Chapter 14 - The incident and the coming storm.

Chapter 14 - The incident and the coming storm.

Silas' POV

It had been a week since I started training Emma to control her powers. Teaching her to feel her magic rather than recklessly attracting spirits. She had improved—a lot. Her control over mana was decent now, which meant we could finally move on to spellcasting.

At first, she was just a customer. A temporary presence in my life. But now… I wasn't sure. I felt something like kinship toward her. In this unfamiliar world, she was the closest thing I had to a connection.

Today was like any other. I was lounging in my shop, an old Victorian-style antique store, waiting for a customer who would likely never come. Business in Gotham was slow—especially in this part of the city.

Not that I minded.

I glanced at my phone, scrolling through funny cat videos. The only entertainment that never disappointed. There was something about those tiny, chaotic furballs that always got me.

But as I laughed at a particularly dramatic kitten falling off a couch, a nagging thought crept into my mind.

Emma was late.

She always arrived by six. I checked the shop's ornate clock—7:00 PM.

Maybe she was caught up in her club activities? She had mentioned something about a meeting today. Still… she had never been this late before.

I put my phone down, the uneasy feeling in my chest growing heavier.

I decided to wait.

For now.

Emma's POV

The streets of Gotham at night were never safe.

Emma knew this, yet here she was, running through the dimly lit alleys, clutching her school bag tightly.

"I'm so late! Silas is gonna kill me!" she thought, glancing at her watch—6:46 PM.

She should've been at the shop almost an hour ago, but the bank robbery near Gotham Bank had caused the roads to be shut down. With no taxis or buses available, she had no choice but to run.

As she entered the old part of Gotham, she felt a shiver crawl down her spine. This area was different—quieter, darker. The air felt thick, oppressive. She quickened her pace.

Then she heard it.

The low growl of a motorcycle.

She turned her head, her breath hitching. A group of men—young, reckless, and clearly high—had spotted her. Their leader, a blonde-haired guy in expensive clothes, took a long drag from his cigarette before flashing a crooked smile.

"Rich kid hanging with the wrong crowd," Emma thought, her heart pounding.

They surrounded her within seconds.

"No, no, no…"

"Hey there, little beauty," the blonde smirked, his voice oozing with arrogance. "Why don't you hang out with us? We won't bite."

Emma took a step back, grimacing at the stench of alcohol and smoke radiating from them.

"Yeah," another one jeered, "just be a good girl and come along."

She turned and ran.

But they were faster.

Before she could scream, rough hands grabbed her, yanking her into a dark alley.

People walked past. They saw her. They saw everything.

And yet, no one stopped.

No one helped.

She thrashed against their grip, her heart hammering in her chest.

Silas… please…

Their leader grabbed the pendant Silas had given her and ripped it away, the chain snapping against her skin.

And that was when it happened.

A cold presence.

A shift in the air.

Ghosts.

She could see them—pale, wandering figures lingering in the shadows. Dozens of them.

"Help me!" she begged. "Please!"

They didn't move.

Didn't even look at her.

Tears welled in her eyes.

Her hands trembled.

Her body was frozen in terror.

And then—

Darkness.

Silas' POV

A sharp chill ran down my spine.

Something was wrong.

I sat up straight, every instinct in my body screaming at me.

Emma.

I grabbed my phone and activated the tracking function on the pendant I had given her. The signal was coming from a few blocks away—an alley in the old district.

Too close.

I grabbed my coat and bolted out of the shop, my heart slamming against my ribs.

Minutes later, I reached the location.

And my world shattered.

Emma lay on the cold pavement, unmoving.

Her clothes were torn. Her pendant—gone.

I dropped to my knees beside her, barely registering the blood on my hands as I pulled her into my arms.

For a moment, my mind was blank. Too quiet. Too still.

Then—

Something snapped.

A wave of energy exploded from my body, dark and violent. The air around me rippled as an aurora of deep purple and black surged upward, splitting the sky like a crack in reality.

The streetlights flickered.

Shadows stretched unnaturally across the alley walls.

My hands trembled, but not from fear.

From rage.

I could hear my own breathing, heavy and distorted. My vision blurred—everything tinted red.

Then, a voice. My own.

"Kill. Kill. Kill."

My fingers clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms until blood dripped onto the concrete.

Someone had hurt the people close to me.

And I was going to burn this city down until I found them.

To be continued...