The Healer’s Ascension

Chapter Three: The Hunter in the Crowd

Jason’s sneakers pounded against the pavement, weaving through a sea of people who didn’t react to his panic. He shoved past a man in a suit, dodged a food cart, nearly tripped over a delivery bike.

Behind him, the shriek split the air again, high, distorted, like claws raking against metal, Jason risked a glance back.

The shadow-creature was forcing its way through the crowd, its twisted limbs cutting unnaturally sharp angles. Its claws sliced clean through a lamppost, but no one screamed. Pedestrians passed by as though nothing was happening, eyes glazed, conversations uninterrupted.

Jason’s chest tightened. They don’t see it. They don’t see anything, A hand yanked his arm.

The stranger in the gray coat pulled him sideways into an alley, narrow and choked with dumpsters. Jason slammed against a wall, gasping. The man’s eyes flashed. “Focus.”

Jason swallowed hard. “That thing, it’s real, right? I’m not losing my mind?”

The man’s voice was low, urgent. “Real enough to kill you. Hold still.”

He pressed his palm to Jason’s chest. For a split second, heat flared. Strange runes spiraled faintly across Jason’s shirt, glowing before fading.

Jason staggered. “What did you just?”

“Masking spell. Won’t last long. Now shut up.”

The hiss came again. Louder. Closer, The shadow slid into the alley, eyes blazing white in the dim light. Its head twisted unnaturally as it sniffed the air. The thing’s limbs dragged against brick, leaving grooves in stone like chalk lines.

Jason pressed against the wall, heart pounding, The creature froze. Its eyes scanned the alley. Its gaze passed over Jason and the stranger once, twice then moved on.

Slowly, it crept past the dumpsters and slithered out the other end of the alley. Its hiss faded with the crowd noise beyond. Jason exhaled so hard his knees almost buckled.

The stranger finally released him. “It’s distracted. For now.”

Jason swallowed hard, his voice cracking. “What the hell was that thing?”

The man studied him for a long moment, then spoke. “A Shade. A hunter born of corrupted mana. Drawn to imbalance. You touched the artefact, didn’t you?”

Jason’s stomach knotted. He didn’t answer, The man’s expression didn’t change. “I can see it in you. The shard lit a beacon in your body. To them, you’re prey, and prize.”

Jason’s chest burned, the memory of healing too raw. “Prize? I’m not”

“You’re not ordinary anymore.” The man’s tone was sharp, final. “You carry power now. And power always has a price.”

Jason’s mouth went dry. “And you? Who the hell are you?”

The stranger’s eyes narrowed, as if debating. Then he extended a hand. “Elias Crowe. Warden of the Ninth Seal.”

Jason blinked. “That’s supposed to mean something to me?”

“Not yet.” Elias’s hand didn’t waver. “But if you want to live long enough to understand, you’ll need me.”

Jason hesitated. Every instinct screamed not to trust this man. But the memory of the Shade’s claws, the way they had sliced through metal like butter, tipped the scale. Slowly, Jason took his hand.

The moment their palms touched, a jolt ran through him. Not pain recognition. Like Elias’s energy had brushed against the shard still pulsing deep inside him.

Elias’s eyes narrowed. “Stronger than I thought.”

Jason pulled his hand back quickly. “Stronger? I don’t even know what’s happening to me!”

“You will,” Elias said. His tone softened slightly. “But not here. It’s not safe.”

Jason opened his mouth to argue, then froze, At the mouth of the alley, shadows twisted unnaturally again. The Shade was back. And this time, it wasn’t alone.

Two more shapes unfolded beside it. Taller. Broader. Their eyes glowed with the same unearthly light, Jason’s blood went cold.

Elias’s hand slid inside his coat. Runes flared along his forearm like tattoos coming alive. He glanced at Jason once. “Run when I say. And don’t look back.”

Jason’s heart hammered. His legs felt like stone, The creatures hissed in unison, claws scraping concrete. Elias smiled grimly. “Now.”

Flame erupted from his palm, a circle of searing light that roared forward and slammed into the Shades. The alley lit up with fire, shadows shrieking as they burned.

Jason stumbled backward, heat singeing his skin. His instincts screamed at him to bolt, but his body locked. He couldn’t leave. Not yet.

Through the blaze, one of the creatures pushed forward, half-charred, eyes blazing hotter. It wasn’t dying. Jason’s breath caught.

Elias gritted his teeth, runes burning brighter. “Move, Jason!”

Jason’s feet finally obeyed. He ran.

But as he turned the corner, the last thing he saw was Elias, standing against the flames, three monsters closing in, And the terrifying realization that if this stranger fell, Jason Miller would be next.