The air was suffocating, thick with heat and the metallic tang of rust. Steam hissed sporadically from the pipes lining the walls, making the shadows dance and shift like predators stalking their prey. My shirt clung to my back, soaked with sweat, but I barely noticed. My focus was on Sia, crouched beside me, her sharp eyes scanning the hallway ahead.

“We need to move,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rhythmic groan of the building.

“Why the boiler room?” I asked, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. “It’s just more machinery. What good does that do?”

Sia turned to look at me, her face shadowed but determined. “The heat,” she said simply. “Vampires use infrared vision to track heat signatures. The boiler room will confuse them, mask ours. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best shot we’ve got.”

I swallowed hard, glancing back down the hallway. “And the hunters? They don’t need heat vision to track us.”

“They’ll be slower,” Sia replied, already moving toward the boiler room. “They don’t have the same advantages as vampires. We’ll deal with them later if we have to.”

Her confidence should have reassured me, but all I felt was unease. Something was off. My instincts were screaming that we weren’t alone, that something—or someone—was lurking just beyond the edge of my senses. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to shake the feeling, but it clung to me like a second skin.

“I don’t like this,” I muttered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

Sia stopped and turned, placing a hand on my shoulder. Her touch was firm, grounding. “I know,” she said quietly. “But you’ve done well to make it this far. You’re stronger than you think, Kyon. Just trust me.”

Her words helped, but only a little. My Flux was weak, a faint flicker where there should have been a roaring fire. I felt exposed, vulnerable, like a bird with broken wings. Sia looked better, but not by much. She was running on fumes, just like me.

We kept moving, the oppressive heat of the building pressing down on us. Every hiss of steam and creak of metal felt like a warning, my nerves stretched to their breaking point.

“Who is Harvey Ross?” I asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

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Sia glanced at me, her expression unreadable. “He’s the leader of Argent Sword,” she said after a moment. “A specialist in Flux and vampire hunting. He’s the reason Lawrence reached out to us.”

I frowned, trying to piece it together. “And he’s coming to help us?”

“Yes,” Sia said, her tone clipped. “Lawrence told me he was already in Sharman. We were supposed to meet him, but...” She trailed off, her jaw tightening.

“But what?”

“I don’t trust him,” she admitted, her voice dropping. “Not entirely. But right now, we don’t have a choice. We need his help.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but a faint sound froze the words in my throat. Footsteps. Slow, deliberate, echoing down the hallway behind us.

Sia stopped in her tracks, her entire body tensing. “They’re close,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

My heart slammed against my ribs as I turned toward the sound. The shadows stretched and shifted, but I couldn’t see anything. My senses were dull, useless. Whoever—or whatever—was out there was hiding in plain sight, just beyond my reach.

Then, a voice cut through the oppressive silence, low and mocking.

“So, this is where the little pup hides. Hiding with his mother, are we?”

The air turned cold despite the sweltering heat. I felt the blood drain from my face as a figure emerged from the shadows—a tall, gaunt man with pale skin and glowing eyes. He moved with an eerie grace, his ancient cloak flowing like liquid in the dim light.

“You really think you can hide from me, boy?” he said, his tone dripping with disdain. “You’re barely out of your cradle, and yet you think you can defy us?”

I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t just any vampire. This was something older, something far more dangerous.

Beside me, Sia stepped forward, placing herself between me and the vampire. Her shoulders were squared, her stance unwavering. “Stay behind me,” she ordered, her voice hard as steel.

The vampire chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that made my skin crawl. “You know, I almost can’t believe it,” he said, his glowing eyes narrowing. “This boy... this child took down Mika? You truly are a surprise.”

I felt like I was suffocating, the walls closing in on me. The oppressive heat, the vampire’s mocking tone, Sia’s strained breathing—it was too much.

Then, I felt it. A faint hum, distant but growing stronger. A rush of power that wasn’t mine.

........

Harvey moved swiftly down the stairwell, his boots hitting the steps in a steady rhythm. The heat from the building’s machinery barely registered as he focused on the presence ahead—a dark, ancient power that sent warning signals rippling through his EchoFlux.

He could feel them. Kyon and Sia were close, but so was the vampire. The oppressive malice emanating from the creature was unmistakable. This wasn’t an ordinary vampire; this was something far older, far more dangerous.

Harvey clenched his fists, copper-colored Flux rippling across his arms. The glow pulsed faintly, a steady reminder of the power waiting just beneath the surface.

He reached the final flight of stairs, his pace quickening. He couldn’t afford to waste time. The vampire was closing in on them, and he didn’t know how much longer Sia and Kyon could hold out.

As he approached the boiler room, the vampire’s voice echoed through the corridor.

“You truly are a surprise,” the creature said, its tone laced with mockery.

Harvey pushed the door open without hesitation, stepping into the oppressive heat of the boiler room. His Arkamon Flux flared to life, the copper light illuminating the space.

The vampire turned to face him, its glowing eyes narrowing. For a moment, neither of them moved, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

Then, the vampire smiled, a slow, predatory grin.

“Well, well,” it said, its voice almost amused. “The mighty Harvey Ross. I did wonder when you’d show up.”

Harvey didn’t respond, his Flux pulsing brighter as he prepared himself for what was to come.

The vampire’s grin widened. “Let’s see if your Flux can match my strength.”