The night was unnaturally still.
Too still.
Quinn crouched on a rooftop, scanning the streets below. The Ring of Velux pulsed like a heartbeat, warning him.
They're here.
Velux's voice was colder than usual.
"Who's here?" Quinn whispered.
Others like me. Shadows who refused the blood and chose only darkness. They will kill you and take me.
---
They arrived without sound—three figures emerging from pools of darkness on the cobblestones below. Their eyes glowed faintly violet, their forms shifting like smoke.
The leader stepped forward, face hidden under a hood stitched with runes. "Quinn Talen. Hand over the Ring, and we may leave your body intact."
Quinn smirked. "You're polite. I like that. But… no."
The moment the word left his lips, all three vanished.
---
Quinn's instincts screamed. He spun just in time to parry a Shadow Blade aimed for his spine. Another attacker appeared from the side, claws glowing with qi, slashing at his ribs. Quinn dropped into Shadow Step, reappearing behind them, but the leader was already waiting—casting Eclipse Net, a weave of shadows that slammed down over him like a cage.
"Clever," Quinn muttered, channeling blood qi into his palms. He gripped the net's threads, burning them away with Bloodflare Touch. The shadows recoiled, and Quinn burst free.
---
The fight turned vicious.
One attacker warped into the air, raining Shadow Spears. Quinn countered with Dark Spiral, spinning the shadows around him into a barrier. The spears shattered against it, but the impact drove him back.
The second came low, sliding across the ground like liquid, then erupting upward with Shadow Uppercut. Quinn felt his jaw rattle, but responded with a Blood Burst Step straight into the man's chest, crushing ribs.
The leader watched, unmoving—until Quinn tried to close the gap.
---
Careful, Velux warned, this one knows the Old Arts.
The leader raised both hands, pulling the shadows from every nearby surface—walls, roofs, even Quinn's own feet. They twisted into a towering Shadow Titan, eyes burning violet, fists big enough to crush stone.
Quinn's pulse quickened. "Alright… let's go big."
He poured qi into Velux, weaving blood essence through the shadows. His own figure grew monstrous—horned, armored, with a whip of darkness trailing from one arm.
The two titans clashed, each strike shaking the street like thunder.
---
The leader pushed harder, driving Quinn back. Quinn gritted his teeth. Think.
He baited the Shadow Titan into a wide swing, then melted into the ground with Shadow Slip, reappearing under its guard. His whip lashed out, coiling around the leader's real body inside the construct.
"Velux's Grasp." The whip constricted, draining qi and flooding it into Quinn's veins. The titan shuddered, then exploded into dust.
The leader collapsed, gasping.
Quinn crouched beside him, shadows writhing like snakes around his hands. "Tell the rest—if they want the Ring… they'd better send more than three."
The survivors vanished into the night, leaving only silence.
---
You're learning fast, Velux whispered.
Quinn wiped blood from his jaw, smiling darkly.
"I'll need to. The hunt's only getting started."