The sun was setting, casting an eerie orange glow over the city. The streets were nearly empty, the silence hanging heavily in the air. It was the calm before the storm, and Jim could feel it in his bones. Something was coming, something that would bring him closer to the twisted truth he had been chasing for years.
Beside him, Cassie walked quietly, her pace matching his. She was always by his side, always silent but never distant. She knew what he was becoming. She saw the monster stirring beneath his skin, the madness that lapped at the edges of his sanity. And she was more than willing to walk into the abyss with him.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Jim's voice was a low growl, barely audible as he turned his head toward her, his eyes narrowing against the growing dusk.
Cassie nodded, her lips curving into a soft, predatory smile. "They're out there. The ones who'll challenge you. Who'll make you stronger."
Jim's lips twitched, the faintest flicker of a grin forming as he turned his gaze back to the road ahead. "Good. I'm ready."
There was a faint tug in the air, an unnatural sensation that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His heart quickened, and his dragonblooded senses hummed with energy. Something — or someone — was near.
Cassie's smile deepened as she sensed it too. She tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes scanning the alleyways, the rooftops, every shadow that stretched out before them. She was always watching, always waiting. She would never let anything slip past her.
"You've been looking for your father, Jim," she said softly, her voice barely a whisper, but the weight of it hung between them. "But are you sure you're ready for what you'll find?"
Jim's chest tightened, the question ringing in his ears. It was a question he'd never fully been able to answer. He had always searched for answers, for some closure that would make sense of the abandonment, the betrayal. But as the days passed, he began to wonder if the truth would destroy him, if it would shatter everything he thought he knew.
"Does it matter?" he said finally, his voice colder than the breeze. "What's left to find? He left me. That's all I need to know."
Cassie didn't answer right away. She kept walking, her eyes fixed straight ahead. But there was something in her gaze, something dark and knowing, that sent a chill through him.
The moment passed as quickly as it had come, and soon enough, the streets began to feel unnaturally empty. The few scattered figures that passed by were mere blurs, nothing to concern them. But that feeling in the air, that unnerving tug, only grew stronger.
Then, from an alley to their right, a figure emerged.
It was tall, cloaked in shadow, its outline barely visible against the fading light. The figure stood still for a long moment, and Jim felt a shiver run down his spine. This wasn't just another human. No, this one was different.
"Jim…" Cassie's voice was tense, filled with warning, but Jim already knew what was happening.
The figure stepped into the light, revealing its form. A creature, humanoid but far from human, its skin a sickly grayish-blue and its eyes glowing with an unnatural, cold light. It was a beast — a monster that had been hiding in the city's underbelly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The creature's mouth curled into a snarl, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. It wasn't human, not even close. Jim could feel its power, the dark aura that surrounded it like a shroud. The creature was dangerous, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but the fight.
Without a word, Jim lunged forward, his body transforming mid-motion. Scales erupted across his skin, his claws extending and his tail whipping through the air behind him. He felt the surge of power within him, the dragonblood rushing to the surface as the creature met his charge head-on.
The collision was violent.
The beast was fast, but Jim was faster. His claws slashed through the air, raking against the creature's side, leaving deep gashes. The creature hissed in pain, its dark blood spilling onto the ground in a thick, viscous pool. Jim barely noticed it as he moved with a fluidity that only came from the dragonblood coursing through him.
Cassie was beside him, as always, her eyes burning with a twisted kind of excitement. She wasn't afraid. No, she was thrilled, her body tensing in anticipation as she waited for her turn. Her sword gleamed in the dim light, sharp and ready.
Jim's laugh echoed through the street, dark and wild, as he dug his claws deeper into the beast's flesh. The creature struggled, trying to break free, but Jim's grip only tightened. He could feel the life draining from it, could feel the power it held, but it wasn't enough. He needed more.
The creature let out a final scream, but it was silenced by Jim's savage grip on its throat. With a violent twist, Jim snapped its neck, and the body crumpled to the ground at his feet.
He stood over it, breathing heavily, the rush of adrenaline and power still coursing through him. His heart pounded in his chest, and for a brief moment, he felt alive. More alive than he had ever been.
Cassie's eyes glinted with satisfaction. "Another one down," she murmured, her voice full of dark admiration.
Jim turned to her, his grin wide and feral. "It's never enough, Cassie."
But before he could take another step, something inside him snapped. His gaze turned back to the fallen creature, and he crouched down beside it. His fingers twitched, his claws extending as he grabbed the beast's limp head and yanked it up, his eyes burning with intense curiosity.
"Tell me," Jim's voice was low and cold, his breath coming out in ragged bursts. "Tell me where my father is."
The creature's eyes flickered, though it was clearly fading, its breath shallow. The look in its eyes was both defiant and fearful. It knew what Jim was capable of — and it knew he wouldn't stop until he had what he wanted.
"Your father...," the creature gasped, its voice raspy and trembling. "The one you seek... he is not of this world... not anymore. He left you, left your mother... to die."
Jim's eyes narrowed, the words piercing through him like a blade. His grip on the creature's skull tightened, his claws digging into its flesh. His smile twisted into something darker, something mad.
"Where?" he hissed, his voice low and filled with venom. "Where did he go?"
The creature's lips trembled. "In the ruins. The heart of the forsaken. He is no longer the man you knew."
A guttural laugh escaped Jim's lips as he stood, tossing the creature's lifeless body aside like it was nothing more than trash. "The ruins, huh? Perfect."
Cassie stepped up beside him, her eyes glowing with the same twisted hunger that lit up Jim's. "Another step closer, then," she whispered. "To finding him."
Jim's gaze shifted to her, a sick, manic grin stretching across his face. His eyes gleamed with an unsettling excitement, the madness that had always lived beneath the surface now fully unrestrained.
"Not just closer," he said softly, a gleam of insanity flickering in his voice. "I'm going to make him feel what I've felt all these years."
And with that, the hunt continued. There was no turning back. Jim had crossed the line, and Cassie would follow him into whatever hell he would bring.
End of Chapter 4