Nowhere To Hide

The next morning, the sky was a soft blue, the waves gentle against the shore.

Luka sat on a large rock, watching the sea stretch endlessly before them,Sasha stood beside him, arms crossed.

"I swear, Luka, no matter what happens, I'll always protect you."

Luka blinked. "Why?"

Sasha frowned, as if it was obvious. "Because you're my little brother."

Luka tilted his head.

"But I'm not weak."

Sasha sighed. "That's not the point. It's not about being weak or strong. It's about being family."

Luka didn't quite get it but he nodded anyway,Sasha sat beside him, looking at the horizon. "I'll awaken my jōki one day. You'll see."

Luka glanced at her. "How does it feel?"

She smiled, holding up her hand as if she could summon it right then. "It's like... a warm energy. Like something flowing inside you."

She looked at Luka then,really looked at him.

And for the first time, she noticed something strange.

The jōki around them,it rejected Luka it was like his very existence didn't belong to it.

Sasha's chest tightened. "Luka... I don't think you can awaken jōki."

Luka already knew but he pretended to smile,Sasha's breath caught in her throat because Luka never smiled and she could tell,it was fake,without thinking, she poked his side.

Nothing.

She tickled his ribs.

Still nothing.

Luka just sat there, stiff, uncomfortable.

Sasha stared.

He wasn't just bad at emotions.

It was like,his body didn't even react to them.

"Huh?"

"Did i hurt you ?"

"No.It's not that.."Luka felt it first.

Something watching them.

Then, he saw it.

At first, he thought it was his imagination but the moment his eyes locked onto it, his entire body went cold

A creature.

Tall,Slender,Black-bodied.It ran on all fours, its long arms digging into the earth, its speed unnatural.

And its face—

It had no face just a white, expressionless mask.

And it was coming straight for them.

"Sasha—!"

She turned, confused. "What—"

Then—

Boom!

A shockwave of impact.

The ground shattered.

A blur of red and gold.

And the creature was sent flying back, crashing into the sand.

Luka and Sasha covered their faces as the dust exploded around them.

When they looked up—

Their mother stood before them.

Agata's eyes were blazing, her body still in a fighting stance.

She had punched it.

Without hesitation, she grabbed them both, lifting them in her arms and with a powerful leap, she shot into the forest, carrying them away.Agata landed deep within the trees, setting them down quickly.

"Go home. Now."

Luka and Sasha stared at her.

"Mama—"

She grabbed Luka's face, forcing him to look at her.

"Luka, listen to me."

Her voice was shaking,not with fear.But rage.

"You and Sasha are going home. And you are not leaving. Do you understand me?"

Luka hesitated. "...What about you?"

Agata smiled but her hands were trembling.

"I will protect you."

Then—She turned and vanished back into the shadows of the trees.

Luka and Sasha stood there, frozen, the sound of something monstrous growling in the distance.

Their mother rushing straight into battle.

Luka felt something in his chest,something heavy,something he didn't understand but it made his breath shaky

And his heart,His heart was pounding.

Sasha and Luka ran,their hearts pounded, their breaths ragged.They didn't stop, didn't look back.

The house was just ahead.

A safe place. A place where Mama and Papa always made sure nothing could hurt them.

But the moment they reached the clearing, Sasha jerked to a stop.

Luka nearly slammed into her back.

His chest heaved as he looked up, confused,until he saw it.

A second creature.

Right in front of their house.

It was taller than the one before, its body covered in black sinewy muscle, its long fingers twitching as it tilted its head.

And it was drenched in blood.

Luka stopped breathing.

Sasha grabbed his wrist, her grip tight, shaking.

"Luka," she whispered, barely audible. "Don't… move."

The creature sniffed the air.

Its head jerked toward them.

Sasha didn't think.

She reacted.

She slammed a hand over Luka's mouth and pulled him backward—into the thick undergrowth.

They dropped to their knees, curling up behind a bush, hearts hammering so hard Luka swore the thing could hear them.

The creature stepped forward, its heavy breathing ragged and uneven.

Luka could hear it.

The wet squelch of something dripping off its claws.

The slow, deliberate steps.

The sound of bones cracking as it moved its neck.

