Smoke and ash swirled through the alley. Isaac stumbled, blood streaked across his face, a gash burning along his chest. Every step was agony. The dimensional hunter loomed closer, claws slicing the air, shadows twisting around its impossible form.
Isaac tried to run. His legs buckled. Pain and panic coiled in his chest. I… I can't…
The hunter crouched, ready to strike, eyes burning with cruel anticipation.
Then …. a blur.
A figure leapt from the shadows, landing between Isaac and the hunter. A jagged energy blade arced through the air, slicing the hunter's shadows as if tearing reality itself. The predator hissed, staggering back, then vanished into a sudden rift with an inhuman screech.
Isaac stared, bewildered.
Colleague (breathing heavily, standing over him): "Hey! Hey, kid! You okay?"
Isaac coughed, blood tasting like iron. "I… I…" Words failed him.
Colleague (kneeling, urgent): "Don't just lie there! You're not done yet. Come on, move!"
Isaac shook his head weakly. "I… I don't know… I can't…"
Colleague (gritting teeth, glancing around nervously): "Doesn't matter who you are. I don't care. I'm not letting some monster kill you because… well, you're a human! You stay alive. That's it. You run. You survive."
The stranger pressed a glowing hand to Isaac's wound. Magic, raw and uncontrolled, seeped into the gash, knitting flesh just enough to stop the bleeding.
Isaac (whispering): "Why… why help me?"
Colleague (shrugging, almost bitterly): "Because someone had to. Because if I left you here… well, I couldn't live with that. Now move! Get out of this alley before they come back."
Isaac leaned on the stranger, pain screaming in every muscle. The hunter could return at any moment. Chaos reigned in the streets — rifts tore through buildings, monstrous creatures roamed, fires spread uncontrollably.
But for the first time, Isaac felt a flicker of hope. He might not be alone… at least, not entirely.