C3 **CHAPTER 3 — The One Who Watches**

The cathedral was unsettlingly quiet. Not serene hollow, as if it were holding its breath. Aira stood by the cracked altar, her gaze fixed on the moonlight pouring through the shattered glass. The patterns on the floor resembled broken wings. She rubbed her arms to warm herself, though the air wasn’t truly cold. It was something different and unseen pressure, like delicate hands pressing against her skin.

Lucian paced in the shadows nearby. His movements were sharp yet fluid, like someone accustomed to navigating darkness. Aira observed him, uncertain if she should feel more secure or more terrified.

She still didn’t grasp why he had brought her here. Why had her powers suddenly surged?

Or who might be trailing her.

Her heartbeat echoed in her ears.

“Lucian…” she whispered, her voice quivering despite her attempts to remain composed. “What was that thing chasing me?”

He paused mid-stride. For a moment, he remained silent not out of reluctance but because he appeared to be choosing his words with care, gauging how much truth she could bear.

“They’re called Shades,” he finally replied, his voice low. “Creatures born from the remnants of a tainted realm. They prey on… people like you.”

Aira swallowed hard. “People like me?”

He turned to face her, his eyes sharper than before unsettling yet oddly protective.

“You weren’t supposed to awaken yet,” he said. “Your power has been dormant for years. Concealed.”

Aira took a small step back, feeling confused and frightened.

“My power? I don’t even know what I am.”

Lucian approached slowly and carefully, as if trying not to startle her further. Yet as he drew nearer, the weight in the air increased, as though the shadows responded to his presence.

“You’re different,” he said. “Marked. Even if you can’t see it yet.”

Aira wrapped her arms around herself, striving to keep her voice steady.

“My mom knew something. She always said I’d understand one day. I never believed her.”

Lucian’s expression changed, perhaps surprise or even pain flickered across his face.

“She was trying to protect you.”

Aira looked down at the dusty floor, noticing faint footprints hers, Lucian’s… and another set that was unfamiliar.

Her breath hitched.

“Lucian…” She pointed unsteadily. “Those footprints. Are they?”

In an instant, he moved closer, positioning himself in front of her as his hand lifted slightly as if ready to summon something hidden from view.

"They were here," he muttered.

Aira felt a chill run down her spine. "Who?"

Lucian's jaw tightened. "The Watcher."

Aira’s heart sank. "The what?"

"He's not like the Shades," Lucian explained in a low voice. "He's worse. He observes, learns, and waits. He won’t attack until he knows everything about his target."

Aira sensed the ground shifting beneath her. Target? Lucian must have noticed her distress; his tone softened. Not warm, but steady and reassuring.

"You’re not alone. I won’t let anything happen to you." Aira opened her mouth to respond, but then she heard something above them, a soft movement, like fabric shifting. She froze as Lucian turned sharply, placing himself between her and the dark expanse of the rafters.

A faint scraping sound echoed through the space. Then another. And then, a barely discernible shape slid along the high beams, merging with the shadows like living smoke. Aira’s breath caught in her throat, She couldn’t see its face or even determine if it had one at all.

But she felt it, watching. Studying her.

Lucian's grip tightened.

"He’s here."

Aira’s heart raced against her ribs. "What does he want?" Lucian didn’t turn to look at her. "You." The shadows above shifted once more slowly, almost curiously.

Without thinking, Aira grasped Lucian’s sleeve, panic washing over her.

"Lucian, what should I do?"

He lowered his voice to a controlled yet urgent whisper. "Stay behind me. Don’t run. He reacts to fear." But her breathing was already fast and uneven.

The Watcher descended slightly further, and Aira stumbled backward, bumping against the altar. Lucian muttered an oath under his breath. "Aira, don’t move." She tried with all her might.

But as the figure in the rafters tilted its head, slowly and deliberately. Every instinct screamed at her to flee.

Aira took one small step back. Just one, and then the Watcher dropped down. Aira screamed. Lucian grabbed her.

And the entire cathedral trembled as the creature landed between them, enveloped in swirling black mist.

Before Aira could catch her breath, the Watcher raised its face.

Or what she thought was its face, and whispered a single word in a voice that resembled distant wind: "Found." Aira felt a white pulse flash across her vision. Her hands burned. Her chest constricted.

And something inside her ignited awake, Light erupted from her palms without intention, striking the creature and sending it crashing back across the cathedral.

Lucian stared at her in shock. "Aira... your power." But Aira didn’t catch the rest. She wasn’t breathing.

The world around her dissolved into white. Then black, and she fell.