Victor's wife, Lena, didn't believe him when he told her about the vision. But when the Temporal Shadows reached their home, there was no denying it.
They were eating dinner when the room went dark, and a freezing chill swept through the air. Victor grabbed Lena's hand as the world around them distorted. Their small apartment transformed into a scorched ruin, the walls blackened, the furniture reduced to ash.
And then they saw them—creatures moving in the shadows. Their forms were barely human, their limbs too long, their movements jerky and unnatural. One of them stopped and turned its glowing eyes toward Victor.
"Run!" he screamed, pulling Lena toward the door.
But before they could escape, the vision ended, and everything returned to normal. Except it wasn't. On the table sat a small boy, no older than ten, his eyes wide and unblinking.
"Who—who are you?" Lena stammered.
The boy tilted his head. "Eli," he said simply. "I came to warn you. They're coming."