Jace's crimson aura pulsed faintly in the darkness, and I felt the hairs on my neck rise. The alley was still—too still.
"Where are they?" I muttered, glancing over my shoulder. "They should've been here by now."
Before Jace could answer, the air behind us rippled. The faint scent of ozone filled the alley, and a low hum vibrated through the walls like a distant thunder.
"Finally," Jace whispered, stepping back.
A sharp crack split the air—then space itself seemed to tear open in a swirl of blue and violet light. The darkness peeled away like smoke as Cody stepped out first, one hand raised, the remnants of a glowing sigil fading around his wrist
Annabeth, Katara, Iris, Tyra, and Zayn followed right behind him, their boots clicking softly on the cobblestones as the portal collapsed with a final snap. The energy it left behind crackled faintly, making the shadows around us twitch.
"You weren't kidding," Katara said, scanning the alley. "Something's off here."
"Where?" Zayn asked, his voice sharp and focused.
Jace pointed toward the far end. "There. I felt him. The aura was faint—but it was there."
Hunter's hand tightened around his jacket collar, eyes locked on the dark mouth of the alley. "Then we move carefully. If it's really him, we end this tonight."
The group fanned out instinctively— Cody at the rear, maintaining the wrapping the space around the soon to-be
-battlefield- This would enable our fight to be unseen and unfelt be the real world; Annabeth and Zayn taking the front; Jace by my side, Tyra and Katara on the right and Iris on the left, all ready to attack at the first sign of movement.
The silence deepened. Even the night breeze seemed to hold its breath.
Somewhere in the blackness ahead, something shifted.
The silence stretched. Then—
Something moved.
The darkness at the end of the alley twisted unnaturally, like it had weight—like it was alive.
"Eyes up," Hunter whispered.
A low growl echoed, rippling through the walls. Then the shadows exploded outward, forming a towering shape—faceless, formless, its body writhing like living smoke.
"The Shadow," Jace hissed, his crimson aura flaring instantly.
"Attack!" Hunter shouted.
Katara was the first to charge, her elemental fire bursting from her fists. She struck the creature square in the chest, but the blow melted into the blackness like striking water.
"It's absorbing it!" Jace yelled.
"Not for long!" Iris leapt beside him, her hands glowing icy blue. She thrust them forward, releasing a storm of frost that froze the ground beneath the shadow's mass. For a moment, the darkness stiffened—then shattered, reforming behind her.
"Iris, behind you!" Annabeth's voice rang out. She lifted her hands, weaving vines into shimmering threads. They coiled around Tyra just in time, deflecting a tendril of shadow that would've struck her.
Zayn raised both arms, summoning a lightening from the sky of raw energy that tore through the ground. "Let's see you absorb this!" His elemental force slammed into the shadow's chest, making it roar and stagger backward.
Cody stepped forward, his eyes glowing white. "We're wasting time! He's not solid—he's dimensional!" He snapped his fingers, tearing open small rifts that distorted the air around the monster- making it take a solid body but could still change form. The creature's form flickered violently, parts of it being pulled into the fractures Cody created.
But the shadow fought back. It roared—a deep, guttural sound that shook the walls—and unleashed a shockwave of darkness that threw them all off their feet.
Hunter rolled to his side, coughing, his vision blurred.
"Everyone up!" Hunter yelled, forcing himself to his feet. The Black stone at his chest pulsed faintly.
Katara's voice echoed from behind, trembling with energy. "I've got this!" Her eyes flared gold, and vines of light burst from her palms, lashing out and wrapping around the shadow's arms. Tyra leaped into the air, her eyes glowed as golden flames danced along her arms. With a sharp exhale, dragon fire lanced out, striking the shadow and forcing it to recoil "Now!"
Jace and Iris moved as one— Miasma and ice colliding. The combined blast hit the creature's core, freezing, numbing and solidifying, containing it long enough for Annabeth to strike. Her magic circle flared beneath her, and thorns pierced the darkness like spears.
" It's taken major damage, Hunter finish it."
Cody yelled after reading it's aura.
"I'm not going to miss!" To avoid damaging others on the battlefield I'm allowed to deliver to final blow... I couldn't miss, no matter what
The shadow screeched, its splitting form began rejoining. I raised my hands preparing to land a strike, it's most likely that this shadow is a demon, I manipulated my dark magic into a arrow and aimed for it heart.
"Arrow of death!" I shot with one strike, tearing through space and matter. The team had given some distance so they weren't affected.
On impact it roared terribly.
It went through delivering a painful end to the shadow
Silence reigned after, we each stood catching our breaths.
Then the real presence appeared snapping our head towards it's direction, the air warped.
The ground quivered beneath us. My instincts screamed a warning—too late.
A crushing force slammed down from nowhere.
The cobblestones cracked. My knees hit first, then my chest—
and before I could even breathe, the gravity multiplied.
"Gah—what—!" Zayn choked, his lightning flickering out.
All of our magic sputtered as we were forced into the ground.
Even Cody's dimensional field shattered under the sheer weight pressing us into the dirt.
Zarin stepped forward slowly, boots clicking against the fracturing stone.
We strained—every muscle screaming, every ounce of magic crushed flat beneath the unseen pressure.
"You've grown strong," he said softly, almost admiringly. "But strength means nothing when you can't even stand before me."
I tried to grab my stone, dark energy trembling around my arms—but i couldn't lift them. None of us could.
Zarin's hand rose lazily. The air around him rippled like molten glass.
"For now… stay down."
And with that, he released the pressure.
The force vanished, gasping, dust swirling around us.
When the haze cleared—he was gone. Only his echo lingered in the stillness:
"Find me… if you survive what comes next."
The alley fell silent, broken only by our ragged breathing and the slow crackle of dying energy.
Every one of us knew it—this wasn't a battle. It was a warning.
I slammed my fist into the ground...
We lost