Chapter Two: The City of Strays

Tara followed Ballad through the rotting trees, breath shallow, every nerve in her body still thrumming from the encounter. Her wrists ached; her mind spun. She wasn't dead. That felt like a miracle in itself.

The Shades' territory was nothing like she imagined. It wasn't just ruined—it was wrong. The land was warped, as if some force had twisted it into something unnatural. The trees curled inward, their branches reaching like skeletal hands, and the air was thick with the smell of damp decay.

Ballad moved fast, weaving through the trees like she had done this a thousand times. Tara struggled to keep up, her breath sharp in her throat. Her ribs still throbbed from the last beating she'd taken.

"You've been here all of an hour and already pissed off a True Shade," Ballad muttered. "That has to be some kind of record."

Tara swallowed. "That... thing. What was it?"

Ballad gave her a look. "You really don't know?"

Tara shook her head.

The vampire exhaled sharply. "That," she said, "was a True Shade."

A cold shiver crawled down Tara's spine. She had heard stories—whispers of what became of those who lost themselves to the darkness. The Shades—the exiled supernatural beings, the outcasts, the criminals—were what most people thought of when they imagined this place. But the True Shades...They were something else. Something born of rot and ruin.

Ballad didn't stop walking, her voice low. "True Shades aren't like the rest of us. They're not Fluorescents, not humans. Not even the exiled. They're what happens when you die here. When the magic warps you beyond repair."

Tara glanced back toward the trees. The creature was gone, but its presence still lingered in the air.

"They used to be people," Ballad murmured. "But now, they're just... what's left."

The image of that thing's face flashed in Tara's mind. It had been human once, but the skin had warped, stretched, like it didn't quite fit. Its eyes had gleamed red, but its veins had pulsed black. And its smile... A cold sickness curled in Tara's gut. She was in a land of monsters. And worse—she didn't even have her powers.

Ballad sighed. "You look like you're about to be sick. Come on. The others are waiting."

Tara forced herself to move. The forest thinned, and soon, the city came into view. Tara stopped short. It wasn't what she expected.

The City of Strays sat in the heart of Shade Territory, a sprawling, broken thing built from scavenged ruins and whatever could be salvaged from the outside world. Buildings leaned at odd angles, cobbled together with rusted metal and rotting wood. The streets were filled with fire-lit alleyways, people lurking in the shadows, watching. 

This wasn't just a prison. It was a kingdom of the forsaken.

Ballad grinned. "Welcome home."

Tara's chest tightened. This wasn't home. This would never be home. But for now... It was all she had.