“Death inside…” Twilight Aster considered the door before us carefully, her features set in a thoughtful frown. "We cannot assume all is lost. It is clear that there are survivors here. Perhaps they managed to trap a monster inside." Her voice was calm, belying the seriousness of the situation.

Feeling uneasy, I glanced at the staircase we'd come from, the darkness below seeming more threatening now. The air felt heavy, like we were on the verge of something big. There was a knot in my stomach that wasn't there before.

I didn’t notice how tightly I had been gripping the blood-stained post-it note until I saw my knuckles turning white. I released my grip, looking at the note again. The handwriting was rough, hastily scribbled... a feeling of familiarity creeping at the edge of my consciousness.

"Jacob," Twilight Aster said, her voice serious. "Everyone. Get away from the door. We cannot risk a surprise attack."

Jacob nodded and started ushering us backwards, ensuring we kept a safe distance from the ominous door.

Suddenly, a sharp, horrible feeling kicked in.

I stilled, my eyes narrowing as I focused on the sensation. It was faint, like the whisper of a breeze, but there was something... off. I couldn't pinpoint it, but I knew better than to ignore it. I quickly moved away from the door, glancing at Jacob and Black Star.

"Wait," I said, a wave of intuition washing over me. "I don’t think we’re alone right now, but I can’t put my finger on it."

"What?" Black Star asked, his voice mirroring his surprise.

"I don't know," I replied, shaking my head. "I just... I have a feeling."

Jacob furrowed his brow, looking over his shoulder before back at me. "Well, you better be sure, Sienna," he said. "We don't have time for maybes."

I nodded, squaring my shoulders. "I understand but..."

Twilight Aster gave a curt nod, studying the area with a renewed interest. "Sienna has been gifted with an elevated intuition skill, Jacob. I know better than to disregard it," she said. "I have worked with Knights that have possessed similar skills in the past — Jacob, take point. Black Star, watch our backs. Sienna and I will check the surroundings."

The otherwise pristine, futuristic hallways suddenly felt suffocating, my heart pounding in my chest.

We moved in silence, the tension in the air palpable. My senses were on high alert, straining to pick up on any hint of danger. As I was hyper-focused on our surroundings, my hand brushed against something on the wall. It was a small, irregular bump.

A switch.

A shot of adrenaline coursed through me. “Twilight Aster! Over here,” I said in a hushed tone.

She moved over to me, her eyes scanning the spot I was pointing to. She pressed the switch, and we watched in anticipation as a hidden panel slid open, revealing a row of monitors and a control panel.

The screen flickered to life, and Jacob's attention was immediately drawn to it. He quickly moved to the monitor, studying the displayed information.

"This is a backup security and life support system," Jacob said, his eyes quickly scanning the screen. "Looks like someone’s been monitoring the shelters and the central hub from Shelter 4."

He paused, glancing at each of us as a map of the lower levels appeared. The four of us appeared as blinking red lights on the screen.

"They've probably been watching us since we entered through the hatch. I think that's what you sensed, Sienna."

My stomach churned, a cold dread settling over me. Someone had been watching us, tracking our movements. There was something disconcerting about this situation.

We stood there in silence, unsure of what to do next. The warning on the note was clear, but we couldn't just ignore the central hub. It was our only chance to contact the Corps and save the civilians.

Twilight Aster was the first to break the silence, her voice hard and resolute. "We must proceed. We cannot leave the civilians to the mercy of whatever is out there."

Black Star scoffed, his gaze scanning the hallway. "Alright, princess. But if we walk into a trap, I'm blaming you."

"Right." Jacob's agreement was immediate, though his face betrayed his worries. "Let's do this."

As we carefully made our way back towards the door, I couldn't help but feel an acute sense of dread. Whatever was beyond the door, it was certainly something that had frightened the previous survivors enough to warn others. The fact that someone - or something - had been watching us only served to amplify the unease I felt.

