The wind howled through the ruins, carrying the distant echoes of something… hunting.

He followed the woman in silence, his legs weak but steadily regaining strength. Each step sent a dull pain through his body, as if every muscle had forgotten how to move. His mind was no better—blank, fragmented, filled with gaps where memories should have been.

"You're slower than I expected," the woman muttered without turning back.

He didn't answer.

Words felt distant, like a language he was only beginning to remember.

They moved through the skeletal remains of what once might have been a city—broken towers, collapsed streets, metal twisted by time and destruction. Neon signs flickered weakly, some displaying corrupted text in an unknown language. Others simply buzzed, their light barely illuminating the gloom.

Then, a sudden warning flashed before his eyes:

[[ Bio-signature detected: Multiple hostile entities. ]]

His body tensed.

The woman stopped, pressing herself against the remains of a shattered vehicle. She gestured for him to do the same. He obeyed, his breath slow and controlled despite the unfamiliar tension in his chest.

Then he saw them.

Dark figures moved through the mist, their forms unnatural—twisted limbs, shifting exoskeletons, glowing crimson eyes. Their movements were erratic, glitching like corrupted data struggling to stabilize. Their presence sent a deep, primal fear through him, though he didn't know why.

"What… are they?" he finally whispered, his voice hoarse.

The woman glanced at him. "Chasers."

The name alone sent a shiver down his spine.

She continued, her voice low. "They hunt anything exposed to the Eclipse. If they catch you, they won't kill you right away. First, they'll convert you."

He didn't ask what she meant. Some part of him already knew.

One of the Chasers twitched violently, then snapped its head in their direction. Its eyes flared, locking onto them.

[[ Alert: Hostile awareness detected. ]]

The woman swore. "Move. Now!"

They ran.

The Chasers screamed—a sound like metal tearing and static distortion. They moved impossibly fast, their bodies shifting in and out of phase like ghosts bound by fractured reality.

His body responded before his mind could catch up.

Each step felt lighter, his movements sharper, faster. Despite his exhaustion, his speed was unnatural—like a reflex buried deep in his instincts.

But the Chasers were faster.

One of them lunged, its claws stretching unnaturally toward him. His vision flickered.

Then, something activated.

His right hand moved on its own. A burst of black energy erupted from his palm, slamming into the creature. The impact sent the Chaser crashing into a nearby wall, leaving a distorted scar in space where it had been hit.

The woman skidded to a stop, staring at him.

"You…" Her voice was laced with disbelief. "You're already manifesting it?"

He barely registered her words. His gaze was locked on his own hand—his fingertips now marked with a faint, glowing sigil.

Something deep inside him whispered a single truth.

This was no ordinary power.

This was the Mark of the Eclipse.

---

End of Chapter 2