I woke up. Drenched. My hoodie was clinging to me like it was destined to never leave me.
Thunder roared overhead, like the sky was auditioning for some heavy metal concert, and the rain… oh, the rain. It wasn't just falling — it was hammering down like Thor was hitting mjolnir against a rock. And I immediately regretted opening my eyes.
Of course, something was screaming. And not a normal scream — it was like the kind you hear in horror movies right before the cute innocent guy dies in a puddle of his own blood.
"Great, this is exactly how I imagined a normal Thursday ending." I squinted my eyes through the heavy showers.
Then I saw it.
A shadow. Tall. Not upright. It was glowing, as it staggered out of an alley. It was like it didn't know where it was. More like which dimension it was in. I don't know how I came to that conclusion, I just did.
I could see something following behind it. I think it was faster. It was even darker than the shadow. And yes, it registered immediately: I am so screwed.
I froze. Then I ran. Then froze again. Instinct is indeed a weird thing — it just kicks in even if your brain is still trying to figure out whether or not you're awake.
The faster figure raised a hand. And suddenly, the raindrops froze mid-air. Literally. I closed my eyes and tried to clean them with my hands. Not because of the rain, but because my brain short-circuited. It was like I was watching a movie.
"Okay… now, this is all a dream. Is it? What the hell?" I muttered, sprinting away.
Then it spoke. A low voice. Slightly annoyed.
"Human. Step back."
Human. Right. Totally human. Except I wasn't sure which one of us they were calling human. Because last I checked, one of them was glowing and flickering like a streetlight with a bad circuit.
I stopped, all soaked to the bone, and decided there to consider my life choices.
Option A: Run like hell and pray it's just a really crazy dream.
Option B: Stand my ground like some dumbass hero.
Spoiler: I went with Option B. Because apparently, I'm somewhat of a glutton for punishment.
"Look, um… can we talk about your, um, glowing friend here? Maybe it's hurt? Do you need… like, um, help or anything?" The sound of my voice, and my words sounded pathetic even to me.
The tall shadow turned. And that's when a shockwave pulsed through the street, vibrating my teeth. The lights around flickered. Puddles of water trembled, and everywhere suddenly felt like a funhouse mirror version of itself.
My feet skidded, my heart in my throat, and then it happened. My hand — my stupid hand — touched the shadow.
Everything went white.
Not "oh, bright light, I can see" white. No, this was a "the bright light that flashes when you're about to die" white. The kind that makes your brain freeze.
And then… silence.
When I finally blinked, my surroundings had changed. Everything changed. Not like "new street." No. It was more like "reality was drawn upside down on a canvas, and smeared with watercolors."
Colors were deeper, lights were bending. Even the rain was glowing faintly, and shadows… oh, God, the shadows. They moved like they were alive.
I coughed. "Okay. I'm definitely drunk, or dreaming. But definitely screwed."
The first figure staggered to its knees, and its glow faded. Then I noticed it. It was like someone watching from the edge of the alley, or something…it looked human, but I wasn't certain.
I blinked twice, then squinted my eyes, but my brain was still on strike.
The figure stepped forward just enough for the light to catch. It looked like a woman. Its skin was pale, its hair was like liquid silver, and its eyes was… I don't even have the words. They weren't gold, definitely not brown, or any color you can name. They were wrong. Good wrong. Wrong in the best possible terrifying way.
Before I could even make an attempt to ask, my chest seized, like it was pulled back by gravity. I stumbled back, muttering: "Okay. Okay. You are definitely not supposed to exist."
The figure — whoever or whatever it was, didn't speak. She just watched. And somehow, standing there, she made the shadows around her bend toward her. Like she was… breathing them in.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I grabbed it. A wrong but instinctive move. The screen lit up like a flare, illuminating the alley. And for one second, I could see her fully: height, posture, hair. Her countenance was of someone who has seen centuries pass and isn't impressed by idiots like me.
Then she moved. Not like a step, or a simple motion — everything shifted. The shadows leapt, coiling outward, and I felt the Veil tear. I don't even know how to explain that part, because my brain refused to label it as physics.
"Uh… what the actual hell." My voice sounded like it was that of a scared kid and a sarcastic man at the same time.
Then she tilted her head. Her eyes were glowing, faintly, bored but amused. "Milano Draven…"
My brain short-circuited. My mouth opened, closed, and opened again. "Wait… what? How…"
Before I could finish, a pulse of dark energy slammed into the street. Car alarms screamed, streetlights exploded in showers of sparks, and every shadow in a ten-block radius seemed to stretch toward us. It was like a living net.
"Run," she said. Not yelled. Not begged. Just… calm. Deadly calm.
"Run? Lady, I barely know you, and you're telling me to run from whatever that thing is?" My sarcasm was my shield against terror. Although, it was a poor one.
"Run," she repeated. And then… she vanished. Not like walking away vanished. Vanished like, I blinked and she didn't exist anymore.
The shadows stopped moving. The rain fell normally. The lights were shinning normally, but everything felt different. Like, I had been… marked. Or chosen. Or cursed.
I sank to my knees, all soaked and shivering. "Okay… well, congrats Milano. You officially just became a side character in a cosmic horror show. Now, how's that for adulting?"
A sudden chill ran down my spine. And then, my phone buzzed again — no messages, just static. Then words, floating in red on the screen:
You touched her.
You tied your soul to the Veil.
They'll all come for you.
I blinked twice. Nope. Definitely not dreaming.
I had no idea what "they'll all" meant. Monsters? Angels? Demons? Or some kind of cosmic band? Didn't matter. I knew one thing: I was in way over my head.
And that… that was when I realized I was grinning.
Because despite the chaos, the danger, and the complete shattering of my normal life…
This was exactly the kind of insane mess I had always wanted secretly.