POV Author
The night didn't breathe.
It burned.
The moment Arin slammed his foot on the accelerator, the world snapped into motion.
The engine of his Mercedes roared—deep, violent, alive.
The kind of sound that didn't just echo—
It warned.
Ahead, the taillights of the black car flickered like prey trying to disappear into darkness.
Arin leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp, calculating every movement, every gap, every second.
"Run," he muttered under his breath. "Let's see how far you make it."
---
The first turn came fast.
Too fast for anyone normal.
A sharp right—narrow, unforgiving.
Arin didn't slow down.
Instead—
He yanked the wheel.
The rear of the car swung out instantly, tires screaming against the asphalt as smoke curled into the air. The car slid sideways—
Perfectly controlled.
A clean drift.
The front snapped back into alignment as he accelerated out of it like a bullet.
No hesitation.
No correction needed.
Just instinct.
---
Up ahead, the kidnappers' car swerved recklessly, almost hitting a divider.
Amateurs.
Arin's lips curled slightly.
"You're not built for this."
His phone buzzed in his hand.
Without taking his eyes off the road, he hit call and switched it to speaker.
Ring.
Ring.
Pick up.
Click.
"Stop calling this—"
"Give her the damn phone."
His voice cut through like a blade.
Cold. Commanding.
There was a pause.
"You don't get to talk to me like that—"
"I can't?" Arin's tone dropped lower. Dangerous. "I can't when your little daughter is getting kidnapped?"
Silence.
Real silence.
The kind that comes when truth hits too hard.
"…You're lying," her mother said, but there was hesitation now.
Fear creeping in.
Arin scoffed.
"I don't need to lie. I could break into your house if I wanted to."
Another pause.
Longer.
"…Where is she?" she asked, voice smaller now.
Arin's grip tightened on the wheel as he shifted gears smoothly.
"Give Anna the damn phone."
---
Inside the mansion—
Panic moved faster than pride.
The door to Anna's room burst open.
Anna sat up, startled, her mother rushing toward her with trembling hands.
"Talk," she said quickly. "It's Arin."
Anna froze.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
Slowly, she took the phone.
"…Hello?"
"God damn it, Anna," Arin's voice came through, tight, strained. "Lily's getting abducted."
Her breath left her instantly.
"What—what?!"
"I'm chasing them. I sent my location."
Her world tilted.
"No… no, where are you—"
Sirens.
Loud.
Close.
Arin glanced at the rearview mirror.
Red and blue lights cut through the darkness behind him.
Police.
He exhaled slowly.
Then smirked.
"I gotta go," he said. "Anna… I need to lose some mfs."
The line went dead.
---
Anna didn't think.
She moved.
Fast.
Keys. Phone. Coat.
"Mama, I have to go."
And before fear could stop her—
She ran.
---
Back on the road—
The sirens screamed louder now.
Two police cars.
Closing in.
Arin rolled his shoulders slightly, loosening the tension in his grip.
"Alright," he murmured. "Let's dance."
---
A wide intersection approached.
Empty.
Perfect.
He accelerated.
Then—
At the last second—
He slammed the brakes and turned sharply.
The car whipped sideways in a long, sweeping drift, spinning just enough to cut across the intersection diagonally.
Tires screamed.
Smoke burst around him like a cloud.
For a split second—
The car was almost horizontal to the road.
Then—
Grip.
Control.
Launch.
He shot forward into a side street just as the police cars overshot the turn.
One tried to follow—
Too late.
Too fast.
They struggled to correct.
Arin was already gone.
---
Ahead—
The black car turned into a tight alley.
Narrow.
Barely enough space.
Arin didn't hesitate.
He followed.
Walls blurred inches away from his car.
Metal almost scraping concrete.
The kidnappers panicked.
Their car clipped a trash bin—
Lost balance for a second.
That was all Arin needed.
He closed the distance.
Fast.
Relentless.
---
Anna drove like her heartbeat depended on it.
Because it did.
Her eyes flickered between the road and the glowing dot on her screen.
Arin.
Moving.
Fast.
Too fast.
"Please…" she whispered. "Hold on…"
---
The chase ended where the city ended.
An abandoned industrial stretch.
Broken lights.
Dead silence.
The black car swerved into a crumbling garage.
Arin followed.
Of course he did.
---
Both cars screeched to a halt.
Dust rose slowly into the air.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
Arin stepped out.
Calm.
Deadly calm.
The kind that came before destruction.
The other doors opened.
Two men stepped out.
Then—
A third figure emerged from the shadows.
Slow.
Confident.
Smirking.
Arin's eyes darkened.
"I knew it," he said quietly.
William chuckled.
"What can I say, Arin?" he said. "You took something that was mine."
Arin tilted his head slightly.
"Your?" he repeated, almost amused. "That's embarrassing."
William's smile twitched.
"You think this is funny?"
"No," Arin stepped closer. "I think you are."
The air tightened.
"You always had everything," William snapped. "Money. Power. Her."
Arin's gaze hardened.
"And you still couldn't get her."
A pause.
Sharp.
Brutal.
"That sounds like a skill issue."
William's expression twisted with anger.
"You don't deserve her."
Arin let out a quiet breath.
"And you do?"
Silence answered him.
---
Then—
William reached into his jacket.
Pulled out the book.
The Legend of Shou feng .
Even the air seemed to recoil.
Arin's expression shifted.
Just slightly.
"You stole that from my house ?," he said.
William smiled.
"Why?" he whispered. "Scared?"
"Of you?" Arin stepped forward. "Never."
At that exact moment—
Footsteps.
Fast.
Desperate.
Anna.
She ran inside, breathless, eyes wild—
"ARIN—"
William opened the book.
---
Light exploded.
Blinding.
Violent.
Unnatural.
"NO!" Anna screamed.
The ground trembled.
The air twisted.
The book pulsed like a heartbeat.
Then—
It pulled.
A force beyond anything human.
Arin's body jerked forward.
His shoes scraping against concrete.
"What the hell—"
The pull grew stronger.
Dragging him closer.
Faster.
"Arin!" Anna ran toward him.
He tried to fight it—
Muscles straining—
But it was useless.
"Stay back!" he shouted.
She didn't.
She never would.
She reached him—
Grabbed his hand—
Tight.
"I'm not letting go!" she cried.
For a second—
It worked.
For a second—
He didn't move.
Then—
The force surged.
Violent.
Unforgiving.
It tore him away.
Their hands slipped.
Fingers grazing—
Breaking—
"ARIN—!"
And then—
He was gone.
Swallowed by light.
---
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Anna stood frozen.
Staring at nothing.
Her chest rising and falling too fast.
"…NO…"
The word barely existed.
The book snapped shut.
Darkness returned.
But nothing felt the same.
---
Somewhere beyond—
Something had awakened.
---
To Be Continued…