As Sirius reached the group, he dropped Aurelia onto the forest floor. Her face was still pale, her body trembling from the near-death experience. She tried to stand, but her legs refused to respond, buckling under her weight. Emilia rushed to her side, propping Aurelia up before she could fall again. Only Xander, Sirius, and Philo remained upfront, their gazes fixed on the looming creature in the distance.
Sirius spoke first, his voice low but steady. "What do we do now? This thing... it's a tier-two upper-ranked creature. I've faced it before."
Both Philo and Xander turned to him, surprise etched on their faces. Their eyes were filled with questions, but Sirius said no more.
Philo shifted his gaze back to the abomination, which bared its jagged teeth in a twisted, grotesque grin. He exhaled heavily, his breath clouding in the cold night air. "We've encountered it too. Barely survived. One of my brothers... he sacrificed himself so the rest of us could escape." His voice wavered for a moment, but he quickly hardened it again.
Sirius didn't need to ask who it was. He remembered the face of the guard who had been with Philo just days before. The realization sank like a stone in his chest.
'Dang it,' he thought, frustrated by the cruel reality they faced.
But there was no time to dwell on the past. The Abyssal Shade was growing impatient. Its monstrous hands, one of which was cleaver-like, were sharpening the broken cleaver in the other hand, creating a spine-chilling scraping sound. The hunt was about to begin.
Without exchanging a word, the group reached the same conclusion: run.
Philo grabbed the still-shaken Aurelia and sprinted ahead. Sirius took Emilia in his arms without hesitation, keeping her close as they fled. Xander led the charge, his heightened senses guiding them through the dense forest thicket. His Shadow Descendant weave granted him vision in the dim light, his eyes piercing the night like a predator hunting in the dark. Behind them, the Abyssal Shade disappeared from view, blending into the shadows, biding its time, waiting to strike when they least expected it.
Sirius's breath came in sharp gasps as he ran, his heart pounding in rhythm with the hurried footsteps of his companions. He pushed through the burning ache in his legs, unwilling to slow down for even a second. Every instinct screamed at him that the shade wasn't far behind. It was there—lurking, watching, waiting for its moment.
Suddenly, Philo's voice cut through the night. "Sirius! Toss Emilia to me and duck, now!"
There was no time to process the command. Sirius's body moved before his mind caught up. He heaved Emilia into the air, her startled cry cutting through the tension. She barely had time to react before Philo caught her effortlessly, securing her against his chest as he continued his sprint. Just as Emilia left his hands, Sirius ducked low, and a massive cleaver sliced through the air where his head had been a heartbeat ago. The blade connected with a tree, splintering it into pieces with terrifying force.
Sirius rolled forward, his body reacting purely on instinct. As he scrambled to his feet, a clawed hand swept toward him from the shadows. He narrowly dodged the swipe, feeling the wind from the creature's attack against his cheek. The shade's monstrous grin stretched wider, its glowing eyes fixed on Sirius with malicious intent. It remembered him—remembered the one who had wounded it. Its hatred was palpable, a dark energy that clung to the air like a fog.
It wanted vengeance. It would not stop until Sirius was dead.
Sirius's mind raced as he dodged and evaded, his movements becoming more frantic with each passing second. He couldn't afford to get hit, but the longer he ran, the closer the creature seemed to come. Sometimes the shade would tear chunks of trees or rocks from the ground, hurling them toward him with terrifying accuracy. He was barely keeping up, relying on his instincts and the frantic directions Philo shouted from up ahead.
"Left! Now! Jump, Sirius, jump!"
Each call saved him by a fraction of a second, but Sirius could feel himself reaching his limit. The fatigue gnawed at his muscles, slowing his reactions, dulling his senses. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He knew it.
The sound of rushing water met his ears, faint but unmistakable, cutting through the chaos. An idea—a desperate one—sprang to mind. "Xander!" Sirius shouted, his voice hoarse with exhaustion. "Can you find the Dark River?"
Xander glanced over his shoulder, confused but not questioning his brother's urgency. "Yes!"
"Lead us there!" Sirius's tone was sharp, breathless.
"What?" Aurelia's voice broke through, her panic evident. "If we go there, we'll be trapped! There's no way out!"
"Trust me!" Sirius growled as he dodged a massive rock hurtling toward him. The shade was closing in, its relentless pursuit pushing him to the edge of survival. Xander, trusting his brother's judgment without hesitation, changed direction, sprinting toward the river.
Philo followed, his focus split between leading the group and keeping Sirius alive. He could see the growing animosity the shade had for Sirius. There was no mistaking it now—the creature wanted him specifically. Its obsession with him was the only reason the others weren't being targeted.
Sirius barely registered the sharp branches and thick underbrush scratching at his legs and arms as he ran, every ounce of focus locked onto dodging the shade's attacks. The creature's movements were erratic, sometimes vanishing only to reappear in the most unexpected places, like a predator toying with its prey. Every swing, every projectile hurled at him brought him closer to the edge. His vision blurred as exhaustion clawed at him, but he refused to falter. Not now. Not yet.
Eventually, they reached the riverbank. The Dark River was a black, swirling mass, its waters thick with the lurking presence of shades. One wrong step, and they'd be devoured. The group stared at Sirius, who wasn't far behind, still running away from the pursuing shade, uncertainty written on their faces. The monstrous Shade wasn't far behind, closing in with every second.
"Xander! Throw me your sword. Now!"
Xander didn't hesitate. His sword flew through the air, and Sirius caught it mid-flight, the weight of it solid in his hand. With a sharp twist of his body, he turned, facing the oncoming abomination. The shade's cleaver glinted in the moonlight, its grotesque figure illuminated just enough for Sirius to see the hunger in its eyes. It wanted his soul, and it wasn't going to stop until it had it.
Sirius channeled every bit of soul essence he could muster into his arm, feeling the raw power surge through him. Without a moment's hesitation, he flung the sword with all his strength, the blade cutting through the air like lightning.
The shade reacted, but not fast enough. The sword embedded itself deep into the wound Sirius had inflicted during their last encounter, sinking into the creature's chest. Its screech echoed through the forest, the deafening cry of a wounded beast. The abomination staggered, its advance halted as it writhed in agony.
Sirius didn't wait to see the outcome. "Now!" he yelled, turning to the others. He sprinted toward the riverbank, summoning salt from his soul weave as he ran. The white crystals materialized in his hands, and he threw them into the water ahead of him. The shades lurking beneath the surface recoiled from the salt, dispersing into the depths.
"Go!" Sirius urged, diving into the river. The others followed without question, plunging into the dark water behind him. The Abyssal Shade's screech followed them, but it didn't dare enter the water. It stood at the riverbank, roaring its fury into the night, its vow of vengeance clear in its guttural cries.
The group swam hard, fighting the strong currents of the Dark River. Sirius kept releasing salt, ensuring the shades stayed at bay as they struggled toward the opposite shore. Every stroke was a battle against exhaustion, but they pushed through, knowing the shade was still watching, still waiting for them to falter.
When they finally reached the other side, they dragged themselves onto the bank, collapsing onto the cold, wet ground. For a few moments, none of them moved, the weight of their escape sinking in.
But the brief respite was shattered by the sound of splashing behind them. Sirius shot to his feet, his heart racing as he scanned the water. The silhouette of the shade was gone.
Xander's voice trembled as he spoke, his eyes wide with horror. "It... it jumped into the water."
Everyone froze, dread settling in like a lead weight in their chests.
"It's still chasing us," Xander said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Without a word, they forced their bodies to move. Tired, battered, and nearly broken, they ran. The night wasn't over yet.