Page 58 of Secrets and Shadows

I shake my head. “This isn’t my home. I came for answers. Who are you?”

The darkness presses closer, swirling around me like a living thing. The air grows thick, cold, suffocating. It feels like the shadows are studying me, waiting for something—for fear, maybe, or doubt. I resist the urge to bolt, knowing that showing fear would be a mistake.

Only time will reveal the answers you seek,it says, its voice low and almost taunting.

“What kind of answer is that?” I snap, frustration bubbling to the surface. “Who are you? What do you want from me? Why is this happening to me?”

I take a deep breath, my emotions threatening to spiral. “Why am I the only one who can summon both a Predator and a Prey?”

There must be a reason for my powers, something beyond the chaos described in the books about the other Dual. They claim he’s nothing but chaos, a destructive force that upsets the balance of nature, but I refuse to believe that’s my only destiny.

To stand by me,it replies, ominous and cryptic.

“To stand by you?” I repeat, hoping for clarification but expecting none.

As I create a new order in this realm.

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head. “That’s not going to happen.”

Suddenly, a figure materializes in the distance, barely visible through the dark web surrounding it. I squint, trying to make out details of what—or who—it is, but before I can get a good look, it’s gone like it was never there at all.

I take a step backward as an unsettling force draws me toward the unknown. The Darkness tightens its grip on me, and I feel my Shadows stirring within. But they don’t fully emerge.Something’s holding them back. Gods, I really should’ve trained more before attempting this reckless, half-cocked, risky stunt.

My Shadows’ light automatically radiates out from within me, ready to defend, but they still don’t fully materialize.

“Yeah, well, you can go fuck yourself,” I shout, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “There’s no way I’m doing anything with you.”

As soon as the words leave my lips, something inside me snaps, and it’s like the chains holding me break in half for a split second, giving me enough time to react. My Shadows burst out, a brilliant light flaring around me. My fox and deer appear, circling protectively, their presence pushing the Darkness back. But the sinister force only seems to grow angrier.

You are a servant of chaos, Lilith, the voice declares, filled with certainty.From the moment you were born, you were chosen for this.

Chosen? For chaos? No, I won’t accept that.

I guess that gives me an answer to one of my questions, but I will never surrender to it. No matter what it says.

I open my mouth to argue, but before I can speak, the ground erupts beneath me, vines shooting up like hungry serpents. My fox leaps, light flashing, but the vines are relentless, striking with brutal precision. My fox staggers, its form trembling as dark energy rumbles through it.

One wraps around my leg, yanking me off balance. I react instinctively, unleashing a wave of purple fire that sears the vine, forcing it to recoil. But the contact leaves me feeling…tainted, like something dark has latched onto me.

Before I can catch my breath, the darkness hisses,You will be mine,and vines rush toward me, their numbers multiplying.

Panic surges as one wraps around my ankle, pulling me into the shadows, and I’m sure I’m done for. But then, something—someone—cuts through the chaos, ripping the vines away witha flick of motion. Light floods the area, and a figure steps into view, cloaked in a long coat that billows dramatically behind them.

As I scramble to my feet, seizing the opportunity, my fox companion leaps into action alongside a massive snake that appears out of nowhere. For a heartbeat, it seems like they might clash, but instead, they join forces against our shared enemy.

The mysterious man grabs my hand and drags me toward him, his face still shrouded in shadows. I don’t know what his intentions are or why he’s even here, but I know he can’t be any more dangerous than the Darkness closing in on us.

In his other hand glints a long blade, its silver light pulsing with an otherworldly glow. “Hurry,” he urges, pulling me along as we break into a sprint.

Our Shadows stay, counteracting the darkness to buy us some time, but it’s not long before it catches up. The mystery man seems to know where we’re headed, but there’s no way we can outrun the entity.

He stops abruptly, yanking me into his arms. I’m so caught off guard that I stumble, my hands pressing against his chest to steady myself.

As if summoned, shadows rise from the ground, their swirling, snake-like movements making my stomach lurch with unease. Yet I feel a strange sense of relief as they engulf us, whisking us away from the danger and toward safety.

My mind struggles to process what’s happening amidst the disorienting haze, but I can sense that we’re moving faster than before, propelled toward the edge of the forest.

By the time we’re out of reach of the Darkness, my entire body is shaking uncontrollably. I have to fight back the urge to vomit as I take shaky breaths, trying to calm myself down. For some strange reason, the mystery man holds me through it.

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