Wira didn't move.
Even after the creature's body went cold beneath his hand.
Even after the night fell silent again.
Something felt… wrong.
Not the fight.
Not the blood.
Something else.
Watching.
His claws slowly retracted, bones shifting back with a dull, painful crack. His breath steadied, but the echo of that presence inside him remained—quiet now, but far from gone.
"…this isn't over," he muttered.
A soft sound broke the silence.
Footsteps.
Light.
Measured.
Not running.
Not afraid.
Wira's head snapped toward the end of the street.
Someone was there.
A girl.
She stepped into the faint glow of a flickering streetlamp.
Early twenties. Long dark hair, slightly messy, like she had been moving for a while. She wore something simple—dark clothes, easy to move in—but there was something off about her presence.
Too calm.
Far too calm.
Her eyes scanned the scene—the broken street, the blood, the corpse.
Then they landed on Wira.
Sharp.
Focused.
Calculating.
"…so it's true," she said quietly.
Wira tensed.
"Stay back."
The girl didn't move.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly, studying him like he was the strange one here.
"That thing," she said, glancing briefly at the corpse, "wasn't normal."
"No shit," Wira replied, voice low.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Good. At least you're not completely clueless."
Wira frowned.
"Who are you?"
She ignored the question.
"You can smell it, right?" she asked.
Wira's expression tightened.
"…what?"
"The air," she said. "The change."
A pause.
"The way everything feels… heavier."
Wira didn't answer.
Because she was right.
The girl nodded, like she expected that.
"Then it's already begun."
"Started what?" Wira snapped.
This time, she looked directly into his eyes.
And for a brief moment—
Something flickered in hers.
Not human.
Not normal.
"…the return of something that should've stayed buried."
Wira felt that same cold weight again.
"Rangda," he said.
The girl froze.
Just for a fraction of a second.
"…so you've heard the name."
"I've heard enough," Wira replied. "Now start explaining."
Silence stretched between them.
Then—
She stepped closer.
Wira didn't like that.
Every instinct in his body sharpened.
Ready.
Watching.
But she didn't attack.
Instead, she stopped just outside his reach.
"Name's Ayu," she said.
"Wira."
"I know."
That made him pause.
"…how?"
Ayu didn't answer.
Instead, her gaze shifted—past him.
To the corpse.
Her expression hardened.
"That one's just a fragment," she said.
"A scout."
Wira frowned.
"That thing almost killed me."
Ayu looked back at him.
"And you killed it anyway."
A beat.
"That's exactly why this is a problem."
Before Wira could respond—
The wind changed.
Sharp.
Cold.
Carrying something new.
Ayu's expression went still.
"…we're out of time."
Wira felt it too.
Multiple presences.
Closing in.
Fast.
"…not just one," he said.
Ayu nodded.
"Three."
A pause.
"…no."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Five."
Wira exhaled slowly.
Of course.
Why would it stop at one?
From the darkness at the edge of the street—
Shapes began to emerge.
One.
Two.
Three.
More.
Eyes glowing.
Bodies twisted.
Wrong.
Just like the first one.
But different.
Some larger.
Some faster.
All hungry.
Wira stepped forward slightly, placing himself between them and Ayu without thinking.
She noticed.
Didn't comment.
"…you can fight?" he asked.
Ayu's lips curved slightly.
"Better question—can you survive round two?"
The creatures began to spread out.
Surrounding them.
Cutting off every escape.
The air grew thick with killing intent.
Wira flexed his fingers.
Claws slowly extending again.
Golden eyes burning.
"That depends," he said quietly.
Ayu reached into the small pouch at her waist.
Pulled out something—
Small.
Carved.
Glowing faintly.
A talisman.
Old.
Powerful.
"…try not to die," she said.
Wira smirked faintly.
"No promises."
The creatures lunged.
At the same time—
Ayu crushed the talisman.
Light exploded across the street.
And the real battle—
began.