Shadows

"This is only the beginning."

Amira clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms. She wanted to ignore the voice, push it out of her mind, pretend it was nothing but exhaustion messing with her head. But the heat in her veins—the unnatural, pulsing energy—refused to fade.

The footsteps drew closer.

“Amira!”

Sara’s voice. She sounded worried. Desperate. The others weren’t far behind.

Amira wiped her bloody hands on her shirt, trying to steady herself before they reached her. A few seconds later, Sara rounded the corner, eyes wild. The moment she spotted Amira, relief flooded her face—only to be replaced by something else.

Hesitation.

“…Are you okay?” Sara asked cautiously, stepping closer but not too close.

Amira wanted to say yes. Wanted to lie and tell her everything was fine. But the words wouldn’t come.

Ruby and Dave caught up next, both breathing heavily. Ruby took one look at Amira and grimaced. “You ran?” she asked, incredulous. “After all that, you still had the energy to run? What are you, a damn machine?”

“Not funny, Ruby,” Dave muttered. He wasn’t looking at Amira—he was looking at her hands.

Amira curled her fingers, hiding the lingering glow that flickered beneath her skin.

“Amira,” Sara tried again, her voice softer this time. “Talk to us.”

Amira swallowed hard, staring at the ground. I don’t know what to say.

That she had lost control? That something inside her had taken over? That she didn’t even know if she was herself anymore?

But before she could speak, a cold wind rushed through the street, sending a chill down her spine. The air around them shifted, heavy with something unnatural.

Amira’s heart stuttered. No. Not again.

A crackling noise filled the air—low, distorted, like static from a broken radio. The shadows along the walls stretched, twisting unnaturally.

Dave took a step back, cursing under his breath. “Tell me someone else hears that.”

Amira barely had time to react before the whisper returned, stronger than before, wrapping around her like invisible chains.

"You are not alone."

And then the darkness moved.

Not like a trick of the light. Not like shifting shadows from a passing cloud. It writhed, curling unnaturally along the cracked pavement, stretching toward them like it was alive.

Amira’s breath caught. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her legs felt frozen in place. The whisper curled through her mind again, deeper this time.

"You are not alone."

Sara stiffened beside her. “Amira…?” Her voice was steady, but Amira could hear the uncertainty in it.

Ruby’s fingers twitched toward her daggers, but she didn’t move. Dave had gone completely still, his eyes locked on the twisting mass of darkness.

The static in the air grew sharper. The shadows thickened, swirling together until they formed something almost human. A figure—tall, featureless, like a void carved into reality itself—rose from the darkness.

And it was looking at her.

Amira’s breath came in shallow gasps. Her hands tingled, heat licking at her skin, but this time it wasn’t fire—it was something deeper, something clawing to get out.

The figure tilted its head. Then, in a voice that wasn’t spoken but felt, it whispered:

"You have awakened… but you are not yet whole."

Amira’s pulse thundered in her ears. “Who—what are you?” she forced out.

The figure didn’t answer. Instead, it moved. In the blink of an eye, it closed the space between them, towering over her. A suffocating pressure crashed down on her chest.

Her friends reacted instantly.

Ruby lunged, daggers flashing, but the moment she struck, the shadow dissolved, reforming behind her in a heartbeat.

Sara raised her staff, chanting under her breath, but her magic fizzled out before she could cast anything. “What the—?”

Dave grabbed Amira’s wrist, trying to pull her back, but the shadow’s hand shot out, stopping him mid-motion. He froze, his entire body locked in place, his expression twisting in panic.

“Amira!” Sara shouted.

The shadow leaned in closer, its presence wrapping around her like smoke.

"You belong to something greater."

A shiver ran through her. The words weren’t a threat. They were a promise.

Then, before she could react, the figure melted into her shadow, vanishing completely. The heavy presence lifted. Dave stumbled back, suddenly free. The air returned to normal.

But Amira wasn’t the same.

Her hands burned again, but this time, when she looked down, she saw something new—dark veins of purple light creeping beneath her skin.

And in the back of her mind, the whisper remained.

"This is only the beginning."

Silence.

The weight of what just happened pressed down on Amira like an iron chain. Her hands still burned, the veins of purple light flickering beneath her skin like dying embers. Her breathing was uneven, and no matter how many times she blinked, the last image of the shadowy figure melting into her own form wouldn’t leave her mind.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, frozen in place. But then—

“What the hell was that?” Ruby’s voice shattered the silence.

Amira flinched. She turned slowly to face her friends, and what she saw made her stomach twist.

Fear.

Not just confusion, not just concern. Fear.

Sara’s grip on her staff was tight enough that her knuckles had gone white. Ruby had taken a step back, her usual sharp, cocky expression replaced with uncertainty. And Dave—he wasn’t even looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the ground, his jaw clenched.

Amira swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?” Ruby snapped, her voice sharper than usual. “Amira, a thing just crawled into your shadow like it owns the place, said some cryptic villain shit, and now your hands are glowing! That’s not normal!”

“I know it’s not normal!” Amira’s voice cracked, frustration bubbling up. She didn’t ask for this. She didn’t even understand it.

Sara finally exhaled, breaking the tension. “Okay. Let’s all just… breathe. Fighting isn’t going to help.”

Ruby huffed but said nothing.

Amira turned her hands over, staring at the faint glow fading beneath her skin. “I don’t feel different,” she admitted, even though she knew that was a lie. Something had changed. She could feel it, deep in her bones.

Sara stepped closer, hesitant but determined. “Amira, does it feel like…” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “Like it’s still there?”

Amira’s breath caught. She wanted to say no. But deep inside, in the part of her mind she couldn’t quite reach, she still felt something. A presence. Like a whisper just out of earshot.

Like she wasn’t alone in her own body.

“…Yeah,” she admitted quietly.

Nobody spoke. The weight of her words hung heavy in the air.

Then Dave finally looked up. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something hesitant. “So what do we do now?”

That was the question, wasn’t it?

Amira exhaled, flexing her fingers, watching as the glow finally faded completely.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I need answers.”

And deep down, she knew—this was just the beginning.

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