Shadows Unveiled

The fog seemed to have become deeper as if masking the hum of the market farther away. Her eyes stayed on the figure a heartbeat longer—a woman, housewife by the looks of her, pinning damp clothes to a line. The woman went on working, oblivious to Ava's scrutiny.

Ava exhaled, and tension eased from her shoulders as she turned back to the sweets in her hand, grounding her in the present. Yet, the unease remained. Something felt off, though she couldn't quite name it.

Her gaze wandered again to a modest building behind the market. Its plain facade gave nothing away, neither did its weathered walls, but Ava felt the pull of curiosity tug at her. She wiped her hands on her coat and started moving.

The street market stretched on forever. It took Ava almost twenty minutes to find her way out; the stream of teeming people kept cutting across her path. Finally, she stepped into the comparative silence beyond and fixed her eyes on the nondescript building hiding behind the market.

While walking, she noticed a group of teenagers standing around a bench, all engrossed in some game.

Hovering in the center of their group was a dark crystal lattice, its edges shimmering with particles like stars scattered across a night sky. Inside the lattice, a feline-like character darted nimbly, avoiding obstacles that emerged from the constantly shifting crystalline structure.

The tiny figure moved with uncanny realism, the background within the lattice pulsating as though alive. The starlike particles seemed to dance in sync with the game's rhythm, transforming the palm-sized device into a miniature cosmos. For a moment, Ava found herself transfixed, marveling at the seamless blend of play and precision—a perfect simulation, a separate reality unfolding in a teenager's hands.

But the fleeting wonder passed, and Ava forced her gaze back to the path ahead.

After a few more minutes of walking, Ava finally reached the humble building. Close up, it seemed more like an abandoned relic than anything functional. The outer walls, while relatively intact, were faintly stained by time and neglect. The entrance, a once-automatic receding glass door, was stuck half-open, its counterpart shattered into jagged pieces across the floor like frozen shards of a broken memory.

She peered inside from her vantage point. Surfaces were covered with dust and the atmosphere that hung there was stale. The unnerving smell of abandonment wafted through the air. No sign of life, no evidence whatsoever that anyone had stepped inside these several years.

Disinterest flickered in her features and, with a slight shake of her head, she pivoted, turning away; the place wasn't even worth the time.

As she walked off, the dim light from the street lamps stretched long shadows across the threshold of the building. Inside, the darkness stirred subtly. The shadows congealed unnaturally, clumping for just a moment before dissolving back into stillness, as if something inside was watching her leave.

With one final glance at the building, Ava stepped back into the cool late evening air. Above her soon gleamed the silver moon, like a crown setting against a backdrop of stars. She adjusted her direction, veering off from her rented apartment on Avicent Street.

The market on Solmira Lane was a bustling stretch that seemed to be worlds apart from the quiet residential roads. Tonight, however, she turned onto Pearl Street instead, her steps soundless.

She found herself walking toward Maurice's restaurant, the familiar glow of its warmly lit windows just visible down the road. It seemed she'd be picking up dinner as takeout again.

As Ava approached the bridge, She stopped abruptly and spun around, revolver in hand. The weapon was peculiar: a sleek revolver like gun, with a single opaque cylinder dimly pulsing with an inner light. Without hesitation, she fired, the crystalline bullet streaking through the air with a faint hum.

The shadow she aimed for moved with an unnerving, liquid grace, evading the shot as though it had anticipated her. It didn't retreat; instead, it fractured, splitting into four distinct forms that flitted across the moonlit street. Ava's breath caught, her grip tightening on the gun. Then, from the largest shadow, a figure stepped forward, materializing into solidity. 

It was Delano.

Weak, luminous markings crossed his face, tracing delicate, arcing lines from the corners of his mouth, running down each cheek like molten silver veins beneath alabaster skin. 

The black of his hair melded with the darkness around him, and while his features were unquestionably beautiful, the radiant markings and his unblinking calm lent him an unearthly aspect.

Delano's voice, deep and sonorous, seemed to reverberate with a weight of knowledge beyond the reach of mortal man. "How did you find out?

Ava didn't pull down her gun. Her eyes locked on delano, the pointed acuteness of her instincts snapping on. "I didn't need to 'find out'," she said with ice in her tone, her voice even. "You're like a sore thumb" She took a disinterested flick of her gaze over his figure, her tone deepening into a threat. "Now tell me why you're following me, don't even bother trying to lie."

While Adjusting her aim, she said her voice chillingly low, "I won't miss".

Despite her bravado, there was a slight hesitation in the way she stood. Not weakness, but a quiet whisper within her, tempering the ruthlessness that once defined her. The clench of her hand on her gun tightened to shut the doubt out.

Delano remained unmoved, his expression unreadable. "I was ordered to watch you, nothing more." His tone didn't waver, the eerie glow of his markings reflecting faintly in the dim light. "But now that you've discovered me—" his voice dropped with a sigh, the weight of his words chilling, "I will have to get rid of you."

Delano raised a hand, a faint, almost dismissive gesture. The remaining shadows shifted, gathering until they took shape. Figures emerged, clothed in black hoods that were seemingly designed to hide every feature of their faces from view, as if the darkness clung to them.

One figure, a little smaller than the others, stepped forward—a woman, by her build. A faint, rhythmic glow pulsed from beneath her cloak, emanating from her abdomen. 

Without warning, she lunged.

Ava's reflexes kicked in. She dodged, twisting out of the way. Her revolver barked sharply, the crystalline bullet slicing through the air and passing harmlessly through the woman's form.

The figure didn't flinch. She flowed around the bullet like water, her glowing abdomen flickering with light briefly as if mocking the attempt.

Ava cursed under her breath and pivoted, aiming at the next shadow. The gun fired once more, its sharp hum slicing through the tension. The shot passed straight through another hooded figure, the dark form scattering in a manner similar to mist before reforming.

"Are they even human?," Ava muttered, eyes darting between her adversaries. She fired again, this time at Delano-who didn't move. The bullet dissolved inches from his chest as though swallowed by some unseen force.

The woman darted at Ava once more, moving with unsettling quickness. Ava barely had time to duck; the edge of the cloak tickled her shoulder like a cold breeze. She rolled, coming up on one knee, and fired twice in rapid succession.

The other shadows moved now, closing in with precision that was almost uniform. Ava twisted, firing at the nearest, only to watch as her shots harmlessly passed through.

"Damn it," she hissed, flipping backward as another figure slashed at her with an arm that stretched and dissolved into tendrils of darkness. She barely avoided the attack, the tendrils leaving faint, icy trails in the air where they passed.

She landed with a grunt, her boots skidding on the pavement as she spun to face them again. The gun's cylinder dimmed, signaling it needed to recharge. Ava's breathing quickened.

Delano remained motionless, watching as the shadows closed in. "Pathetic," he murmured, his voice like a death knell.

Ava's jaw tightened. 

Her free hand darted into her coat, pulling out a small, crystalline shard. She crushed it between her fingers, a blinding burst of light flooding the space. The shadows recoiled, their forms flickering and destabilizing momentarily.

Seizing the diversion, Ava began to run toward the bridge. Her lanky shadow spilled across the cobblestones as she went, from the silver moon overhead.