The darkness that swallowed them was not the kind that simply dimmed the world. It pressed in—thick, cold, nearly wet—like a living thing dragging its fingers across their skin. Elena's breath trembled as she clung to Leon's weakening body, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt, anchoring him to her.
And then…
A voice.
Not a whisper.
A breach.
"He belongs to me."
It slithered directly into her skull—curled behind her eyes like something with claws. Elena gasped, her grip faltering for the first time as her knees buckled.
Leon jerked, choking on a snarl.
"Elena—don't listen to it," he rasped, voice cracking like something inside him was splitting. "It's trying to use the bond. Trying to pull me through it."
The ground beneath them shuddered again, dust raining from the ceiling. The stone floor erupted in a violent CRACK that shot toward them like lightning.
And from the widening darkness beneath their feet…
Something began to rise.
Not a shape.
Not a face.
Just a density—like shadows folding into shadows—swelling, pulsing, expanding.
Elena's heartbeat thundered in her ears.
"Leon—"
His body convulsed.
Veins darkened across his neck like poison. His chest rose sharply, then collapsed; his fingers clawed at the ground as if something inside him was pulling.
"Elena—go—" he choked out.
"No!"
"Elena, don't argue—"
"I said no!"
Her voice cracked, but she didn't let go—not when she felt the entity's will trying to drag Leon like a puppet, not when his spine arched unnaturally, not when darkness began creeping up his arms.
She tightened her arms around him. "I'm not leaving you. You hear me? I'm not—"
A sound split the air—
A shriek.
Ancient.
Anguished.
Infuriated.
The entity recoiled just enough for air to rush back into Elena's lungs.
Leon slumped forward, panting, his forehead pressing into her shoulder.
"Elena… it's getting stronger. The bond—there's a breach. It's trying to force itself through me."
His voice wasn't just weak. It was fading.
The darkness behind them surged upward like a wave preparing to swallow them whole. A violent wind tore down the corridor, ripping loose stones from the walls.
It was coming.
Fast.
Focused.
Feral.
Elena forced Leon's face up with both hands.
"Leon—look at me."
His eyes barely opened—silver shimmering through the black haze eating at the edges of his pupils.
"Elena…" His voice broke. "…you have to run."
She shook her head fiercely. "No. I won't leave you to that thing. If it wants you, it's going through me."
A shiver rippled through the darkness, as if the entity heard her—liked her answer.
Then it struck.
A blast of shadow slammed into Leon's back, throwing both of them forward. Elena crashed onto the floor, Leon's weight collapsing over her. Pain shot through her spine, but she reached up, grabbing his jacket, shoving him upright.
"Leon—stay with me!"
He tried.
She could see it.
But his body was losing the fight.
His strength—already drained from the bond, the visions, the seal breaking—was dropping fast. His fangs slid partially from his gums, unbidden, like instinct clawing its way to the surface.
"Elena…" His voice rasped into her ear. "It wants me because the bond is still broken. I'm weakened. It can use me—push through me—take me."
A cold spike went through her chest.
"No," she whispered.
The darkness surged again—this time not as a wave, but like dozens of hands reaching toward Leon's body.
Leon shoved her aside just as one shadowed tendril lashed out, slicing across his shoulder with supernatural speed. He hissed, staggering.
The tendril hit him like it recognized exactly who he was.
Who he used to be.
The shadows whispered his name—
"Blackwell…"
Elena froze.
Her blood turned to ice.
The entity knew him.
It recognized him.
It wanted him.
Leon's face twisted with pain. "Elena—get behind me."
He tried to step forward.
His knees nearly buckled.
He wasn't going to make it.
The entity shrieked again—louder, closer, angrier—as the shadows swelled to swallow them both.
Elena didn't think.
She grabbed Leon's arm, threw it around her shoulder, and half-dragged, half-lifted him toward the far edge of the chamber.
The shadows struck the ground where they had been standing—hard enough to shatter the stone into jagged shards.
"Elena!" Leon's voice strained. "It's trying to pull me—through the bond—don't let it—"
"I won't!" she cried.
But she could feel it.
The pull.
Not on her.
On him.
Something ancient.
Ravenous.
Claiming.
His body jerked violently, like an invisible hand was hooked inside his ribcage, trying to wrench him backward.
The entity wasn't fully through—but it was close enough to touch him.
Close enough to drag him into itself.
Elena's fingers slipped on his jacket.
"No—Leon—!"
His hand found hers weakly.
"Elena…" he whispered. "Don't… let it…"
And then the darkness lunged again.
This time?
It wasn't aiming to scare them.
It was aiming to take him.