Chapter 85 — Streets of Blood and Shadow
The city of Florida was no longer the Florida Raze had grown up in. Streets he once walked with a careless heart now lay twisted, blackened, as if the very pavement had been poisoned. Buildings leaned at impossible angles, shattered windows reflected crimson skies, and every corner hid a threat born from the First Hunger.
Raze ran through the alleyways, Iron Fist blazing like molten sunlight. Every step left golden scorch marks on the cracked concrete, a warning to whatever darkness dared follow. Behind him, Lyra and Kade moved in tandem, their expressions tense, every nerve screaming for alert.
"Raze," Lyra shouted, her voice trembling. "We can't hold them off forever! They keep adapting faster than we can fight!"
Raze didn't respond immediately. He could feel it — the pulse of the First Hunger rippling beneath the city, through every tunnel, every sewer, every hidden cavity. It wasn't just Jared anymore. Every shadow, every corrupted being, every tendril of darkness acted like extensions of the hunger itself, converging on him, converging on Florida.
Kade's hands glowed with mystic sigils. "If we don't stop it here, the entire city is gone. And after that… the world."
Raze's jaw tightened. "Then we fight. Every street. Every alley. Every shadow."
A shadow lunged from above, a flickering humanoid shape, faster than the eye could track. Raze's fist met it mid-air, the golden energy exploding outward in a shockwave that flattened debris and threw it back against the walls. The shadow dissolved, only to rise again, multiple forms now, circling, probing.
Lyra's blade sang as she cut through two shadows simultaneously. "It's like they know our attacks before we make them!" she yelled, parrying another swipe from a clawed hand.
"They're learning!" Kade shouted. "Every movement, every strike—like we're teaching them how to kill us!"
Raze's focus sharpened. His Iron Fist flared brighter as he pushed past the exhaustion, past the fear. He could feel Jared's presence ahead — the corrupted friend, now a weapon of the abyss, stalking the city like a predator.
Then he saw him.
Jared stood atop a crumbling rooftop, the red-pulsing shadows swirling around him like armor. His eyes glowed with unnatural fire, reflecting the crimson sky. His movements were precise, fluid, and utterly lethal.
"You should have joined me," Jared called, voice layered with rage and something deeper, darker. "Together, we could have ruled… ended the chaos. Now, you resist… and the city will burn for it!"
Raze tightened his fists. "I fight for the people. Not for power. Not for fear. And certainly not for you."
Without warning, Jared leapt, shadows trailing behind him like living flames. Raze met him mid-air, golden fists colliding with red-tinted darkness. The impact sent shockwaves down the street, shattering streetlights and sending cars tumbling like toys.
The city screamed.
Buildings trembled. Windows shattered. Dust and debris filled the air, reducing visibility to mere feet.
Lyra and Kade fought desperately, cutting through shadows that emerged from every direction, trying to protect civilians who had begun appearing, trapped and terrified.
"This way!" Lyra shouted, pulling a group of civilians into a safer alley.
Raze's fists met Jared's again. Each strike caused ripples in the air itself, golden light against red shadow. They were evenly matched—speed against precision, strength against adaptation. Every punch, every kick, every block was a war in miniature, a battle that could level streets in seconds.
"You're weaker than you think!" Jared sneered, launching a shadowed strike aimed directly at Raze's chest.
Raze countered with the Iron Fist, energy colliding, creating a shockwave that threw both combatants back. He hit the ground hard, dust coating his skin, but his aura blazed brighter than ever.
"You were my friend," Raze growled, rising. "I won't let you destroy this city!"
A pulse shook the street beneath them. The cracks in the concrete widened, tendrils of darkness reaching upward from the sewers and underground tunnels. Shadows of the First Hunger streamed out, coalescing into humanoid forms, larger and faster than before.
Lyra gasped. "It's feeding off him… using him!"
Raze's eyes narrowed. "Then we cut the source."
He surged forward, fists glowing like molten sun, cutting through the shadow masses. Each strike dissolved one form, but two more emerged. Every shadow he destroyed seemed to learn from the strike, moving faster, striking harder.
Jared's laughter echoed through the ruins. "You can't stop it, Raze! You'll never be able to hold me and them both back!"
Raze leaped high, Iron Fist ready. He struck Jared squarely in the chest, sending a shockwave that split the rooftop beneath them. Jared fell, but immediately rose, shadow tendrils lashing out, slashing Raze across the shoulder. Pain flared, but Raze clenched his jaw and retaliated.
"You won't win!" Raze roared. "Not while I still breathe!"
The fight escalated. They leapt across rooftops, smashing through billboards, street signs, and lamp posts. The shadows surged around Jared, his power amplified with each strike. The city below became a battlefield, civilians fleeing as Raze and Jared clashed above them.
Kade's chants intensified, glowing runes forming in a circle around them, containing a portion of the shadows. "I can't hold them for long!" he shouted. "Focus on him, Raze! You need to break Jared's link to the Hunger!"
Raze's mind raced. He realized what had to be done. The First Hunger had infected Jared, feeding off his anger and pain. The only way to save the city—and perhaps Jared—was to cut that connection.
He leapt from a rooftop, Iron Fist glowing brighter than ever, and landed directly in front of Jared. Shadows surged violently, trying to push him back.
"Face me!" Raze shouted. "Break your chains, Jared!"
Jared hesitated, for a fraction of a second, as if something inside him struggled against the abyss. But then the red glow intensified, and the shadows screamed in response.
Raze's fist struck. Gold clashed with red shadow. The force rippled outward, and for a moment, everything went silent. Even the city seemed to pause, holding its breath.
Then came the scream. Not from Jared, not from the city, but from the First Hunger itself. Its tendrils shrieked in fury as Raze's golden power tore through the shadow link, severing the connection it had to his friend.
Jared collapsed, the glow in his eyes dimming. The shadows around him dissolved, leaving him human once more, trembling and gasping.
Raze dropped to one knee, exhaustion overwhelming him, but his fists still burned. "It's over… for now."
Lyra ran to Jared, helping him to his feet. "Are you… okay?" she asked cautiously.
Jared's voice was hoarse, shaking. "I… I think so. It's gone… I can feel it fading."
But Raze's golden aura flickered uneasily. He knew the truth: the First Hunger had retreated, but it was not defeated. It had been slowed, not destroyed. Its presence still lingered beneath the city, and every shadow, every corrupted being was a reminder that it would return.
Kade wiped sweat and blood from his brow, glancing around at the ruined streets. "We can't keep doing this… it's learning faster than we can fight."
Raze's eyes hardened. "Then we'll have to evolve faster. Train harder. Prepare. This city is our home, and we're not letting some ancient darkness take it from us."
Above them, the sky remained crimson, the unnatural twilight pressing down on the city. Somewhere, deep beneath the streets, the First Hunger pulsed, angry, patient, and waiting.
Raze clenched his fists again. "We stop it before it fully rises. Or Florida… and everything else… will be lost."
A shadow flickered behind a broken wall, watching, waiting. And even in the midst of victory, the team knew one truth: the real war was just beginning.