59. Echoes of the Past

Dawn doesn’t come gently—it crashes in with a crushing weight, forcing us out of the refuge that, for one brief moment, felt like our only sanctuary. The sun brings no hope. Instead of dispelling the darkness, its light seems to stretch the shadows that stalk us, making them longer, deeper, more alive. As we step out of the room, the voices from outside—once distant and almost unreal—are now closer, sharper. The footsteps of those pursuing us are heavy and unrelenting, a palpable threat.

Shadow remains by my side, his presence as formidable as ever. But something in his expression tells me not everything is alright. I notice it in the way his eyes fix on some far-off point, in the way his jaw tightens in sync with the rhythm of his heart. Something is disturbing him, and I know it’s not just fear or the uncertainty of what lies ahead. There’s something deeper, something from his past that, despite the fragments he’s shown me, he still hasn’t fully revealed.

“Shadow, what’s going on?” I ask, the words tumbling from my lips, threaded with anxiety and a nearly desperate need to understand. He’s hiding something from me, and I’m not naïve enough not to see it.

He hesitates for a moment, then looks at me with an intensity that cuts through the air between us. The way he does it makes me feel as though I’m the last thread of sanity in a world unraveling at the seams.

“It’s him.”

The answer comes through clenched teeth, as if speaking his name hurts.

“The man we’re dealing with... he’s not just an enemy. He’s more than that. He has power over what I am—over what I used to be.”

My hands tighten around the edges of my coat, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. This isn’t the first time Shadow has spoken of his dark past, but there’s something different in his voice now—something that tears at him from the inside. And I can’t help but wonder if his bond with this man goes deeper than Shadow is willing to admit.

“What does that mean?”

My voice comes out harsher than I intended. I’m trying to be strong, but the words betray the fragility eating away at me from within.

Shadow steps back, his eyes burning with something I can’t quite name. Then, as if making a decision, he moves closer again, locking his gaze on me—as if he needs me to understand what he’s about to say, even though he knows the truth will hurt.

“He... he’s someone I shared a former life with. Someone who was... part of my creation. What I am—what you know as my nature—he caused it. He shaped me. Changed me. And now, he’s allied himself with forces beyond my control.”

Shadow’s words echo in my mind, clashing with everything I thought I knew. A tangle of fear and betrayal twists in my gut as I try to grasp what he’s telling me. He’s not just an enemy. Not just another monster among the ones we’ve fought. This man—this dark being—holds the keys to Shadow’s past. He holds the keys to his soul.

“So... he knows you.”

The words slip from my lips before I can stop them, but they’re the only ones that make sense in this moment.

Shadow nods, but there’s no relief in my understanding. If anything, his face darkens further. I can see his chest rising and falling rapidly, as if he’s fighting something much greater than pain.

“Yes. He knows me. And he knows what I’m capable of.”

I don’t know if he says it to reassure me, or if he’s simply trying to make sense of it all himself—but his words terrify me nonetheless. Because if this man has power over Shadow, then he has power over me too. And worst of all: if he discovers us—if he learns what we feel, what we’re willing to do for this forbidden love—he’ll use it against us.

“What are we going to do?” I whisper, barely able to get the words out. They stick in my throat, but I have to ask. I need to know how he plans to face the demon that follows him like a shadow.

Shadow’s gaze softens, though it doesn’t lose its weight. There’s something in his eyes—something that tells me the battle ahead isn’t just physical, but something much deeper. Something that could destroy us if we’re not strong enough.

“I’m going to end this.”

His words are firm, but I catch the fear behind them. He’s not saying it to comfort me—he’s saying it because it’s the only thing he knows how to do. Fight. To the end. No matter the cost.

But I don’t want him to pay that cost. I don’t want him to sacrifice himself for me, even if I know he would without hesitation.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” I reply, my voice cracking with the weight of everything unsaid. “I’m not... I’m not going to leave you.”

Shadow says nothing. He just looks at me—with that mixture of distrust and love only he can hold. The intensity in his gaze consumes me, draws me closer to him without thought or hesitation. And when our bodies finally meet, the urgency I feel—for him, for his life, for whatever we might still become—overflows.

Our kiss is the only thing I recognize in that moment—a kiss that carries all that divides us, all that’s kept us apart. And though danger presses in from all sides, though I know none of this will be easy—I don’t care. As long as we’re together, as long as our connection remains stronger than the shadows hunting us, we will fight.

And that’s all we need.