly do you know so much about me?"
"You're not exactly low profile on the dark market, you know," Neo replied. "Leo Voss, youngest journalist to ever make the Solar System's Most Wanted list. Rank tenth most wanted among non-awakened targets at only twenty two. Multiple organizations want you either working for them or eliminated."
Leo frowned. "To think you saw through my disguise and multiple fake identities. You've done your homework."
"The underground publishing company, the Underground Echo was just your starting point," Neo continued. "In two years, you exposed three major corruption scandals, uncovered two illegal experimentation facilities, and somehow got access to classified GPA documents. You made powerful enemies quickly."
A louder snarl interrupted their conversation. They all froze, and Kaori raised her hand to signal them for silence.
Behind them, in the darkness, a large red eye opened. The snarling grew louder, and they slowly turned around.
A massive creature emerged from the shadows. It stood taller than a car, with grey fur that seemed to glow faintly. Its single red eye fixed on them, and curved tusks protruded from the corners of its mouth. The beast's form vaguely resembled that of a dog, but wrong in ways that made Leo's skin crawl.
"Don't move," Neo whispered. "Don't make any sudden—"
The creature lunged forward with frightening speed, its massive jaws opening to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Kaori shoved Leo and Neo aside as the beast's tusks slashed through the air where they had been standing.
"Run!" Kaori shouted, attempting to create crystal barriers, but they shattered as soon as they formed. "Argh! Head for the central tower!"
They sprinted through the ruins, the sound of heavy footsteps and snarling close behind them.
Leo's newly awakened powers began spreading through his veins once again, cause black lines to appear all over his body, responding to his fear, making the darkness around them swirl and make a whooshing sound as if it were the wind.
The beast's roar echoed through the ruins, and Leo could feel its hot breath getting closer.
Whatever this place was, whatever his powers had done to bring them here, he had a feeling they were about to find out exactly how dangerous it could be.
"Hard left!" Neo yelled, pulling Leo around a corner. The beast crashed into the wall behind them, buying them precious seconds as they raced deeper into the ruins, hoping to find some way to escape both the creature and this dark realm that seemed to be closing in around them.
Chapter 6: The Sanctuary of the WatchersKaori spun around to face the beast, her stance shifting into a fighting position. Despite her powers not working, her eyes held no fear. "You two keep going. I'll hold it back."
"That's suicide without your powers," Leo protested, but Neo pulled him along.
The beast moved like a ghost through the darkness, its massive body appearing and disappearing between the ruins. One moment it was yards away, the next it was right beside them, slashing with its tusks.
Kaori ducked under its attack and delivered a powerful kick to its leg. The beast barely flinched. Neo joined the fight. Pulling out a mechanical knife, she tried to circle behind it while Kaori kept its attention.
Leo grabbed a broken piece of stone, analyzing the situation. The beast's movements were fast but predictable – it always led with its right tusk, using its size to overwhelm its targets. He'd seen similar patterns in the Mars arena fights he used to watch.
"Its left side!" he shouted. "There's a blind spot!"
Kaori immediately understood, rolling to the beast's left as it charged. The creature's single eye couldn't track her movement, and she landed a solid hit to its ribcage.
The beast roared in pain and fury. Its red eye began to glow brighter, and its movements became more erratic. It thrashed wildly, smashing through stone pillars like they were made of paper.
"It's enraged!" Neo shouted, barely avoiding a swipe that would have taken her head off. "We need to move!"
Leo spotted a massive building in the distance – something that looked like a cathedral with tall bell towers and stone walls. "There!" he pointed. "We might find cover!"
They ran toward the building, the enraged beast charging after them. Its attacks became more ferocious but less accurate, allowing them to stay just ahead of its strikes.
The cathedral's wooden doors towered over them, thick as tree trunks and old.
As they reached them, the doors swung open on their own. They rushed inside, and the doors slammed shut behind them with a thunderous boom.
The beast's roars and impacts against the door gradually faded away, leaving them in relative silence. Leo and Neo stood panting, while Kaori took in their new surroundings.
The cathedral's interior was large, with high ceilings and rows of smooth stone benches.
Soft blue light emanated from crystals embedded in the walls, providing the first real form of light that they had seen since arriving in this realm.
"You're lucky we heard the commotion," a voice echoed through the chamber. "The Hunter doesn't usually give up on its prey."
Several figures emerged from the shadows of the cathedral's columns. They wore simple dark clothing with little, glowing blue crystals sewn into the fabric.
The one who seemed to be their leader, a tall man with graying hair and stern features, stepped forward.
"I am Elias," he said, his voice carrying authority. "Welcome to the Sanctuary of the Watchers. We've lived here for generations, keeping the balance between your world and this one."
Leo, still surprised and cautious, watched how the others gathered around Elias, forming a circle with him at the center. They stood close, like guards shielding someone precious, but their faces showed more than just the wish to protect, they looked at Elias the way people look at something holy.
These people moved smoothly through the darkness, it was clear they had lived here their whole lives.
"Generations?" Neo asked, her voice skeptical. "How is that possible?"
Elias forced a smile, a smile that could be seen through from a mile away. "Time moves differently here. What feels like hours to you might be days or mere minutes in your world. Some of us have been here for what you'd call centuries."
"We need to get back," Kaori stated firmly. "Our world is in the middle of a crisis."
"Ah yes, your world," Elias's expression grew darker. "With its Awakened and its power struggles. We watch it all from here. But leaving isn't as simple as you might think. The paths between worlds are treacherous, and The Hunter isn't the only danger lurking in the darkness."
The way he spoke about their world made Leo uneasy. It was too detached, like he knew a lot. "You talk about our world like you've seen it recently," he observed. "How?"
"We have our ways of watching," Elias replied, his answer was puzzling, only hinting at the truth without saying it directly. "Just as we've watched you, Leo Voss. Your arrival here was... anticipated."
That statement sent a chill down Leo's spine. These people knew who he was, and something about their calm acceptance of this situation felt wrong.
"How, How did you know I would be here?" He asked, "Did you happen to know about this shadow power?"
"Come," Elias ignored his questions and gestured toward a side passage. "You must be tired. We have food and safe places to rest. We can discuss your return once you've recovered your strength."
The three exchanged glances. They all felt the same unease about these people, but they had little choice. The beast - The Hunter, as Elias called it, was still out there, and they needed information about this place.
"Your marking," one of the younger Watchers whispered to Leo as they passed. "It's the Sign of the First Shadow. We haven't seen one like you in years."
Before Leo could ask what that meant, Elias silenced the young Watcher with a glare. "There will be time for stories later. For now, let us ensure our guests' comfort."
As they followed the Watchers deeper into the cathedral, Leo couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into another kind of trap. These people might have saved them from The Hunter, but their knowledge and their interest in him suggested they had their own agenda.
He caught Neo's eye, and she nodded slightly. They would accept the Watchers' hospitality for now, but they wouldn't let their guard down.
After all, in Leo's experience, people who claimed to have all the answers usually turned out to be the most dangerous of all.