Sasha pressed closer to Luka, holding him so tightly it almost hurt,her hands were ice cold.

Her body was shaking.

She was scared,She was terrified but she still put herself in front of Luka.

She still shielded him.

Even though he could tell she wanted to cry,Luka gripped the hem of her sleeve.

He didn't understand what was happening.

He didn't understand why the world had suddenly changed.

All he knew was fear.

Real, overwhelming fear.

Then—

He sneezed.

The creature stiffened.

Sasha's entire body locked up.

For a moment—

There was nothing.

Then—

The creature's head snapped toward the bush.

And it lunged.

"RUN!"

Sasha grabbed Luka's wrist and took off.

They ran.

They ran like they never had before branches slashed their arms, their legs, their faces,Luka's lungs burned, his legs screamed at him to stop but he couldn't.

The creature was right behind them.

Its massive hands tore through trees like paper, its growls turning into high-pitched screeches,Luka could hear its claws scraping the ground as it got closer.

Sasha was breathing too hard, running too fast—

She knew.

She knew they wouldn't make it.

And then—she made a choice,Sasha suddenly veered left, yanking Luka with her back toward the house.

Luka stumbled, confused. "Sasha—"

"We can't outrun it! The forest is a death trap!"

She pulled him toward the only thing they knew.

Home.

She shoved the door open, practically throwing Luka inside.

Then she slammed it shut, pressing her back against the wood, gasping for air.

The house was dark. Silent.Sasha's hands trembled as she locked the door.

She turned to Luka, her eyes wide, unfocused.

"…What do we do?"

Luka didn't know he didn't know anything.

And then—

The door rattled.

The first hit was slow,a deep, heavy thump.

Sasha flinched.

Luka stared.

Then—

Another bang.

Then another.

And then—

CRACK.

The wood splintered.

Sasha grabbed Luka's wrist and yanked him toward her room.

"Come on, come on—"

They ran inside, slammed the door, locked it.

A moment of silence.

Then—

A deafening crash,the thing was inside.

Sasha backed away, her chest rising and falling too fast, too unevenly,Luka pressed himself against the wall, his hands clutching his own arms.

The floorboards creaked.

Slow. Heavy.

It was coming.

Sasha whimpered.

She grabbed Luka's shoulders and pushed him under the bed then, she crawled in beside him.

"Don't move. Don't breathe."

Luka's fingers dug into the floor.

The room was silent.

Then—

The creature stopped in front of the door.

It sniffed.

Luka could see its shadow through the cracks in the wood,it was right there.

For a second—he thought it would leave.

But then—

It lunged at the door.

The wood exploded into splinters.

Sasha let out a sob, her hands gripping Luka's arm.

The thing stepped inside, its long claws dragging against the floor,it was searching,it knew they were there.

It took slow, deliberate steps, circling the room.

Luka didn't breathe.

Sasha didn't move.

And then—

It stopped.

Right next to the bed,a moment of silence.

Then—

A horrible creak.

The bed splintered.

Sasha screamed.

The thing ripped the mattress apart, sending wood and fabric flying ,Sasha threw herself over Luka, shielding him.

Her body shook violently.

"Luka, don't look."

Luka stared past her shoulder—

Straight into the face of a monster.

Its mask was cracked, its long mouth splitting open.

And then—

CRACK.

A sound like breaking chains.

Then—a sickening SPLASH.

Blood.

Not theirs.

Luka gasped as something silver shot past them.

No—not something.

Chains.

The creature jerked, thrashing violently.

Sasha looked up—just in time to see them.

Dozens of silver chains, glowing with pure energy, wrapped around the creature's body, binding it in place.

It screeched, its limbs snapping at unnatural angles, its body compressing—

Until it was crushed.

Then—silence.

Luka and Sasha stared.

And standing in the doorway, bathed in silver light—

Was their mother.

Her eyes burned with rage, her hands raised as the chains slowly unraveled.

She exhaled heavily, her gaze locking onto them.

And for the first time since the night began—

Sasha let out a choked sob.

"…Mama."

Agata stepped forward, kneeling between them,she pulled them into her arms.

"It's over."

Luka wasn't sure if she was telling them or herself.