TALIA*
The Pale Lantern hummed with a familiar rhythm: low jazz filtering through the sound system, glass clinks from the bar, the occasional outburst of laughter from patrons hiding secrets under their coats. Still, the air tonight felt different. Heavy. Like it was waiting for something to break.
I stood behind the bar, towel in hand, drying the same glass for too long. My body was present, but, my mind hadn't caught up. Ever since the incident... the way my touch had drained that demon, the way he looked at me like I was something unholy... I hadn't felt like myself. I hadn't even told Cara. Not everything.
I don't appreciate this feelings inside of me. It feels foreign and ancient, like it didn't belong in a human body.
I placed the glass down and moved to refill a bottle of aged bourbon when I felt it.
A prickle at the back of my neck.
Not the creepy kind of "someone's watching you," but the weight of someone whose presence wrapped around your bones.
I lifted my gaze to the far end of the bar.
A man sat in the shadows.
Tall. Dark-haired. Sharp jawline and shoulders that filled his long coat like he was carved from war.
But that wasn't what caught my attention.
It was his eyes. They shimmered, but not with light, more like… heat. Familiar heat. Like the heat that lingered in my dream.
He was watching me.
And I… couldn't look away.
My heart stuttered, then picked up speed. I turned quickly, heart racing, heat pooling between my legs, hands trembling as I grabbed the bottle.
Why did I feel like I knew him? All of him?
---
"Need a drink?" I asked him minutes later, pretending to be casual as I approached. He'd moved to the bar now, sitting in the same spot the demon had days before.
"Whiskey. Neat."
His voice was deep and smooth. Familiar. Too familiar. But I couldn't place it.
I poured the drink and slid it toward him.
He reached for it, his fingers brushing mine.
Lightning.
The sensation hit me so hard I almost dropped the glass. My breath caught in my throat. A static pulse surged between us like live wire.
He didn't react. Just held my gaze.
"Everything alright?"
I nodded stiffly and walked away.
But I could feel him still... watching, Listening. Like he already knew all the things I wasn't saying out loud.
---
The shift dragged.
Not because of the work, but because of him. He never left. Sat there, nursing the same drink. I snuck glances more than once, each time catching those eyes locked on me.
"Creeper alert," Cara muttered as she leaned against the back counter near me.
I blinked. "What?"
"That guy. Table twelve. He hasn't blinked in like thirty minutes."
"I think he's harmless."
Cara arched a brow. "You never say that."
I shrugged. "Just a feeling."
She didn't look convinced, but didn't push it either.
It was late when the real trouble began.
A group of low-tier demons swaggered in. You could smell the arrogance on them, cheap cologne and rotting ego.
They were drunk. Loud. The tallest one elbowed his way to the bar, knocking over a smaller patron.
"Hey!" I snapped. "Watch it."
He sneered, leaning too close. "Why don't you pour us something strong, sweetheart?"
"Back off."
He grabbed my wrist.
Big mistake.
The moment his skin touched mine, something inside me snapped. The same thing I felt with that demon before... but stronger. Hungrier.
Power surged through me. My vision blurred. I felt his energy rushing into me...thick, dark, sour.
He screamed.
His hand blistered where we touched.
I yanked myself away.
The lights above us exploded in a shower of sparks. People screamed. The bar emptied in seconds.
The demon fell to his knees, panting. His skin had turned grey. He looked at me like I was a god of death.
Then he fled.
I stared down at my hands.
They were glowing faintly.
"Talia!" Cara rushed from the back, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?"
I couldn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
---
We ran out the back. I needed air. Space. Sanity.
Outside, the alley was damp from the evening rain. I pressed my back against the cold brick wall, hands trembling.
Cara stood in front of me, speechless for once in her life.
"I didn't mean to," I whispered.
"What was that? You… you drained him."
I shook my head. "No, I... I didn't even try. It just happened."
She took a step closer, still cautious. "Your hands… they were glowing."
"I know."
"Do you know what this means?"
I didn't answer.
Because deep down… I was afraid I did.
---
KAEL*
Watching From the Shadows.
I stood in the alley across from The Pale Lantern, hidden by a glamour spell so tight even seasoned witches couldn't pierce it.
Talia glowed. Not just her skin. Her soul. The Void was no longer whispering... it was singing. Her aura pulsed like a second heartbeat.
She'd almost drained that demon to death.
And yet, I couldn't move.
Couldn't stop watching her.
She wasn't just beautiful. She was radiant. Raw. Terrifying.
She looked afraid.
And alone.
"She's close," came Vaelith's voice beside me, ever uninvited. "Another week, maybe two, and she'll break the skin of reality."
"I know."
"You still going for the Shard?"
"Yes."
Vaelith cocked his head. "And if she becomes unstable before then?"
I looked down.
"I'll bring it faster."
I watched Talia disappear with her sister.
Then I turned toward the darkness, where the Shard of Nyros waited... deep in a vault built by traitors.
---
KAEL*
The rift opened with a roar.
I stepped through the dimensional veil into the Wasting Realm, a forgotten shard of reality where time slowed and madness festered. The skies were amber, tinged with streaks of violet lightning. The ground cracked and pulsed like it had veins beneath the rock.
This was where the Shard of Nyros had been hidden centuries ago, after Nyros's death.
Guarded.
Cursed.
I felt it before I saw it... the pull of the Shard, like a heartbeat echoing through the realm. My power stirred in response.
But I wasn't alone.
Shadow beasts slithered from the cracks, misshapen remnants of ancient demons who had gone mad guarding the relic. They had no faces, only voids where eyes once were.
I summoned my blade.
"Let's make this quick."