Chased by Shadows**

The fire had burned down to embers, casting flickering shadows across the clearing. The air was thick with tension, the weight of Caelan's words pressing down on them like a storm ready to break. 

Eliana's fingers curled into fists as she forced herself to breathe steadily. The Order of Ash. An ancient group controlling things from the shadows. She wanted to scoff, to dismiss it as paranoia—but deep down, something told her it was true. The way they had hunted her, the way they had attacked without hesitation, the fear in Caelan's voice when he spoke of them. 

Kieran, still standing beside her, exhaled sharply and turned his gaze on their unexpected visitor. "You expect us to believe you just happened to find us out here?" 

Caelan's lips curled into something between amusement and irritation. "No. I followed the trail of destruction you left behind. You're not exactly subtle." 

Kieran's jaw ticked, but he said nothing. Eliana saw the flicker of calculation in his eyes, the way he measured every word, every breath Caelan took. He didn't trust him. 

Neither did she. 

"How long have they been after you?" she asked. 

Caelan leaned back slightly, stretching his legs out toward the fire. "Years." He looked past them, toward the darkened trees. "But they didn't always know what I was. Not until recently." 

Eliana frowned. "And what are you?" 

Something unreadable passed over his face. "Like you," he said quietly. "A threat." 

A prickle of unease danced along her spine. 

Before she could press further, Kieran shifted beside her. His movements were subtle—his fingers flexing, his shoulders stiffening. But Eliana had been around him long enough to know what it meant. 

Something was wrong. 

She turned her head slightly, listening. The forest had gone silent. No wind rustling through the trees. No distant chirping of insects. Just silence. 

Eliana barely had time to react before Kieran grabbed her wrist and yanked her to her feet. "Move," he ordered. 

Caelan shot up, already reaching for his weapon. "Damn it," he muttered. "They found us faster than I thought." 

Eliana's heart pounded as a cold shiver ran through her body. She didn't need to ask who "they" were. 

The darkness between the trees shifted. Shapes moved—slow, deliberate. At first, they almost looked human. Cloaked figures, eyes gleaming in the dim firelight. But there was something… wrong. Their movements were too fluid, too unnatural. 

And then one of them stepped forward. 

Eliana's stomach lurched. 

His face was twisted, eyes dark and empty, his mouth curling in a way that wasn't human. Shadows clung to his body like living things, coiling and writhing around his limbs. 

This wasn't just another assassin. This was something else. 

Something worse. 

Kieran shoved her behind him. "Stay close," he murmured. His grip tightened around his blade, the sharp edge gleaming as he shifted into a defensive stance. 

Caelan, standing slightly to the side, let out a low breath. "They sent Shadows." 

Eliana swallowed hard. "What are they?" 

"Not human," Caelan said grimly. "Not anymore." 

One of the creatures lunged. 

Kieran was faster. His blade slashed through the air, meeting the creature's chest. For a second, it seemed to work—the steel cutting through like it would any normal body. But then the wound… closed. 

Just like that. 

Eliana's breath hitched. "No—" 

The creature's lips peeled back in something like a grin before it slammed a fist toward Kieran. He barely dodged in time, the force of the blow cracking the ground where he had been standing. 

Caelan cursed under his breath. "Run," he snapped. 

Eliana hesitated. "We can't just—" 

"Run!" Kieran growled, grabbing her wrist. 

This wasn't a fight they could win. 

Eliana turned and bolted, her breath coming in quick, ragged gasps as they crashed through the trees. She could hear them behind her, moving too fast, too silent. 

Her pulse pounded. They needed to escape, needed to get away— 

A sudden burst of cold air slammed into her. 

Eliana gasped, her body locking up as something invisible wrapped around her chest. A force—dark and suffocating—coiled around her like unseen chains. Her breath caught, her vision going blurry. 

No. No, no, no— 

Something inside her flared. 

A heat. A pulse. 

And then— 

The pressure shattered. 

The dark force around her exploded outward, sending a shockwave rippling through the trees. The moment it hit the Shadows, they recoiled—hissing, screeching, their bodies flickering like candle flames in the wind. 

Eliana collapsed to her knees, gasping for air. 

Kieran was beside her in an instant, his hands gripping her shoulders. "Eliana!" 

She blinked up at him, her pulse racing. 

"What the hell was that?" Caelan's voice came from somewhere nearby, his tone sharp with disbelief. 

Eliana didn't answer. 

Because she didn't know.