The shadow creature lunged.
Kael stumbled back, his shoes sliding on the rain-slick pavement. The monster's tendrils slammed into the ground where he'd stood an instant before, cracking the concrete like brittle bone.
Run, Kael. Run!
But he couldn't.
Something inside him—fear, instinct, destiny—held him in place.
The creature hissed, its form shifting like smoke soaked in darkness. Eyes—too many eyes—blinked across its body, each one staring hungrily at Kael's soul.
Kael swallowed.
"What… what are you?"
The creature screamed, a screech that made the streetlights flicker.
Then—
A sharp whistle sliced through the air.
A silver chain wrapped around the shadow beast's neck, yanking it back. A figure landed beside Kael, boots splashing in the rain.
A girl.
She wore a dark coat, hair dripping with rain, eyes glowing faintly blue.
"Move," she said coldly.
Kael barely had time to think. The girl pulled the chain taut, dragging the shadow creature toward her. A small scythe manifested in her right hand—silver, deadly, and humming with power.
She swung.
The blade carved through the shadow beast, splitting it into two halves. It dissolved into mist with a final, piercing shriek.
Silence returned.
Kael stared at her—breathless, rattled, terrified.
"You… who are you?" he whispered.
The girl's expression didn't change. She flicked water from her scythe as it dissolved into particles of light.
"You shouldn't be able to see shadows," she said. "And you definitely shouldn't be able to attract them."
Kael blinked. "Attract—?"
A gust of cold wind rushed through the alley.
The girl looked down.
At the black feather in Kael's hand.
Her eyes widened—a tiny moment of shock.
"That feather… where did you get it?"
Kael tightened his grip around it. "A figure. Cloak. Scythe. It killed someone and just… vanished."
The girl stepped closer, her presence overwhelming despite her small frame.
"That feather belongs to a Reaper," she said softly. "Not just any Reaper. The Reaper. The one who decides the fate of souls."
Kael's blood ran cold.
Reaper…? Grim Reaper?
The girl continued, voice a whisper under the rain.
"If he dropped that feather… he chose you."
"Chose me for what?" Kael shot back. "I'm nobody!"
The girl looked at him with something close to pity.
"You're not nobody. Not anymore."
Kael opened his mouth to speak—
—and suddenly the world went silent.
The raindrops froze in midair.
The lights flickered and died.
Shadows pooled at Kael's feet like living ink.
A voice echoed through the stillness.
Cold. Ageless. Everywhere at once.
"The feather answered your soul."
Kael spun around.
There he was—
the figure from the alley in Chapter 1.
The Grim Reaper.
Tall. Cloaked in darkness. Scythe resting over his shoulder like a judge awaiting a verdict.
The girl stiffened, bowing her head.
"Reaper…"
He did not look at her.
His empty eyes were locked on Kael.
"Your life has ended as a human."
"Now begins the burden of the Reaper."
Kael felt his heart stop.
"What are you talking about?" he gasped. "I never agreed to anything!"
The Reaper extended a skeletal hand.
The black feather lifted from Kael's palm, glowing with forbidden power.
"You took the feather."
"That was your agreement."
Kael staggered. "I didn't know what it was!"
The Reaper stepped forward, his shadow stretching, swallowing the street.
"Ignorance does not change fate."
"Your soul has been marked."
Kael's vision blurred.
His ears rang.
Something burned beneath his skin.
The girl grabbed his arm.
"Kael, listen to me—your life is changing. But you can learn. I can help you."
He looked at her, panicked.
"Why me…? Why is this happening?!"
The Reaper's voice thundered through the alley.
"Because the Dawn of Shadows approaches."
Kael felt the shadows tighten around his body.
"And only you can stop it."
His vision turned black.
The last thing he heard was the girl's voice screaming his name as the Reaper pulled him into dark.