Blades & Lies

Evelyn's heartbeat had yet to slow.

She and Damien ran through the crumbling ruins, their feet pounding against the stone as the monstrous creature's roar shook the air behind them.

Every muscle in her body screamed, but she didn't dare slow down. They weren't escaping this thing. They were barely surviving it.

"Go left!" Damien barked.

Evelyn veered sharply into an alley between two half-destroyed buildings, barely avoiding the swipe of a clawed hand as large as a battering ram.

Stone and debris exploded behind her, the impact throwing her off balance.

She rolled as she hit the ground, coming up with her sword raised. Too slow. The beast was already moving again.

"Damien—"

"I see it," Damien growled. He was on the move before she could even blink, his coat whipping behind him as he darted toward the beast.

He moved fast—inhumanly fast.

His daggers flashed. One sank into the creature's exposed shoulder. Another slashed across its torso.

It barely flinched.

The beast twisted unnaturally, its limbs stretching as if its bones were reshaping themselves.

Then—it struck.

Damien barely avoided the swipe. But even as he landed, the creature wasn't slowing.

It was evolving.

Its body twisted, flesh bulging in unnatural ways. The wounds Damien inflicted were already gone, replaced by dark, pulsing veins.

Evelyn gritted her teeth. No normal weapon was going to kill this thing.

She gripped her sword tighter. "We need to bring it down now."

Damien scowled. "I'm open to suggestions."

Evelyn scanned their surroundings, quickly calculating. There had to be something. A weak point. A distraction. A way to—

Her gaze landed on the ruined bell tower nearby.

It was old, unstable, and—most importantly—tall enough to crush a damn monster.

Her mind raced. "We need to lure it under the tower."

Damien followed her gaze, his eyes flicking between the structure and the beast.

Then—his smirk returned. "Risky."

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "Then it's exactly our kind of plan."

Damien laughed. "You have no idea how much I missed this side of you."

Evelyn ignored the warmth in her chest. "Just don't die."

Damien was already moving.

He vaulted over broken pillars, drawing the creature's attention.

Evelyn took a deep breath and ran the other way.

The plan was simple—but they had seconds to make it work.

Damien needed to get the monster into position. Evelyn needed to bring the tower down.

She reached the crumbling support beams and swung without hesitation.

Her sword bit deep into the ancient stone.

The tower shuddered.

Dust cascaded down in thick clouds.

The creature screeched as Damien led it straight into the danger zone.

One more hit.

Evelyn raised her sword.

Then—a noise.

Not from the tower. Not from the creature.

From behind her.

A click.

Evelyn's blood ran cold.

Someone was there.

A figure in dark armor, their face obscured, standing in the wreckage like a ghost.

And they were aiming a crossbow at Damien's back.

Evelyn moved without thinking.

She lunged—but she was too far away.

The trigger was already pulled.

The arrow flew.

And Damien hadn't seen it.

Evelyn screamed his name.

Then—

The world exploded.

A second shockwave ripped through the ruins, a force unlike anything Evelyn had felt before.

It wasn't from the arrow. It was something else.

She hit the ground hard, pain shooting up her arms as dust and debris rained down.

Her ears rang, her vision blurred—but she forced herself up, coughing past the dust in her throat.

The creature was gone.

No. Not gone—thrown back, slammed against the ruined tower's base.

Evelyn turned her head sharply—searching.

Where was Damien?

Then, through the settling debris, she saw him.

Damien stood a few feet away, his stance staggered, a hand clutched to his side.

The arrow had hit him.

Not in the chest—but close. Too close.

His coat was already darkening with blood.

Evelyn ran.

She was at his side in an instant, reaching for the wound. "Damien—"

He caught her wrist before she could touch it.

His grip was too weak.

He smirked, but there was pain in his voice. "Don't… look at me like that."

Evelyn's breath shook.

Then—movement.

The dark-armored figure who fired the arrow was still there.

Still watching.

Evelyn stood slowly, her blood boiling. "Who the hell are you?"

The figure didn't answer.

Then—they vanished.

A blur of movement, faster than any normal soldier.

Damien let out a slow, ragged breath. "Well. That's new."

Evelyn gritted her teeth, her hands clenching into fists.

Whoever they were, they had planned this.

And they hadn't come alone.

Because in the distance—beyond the ruins—she saw more figures approaching.

Too many.

This wasn't over.

Evelyn's lungs burned with every breath as she and Damien pushed forward through the ruins, the weight of exhaustion heavy on their limbs.

The night was eerily quiet now, save for the occasional distant echoes of footsteps—reinforcements were closing in.

Damien stumbled slightly, his wound slowing him down more than he cared to admit. Evelyn grabbed his arm before he could fall.

"Don't slow down now," she muttered. "I don't have time to carry your dramatic ass."

Damien huffed a weak laugh. "I'd like to see you try."

Despite his usual smugness, she could feel the tension in his body, the heat of his blood soaking into his coat. He was getting worse.

And they had nowhere safe to run.

A ruined archway loomed ahead, covered in thick vines and crumbling stone. Evelyn dragged him toward it, her thoughts racing.

They needed a hiding spot. A place to regroup. But they were exposed out here, and the enemy wouldn't stop hunting them.

Damien gritted his teeth. "Evelyn."

She turned.

And froze.

A figure stood on the opposite side of the archway. Waiting.

Tall, clad in dark robes, a mask obscuring their face—but their presence sent a chill through her bones.

Evelyn knew this was no ordinary pursuer.

The masked figure tilted their head slightly. Watching. Studying.

Then—they raised a hand.

A whisper of energy crackled in the air.

Magic.

Evelyn barely had time to shove Damien aside before a wave of force tore through the ground, sending stone and dust flying.

She hit the ground hard, her ears ringing from the impact.

Damien cursed, scrambling back to his feet, his daggers raised. "Great. Magic. Because this night wasn't bad enough already."

Evelyn pushed herself up, shaking the dust from her vision. "Any bright ideas?"

The masked figure didn't speak.

They moved.

Faster than humanly possible, their cloak billowing as they rushed Evelyn in a blur of motion.

She barely blocked the first strike, her blade clashing against something unseen, something unnatural.

It felt wrong.

Like her sword had struck air and steel at the same time.

The force behind it sent her skidding back, her boots dragging against the stone.

Damien lunged at the attacker's flank, daggers flashing—but the figure vanished.

Not dodging.

Not moving.

Just… gone.

A shiver ran down Evelyn's spine.

Damien's eyes flicked around the ruins. "Tell me you saw that."

Before she could answer—pain flared in her side.

She gasped. A thin, burning gash appeared across her ribs, the wound forming before she even saw the attack coming.

The masked figure was suddenly behind her.

They whispered something—too low to hear.

Then, cold power surged through the air.

Evelyn barely had time to react before the ground beneath her collapsed.

She and Damien fell.

The darkness swallowed them whole.

Pain.

Dust.

Silence.

Evelyn groaned, shifting against the broken stone beneath her. Everything ached.