I briefly opened my status, and saw my MP pool floating at a meager 162, before it immediately ticked up to 163. The amount of energy that my beams took seemed to vary greatly, while my standard barriers seemed to take roughly three or four points per cubic meter.

I still hadn’t found time to experiment to figure out how much my abilities drained me, but at least I had enough for a few shots left in the tank. I knew at the very least that I had to be more careful with the beams I used so often.

Black Star moved ahead, positioning himself by the side of the door. He nodded at Jacob, who raised a pistol toward the door, his other hand extended in a signal to wait. There was a moment of silence, the air growing taut with anticipation. Twilight Aster leaned against the wall on the other side with her staff aglow.

Black Star turned and kicked the door open, immediately rolling to the side to avoid any potential surprise attacks. My breath hitched as the door swung open to reveal...

An empty, well-lit room that looked like a command center.

"...Clear?" Black Star called out in confusion, cautiously moving into the room with his knives raised.

Inside was a sight that contradicted the bloody message we'd found. The room was pristine, white walls glowing with the light from recessed bulbs. A large round table sat in the middle, surrounded by ergonomic chairs. Screens were embedded into the walls, currently black and dormant. It looked like a typical command center, except for the eerie emptiness.

"Something's not right," I said, moving into the room, my eyes scanning the area. My instincts were screaming at me that there was danger present.

Jacob moved over to the screens, his fingers flying across the keyboards below them. He let out a low whistle. "This is one hell of a setup. These screens are linked to every shelter. Refuge Zeta’s administrators must've used this to monitor and keep track of the survivors."

Twilight Aster's eyes narrowed, her staff still aglow. "Why is it empty? Why did the previous survivors leave a warning if there's no immediate threat?"

"Perhaps the threat isn't immediate," Black Star replied, his tone laced with as much irreverence as ever. Yet, there was a keen edge to his gaze as he inspected the room, his knives still ready.

I wracked my brain, trying to piece together the puzzle before us. Then, something caught my attention - a small, nearly indistinguishable smudge of blood on the keyboard that Jacob was using. I gasped, stepping back and casting a [Luminary Barrier] instinctively around us, heart pounding in my chest.

The sensation I’d felt earlier came back stronger, my stomach twisting as if the world was shifting around us.

But nothing happened.

"Sienna?" Twilight Aster asked, her brows furrowed in worry. She followed my gaze to the smudge of blood on the keyboard.

"Something... I think something is here with us." I could hardly bring myself to say it out loud, my voice barely a whisper. But the others heard it. I could see the realization dawning on their faces as they looked at each other. “But I can’t see it. I’m certain it’s there.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

But what was I sensing? The threat didn't seem to be physical, at least not in a way we could see or touch. It was there, lurking, watching.

Jacob had pulled his hand back from the keyboard as if it was burning. "Sienna, can you tell where... where is it coming from?"

"Everywhere," I replied, swallowing hard. "It's... like we're in a fishbowl. Like we're being watched." My voice was barely above a whisper now.

Black Star cursed under his breath. "Okay, okay. Let's just... let's just figure out how to call the Corps and get the hell out of here.”

"We have to stay focused," Twilight Aster said, her tone firm but not unkind. "Jacob, see if you can activate the communications. Sienna and I will maintain a defensive perimeter."

The handwriting on the post-it note, the blood smudge. It all made sense now, and the possibility chilled me to my core.

"Al." I said, so softly I wasn't even sure I'd said it aloud. My childhood friend, my fellow survivor... He had been here. But what was he doing here?

"Sienna?" Twilight Aster asked, turning to look at me, her eyes reflecting concern.

I shook my head, biting back the sudden rush of worry. "It's... it's nothing. Let's just focus on contacting the Corps."

As Jacob worked on the communication screens, the dread I felt didn't lessen. The invisible, lurking entity was still there, and the connection to Albert was a puzzle I didn't have time to solve. My energy was draining fast, and we needed to act.

Suddenly, the room seemed to shift. It was subtle, like a change in air pressure or a sudden drop in temperature. But it was enough for me to brace myself, just as the room plunged into darkness.

