The glowing amber eyes pierced through the shadows ahead, unwavering, unblinking. Ochieng felt a shiver crawl up his spine—not from fear, but from a deep instinctual warning. Something ancient was watching them.
Lin Feng tensed beside him, his fingers hovering over the hilt of his blade. Cassandra, normally unshaken, took an uneasy step backward.
Then, the eyes moved.
A faint whisper echoed through the chamber, though it was impossible to tell whether it was a voice or the wind. Ochieng barely had time to react before a shadow detached from the darkness and lunged.
His body moved on instinct. He ducked just in time as a sharp claw slashed through the air where his throat had been a second ago. He twisted, drawing his dagger, but before he could strike—
The creature vanished.
Lin Feng swore under his breath. "What the hell was that?"
Ochieng didn't answer. His eyes scanned the chamber, heart pounding. The air had changed—thicker, charged, alive. Whatever was down here, it wasn't human.
Cassandra pulled out a small cylindrical device, pressing a button on its side. A soft blue glow spread across the room. It wasn't just a light—it was a scanner, revealing traces of energy movements in the air. And what it showed made Ochieng's blood run cold.
The entire chamber was filled with faint, shifting figures. Dozens of them.
And they were closing in.
Ochieng gritted his teeth. "Run."
Cassandra and Lin Feng didn't hesitate. They bolted through the tunnel, their footsteps echoing. Ochieng sprinted ahead, feeling the weight of the unseen eyes following him.
A screech tore through the chamber.
The walls trembled. The shadows twisted. And then—they struck.
A black shape slammed into Lin Feng, knocking him against the wall. Cassandra screamed, firing blindly into the darkness. Ochieng spun, catching a glimpse of something inhuman, elongated, moving faster than anything should.
His instincts screamed—this was a test.
He didn't run.
Instead, he turned toward the darkness, gripping his dagger. If they wanted a fight, he'd give them one.
Then, a voice. Deep. Hollow. Ancient.
"You should not have come here, Ochieng."
His breath caught.
They knew his name.
And before he could react, the shadows swallowed them whole.