Alexi stretched out his hand, palm open in offering, waiting for Veronica's answer.
She stared at it in silence.
A thousand questions churned in her mind. Why did everyone want the artifact? What was it really? Why had it been hidden in the forest? And why was Alexi—someone so cryptic and powerful—interested in it? Most importantly: what did he plan to do with it?
She narrowed her eyes. "Wait... what exactly is this so-called artifact? And why do so many people want it?"
Alexi sighed and slowly lowered his hand. "So many questions," he muttered. "So little time."
Veronica crossed her arms. "Answer them."
He paused, then nodded slowly. "It's a key," he said. "Or rather, a piece of a key. One of thirty-nine, scattered all over the globe. The one you found? It's inside you now."
Her breath caught.
"Why was it in that forest?" she asked.
"Because fate is funny," he said with a half-smile. "But more importantly, whoever gathers the full key gains... let's say... access to something unimaginable. That's why they chase it. That's why I want it."
Veronica squinted. "You still haven't said what you want to use it for."
"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, would I?" he said, tilting his head. "But here's the truth: now that you have one piece inside you, the others will come. They'll hunt you, torture you, take it by force if they must."
He extended his hand again. "I can help you survive them. You help me find the others. So... deal?"
A beat passed. Veronica hesitated. But then, she slowly placed her hand in his.
"...Yes," she whispered. "I accept."
Alexi grinned. "Excellent. My name is Alexi. No E. No S."
Veronica raised an eyebrow. "And I'm—"
"No need," he cut in. "I know everything about you."
Miles away, three shadowed figures stopped in their tracks.
"I sense something," one whispered.
"A piece?" the other asked.
"Strong energy," the first muttered. "It's close."
Without another word, their forms twisted into black mist and they vanished, speeding toward Alexi and Veronica's location.
Back at the warehouse, Alexi looked at the dim ceiling and asked out loud, "Ever wondered if there were worlds beyond ours?"
Veronica blinked. "...I've thought about it."
He chuckled. "Don't get your hopes up."
She raised a brow. "So they don't exist?"
"I didn't say that. I said I don't know."
Before she could reply, a thunderous boom shook the room. One of the walls exploded inward, brick and dust flying in all directions.
cough cough
Shadow-like creatures stood in the rubble—tall, hulking beasts with furred bodies and glowing red eyes.
Veronica gasped. "W–Werewolves!?"
"Technically, no," Alexi said casually. "They're mist creatures—shadow beings, like the ones that chased you in the forest. Some call them folklore monsters, but they're just puppets created by pieces of the key. These ones took the shape of werewolves."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
A slow, mocking applause echoed through the dust.
A man stepped forward. Pale, sharp-eyed, dressed in torn black robes. He cracked his finger as he grinned.
"Please," he said, "lecture me more."
Alexi narrowed his eyes. "And you are?"
"The name's Evans," the man said. "I sensed a strange fluctuation of energy... and came to retrieve the source."
He bent his finger backward—crack—and let it hang twisted. Then, without a word, the bone snapped back into place.
Veronica flinched. Her breath caught as he broke another finger, then another. Each healed instantly.
"You," Evans said, staring at her. "Tell me your name."
She didn't answer.
He cracked another finger.
"I said, tell me."
Her voice trembled. "V–V...Veronica."
"What a lovely name," he sneered. "Now... give me the piece you're carrying."
Snap.
She looked to Alexi, desperate.
He just stood there, whistling.
"I said give it to me!" Evans barked.
Veronica backed away, fear rising—but something else stirred. A pulse from her chest. Her skin burned faintly as if the key inside her reacted. For a second, her vision flickered, and energy surged through her fingertips.
Her body glowed faintly—before flickering out.
"What... was that?" she whispered.
Alexi smirked, but said nothing.
Evans stepped forward. "That item doesn't belong to you. It's mine. Which makes this easier for me."
He cracked a finger again, turning his head toward the mist-creatures.
"Now I don't have to stress myself, do I?"
The werewolves growled and leapt toward her—but mid-sprint, they stopped.
Completely.
Alexi stopped whistling.
"Well," he said with a smirk, "this has been fun. Genuinely. But I don't have time for this."
Evans froze. "They stopped... That's impossible. How did you—Who are you?"
Alexi rolled his eyes. "People really don't know when to stop lying. 'The key is yours'? Don't make me laugh."
He stepped forward, fog starting to swirl around him.
"My name is Alexi," he said. "You might've heard of me, might not have. But I'm the original owner of the piece inside her body."
Evans recoiled, eyes wide. "You're Alexi the—" He muttered something in a language Veronica didn't recognize.
Alexi smiled. "Yes. I am."
Evans stumbled backward. "You... You're not supposed to be here. Not yet."
"Well, I'm here. What are you going to do about it?"
Evans clenched his teeth, but his mind was already racing.
This isn't my real body. Just a vessel. My piece is with my original form... So I'm safe.
Alexi's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I don't know this is just a puppet? What makes you think I won't find the real you—and kill it?"
He stepped closer, voice colder.
"You're just a whisper hiding in flesh. A coward behind borrowed bones."
Evans broke into a cold sweat. "Well... That's... unsaid."
Alexi tilted his head. "The power you hold is limitless — but you wield it like a child with a blade. No wisdom, no restraint."
Veronica blinked. "Wait... he's possessed?"
Alexi nodded. "Kind of. He's using the power of a piece to control a body. Unlike you, who became one with it, he's relying on an external source. Most can't handle the key's power raw. So they use mediums. Like this husk."
Veronica's stomach turned. Then what about him? He said he was the original owner. But that werewolf... it backed down the moment it saw him. Is he like them?
Alexi turned, as if reading her mind. "Still hesitant of me, I see."
"Huh?"
He pointed to Evans. "Then let's make it easy. Kill him. Take his piece. Get stronger."
Veronica's eyes widened. "Kill him?"
She took a step forward, hands clenched. The energy flickered in her again.
Evans snarled. "Enough! Attack!"
The werewolves charged.
Veronica looked back—Alexi was gone.
Gone.
She turned forward. Claws. Teeth. Growls.
Her hand lifted instinctively, glowing faintly with the key's power—but too late.
She screamed.
Evans raised his hand, shouting, "And now—you die!"
Everything went black.
To be continued...