"Dammit," Black Star cursed. "What now?"

"Stay calm," Twilight Aster's voice came from the darkness. "Everyone, stay together."

Then a soft hum filled the room, a flicker of blue light growing in intensity. Panels on the walls glowed to life, a low-light mode that bathed the room in an eerie azure hue. It made the sterile room feel more like an underwater cavern, an alien place where shadows seemed to pulse with the rhythm of the humming machines.

Jacob jumped away from the console, his eyes wide as he backed away. "That wasn’t me, I swear."

"Great, a ghost. Why not?" Black Star muttered, scanning the room again with a new sense of alertness. "Does anyone know how to perform an exorcism?" Black Star said, trying to regain control of his demeanor.

Then, he gestured towards the console. "Yo, Jacob, try to get that broadcast going. We don't know how long we have until... whatever is happening, happens, I guess."

Jacob nodded, turning back to the console. His fingers danced on the keys, the eerie blue light reflecting off his ebony skin as he worked.

Then it happened. A ripple in the air. A shiver in reality. I could feel it, a shift in the very fabric of space. The low hum increased in intensity, a vibration that seemed to seep into my bones. The entire room trembled, the chairs around the central table vibrating with the rhythm. And then, the screens flickered and flashed, the blue light replaced by a harsh white.

Twilight Aster and I moved back-to-back, forming a barrier between the rest of the group and the rest of the room. My senses were on high alert, the prickling sensation of being watched never leaving. I forced myself to focus, each pulse of my heart reminding me of the danger we were in.

"Got it!" Jacob's triumphant exclamation cut through the tension, and I turned just in time to see the main screen flicker to life. "It's a direct line to the Corps SOS signal. I just need a few more minutes to send out a looping message. I’ll let them know all shelters are intact."

We didn't have a few more minutes. I could feel the energy in the room changing, shifting into something malevolent. The sense of being watched grew stronger, my skin prickling with an eerie chill. I felt like a rabbit caught in the glare of a predator, except there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

A rush of cold air filled the room, sending shivers down my spine. A low growl echoed around us, the sound bone-chilling, like metal scraping against stone. I instinctively stepped back, bumping into Twilight Aster.

The lights flashed back on, this time bathing the room in a blood-red glow. The sight that greeted us was nothing short of horrifying.

In the center of the room, hovering in mid-air, was a faceless humanoid entity, its body wavering in and out of visibility, like a shadow caught between dimensions. It turned to face us, a sense of malevolent intent radiating off it. It was like a terrible CGI monster come to life, and I could feel its sheer power radiating off it in waves. Its eyes glowed an eerie blue, the pupils slit like those of a snake. Its movements were jerky and unnatural, as if it didn’t inhabit the same realm as us. It was an alien entity straight from our worst nightmares.

"Jacob, hurry!" I yelled, the desperation in my voice apparent. If ever there was a time to call in the Magical Knight Corps, it was now.

"Almost there!" Jacob replied, his voice strained. He continued to move a mousepad across the console. I could see him miss icons as his fingers twitched in anxiety.

I turned my attention back to the entity, trying to suppress the wave of fear that threatened to consume me. I had to hold it off, buy Jacob some time. The entity remained still, but I could feel its focus on me as what served as a head seemed to contort, like a predator sizing up its prey. For some reason, it didn’t even seem to pay a second of attention to my companions.

"S-stay back," I warned, my voice cracked. But the entity seemed to understand. It paused, its form shimmering like a heat mirage. But it didn't move.

I grasped my hands together, gathering my energy for a Luminary Bolt. The entity swayed, shimmering as if the air itself was rejecting its presence.

"You have no place here," I declared, my voice echoing in the room. It wasn't much of a threat, but it was the only thing I could think to say. I was no hero, no leader. But for the sake of Albert, Jacob’s family, and the countless others relying on us, I had to play the part.

