The station fell silent after Elena disappeared.
Only the faint hum of damaged lights remained.
Arjun stood still, staring at the place where she had vanished.
The shadows around his feet moved restlessly.
Not from his will.
But as if they had reacted to her presence.
Kael noticed.
"That's not normal."
Arjun looked down.
The darkness beneath him was twisting in circles, almost like it was alive.
He clenched his fist.
The shadows slowly settled.
"…Nothing about this is normal."
Kael gave a humorless smile.
"That's the first smart thing anyone says after awakening."
Arjun looked at him.
"Then maybe you should stop talking in riddles."
Kael pushed away from the wall and sheathed his blade.
"She wasn't lying."
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
"About what?"
Kael met his gaze.
"The hidden world already knows you exist."
The words sat between them like cold steel.
Arjun had already guessed it.
But hearing it aloud made it real.
"Because of the mark."
Kael nodded.
"When the Shadow King's mark awakens, it creates a pulse."
"A signal."
"A scream."
He glanced into the darkness of the tunnel.
"And every creature tied to shadow can hear it."
Arjun folded his arms.
"And what exactly are they coming for?"
Kael's answer came without hesitation.
"Some want your power."
"Some want your death."
"Some want answers."
Arjun gave a quiet laugh.
"And you?"
Kael looked at him for a long moment.
Then said quietly,
"I haven't decided yet."
Arjun smirked faintly.
"At least you're honest."
Kael looked toward the stairs leading back to the city.
"You need to leave."
Arjun frowned.
"You?"
"I need to erase what happened here."
Arjun looked around the destroyed station.
The cracked floor.
The blood.
The unnatural darkness still clinging to the walls.
Normal people could never see the truth—
but if enough damage remained, maybe they would ask questions.
Kael noticed his expression.
"The human world survives because most people never learn what lives beside them."
Arjun stared at him.
"And if they did?"
Kael's golden eyes turned cold.
"Then panic would destroy more lives than monsters ever could."
Arjun said nothing.
Because deep down—
he understood.
The old him would never have believed any of this.
And if someone had told him the truth two days ago—
he would have laughed.
Now he was standing inside it.
Kael stepped toward the stairs.
"You need to stay invisible."
Arjun raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds difficult."
Kael gave him a dry look.
"With that mark?"
He paused.
"Almost impossible."
Arjun glanced at his palm.
The black symbol beneath his skin pulsed once.
A reminder.
A warning.
Or maybe both.
Kael continued.
"For the next few days, don't use your power unless you have no choice."
Arjun almost laughed.
"Something tells me choice won't be part of this."
Kael looked at him.
"No."
"It won't."
Then he turned and disappeared into the darkness below the station.
Leaving Arjun alone again.
Back to the Surface
When Arjun stepped back onto the street, the city looked the same.
Neon lights.
Rain-slick roads.
Late-night traffic.
People walking home.
Completely unaware of the war beneath their feet.
Arjun stood there for a moment, watching them.
Hours ago he had been one of them.
Just another invisible person in a crowded city.
Now—
he could feel the hidden world moving around him.
The mark in his hand pulsed faintly.
And suddenly he noticed them.
Shadows.
Not the ordinary kind.
Thin black figures standing in alleyways.
On rooftops.
At street corners.
Watching him.
When he turned toward them—
they vanished.
Arjun's jaw tightened.
"So it starts already."
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out.
Five missed calls.
Three messages.
All from Rohan.
The last one read:
Where are you? Nisha is worried.
Arjun stared at the screen for several seconds.
Then smiled.
Coldly.
"Nisha is worried?"
That was almost funny.
After what they had done—
after leaving him to die—
they were pretending concern.
For a moment, the old anger rose again.
He could go to them right now.
He could make them understand exactly what they had created.
But another part of him stopped.
Because for the first time—
Rohan and Nisha no longer felt important.
They had broken Arjun.
But something else had rebuilt him.
And whatever he had become now—
was beyond them.
He locked the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
"Later."
