The hideout was eerily silent, save for the hum of Henry's monitors. Nate sat on the edge of a steel table, his fingers tracing the scars left from his battle with The Hunter. He had won—but at what cost?
Antrasite remained quiet inside him, but Nate could still feel its presence, watching, waiting. It had guided him, given him the power to defeat The Hunter… but the way it had urged him to channel his pain still lingered in his mind.
"Let it define you."
Was he becoming stronger, or was he losing himself?
A Warning from the Shadows
The air in the hideout shifted. The lights flickered, and a strange chill crawled down Nate's spine. He sat up, alert.
Then, a whisper.
"He was only the first."
Nate's breath caught. He turned sharply toward the mirror across the room. At first, it reflected only his exhausted face. But then… the image twisted.
A dark silhouette emerged—Antrasite's true form. Its glowing eyes burned into Nate's own.
"The balance is broken," the jinn murmured. "The gates of Catraz were sealed for a reason. Now that they've cracked open, others will come. They can feel your presence, Nate. They can feel me."
Nate's hands clenched into fists. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying you're a beacon. And soon, more will follow The Hunter's path. They will come for you."
A cold weight settled in Nate's stomach.
The Rising Tension
Henry entered the room, breaking the tension. "Nate, I've been going through the files again." He placed a thick folder on the table, flipping through pages of ancient scripts and reports. "Catraz isn't just a prison—it's a seal. A place that was meant to keep the worst of their kind contained. The Hunter should have never been able to leave."
"Then how did he escape?" Nate asked.
Henry exhaled sharply. "That's the problem. Someone let him out."
Nate's eyes widened. "You mean…"
"There's someone—or something—on the other side pulling the strings," Henry confirmed. "And if they got The Hunter out, they won't stop there."
Silence filled the room. The implications were worse than Nate had imagined.
Before he could respond, a distant explosion rumbled through the city. The ground shook slightly, and alarms blared across the hideout's monitors.
Nate and Henry exchanged a look.
"Looks like we don't have time to sit around," Nate said, pushing himself off the table.
Henry nodded. "Be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with yet."
Nate stepped toward the suit, his resolve hardening.
"They will come for you."
Fine. Let them.