Chapter 11
"Now You're the One Who Should Run"
"Get up…"
My voice broke.
But he didn't move.
Not even a little.
My hands trembled as I shook him lightly.
"Hey… this isn't funny," I whispered.
Nothing.
The world felt distant.
Muted.
Like everything had been pulled away from me.
"No…" I shook my head.
This wasn't happening.
Not like this.
Not after everything.
"You said you'd handle it…" my voice cracked. "So get up…"
Still—
Nothing.
Something inside me shattered.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
Completely.
The light inside me—
It didn't flare.
It didn't surge.
It… changed.
The warmth—
Disappeared.
Replaced by something colder.
Darker.
"He's not getting up."
The creature's voice cut through the silence.
Calm.
Unbothered.
My head slowly turned toward it.
Something in my expression must have shifted—
Because for the first time—
It stopped smiling.
"You did this," I said quietly.
My voice didn't shake anymore.
It didn't break.
It felt…
Empty.
The air around me began to tremble.
Not with light.
But with something else.
Something heavier.
"You pushed him too far," the creature said, watching me carefully.
I stood up slowly.
Every movement deliberate.
Every breath controlled.
"And now…" it continued, "you'll come with me."
Silence.
Then—
I laughed.
Soft.
Wrong.
The sound didn't even feel like mine.
"Come with you?" I repeated.
I took a step forward.
The ground beneath me cracked again—
But this time—
The light didn't glow.
It dimmed.
Distorted.
"What makes you think…" I said slowly…
"I'm still the same person?"
The creature went still.
Completely still.
Something had changed.
It felt it.
I felt it.
That power inside me—
It wasn't just light anymore.
It was something else.
Something broken.
Something… dangerous.
"You're unstable," it said.
I smiled faintly.
"Good."
The word barely left my lips—
Before everything exploded.
Not outward.
Inward.
The energy pulled into me—
Compressing.
Twisting.
And then—
It burst.
But not like before.
Not bright.
Not pure.
Dark.
Cracked light.
Like something beautiful—
Had been broken beyond repair.
The hunters didn't even move this time.
Because they couldn't.
They disintegrated instantly.
Gone.
The creature stepped back.
One step.
Then another.
"Impossible…" it whispered.
But I wasn't done.
Not even close.
I walked toward it slowly.
Each step heavier than the last.
"You said I wasn't enough," I murmured.
My voice echoed—
Strange.
Layered.
Like it wasn't just me speaking.
The creature didn't respond.
Because now—
It was watching me the way it had watched him before.
Carefully.
Cautiously.
"Maybe you were right," I continued.
I stopped in front of it.
Close enough to feel its energy.
"But you forgot something."
Silence.
"What?" it asked quietly.
I tilted my head slightly.
A faint smile forming.5
"You broke me first."
And then—
I moved.
Faster than before.
Stronger.
Uncontrolled—
But precise.
The impact sent it flying back.
Not a step.
Not a stumble.
It crashed into the trees behind it.
Hard.
For the first time—
It didn't recover instantly.
My breath came out slow.
Steady.
Too steady.
This wasn't just power anymore.
This was something else.
Something terrifying.
"You're not just light…" the creature muttered, pushing itself up.
I didn't answer.
Because I didn't know.
Or maybe—
I didn't care.
"You're both," it said slowly.
My heart didn't react.
"Balance…"
The word echoed faintly.
But it didn't matter.
Nothing mattered—
Except one thing.
I turned my head slightly.
Looking back at him.
Still lying there.
Still not moving.
Something twisted painfully5 in my chest.
But it didn't break me again.
Not this time.
Because now—
I wasn't just scared.
I wasn't just confused.
I wasn't just trying to survive.
Now—
I was angry.
And that was far more dangerous.
I looked back at the creature.
My eyes steady.
Cold.
"You're not taking me anywhere," I said.
A pause.
Then—
"Because I'm not the one being hunted anymore."
Silence.
Heavy.
Deadly.
And then—
"You are."
The air cracked.
And I attacked again.
"You are."
The words barely left my lips—
And I moved.
Not fast.
Faster than before.
Faster than instinct.
Faster than thought.
