The Gathering Storm

The vampire's words still hung in the air long after its presence had vanished.

The hunger is coming. And you are not ready.

Viole exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders as he tried to push down the frustration burning in his chest. He hated being toyed with. Hated feeling like he was constantly one step behind. His broken katana felt heavier than before, a reminder of just how vulnerable he was.

Ha-eun was quiet beside him, but he could tell from the way she gripped her sword that she felt the same. This wasn't just another fight. This was a warning. A declaration.

"They're trying to break us," she muttered, watching the darkness where the vampire had disappeared. "Make us doubt ourselves."

Viole clenched his jaw. "It's working."

The rain had started again, a slow, steady drizzle that made the streets of Umbra glisten like black glass. The city felt abandoned, haunted by unseen eyes. Every step they took felt heavier, as if the shadows themselves were dragging at their heels.

Kairos caught up with them, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen. "Well, that was fun. Got any more cryptic nightmares we need to deal with tonight?"

Ha-eun shot him a sharp look. "Not now."

Kairos raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. But we can all agree this is bad, right?" He gestured vaguely at the empty streets. "Like, really bad."

Viole ignored him and kept walking. They needed to find Azael. Now more than ever. Whatever was coming, Azael knew about it. And Viole was done waiting for answers.

The three of them moved quickly through the streets, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. The city was still too quiet. Not even the usual rats scurrying through the gutters. It was as if the entire city was holding its breath.

Then—movement.

Not from above. Not from the alleyways.

From below.

Viole stopped so suddenly that Ha-eun nearly ran into him.

"You hear that?" he asked, voice low.

Kairos frowned. "I hear nothing."

"Exactly."

The silence was too deep. Too unnatural. Then, beneath their feet, a distant rumble.

Ha-eun drew her sword, stepping closer to Viole. "That's not normal."

The ground trembled again, and this time, a faint sound accompanied it—a deep, guttural roar, distant yet powerful, like something ancient stirring beneath the streets.

Then came the voices. Low murmurs, dozens of them, carried on the wind.

Viole's blood went cold.

They weren't alone.

From the alleys, from the rooftops, from the very darkness itself—they came.

Figures in tattered cloaks, their eyes gleaming red in the dim light. Some moved with slow, deliberate grace. Others twitched unnaturally, their bodies contorted in ways that should have been impossible.

More vampires. No—something worse.

Ha-eun inhaled sharply. "They're waiting for something."

Kairos cursed under his breath. "Waiting for what?"

Viole already knew.

The ground beneath them cracked.

And then, it emerged.

The street erupted as a massive shape burst from below, throwing stone and debris into the air. Viole barely had time to shield his face before the dust settled, revealing the creature that had risen from the depths.

It was no ordinary vampire.

It was something else entirely.

Twisted. Wrong.

Its body was massive, humanoid but monstrous, its limbs too long, its fingers ending in jagged claws. Its mouth stretched too wide, filled with rows of needle-like teeth. Its skin was dark and pulsing, as if something inside it was trying to break free.

And its eyes—glowing pits of red hunger—locked onto Viole.

The murmuring figures surrounding them all fell to their knees in unison, whispering in some unknown language.

Viole tightened his grip on his broken katana, swallowing back the surge of dread in his chest.

"What the hell is that?" Kairos whispered.

The massive creature inhaled deeply, its chest expanding unnaturally. Then, in a voice that sent ice through Viole's veins, it spoke.

"You carry the scent of old blood," it rasped, its voice like stone grinding against bone. "The blood of a traitor."

Viole's heart pounded. "What are you talking about?"

The creature's lips pulled back in something like a smile.

"You don't know, do you?"

It took a step forward, and the entire street shuddered beneath its weight.

"You are one of us."

Viole's breath caught in his throat. "No."

The creature let out a low, rumbling laugh. "Not yet."

Then, the vampires attacked.

The kneeling figures sprang forward all at once, too fast, too coordinated. Viole barely had time to react before they were surrounded.

Ha-eun's blade flashed, cutting through the first one before it could reach her. Kairos was a blur of motion, daggers flashing as he ducked and weaved through the oncoming horde.

Viole moved purely on instinct, parrying an incoming strike with what was left of his katana before slamming his elbow into another attacker's throat. The vampire staggered back, but another took its place almost instantly.

There were too many.

And the monster—the thing that had spoken—was still watching.

Waiting.

Viole's mind raced as he fought, his body moving on sheer muscle memory. But deep down, something was clawing at the edge of his thoughts.

You are one of us.

No. That was a lie.

Wasn't it?

A flicker of silver light cut through the chaos.

Azael had arrived.

Their cloak shimmered as they landed in the center of the street, one hand raised. The moment their feet touched the ground, a pulse of energy radiated outward.

The vampires recoiled. Even the massive creature staggered back, its glowing red eyes narrowing.

"You should not have come here," Azael said, their voice cold, unwavering.

The creature straightened, its massive form shifting, muscles rippling. "And yet, here we are."

Azael took a step forward. The silver glow around them brightened, casting long shadows.

"I will not let you take them."

The creature's mouth curled into a wicked grin. "Oh, Azael. This was never about taking them."

Its gaze snapped back to Viole.

"This was about awakening them."

Then, with a roar that shattered the silence, the battle truly began.