The air around the harbor turned painfully cold.
Not the kind of cold that came with winter winds or storms.
This cold felt wrong.
Like something unnatural had stepped into the world.
I stood frozen on Pier 17, staring up at the tear in the sky. The crack hovered between the clouds like a wound in reality itself, leaking dark energy that drifted downward in thin, twisting streams.
And behind it…
Those eyes.
Massive.
Burning like twin embers inside the darkness.
My chest tightened as the bloodline surged violently. Shadows gathered around my feet, swirling faster and faster like they were reacting to the presence above us.
"Kael…" I said quietly.
"Yes."
"That thing is looking directly at us."
"I know."
"That's concerning."
Lyra didn't take her eyes off the sky.
"It's searching."
"For what?" I asked.
Her answer was immediate.
"For you."
My stomach dropped.
"Of course it is."
The creature behind the crack shifted slightly, and the entire distortion in the sky rippled. The glowing eyes blinked slowly, adjusting to the light of our world.
Even from that distance, I could feel the weight of its gaze pressing down on us.
Like standing under the shadow of something enormous.
"What exactly is a 'scout'?" I asked.
Kael's voice remained calm, but there was tension beneath it.
"A creature sent ahead of larger forces."
I blinked.
"Larger forces?"
Lyra nodded grimly.
"Invasions rarely begin with armies."
My heart skipped a beat.
"They start with scouts."
I looked back up at the crack.
"That thing is the advance warning?"
"Yes."
"That's terrifying."
The creature's eyes suddenly shifted.
Locking onto me.
My breath caught in my throat.
"Uh… Kael?"
"Yes."
"It definitely sees me."
"I know."
The shadows around my feet surged violently, reacting to the bloodline's panic. Tendrils of darkness crawled across the wooden boards of the pier, twisting like restless snakes.
Lyra stepped closer to me.
"Control it."
"I'm trying."
"Your power is responding to the creature."
"That's not helpful!"
The crack in the sky pulsed again.
Dark energy spilled out in a thick wave.
And then the creature moved.
A massive claw pushed through the tear.
The sky itself seemed to strain around it.
The claw was easily the size of a car, covered in black scales that absorbed the light around them.
My jaw slowly dropped.
"That's… not a scout."
Kael's voice was grim.
"That is only a fragment of one."
My brain struggled to process that.
"A fragment?"
"Yes."
"If that's a fragment," I said, staring upward, "I really don't want to meet the full version."
The claw pushed farther through the crack, scraping against the edges of the distortion like it was testing the strength of the barrier.
Lyra's voice lowered.
"The crack isn't stable enough yet."
"That sounds like good news."
"For now."
The creature's claw curled slightly.
Then it slammed against the invisible barrier separating the realms.
The entire sky trembled.
A deep, echoing roar followed.
Not loud.
But powerful enough to vibrate through my bones.
The harbor water below us rippled violently.
My bloodline exploded with energy.
Shadows surged up around me like a protective shield.
"What is happening?" I shouted.
Kael grabbed my arm.
"It's reacting to you."
"Why?"
"Because you are the First Shadow's descendant."
Lyra's eyes widened slightly.
"Your bloodline is stronger than we thought."
"That's not helping!"
The creature struck the barrier again.
The crack widened another inch.
Cold wind blasted down from the tear, carrying the smell of something ancient and rotten.
I could feel the creature's attention focusing on me more intensely.
Like it was studying me.
Recognizing something.
My chest burned as the bloodline surged again.
The shadows around me rose higher.
Thicker.
Stronger.
"What is it doing?" I asked.
Lyra answered quietly.
"It's sensing your power."
The creature's glowing eyes narrowed.
Then its claw suddenly reached through the crack toward us.
The air screamed as reality stretched.
"Oh no," I muttered.
Kael shoved me backward.
"Move!"
The claw slammed down onto the pier.
The impact shattered wood and sent splinters flying across the dock.
I hit the ground hard as the pier shook violently beneath us.
Water surged up through the broken boards.
The creature's claw remained stuck halfway through the crack, scraping across the dock as it tried to reach farther.
I scrambled to my feet.
"That thing is trying to grab me!"
"Yes," Kael said.
"Why?!"
"Because your bloodline is drawing it here."
Lyra stepped forward suddenly.
"Adrian."
"What?"
"Use your power."
I stared at her.
"Against that?!"
"Yes."
"That seems like a terrible idea!"
Kael grabbed my shoulder.
"She's right."
"You can't be serious."
"Your bloodline is the only thing reacting strongly enough to push it back."
I glanced up at the enormous claw tearing through the pier.
Dark energy leaked from the crack above us.
My heart pounded.
"You want me to fight a monster from another dimension."
"Yes."
"Fantastic."
The creature's claw swung toward me again, smashing another section of the pier.
Water exploded upward.
"Adrian!" Lyra shouted.
"Okay! Okay!"
I closed my eyes for half a second.
Then I focused on the pulse in my chest.
The bloodline responded instantly.
Power surged through my veins like fire.
The shadows around the harbor exploded into motion.
They poured across the pier like a living tide.
I raised my hand toward the creature.
"Alright," I muttered.
"Let's see what this bloodline can really do."
The shadows surged upward in a massive wave.
They wrapped around the creature's claw like chains made of darkness.
The monster roared again, shaking the sky.
But the shadows held.
For a moment.
The crack above us trembled violently.
The creature pulled its claw back slightly.
Lyra's eyes widened.
"It's working!"
I gritted my teeth.
"Yeah… but it's heavy!"
Kael stepped beside me.
"Focus."
"I am focusing!"
The bloodline burned hotter inside my chest.
The shadows tightened around the creature's claw.
For a brief moment, the enormous limb stopped moving.
Then the creature growled again.
And slowly…
The claw began pushing forward again.
My knees buckled slightly.
"Oh no…"
Lyra's voice was tense.
"The crack is widening."
"That's bad, right?"
"Yes."
I looked up at the tear in the sky.
It was definitely getting bigger.
Which meant the creature would soon be able to push more of its body through.
My heart hammered in my chest.
"Kael…"
"Yes?"
"We're going to need a better plan."
Because if that thing fully crossed into our world…
I had a terrible feeling this fight would only be the beginning.