The gang members scrambled away in panic.
None of them wanted to stay near the strange power that had nearly crushed them.
Within seconds, the alley was empty except for two people.
Kael.
And the mysterious woman on the rooftop.
Rain dripped slowly from the roof tiles as she crouched there, watching him like a curious predator.
Kael spoke first.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled faintly.
Instead of answering, she jumped.
Her body landed silently in the alley.
No splash.
No sound.
Kael immediately felt the difference.
She wasn't like the street thugs.
Her movements were controlled.
Precise.
Dangerous.
Up close, Kael could see more details.
She wore dark leather armor designed for stealth.
A short blade rested at her hip.
And her sharp silver eyes studied him carefully.
"You shouldn't have survived tonight," she said calmly.
Kael frowned.
"What does that mean?"
She folded her arms.
"The artifact you stole was supposed to be delivered to the Black Council."
Kael's chest tightened.
"So you work for them?"
The woman chuckled softly.
"Hardly."
She looked at his ring.
"But they will come for you."
Kael already knew that.
But hearing someone else say it made the danger feel even more real.
"What do they want with it?"
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"Power."
She stepped closer.
"Ancient power."
Her gaze returned to the shadows swirling around Kael's feet.
"And apparently… they got more than they expected."
Kael clenched his fist.
The shadows reacted immediately.
"Why are you here?"
The woman studied him for a moment.
Then she smiled again.
"Curiosity."
Before Kael could respond—
A loud horn echoed somewhere in the distance.
City guards.
The woman glanced toward the street.
"Looks like our time is up."
She stepped backward.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"You're leaving?"
"For now."
She turned and began climbing the wall effortlessly.
Just before disappearing over the rooftop edge, she paused.
"Oh… one more thing."
Kael looked up.
Her silver eyes gleamed.
"If you want to survive in this city…"
Her voice dropped slightly.
"Learn to use your shadows faster."
Then she vanished into the night.
The alley grew quiet again after the mysterious woman disappeared.
Kael remained standing beneath the dripping rooftops.
For several seconds he didn't move.
His eyes were still fixed on the edge of the rooftop where she had vanished.
"Who was she…?"
The question echoed in his mind.
She clearly knew about the ring.
About the Shadow Sovereign.
And worst of all…
About the Black Council.
Kael exhaled slowly.
Tonight had started with him simply trying to survive another miserable day.
Now powerful organizations were hunting him.
"Great."
He rubbed his forehead.
But standing in the alley forever wouldn't solve anything.
The sound of approaching boots reached his ears again.
City guards.
Closer this time.
Kael quickly stepped back into the deeper shadows.
His body blended into the darkness almost instinctively.
He focused on the strange connection he felt with the surrounding shadows.
Hide me.
The darkness obeyed.
It wrapped around him like a cloak.
Moments later, two guards rushed past the alley entrance.
"Someone reported a disturbance here!"
"Probably just gang fights again."
Their lantern light briefly passed across the alley.
But it never reached Kael.
He watched silently as they moved on.
When the guards disappeared, Kael stepped out again.
A strange excitement ran through his chest.
"So this is what she meant…"
Learning to use the shadows faster.
He looked down at the ground.
The shadows stretched across the stones like black water.
Kael focused again.
This time he tried something different.
Instead of moving the shadows…
He tried pulling them.
Toward himself.
The darkness trembled.
Then slowly…
The shadow beneath his feet began rising.
Like smoke forming a shape.
Kael's eyes widened.
It was working.
But the moment the shadow reached his knees—
The form collapsed.
Kael staggered slightly.
A wave of exhaustion hit him.
"Too much…"
His breathing grew heavier.
Using the power drained him faster than expected.
Still…
He had seen the potential.
And that meant something important.
He could get stronger.
Much stronger.
Suddenly—
A faint noise reached his ears.
Footsteps.
But these weren't clumsy like gang members.
They were controlled.
Careful.
Kael immediately turned toward the sound.
At the far end of the street…
Two figures stepped out of the darkness.
They wore long dark coats.
Their movements were calm.
Deliberate.
And their eyes scanned the surroundings like predators searching for prey.
Kael's instincts screamed.
Danger.
The men stopped in the middle of the street.
One of them crouched near the ground.
He examined the stones where the gang fight had happened earlier.
Then he spoke quietly.
"The energy is still here."
The second man nodded.
"So the report was correct."
Kael's heart pounded.
They could sense it.
The shadow power.
The first man stood slowly.
His gaze moved across the dark buildings.
Then—
For a brief moment—
His eyes stopped exactly where Kael stood hidden.
Kael didn't breathe.
The man smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
The second man frowned.
"You found him?"
The first man shook his head.
"Not yet."
"But he's close."
Kael felt a cold chill crawl down his spine.
These men were different.
Much stronger than the Iron Fang thugs.
And somehow…
They could track him.
The first man turned toward the deeper streets.
"Spread out."
"We find the boy before sunrise."
The second man nodded.
And the two figures disappeared into separate streets.
Kael finally exhaled.
"So the hunt already started…"