The creature barely had time to react—
Before I was already in front of it.
My hand shot forward—
Light and darkness twisting together—
And struck.
The impact—
Devastating.
It didn't block.
Didn't dodge.
It crashed straight into the ground.
Hard.
The earth shattered beneath it.
A deep crater forming instantly.
Silence followed.
For half a second.
Then—
A low, strained sound escaped it.
For the first time—
Pain.
Real pain.
I tilted my head slightly.
"Hurts?" I asked softly.
My voice felt… wrong.
Detached.
Cold.
It pushed itself up slowly.
Its movements—
No longer smooth.
No longer effortless.
Something had changed.
"You've lost control," it said.
I smiled faintly.
"No," I replied.
I took a step forward.
The ground cracked again beneath me.
"I've just stopped holding back."
It attacked.
Desperate.
Faster than before.
Stronger.
But I saw it.
Every movement.
Every intention.
Like the world had slowed down just for me.
I raised my hand—
And caught it.
Just like that.
My fingers wrapped around its arm—
Stopping it mid-strike.
Its eyes widened.
"You—"
I twisted.
Hard.
A sharp, unnatural sound echoed through the air.
It let out a low, pained growl—
And I threw it.
Like it weighed nothing.
It slammed into the trees again—
Breaking through them—
Before crashing to the ground.
This time—
It didn't get up immediately.
My breath remained steady.
Too steady.
"You said I wasn't enough," I murmured, walking toward it.
No response.
Only the sound of it trying to move.
Struggling.
Weak.
Good.
I stopped a few steps away.
Looking down at it.
"You talk too much," I added.
It looked up at me.
And for the first time—
There was no confidence left.
Only realization.
"You're not supposed to exist," it said quietly.
I crouched slightly.
Bringing myself closer to its level.
"Then maybe…" I said softly…
"That's your problem."
It tried to move again—
To attack—
But I was faster.
My hand slammed into the ground beside it—
Light and dark exploding outward—
Pinning it in place.
It couldn't move.
Not even a little.
"What are you?" it demanded.
My expression didn't change.
"I told you," I said.
"I don't know."
A pause.
Then—
"But I know one thing."
I leaned closer.
My voice dropping—
Colder.
"You shouldn't have touched him."
The air tightened instantly.
The power surged again—
More violent than before.
Cracking through the ground.
Through the air.
Through everything.
It struggled harder now.
Desperate.
But it couldn't break free.
"Wait—" it said suddenly.
My eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
"You're afraid now?" I asked.
Silence.
Then—
"Yes."
The honesty—
Unexpected.
But it didn't change anything.
My hand lifted slightly.
Power gathering again—
Stronger.
Enough to end it.
Right here.
Right now.
"Don't," it said quickly.
My movement paused.
Just for a second.
"Why?" I asked.
It looked at me—
Not as prey.
Not as a target.
But as something else.
"Because killing me…" it said slowly…
"Won't save him."
My heart—
Stuttered.
Just for a moment.
I didn't turn.
Didn't look back.
But the words—
They hit.
Hard.
"You're lying," I said quietly.
But my voice wasn't as steady as before.
It noticed.
Of course it did.
"You felt it," it continued.
My grip tightened.
"That bond…"
Silence.
"Do you really think it would break so easily?"
My breath hitched.
No.
No, that wasn't—
"Stop talking," I snapped.
The power surged again.
But this time—
It flickered.
Unstable.
Because doubt—
Had slipped in.
Just a little.
And that was enough.
The creature smiled.
Weak.
But real.
"You don't know what he is either… do you?"
My eyes darkened.
"Say one more word—"
"Then why is he still breathing?"
Everything stopped.
My heart—
Skipped.
I turned.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
My gaze locked onto him.
Still lying there.
Still unmoving.
But—
My breath caught.
No.
That wasn't—
His chest—
It moved.
Barely.
But it moved.
Alive.
He was alive.
The world shifted again.
Not breaking.
Rebuilding.
Behind me—
The creature exhaled slowly.
"Now you understand…" it said.
My hands trembled.
Not with rage this time.
But something else.
Something dangerous in a different way.
Hope.