Page 57 of Dark Bonds

There, illuminated by the sickly light of the moon, stands an eredar beast, but this monstrosity is twice as large as the one before. Its multiple eyes glow a pulsing red that speaks of hunger and madness beyond human comprehension.

And it’s staring directly at my office.

The beast’s mouth opens wide, like it knows I’m watching. All I see are rows and rows of teeth as dark as night. It lets out another ear-splitting roar—a call, I realize with dawning horror, to others of its kind.

The phone slips from my numb fingers as the terrible truth becomes clear. The island isn’t a sanctuary. It never was.

It’s a beacon, and we just invited all our students back into the heart of the storm.

My mind races, desperate to maintain some semblance of composure even as fear threatens to overwhelm me. I need to warn the others and stop the evacuation before we lead innocent lives into a slaughter. First, though, I need to survive the night.

I take a deep breath, centering myself as I’ve been trained to do. The familiar mantra falls from my lips as I pray to whatever gods might be listening. “Okay, Bishop,” I mutter, “time to put all that training to use.”

As the eredar beast’s roar echoes across the island, a sound of triumph and hunger that chills me to my soul, I rush outside into the twilight. The cool air hits my face, a shock to the system that momentarily clears the fog of fear from my mind.

I brace myself for battle, for the fight of my life, but as I burst through the doors, prepared to face the nightmare made of flesh, I’m met with…

Nothing.

The silence that greets me is more terrifying than any roar. My heart pounds against my rib cage, each beat a desperate reminder that I’m alive—for now. The night air, crisp and cold, fills my lungs as I scan the eerily still campus grounds. Nothing moves. It’s as if the world itself is holding its breath, waiting for the next horror to unfold.

I take a tentative step forward, then another. The crunch of gravel under my feet sounds obscenely loud in the unnaturalquiet. My shadow shifter senses are on high alert, every nerve ending screaming danger, but from where?

“What the fuck is going on?” I mutter. The words hang in the air, unanswered and mocking.

A flicker of movement catches my eye. I whirl, instinctively gathering shadows at my fingertips, ready to defend, but it’s just a leaf dancing on a nonexistent breeze. I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm my racing heart.

That’s when I see it.

There is a shimmer in the air, like heat haze on a summer day, but it’s the middle of winter, and this… this is something else entirely. I approach slowly, every instinct screaming at me to run. As I get closer, I feel a subtle resistance, like pushing through spider silk.

“A veil,” I murmur, realization dawning with horrifying clarity. “It didn’t disappear. It’s still here.”

The implications hit me like a freight train, threatening to bring me to my knees. If the eredar beasts can manipulate reality to this extent, concealing themselves from view, then we’re facing a threat far beyond anything we’ve imagined. My mind races, piecing together the puzzle with sickening speed.

The ley lines, the energy signatures, and the shifting symbols… It’s all connected by a vast, insidious network that we’ve been blind to, and at the center of it all is Shadow Locke Island, our supposed sanctuary.

A low, rumbling growl breaks the silence, sending ice through my veins. It’s coming from everywhere and nowhere, surrounding me. The veil ripples as reality itself seems to bend and warp.

I stumble back, my legs suddenly weak. I need to warn the others before we lead our students into a trap, but as I turn to run, a massive clawed hand materializes out of thin air, swiping at me with terrifying speed.

I dive and roll across the ground as the air where I stood a moment ago shimmers with displaced energy. The veil tears, splitting reality open like a wound, and the eredar beast steps through. It’s even more monstrous up close, its multiple eyes fixed on me with predatory intent.

Fear threatens to paralyze me, but I push it down, drawing on years of training and the raw power of my shadow shifter heritage. Darkness gathers around my hands, solid yet fluid, an extension of my will.

“Come on, you bastard,” I growl, dropping into a fighting stance. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The beast roars, a sound that shakes the very foundations of the island. It charges faster than something its size should be able to. I throw up a shield of shadow energy, bracing for impact.

The collision sends shockwaves through my body, nearly bringing me to my knees. My shield holds, barely, but I can feel the strain. This thing is stronger than anything I’ve ever faced.

As we trade blows, my mind races. I need a way to defeat this thing or at least hold it off long enough for help to arrive, but how do you fight a creature that can bend reality itself?

A massive claw rakes across my chest, tearing through my defenses. Pain explodes through my body as I’m sent flying across the ground. I taste blood and feel it soaking through my shirt, but I can’t stop. I can’t fail.

It’s not just my life on the line… It’s Frankie’s. It’s every student at Shadow Locke. It’s the entire fucking world.

I struggle to my feet, gathering what little strength I have left. The eredar beast looms over me, triumph gleaming in its eyes. As it rears back for the killing blow, a terrible thought strikes me.

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