The city felt different that night.
Not quieter—Eryndor was never truly quiet—but sharper somehow, like every sound had an edge to it. The hum of distant traffic, the buzz of neon lights, even the whisper of wind between the buildings seemed clearer than before.
Or maybe it was just me.
Ever since the training session earlier that morning, my senses had been unusually alert. The bloodline inside me pulsed steadily, like a silent reminder that danger was no longer something distant.
It was coming.
Soon.
I stood on the rooftop of the warehouse, staring across the endless stretch of city lights while the evening sky darkened overhead. The shadows around the rooftop pooled near my feet, drifting lazily like dark water.
They felt calm.
But beneath that calm was tension.
Waiting.
"You feel it, don't you?"
Kael's voice came from behind me.
I didn't turn.
"Yeah," I said quietly.
He stepped beside me, his coat shifting slightly in the breeze.
"The hunters are getting closer," he said.
"That's not exactly good news."
"No," Kael replied. "But it is necessary."
I finally glanced at him.
"Necessary?"
Kael folded his arms.
"You can only train so much without facing real enemies."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You're saying I need more life-threatening experiences."
"Yes."
I sighed.
"You're really committed to this whole 'almost dying builds character' philosophy."
Kael ignored that.
Instead, he pointed toward the distant glow of the eastern district.
"Your first hunt begins tonight."
My stomach tightened.
"Hunt?"
"You're not the prey anymore," Kael said calmly. "You're the hunter."
That sounded good in theory.
But I still remembered how easily Veylan had crushed my power.
"What exactly are we hunting?" I asked.
Kael's expression hardened.
"One of the scouts."
That got my attention.
"Hunters send scouts first," he explained. "They observe. Track movement. Learn your habits."
"And if they find me?"
"They report back."
"And then the real hunters show up," I finished.
Kael nodded.
"So we stop the scout first."
A nervous knot formed in my chest.
"Sounds simple."
"It isn't."
Of course it wasn't.
Kael stepped away from the edge of the roof.
"Come."
We moved quickly across the rooftops, leaping between buildings while the sky darkened into deep blue. The city below buzzed with nightlife—restaurants glowing with warm light, music echoing faintly from clubs, people walking the streets unaware of the hidden war unfolding around them.
But as we moved farther into the industrial district, the streets became emptier.
Darker.
Quieter.
Kael stopped on top of an old office building overlooking a narrow alley.
"He's here," Kael said.
I looked around.
"I don't see anyone."
"Of course you don't."
Kael glanced at me.
"Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Do it."
I hesitated, then shut my eyes.
At first, there was nothing.
Just darkness.
Then I focused on the pulse in my chest.
The bloodline stirred.
Slowly, the shadows around the building began to feel… different.
Like threads stretching through the air.
And one of those threads moved.
My eyes snapped open.
"He's behind the building," I whispered.
Kael gave a small nod.
"Good."
We dropped silently from the rooftop.
The alley smelled like wet asphalt and rust. A flickering streetlight cast long, broken shadows along the walls.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then a figure stepped out from the darkness.
He wore a long black coat, his face mostly hidden beneath a hood.
But his eyes glowed faintly.
Just like the others.
"Well," the man said slowly.
"Looks like the apprentice has come out to play."
My pulse quickened.
"You're the scout?"
The man smiled.
"Smart boy."
Kael's voice cut in sharply.
"You should not have come this close."
The scout shrugged casually.
"I was curious."
His glowing eyes shifted toward me.
"And now I understand why they're interested."
I clenched my fists.
The shadows around my hands began to stir.
"You should leave," I said.
The scout laughed.
"That's adorable."
Then he moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second he was ten feet away.
The next he was right in front of me.
I barely reacted in time, throwing up a shield of darkness.
His strike slammed against it with a loud crack.
The impact shoved me backward.
Pain shot through my arms.
"Not bad," the scout said.
"But not good enough."
He attacked again.
This time I was ready.
I sidestepped, sending a sharp tendril of shadow toward his leg.
The tendril wrapped around his ankle.
He stumbled.
I pressed forward immediately.
A wave of darkness surged from the ground, forcing him back toward the wall.
For the first time, the scout's expression shifted slightly.
"Interesting."
He snapped his fingers.
Three more figures dropped down from the fire escape above.
My heart sank.
"You brought friends."
The scout grinned.
"Did you really think we send only one observer?"
Kael stepped forward beside me.
"Adrian," he said calmly.
"Focus on one."
I nodded.
The shadows around my feet thickened.
The first attacker rushed toward me.
I ducked under his strike and countered with a quick burst of darkness that knocked him sideways.
Another lunged from the right.
I twisted away and sent a coil of shadow snapping across his chest.
He staggered.
But the scout himself was still standing calmly.
Watching.
Studying.
"You're improving," he said.
"That's unfortunate."
I wiped sweat from my forehead.
"For you?"
He smiled.
"For you."
Then he moved again.
This time his attack came faster than before.
I blocked the first strike.
Barely.
The second slipped through my defense.
Pain exploded across my ribs as his fist slammed into my side.
I stumbled backward.
Before he could strike again, Kael stepped in.
His blade flashed through the air.
The scout jumped back instantly.
"Well," the scout said with amusement.
"Looks like the mentor still has some teeth."
Kael didn't respond.
His eyes were locked on the enemy.
"Adrian," he said quietly.
"Yes?"
"Now."
The bloodline inside me surged.
I understood immediately.
The shadows around the alley exploded outward.
They wrapped around the walls, the ground, the air itself.
For a moment, everything froze.
Then the darkness surged forward.
It struck the scout like a tidal wave.
He barely managed to block it.
But the force knocked him to one knee.
The other hunters hesitated.
Kael didn't.
He moved instantly, striking with precise speed.
The remaining attackers scattered.
The scout stared at me from the ground.
Something new flickered in his glowing eyes.
Concern.
"So," he muttered.
"The bloodline is really waking up."
He rose slowly.
Then he smiled.
"This changes things."
Before either of us could react, he slammed his hand into the pavement.
The shadows around him twisted violently.
And then—
He disappeared.
The remaining hunters fled seconds later.
Silence returned to the alley.
My breathing slowed gradually.
Kael stepped beside me.
"You did well."
I stared at the empty street.
"That didn't feel like winning."
Kael nodded slightly.
"It wasn't."
I looked at him.
"Then what was it?"
Kael's voice was calm.
"A message."
My stomach tightened.
"From who?"
Kael glanced toward the dark skyline.
"From them."
The bloodline pulsed quietly in my chest.
And deep down, I knew one thing.
Tonight hadn't been a victory.
It had been a warning.
The hunters weren't just watching anymore.
They were preparing.