The busy week was coming to an end as Claire walked along the street toward home. The night in New York was still brightly lit, but the cold air carried an uneasy tension. She glanced down at her phone, opening the weather forecast app, when a sharp sound of hurried footsteps came from behind.
"Don't move! Hand over your bag!" A hoarse voice barked in her ear.
Claire froze, turning to see a tall man with a scarf over his face, brandishing a sharp knife. His eyes were fierce, and it was clear he wouldn't let her off easily.
"Hurry up! Or you'll regret it!" the man threatened.
Claire's heart raced as she trembled, handing over her bag. The man snatched it, but instead of leaving, he grabbed her wrist tightly and growled, "Don't move! Walk with me so you won't call the cops."
Fear gripped Claire as she struggled to break free, but it was futile. Just as she was about to cry out for help, a familiar, deep voice cut through the darkness: "Let her go."
The man froze, his eyes darting around. A tall figure emerged slowly from the shadows lining the street—it was Lucas. His cold gaze and steady steps were reminiscent of a predator closing in on its prey.
"Who the hell are you? Trying to be a hero?" The man waved his knife menacingly.
A faint smirk curled Lucas' lips. His voice was calm yet chilling: "I suggest you leave now if you value your life."
The man clearly didn't believe him and lunged at Lucas with his knife. What happened next was astonishing—Lucas' figure disappeared into the darkness as if he had merged with the shadows themselves, leaving no trace.
The man, visibly panicked, looked around frantically. Suddenly, his knife was knocked to the ground by an invisible force, and Lucas reappeared silently behind him. With a mere flick of his hand, the man collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, unconscious.
Claire stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. She wanted to say something but found her throat blocked as if the words were stuck.
Lucas turned to her, his gaze softening slightly. He approached, handing back her bag. "Are you alright?"
Claire took the bag, her voice trembling as she asked, "How… how did you do that?"
Lucas remained silent for a moment before responding in a low voice, "That's not something you need to know. Go home. It's not safe tonight."
Back in her apartment, Claire couldn't calm herself. Lucas' sudden appearance and the display of seemingly supernatural abilities had upended her entire understanding of reality.
"The shadows… how did he do that? He blended into the darkness—how can a human possibly do that?"
Claire tossed and turned in bed, her mind replaying the scene from that night over and over. She knew she couldn't ignore his secret any longer.
The following evening, Claire saw Lucas again at the café. He sat in his usual corner, his expression calm, as if nothing had happened the night before.
Claire approached with a coffee tray and placed a cup on his table. Without hesitation, she asked, "Lucas, what exactly was that ability you used last night?"
Lucas looked up, his gaze steady. "Claire, there are some things you're better off not knowing."
Claire shook her head, her voice firm. "But you saved me. I have the right to know the truth."
Lucas hesitated for a moment as if deciding how much to reveal. Finally, he said quietly, "I am not an ordinary person, Claire. I belong to a world entirely different from yours—a world where only the darkness can embrace me."
Claire frowned. "What do you mean… a different world?"
Setting down his coffee cup, Lucas answered in a low tone, "I am what's known as a 'shadow being.' My essence is that of a shadow, allowing me to merge with darkness and move freely through it."
Claire was too shocked to respond. She couldn't reconcile this revelation with the seemingly ordinary man before her.
"This… how is that even possible?" she whispered.
Lucas' expression grew more complex as he continued, "We coexist with the human world but remain separate. Most humans will go their entire lives without ever knowing of our existence."
Claire felt as though her reality was crumbling. She struggled to process this revelation, which defied everything she thought she knew.
Late that night, Claire sat alone by her apartment window, gazing at the city lights glittering in the darkness. She replayed Lucas' words in her mind, unable to resist the magnetic pull of his secrets.
"What has he been through? Why would someone like him choose to live among humans?"