The air of the undercity was different now. He could feel it. The shadows that had been tenuous whispers in the dark some time ago now appeared to stretch and twist with malevolent intent. They watched him, followed him, growing bolder with every ticking second. Lian could feel their presence, a smothering heaviness gnawing at his mind.

  

  He didn't stop running.

  

  "Aeris!" he yelled again, his voice coarsening into desperation. No response. The faint light from his torch quivered, casting elongated, fluttering shadows across the walls of ancient stone. Lian could barely see a given distance before him, but onward he had to go. Stopping meant giving the shadows a chance to catch up—and he was not quite certain what would happen in that case.

  

  Events replayed themselves in his mind at the pedestal: the light, the energy, Aeris, and that look on her face-like she had seen something that he hadn't. Lian couldn't shake the feeling that she knew more than she let on, that she wanted this relic, yes, but why was she so confident, so certain they would be able to control it?

  

  And now she was gone.

  

  Lian cursed under his breath, willing his legs to keep moving when every muscle in his body screamed in protest from the battle with the guardian. He had no time to stop. Not till he found her.

  

  The tunnels twisted and turned, leading him deeper into the undercity's maze. He didn't know where he was going-he allowed his instincts to lead the way. The air grew colder, and the shadows seemed to grow thicker around him, but he pressed on, fastening on one thought:

  

  He had to find Aeris.

  

  There was a sudden noise down the corridor—a low, scraping sound, like something dragged across stone. Lian went quite still, his hand straying to the hilt of his sword. He listened hard, peering into the dark for some hint of movement.

  

  The scuffling noise came again, this time closer. Lian clutched his sword tightly as his heart jolped within his chest. He didn't like it at all. The shadows now felt different-more alive, a lot more hostile.

  

  Then, from the edge of his eye, he saw it.

  

  A figure, moving in the darkness. It was little more than a silhouette against the faint light of the tunnel, but Lian could sense it. Cold. Malevolent.

  

  It wasn't Aeris.

  

  As the figure drew closer, Lian's breath caught in his throat, its outline taking shape before him in the dim light: tall-unnaturally so-with long, twisted limbs that seemed to stretch impossibly far; its eyes-if they could be called eyes-glowing faintly, two pale orbs of light in the darkness.

  

  The shadows around it writhed and twisted, as if they were part of the creature itself. Lian took a step backward, his instincts shrieking at him to run, yet his feet seemed rooted there.

  

  A low, guttural growl escaped the figure; the sound reverberated along the tunnel like some sort of death knell.

  

  Lian had no choice. He drew his sword, the blade shaking in his hand as he held it between himself and the creature. His breath came in short, shallow gasps, his mind chasing through every possible scenario.

  

  But before he could make a move, the figure stopped. It cocked its head, as though it was studying him, its glowing eyes narrowing. Then, with no warning at all, it spoke.

  

  "You are not welcome here."

  

  The voice was low, almost a whisper, but had a weight to it that sent shivers down Lian's spine. He swallowed hard, trying to find his voice, but the words wouldn't come. What *was* this thing? Some kind of guardian? Or something else entirely?

  

  "What…are you?" Lian finally managed to choke out, his voice barely audible over the sound of his own heartbeat.

  

  The figure said nothing. For what seemed like an eternity, it just simply stood there, watching him with those otherworldly, glowing eyes. Then, after what was an eternity, it spoke again.

  

  "I am the shadow. And you.are in my domain.

  

  A chill ran down Lian's spine. The shadow. He had read of such a thing, creatures born from darkness, manifestations of the very thing he was attempting to keep under control. But never had he imagined himself face to face with one.

  

  He needed to get out of here.

  

  Without waiting for the creature to make any move, Lian turned and ran, the grip of his sword tight in his hand. He had stopped caring where he was going; all he knew now was that he had to get away from that thing. The tunnel stretched out endlessly before him, the walls closing in from the sides, as he sprinted through the blackness.

  

  But no matter how fast he ran, he could feel it behind him. The shadow. It followed him, its presence like a weight on his chest, pressing down harder with each second.

  

  Then, just when Lian thought he couldn't run further, he saw it.

  

  A faint light glowed from far away.

  

  And then his chest burst with hope, as he tried harder, his legs aflame with effort. He didn't know what the light was-an exit, a trap, something else entirely-but it didn't matter. He needed to reach it.

  

  The shadow loomed close now; growls rumbled through the tunnel. Lian could feel its cold breath at the back of his neck, but he didn't slow. He couldn't.

  

  Finally, he burst into the open space, stumbling to a halt as the light washed over him. It was little more than a small, flickering flame set in the middle of the room, but it was enough to push the shadow back, at least for the time being.

  

  Lian dropped to his knees, breathless. He could feel the shadow's presence just beyond the rim of light, lurking in the darkness, waiting for its chance to strike.

  

  But for now, he was safe.

  

  Barely.

  

  ---

  

  TO BE CONTINUED