In response, the creature emitted a low rumbling sound that vibrated the very air around us, causing the screens on the walls to flicker. It was chilling, yet wordless. It was an entity from a realm outside our understanding, its intent as unreadable as its faceless form.

Suddenly, the entity began to shift, elongating as if reaching out towards me. A translucent appendage formed from its mass, wavering in the room's sickly red light. It slowly crept towards me, leaving a trail of distortions in its wake.

"No!" I cried, summoning all the energy I had left. "[Luminary Bolt]!"

The spell erupted from my hands in a brilliant burst of auburn starlight, surging towards the entity. There was a flash of blinding light, then a deafening crash. The creature’s body rippled violently as the bolt connected, shimmering distortions writhing through its form.

And then the room plunged into darkness once more.

"Ja-!" Twilight Aster's urgent call echoed in the chilling silence before it died out like a dropped phone call.

And suddenly, there was nothing.

No noise. No sound. Just a void that hung heavy and oppressive, as if time had stopped, my heart pounding a stark, lonely rhythm in my ears. I struggled to maintain my footing, my breath caught in my throat. The darkness was all-encompassing, a tangible entity that seemed to choke the air around me. It was as though we were nowhere, cast adrift in some abyss, a gaping, yawning maw that swallowed light, sound, hope. There were no monitors. No chairs. No people. Just the darkness creeping over and consuming my consciousness and sense of self.

Where... where were they? Jacob, Twilight Aster, Black Star... I reached out, my hand encountering only the chilling embrace of nothingness. I called out, but the darkness swallowed my words, rendering them soundless whispers.

My pulse thundered in my ears, my heart a heavy drumbeat of dread and fear. My senses screamed a warning, a primal terror that rooted me to the spot. The unseen menace was still there, silent, waiting, biding its time. I was its prey, and it had me cornered.

I clenched my fists, feeling the familiar warmth of magic gathering at my fingertips. The [Luminary Bolt] had obviously hurt it, but not enough.

Then, a light appeared.

It was small, barely a flicker against the overwhelming darkness. But it was hope, a lifeline in a sea of black. I focused on it, drawing strength from its faint glow as I took a step forward. The light grew brighter, becoming a beacon in the dark.

And then, I realized. It was coming from me—a bright luminescence radiating from my hands and spilling across the room like a sunrise after a long night. I felt its warmth in every particle of my being, a sustained pulse that coursed through my veins like an awakening lifeline.

I could feel the energy within it, a warmth that seemed to come from inside me. It was like something forgotten, a part of myself I had not known existed until now. I realized that the light didn't just come from me.

It was me.

With a determined gaze and a deep breath, I embraced the power radiating from within me. It felt ancient, yet intimate, like a forgotten memory suddenly rushing to the fore of my mind. Like waking up from a long slumber. Suddenly, the darkness around me felt less intimidating, the unseen entity less daunting.

"I said, stay back!" I cried, my voice ringing out stronger this time. My hands were blazing with light now, a beacon piercing through the surrounding darkness. “[Luminary Nova!]”

A wave of energy rippled out from me, sending shockwaves through the oppressive void.

The entity recoiled, its form rippling with distortions as it shrieked in a horrifying cacophony that echoed through the void. The space where the entity had been seemed to warp and twist, the distortions leaving trails in the darkness as it retreated. A sudden silence descended upon the room, the only sound my own ragged breathing and the thud of my heart in my ears.

With a gasp, I stumbled, the light receding from my hands as quickly as it had appeared. My energy was all but spent, exhaustion creeping into my limbs. The room returned to normal, though the overhead lights flickered briefly, as if echoing my own state of disarray.

The entity had vanished, leaving nothing but a chilling sense of emptiness behind.

I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself as I glanced around the room, only to feel my heart lurch with dread.

"Jacob?" I called out, my voice echoing in the empty room. "Twilight Aster? Black Star?"

But there was no answer. There was only the faint hum of machinery and the close, rhythmic beeps of a monitor, and the sound of clanking echoes of the pipes.

Everyone was gone.

I was completely alone.