Elias didn't run this time.
He stood there, staring at the unconscious body pinned to the wall by a jagged tendril of his own shadow—his heart pounding like war drums.
Rain hissed as it hit the dark mass. The shadow slowly retracted, slinking back under his feet like it had just clocked out from a job.
"What the hell is happening to me…?"
His phone buzzed. Benjo, again.
> "Tol? Okay ka lang? Balita ako may banggaan sa Cubao. Wag mo sabihin ikaw 'yun?"
Elias stared at the message but didn't reply.
He heard footsteps.
Fast.
Instinctively, he turned—and raised his arms.
Another figure emerged from the alley, but didn't attack.
This one was older, built like someone who'd seen too many battles and lived through most of them. Long black hair, trench coat, scar on the brow.
The man didn't look surprised to see Elias. He looked like he'd been expecting him.
"You made it," he said.
"Who the hell are you?" Elias asked, voice shaking.
The man raised his hands slowly. "Name's Kael. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to show you what you are."
---
A Rooftop in Sampaloc
Elias followed—half from curiosity, half from having no better plan.
The rooftop was quiet, moonlight dim behind clouds. Kael lit a cigarette, took one drag, then crushed it. He didn't really want it. Just a habit, like pretending he wasn't scared.
"You're not going crazy," Kael finally said. "That thing inside you? The shadow? It's real. And it chose you."
Elias said nothing.
Kael continued, "There's more of us. People who've been touched by something we still don't understand. Most of us… we awaken during trauma. Accidents. Near-death moments. Something wakes up with us."
Elias remembered the crash. The pain. The voice.
"Wake up…"
Kael nodded like he knew what he was thinking.
"They all hear it. Some ignore it. Some surrender to it. You? You bonded."
"What does that even mean?" Elias said. "Bonded with what? A demon?"
Kael shook his head. "Call it what you want. Shadow. Will. Rage. Memory. Some say it's a reflection of your soul. Others say it's an echo of something ancient, hiding in us since the beginning."
Elias sat on a water tank, gripping his knees. "Why me?"
"There's no 'why.' Only 'what now.'"
---
Elsewhere – Project Silencer
Dr. Ria Velasco watched the drone feed showing Elias on the rooftop with Kael.
She zoomed in.
"Of course you found him," she whispered. "Kael Arceo. Still clinging to the illusion of redemption."
She tapped the screen, freezing Kael's face.
"Let's see how long that lasts."
---
Rooftop – Later
Elias stared at his shadow again. It flickered in place, almost… waiting.
Kael walked over and crouched beside him.
"You're scared. That's good. Means you're not like the others."
"What others?"
Kael stood.
"People who give in. Who let the shadow take over completely. There's a line, Elias. And when you cross it… the shadow becomes something else."
"Like what?"
Kael's expression darkened.
"Hunters. Killers. Monsters. People like Dominic Reyes. And the government doesn't want to help you. They want to use you. Or dissect you. Either way—you don't get to live normal again."
Elias looked up. "So what now?"
Kael smirked.
"Now? We train. You've only scratched the surface."
Suddenly, Kael's own shadow moved—like a whip, it coiled behind him, revealing a twisted serpent-like creature made of darkness, two heads, both hissing in silence.
Elias's eyes widened.
Kael just nodded.
"You're not alone anymore."