The air felt wrong.
Silas ran.
His breath came in sharp, ragged gasps as his boots pounded against the fractured stone road.
Each step sent jolts of pain through his body, but he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Behind him, Lily stumbled, her face pale, her hands trembling from mana exhaustion.
Ren was at her side, supporting her weight as they moved.
The entity did not pursue.
Not in the way a predator would.
That would have been preferable.
Instead, the space around them distorted—bending, folding, shifting.
Distance became meaningless.
No matter how far they ran, no matter how many turns they took, that thing remained—waiting, watching.
It wasn't chasing them.
It was playing with them.
Silas clenched his teeth, his mind racing.
How the hell do you run from something that isn't bound by space?
The answer was simple.
You don't.
But fighting was also worthless.
Lily suddenly let out a sharp gasp, nearly collapsing. Ren caught her just in time.
"Damn it,"