The First Attack
Arjun had barely taken three steps when the world changed.
A cold wave moved through the street.
The rain stopped in midair.
Cars froze.
People froze.
Even the sound of the city vanished.
Arjun stopped instantly.
"…No."
The mark on his hand burned.
A blue screen appeared.
DING
[Hostile Presence Detected]
A voice spoke behind him.
"Well."
Arjun turned.
Three figures stood in the empty road.
All wearing long gray coats.
Their faces hidden by silver masks.
Each carried a different weapon.
A chain.
A curved blade.
A spear.
The one in the center tilted his head.
"You're younger than expected."
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
The masked man smiled beneath the silver mask.
"Hollow Hunters."
Arjun remembered Elena's words.
The hunters will come first.
That was fast.
The man continued.
"We were told the new vessel might be unstable."
He slowly drew his blade.
"We've come to confirm."
Arjun's shadow blade formed in his hand.
"And if I fail your test?"
The hunter's voice turned cold.
"Then we remove the mark."
Arjun smiled faintly.
"You can try."
The street exploded.
The chain user attacked first.
Metal shot through the air like a serpent.
Arjun stepped sideways—
but the chain changed direction midair.
It wrapped around his wrist.
"What—"
The spear user lunged instantly.
Too fast.
Arjun barely activated Shadow Step.
WHOOSH
He vanished and reappeared beside a parked car.
The spear pierced straight through the vehicle behind him.
The masked hunters froze for half a second.
The leader whispered,
"Instant movement."
Then his voice hardened.
"Kill him."
All three attacked at once.
Outnumbered Again
Arjun ducked under the chain.
Blocked the blade.
Turned sideways as the spear cut past his ribs.
Too coordinated.
Too trained.
These were nothing like the monsters.
They fought like professionals.
Each attack pushed him backward.
The leader watched calmly.
Studying him.
Arjun gritted his teeth.
"They're reading me."
The spear user thrust again.
Arjun parried—
and the chain wrapped around his ankle.
His balance broke.
The blade user slashed downward.
Arjun raised his arm.
CLANG
The shadow blade blocked the hit—
but the impact forced him to one knee.
The hunter leaned close.
"Disappointing."
Arjun smiled.
"Maybe."
Then the shadows under all three hunters moved.
The leader's eyes widened.
"Move—"
Too late.
BOOM
Dark chains erupted from the ground.
Grabbing two hunters instantly.
The third barely escaped.
Arjun ripped his leg free and lunged forward.
His blade pierced the nearest hunter's chest.
The silver mask cracked.
The hunter collapsed.
The frozen city remained silent.
The leader stepped back.
Now his voice had changed.
No longer confident.
Now cautious.
"…He adapted."
Arjun stood slowly.
Blood ran down his arm.
But his red eyes glowed brighter.
"I'm learning."
The last two hunters attacked together.
Arjun moved.
Faster.
Cleaner.
More instinct than thought.
He ducked the spear.
Stepped inside.
Cut upward.
Blood sprayed across the rain-frozen air.
The second hunter fell.
Only the leader remained.
He stared at the bodies.
Then at Arjun.
"You shouldn't be this strong already."
Arjun lifted the shadow blade.
"And yet."
The leader suddenly smiled.
"Good."
Arjun frowned.
"That wasn't a test to kill you."
The hunter touched the side of his mask.
"It was to confirm."
"Confirm what?"
The man's smile widened.
"That the mark really chose you."
Then the hunter crushed something in his palm.
A black symbol flared.
And he vanished.
The frozen world snapped back.
Rain fell again.
Cars moved.
People continued walking.
No one noticed the blood on the empty road.
No one saw the bodies dissolve into smoke.
Arjun stood alone in the middle of the street.
Breathing hard.
Then the system appeared.
DING
[New Threat Identified]
[The Hunt Has Begun]
Arjun stared at the screen.
Then slowly smiled.
Because now—
for the first time—
he understood.
He wasn't chasing the hidden world anymore.
The hidden world was chasing him.
🔥 [End of Chapter 12]