The Hunters in the Dark

The footsteps grew louder, echoing through the ruins like a death knell. Kael’s muscles tensed, his instincts screaming danger. Whoever was coming wasn’t a mere wanderer. They knew these ruins. And worse, they knew him.

Selene grabbed his arm, her voice sharp. “We need to move. Now.”

Kael didn’t argue. They slipped into the shadows, weaving through the crumbling stone corridors. The air was thick with dust and tension, every breath feeling like it carried the weight of the past.

A flickering torchlight danced across the walls as figures emerged at the entrance. Cloaked in dark robes, their faces hidden beneath hoods, they moved with purpose.

Selene whispered, barely audible, “Keepers.”

Kael clenched his fists. “They’re still alive?”

“Not the ones you knew,” she replied. “But their purpose remains.”

One of the figures stepped forward, his voice carrying authority. “The anomaly is here. Find him.”

Kael’s pulse quickened. Anomaly. So that was what they called him now. Not a man, not a warrior—just something that shouldn’t exist.

Selene pulled him toward a narrow passage. “There’s another way out, but we have to be quick.”

They moved silently, slipping through the crumbling halls. The whispers of the Keepers followed them, their voices laced with something ancient, something powerful.

Then, a sudden gust of wind howled through the ruins, and Kael felt it—a shift. The air crackled, bending around them unnaturally.

Selene cursed under her breath. “They’re using the Veil.”

Kael’s brow furrowed. “The what?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed a small vial from her belt and smashed it against the ground. A thick, silver mist erupted, swallowing them whole.

The world tilted.

Kael staggered, his vision blurring. When the mist cleared, they were no longer in the ruins. Instead, they stood in a dense forest, the ruins now a distant silhouette against the night sky.

Kael steadied himself. “What just happened?”

Selene exhaled, brushing dust from her cloak. “A last resort. The Veil disrupts time for a moment, just enough to break free.”

Kael’s mind reeled. “So, time magic still exists.”

Selene nodded grimly. “And they will use it to erase you again if we don’t stay ahead.”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “Let them try.”

Before Selene could respond, the sky cracked with an unnatural sound—a ripple, like reality itself was being torn apart. Kael turned sharply. A shimmer pulsed in the distance, a distortion in the fabric of the world.

Selene’s face paled. “They’re opening a rift.”

Kael instinctively reached for his dagger. “Then we end this before it begins.”

Selene grabbed his wrist. “No. Not yet. If we fight now, we lose.”

Kael’s anger burned, but he forced himself to listen.

Selene met his gaze. “We need to find the one who brought you back. They hold the key to everything.”

Kael exhaled. The fight would come. But first, he had to uncover the truth.

And when he did, the Keepers would regret ever trying to erase him.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***