That thing… whatever was coming out of the old library… didn't feel normal. It felt dangerous. More dangerous than the shadows we had just faced.
Ariana stood in front of me, her glowing eyes fixed on the darkness.
"Don't look into its eyes," she said quietly.
My heart pounded. "Why?"
"It can control your mind."
A chill ran down my spine.
The shadow slowly took shape.
It was taller than any human. Its body was made of darkness, constantly shifting, like smoke. Two glowing red eyes appeared in the middle of its face.
I quickly looked down.
"Good," Ariana whispered. "Whatever happens, don't panic."
Easy for her to say.
The creature stepped forward. The ground beneath it seemed to darken with every movement.
Then it spoke.
Its voice was deep… broken… like many voices speaking at once.
"Ari… ana…"
I froze.
"It knows your name," I said.
Ariana didn't reply.
The creature moved closer.
"You… cannot… escape…"
The temperature dropped again. I could see my breath in the air.
Ariana raised her hand, the same glowing light forming again.
"Go back," she said firmly. "You don't belong here."
The creature laughed.
A horrible, echoing sound.
"You… created… us…"
My mind went blank.
Created?
I looked at Ariana in shock.
"What is it talking about?" I whispered.
She didn't answer.
Instead, her light grew stronger.
"I said GO BACK!" she shouted.
She released a burst of energy.
The light hit the creature—but this time, it didn't disappear.
It stopped for a second… then slowly kept moving forward.
"That's not possible…" Ariana murmured.
Fear spread across her face.
For the first time… she looked truly scared.
The creature raised its arm.
Darkness gathered around it like a storm.
"Ariana!" I shouted.
"Run!" she yelled.
"But—"
"RUN!"
I didn't argue.
I turned and started running as fast as I could.
But after a few steps, I stopped.
I couldn't leave her.
I turned back.
The scene in front of me was terrifying.
The creature had trapped Ariana in a circle of darkness. Her light was fighting against it, but it was getting weaker.
"No…" I whispered.
I looked around desperately.
There had to be something I could do.
Then I remembered something.
Yesterday… when the shadows attacked… they reacted to her light.
Maybe…
I grabbed a broken piece of glass from the ground.
My hands were shaking.
"This is stupid," I muttered.
But I had no choice.
I ran towards them.
"HEY!" I shouted.
The creature paused.
Its head slowly turned towards me.
I avoided its eyes, remembering Ariana's warning.
"Leave her alone!" I yelled.
It moved towards me.
Bad idea. Very bad idea.
My heart felt like it would explode.
But I stood my ground.
As it came closer, I raised the glass piece.
The faint light from Ariana reflected on it.
For a second… the light became stronger.
The creature stopped.
It let out a low, angry sound.
"It's working…" I whispered.
"Ariana!" I shouted. "Your light—focus it here!"
She looked at me, confused at first.
Then she understood.
She gathered the last of her strength and directed her light towards the glass in my hand.
The light reflected—brighter than before.
It hit the creature directly.
This time—
It screamed.
A loud, painful scream.
The darkness around it started breaking apart.
"No… this… cannot…"
With one final flash of light—
The creature disappeared.
Everything went silent.
The cold air faded.
I dropped the glass and fell to my knees, breathing heavily.
Ariana collapsed too.
I quickly crawled towards her.
"Ariana! Are you okay?"
She looked weak… but alive.
"You… didn't run," she said softly.
I shook my head. "I couldn't leave you."
For a moment, she just looked at me.
Then she gave a small, tired smile.
"Thank you."
There was silence.
Then I asked the question that had been stuck in my mind.
"What did it mean?" I said. "When it said… you created them?"
Her smile faded.
She looked away.
"I was part of something… a long time ago," she said slowly. "Something I shouldn't have been part of."
"What kind of something?"
She hesitated.
Then—
"A ritual."
My heart skipped a beat.
"A ritual?" I repeated.
She nodded.
"It was meant to give power," she said. "But something went wrong."
The wind blew softly around us.
"It opened a door," she continued. "A door to darkness."
I felt cold again.
"And those things… came through?"
"Yes."
"And now they're following you?"
She nodded again.
"I've been trying to stop them ever since."
I didn't know what to say.
This was bigger than I thought.
Much bigger.
"So… what happens now?" I asked.
Before she could answer—
We heard footsteps.
Someone was coming.
We both looked towards the path.
A tall figure appeared in the distance.
Walking slowly towards us.
A teacher?
No…
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Ariana's expression changed instantly.
"It's not human," she whispered.
My heart dropped.
"Another one?" I said.
She shook her head slowly.
"No…"
Her voice trembled.
"It's worse."
The figure stopped.
Then it lifted its head.
Its eyes glowed… just like the creature before.
But stronger.
Much stronger.
Ariana stepped in front of me again.
"This time," she said quietly, "we might not win."
I clenched my fists.
Fear filled my chest.
But I didn't move.
Because I knew—
This was just the beginning.