"Shadow Manipulation Bond!"
The words shot out like instinct, and in a blink, Parker disappeared. His body wasn't flesh anymore—it was shadow, pure and primal, liquid darkness stretching and bending as he lted into the floor.
He beca the shadow itself, slipping through cracks and slicing across the ground like a living void, hunting the faint, dark streaks left in Naomi's wake. His form cut through the thick, musty air of that cursed old building like a bullet tearing through silence—faster, faster, like his own heartbeat was screaming at him to move.
The trail was sharp, clear—there. He chased it with everything he had until—
BAM! BAM!
What the hell—
It hit him like a goddamn freight train. One second, he was unstoppable—unstoppable—slicing through the dark like a living nightmare, and the next—slam.
Like running headfirst into a fucking mountain.
The shadow form shattered.
Parker was ripped out of the darkness and thrown like a ragdoll, his body slamming into the cold, cracked floor with brutal force. The impact ripped the air straight from his lungs, leaving him choking on nothing but pain and out of breath in lungs. It was like smashing into an invisible brick wall at full speed.
His back scread as he skidded, the ground tearing into him like sandpaper, and—fuck—blood was already dripping from his nose, warm against his skin.
What the fuck was that?
His vision blurred—just for a second—his brain rattling from the hit like soone had shaken his skull from the inside out. And the air? Off. Wrong. It felt thick, heavy as hell, like the room itself was suffocating him.
But when his eyes darted around—nothing. Just shadows and silence, mocking him with their emptiness. A shimring veil of shadowy energy tore itself apart the second he hit it, ripping into threads of dark smoke and fading into nothingness.
His breath ripped from his lungs. His whole body ached—like he'd just slamd into a goddamn freight train.
And then—
[Ding! Plundering… You have absorbed dormant shadows!]
[Your Shadow Manipulation Bond grows stronger!]
[New Plundering Ability Unlocked: Dormant Energy Plunder!]
The system's voice sliced through his brain like a shot of adrenaline. His power spiked—he could feel it, the shadows clinging tighter, heavier, like they were alive in his veins now. Stronger. Faster.
But—fuck celebrating.
He didn't have ti for that. Not with Naomi still slipping away, not with that bastard hauling her deeper out of his sight.
Parker gritted his teeth, shoved the pain down, and ran.
No ti.
Parker gritted his teeth, shoving the pain into the back of his mind. His muscles scread, his chest burned, but he forced himself up anyway. Blood streaked down his lip, but he didn't care.
Move.
This ti, no hesitation. He ran. Harder. Faster. Every ounce of power left in his body was thrown into that sprint—into the desperation clawing at his chest like a wild animal.
And whatever the hell had knocked him on his ass? It wasn't there anymore and he didn't have ti to ask why.
Run, Parker. Run like hell.
****
Evelyn couldn't shake the image of Parker's face. She sat there, stiff as a board, her hands gripping the edge of her desk like it was the last thing keeping her sane. She stared blankly at the whiteboard, but her mind wasn't in that boring-ass lesson. No, it was stuck on him. Parker.
The guy who usually carried himself like the world could fall apart, and he'd just sip his overpriced coffee, watching it burn like so untouchable sovereign badass. Yeah, that guy. Untouchable, cold as hell, like feelings were for everyone else.
But today? She saw it—fear. Real, raw fear. Like sothing clawed deep into his chest and wouldn't let go. His face wasn't just cold; it was weighed down with responsibility. Concern, worry… hell, even guilt. She felt it too—like they were sohow sharing the sa burden, though she could explain why this was happening.
It stuck with her like gum on the bottom of her shoe, annoying and impossible to ignore.
She didn't say anything at first. Just sat there, quiet, trying to shake it off. But every ti she replayed that look in her head, it hit harder, making her heart sink lower into her stomach.
Sothing's not right. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire
And then—bam—another thought hit her like a slap to the back of the head. Naomi.
Where the hell was she?
Her usual competition, always there with that annoyingly sweet smile that made their rivalry feel more like a bestie challenge than an actual competition. They never admitted it, but they pushed each other to be better—like friendly enemies, if that was even a thing.
Evelyn had definitely seen Naomi earlier today. No way she was the type to ditch class—Naomi skipping was like, illegal in her little world of perfection. And yesterday… she rembered seeing Naomi with Parker.
Shit.
Suddenly, the puzzle pieces started clicking together—and the picture wasn't pretty. Parker showing up in class, looking like he'd just seen a ghost or worse, lost control of sothing terrifying. Naomi wasn't here now.
No. Nope. Not good. This is not good.
Evelyn's hand shot down to her phone under the desk. Her heart raced like it was trying to break out of her chest.
Evelyn (text): Sothing's definitely wrong. et ASAP after class ends. One of my classmates is missing and I know this for sure, sothing's wrong. This isn't just a 'girl skipped class' vibe. Shit's off. Like, seriously off. And Parker is definitely connected to it.
She shot the ssage to Annabelle and Maya, her hands shaking just a bit too much for comfort.
Annabelle responded fast—like, scary fast.
Annabelle: Wtf? This better be serious. I'm not in the mood for your ghost-hunting-like bullshit again and connected to our trespasser.
Evelyn's jaw tightened, her fingers already moving before she could overthink it.
Evelyn: No jokes. Just et I am sure it's him .
There was a pause—long enough to let that uneasy feeling crawl deeper into her chest.
Maya took her sweet ti replying. Typical. But when her na popped up, the vibe shifted.
Maya: Where? If this is about Parker… just tell straight.
Evelyn stared at the screen a little longer than necessary. Maya never played when it ca to him.
Evelyn: Yeah. It's him. And Naomi.
That was all it took. No more stalling, no more hesitation. They'd et. And Evelyn? She was already bracing herself for whatever ca next.
The last few minutes of class dragged on like molasses. Every tick of the clock felt like the universe mocking her.
If anything's happened to Naomi most specifically Parker…
Yeah, she didn't even wanna finish that thought.
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