ShadowBound: The Need For Power

After clearing the Central District of Tynoon, Galen and Liam made their way to the Eastern District.

They now stood atop the tallest building in the district—a modest four stories high. Galen stood with his hands tucked lazily in his coat pockets, scanning the district with half-lidded eyes. Beside him, Liam crouched low, peering over the edge with a calculating gaze.

The Eastern district was a close cousin to the Central one—brightly lit and buzzing, though slightly less congested. Despite the bright city lights, their elevated position and the cover of shadows kept them hidden from view.

"The breeze up here's not bad, wouldn't you say, kid?" Galen said, closing his eyes to enjoy the wind brushing across his face.

"Yeah, it's decent," Liam replied, side-eyeing him. "But shouldn't we be sweeping the place?"

"Yeah, yeah," Galen muttered with a yawn. "But honestly, I'm losing the will to care. It's like, what—three hours till midnight?"

"Exactly. Which means we've still got a chunk of Tynoon to cover," Liam said, side-eyeing him.

""Mmh. And so far all we're picking off are weaklings. We found three more hybrids back in Central—unstable, sloppy, basically walking corpses." Galen's voice dipped into a low grumble. "At this point, I think Sylvathar's just letting them off the leash to cause chaos."

"So you're thinking we skip these mindless freaks and focus on tracking real hybrids who can actually give us answers?" Liam asked, reading between the lines.

"Bingo. At this rate, I'm about two steps away from collapsing from sheer boredom," Galen said.

Liam glanced at him for a moment, thoughtful. "Well… I can help with that."

"How?" Galen raised a brow.

Just then, shadows on either side of Liam began to writhe and twist. One took the form of Nyxie, sleek and feline, her wings folded gracefully behind her back. Her size that of a full-grown cat. The other shadow rose into the shape of a grotesque, wolf-like beast with four glowing blue eyes and coarse, spiked fur bristling down its back.

Galen blinked. "And what are these guys supposed to do?"

"Scout for us," Liam replied, rising from his crouch. "While we handle one part of the district, they'll comb through the rest. We'll cover more ground and waste less time."

"Hm… sounds helpful," Galen said. "But you do realize people will freak out if they see shadow creatures like these roaming around, right? That's a Nyxarion, and that other one—whatever it is—definitely isn't going to win hearts."

"Who said anything about being seen?" Liam smirked. "They're shadows. They'll travel through the dark, staying out of sight the entire time."

"Clever." Galen gave a nod of approval. "But how will they know what to look for? Or how to spot hybrids still in human form?"

"Dark magic," Liam answered simply, like it was obvious. "They're extensions of me—fragments of my own shadow and will. They'll know what to look for. And once they find something, they'll alert me directly."

Galen's smirk returned. "Well damn. You just saved me from dying of boredom. With your pets running recon, we can wrap up this district in, what… an hour and a half?"

"Less if they're fast," Liam said.

"Then let's get moving "

Without another word, Liam made a subtle motion with his hand. Nyxie stretched languidly, like a feline waking from a nap, then melted into the nearest shadow. Her wings folded tightly as she vanished without a sound. The grotesque wolf—its bristled form low to the ground—followed silently, its luminous eyes the last thing to disappear into the alley's edge.

"They're moving," Liam said, voice even. "Nyxie's covering the north. Smoke will handle the southeast. We'll sweep the southwest ourselves."

"Smoke?" Galen blinked, then smirked. "You named that porcupine-wolf thing Smoke? Man, your naming sense is garbage."

"That's the first name that came to mind," Liam replied flatly.

"Well, it's your pet," Galen said with a shrug, smirk still intact. "Anyway—time to hunt."

They jumped from the rooftop in unison, landing with fluid ease on a lower ledge before dropping down to street level. No one noticed—the city buzzed with movement and noise, lanterns and neon lights keeping attention turned elsewhere.

They slipped through the crowd like shadows, eyes scanning, presence muted. While laughter echoed from open bars and restaurants, and music pulsed from behind tinted windows, Liam and Galen stalked through the city on the hunt.

A few blocks in, Liam's eyes narrowed slightly.

"They've already found something," he murmured.

"That fast?" Galen said, intrigued. "Which one?"

"Nyxie," Liam replied, his left eye's red hue shifting to an icy blue. "She's flagged a butcher shop a few blocks out. One of the workers hasn't moved in over twenty minutes. Breathing's shallow, myst flow's off. And there's a smell… hybrid."

"Probably another weakling," Galen muttered. "Still—go check it out. And take this."

He held out a slim crystal bracelet, its surface faintly pulsing with a dull light.

"Communication crystal. Use it if things go south. And don't use dark magic unless the coast is absolutely clear. Understood?"

"Got it." Liam took the bracelet and gave a nod before ducking around a corner, slipping down a quieter street where the crowds thinned and the buildings loomed tighter together. The city noise faded behind thick walls and alley turns.

Reaching the side of a brick building, Liam vanished into the darkness using Shadow Passage, slipping through the folds of one shadow and emerging from another in a different alley.

Jogging out, he spotted the butcher shop at the far end of the narrow street. The windows were fogged from within, lights dim and flickering behind the glass.

There were barely any people nearby. That brought a hint of relief—less chance of witnesses. He approached quietly and stopped outside the entrance. A moment later, Nyxie burst from a shadow and fluttered onto his shoulder.

"Nice work," he murmured, stroking her near the head. "Let's make this clean and quick."

He pushed open the door. A soft bell chimed as he stepped inside. The scent of blood and raw meat immediately hit him—but there was something fouler underneath. A sour twist of hybrid myst, sharp and corrupted, like the others they'd tracked.

The shop was silent. Counters spotless. But near the back freezer, a man stood with his back to the room—utterly motionless, facing the wall.

Nyxie gave a short, low chirp as she fixed her gaze on the man. Her meaning was clear.

"That's him," Liam muttered.

'His breathing's shallow... just like the last one. Another unstable hybrid,' Liam thought. 'Alright, better—'

The man jerked.

Then, slowly—unnaturally—he turned his head, far too far, until his glowing green eyes locked directly onto Liam's.

Without hesitation, Liam summoned a dagger and hurled it in one fluid motion. The blade struck the man dead-center in the forehead, pinning him to the wall.

"Sorry but I can't waste time with you. That's the best kind of death you'll get," Liam muttered, eyes cold.

The man's body hung lifeless, suspended by the dagger buried deep in his skull. A faint tremor rippled through his arm—then stillness. Silence settled over the shop once again.

Liam didn't move right away. He kept his eyes locked on the body, waiting for any sign of regeneration.

Nothing.

"Just as I thought," he muttered, stepping forward cautiously. "Either Gaia demons can't regenerate... or these fresh hybrids haven't developed the ability yet."

Nyxie remained still on his shoulder, her wings tucked in, quietly observing.

Liam stopped in front of the corpse and studied it closely. Then the weight of something struck him—not heavy, not emotional, just a realization. This was the first time he'd killed a human.

Well... technically not human. Still a hybrid. But unlike the other two he'd taken down tonight, this one hadn't even transformed.

And yet, he hadn't hesitated. No dread. No regret. Just silence. It hit him—not emotionally, but logically: it's disturbingly easy to kill someone once you stop seeing them as human. Whether you label them a demon or a monster, the rest becomes... simple.

"This doesn't count as a real kill," he muttered coldly, staring into the hybrid's now-glassy eyes.

With one smooth motion, he yanked the dagger free, then slashed across the corpse's eyes.

"Not taking any chances on being watched by some demon lord," he said, watching the body crumple to the floor with a dull thud.

Liam crouched beside the corpse, eyes narrowing in thought.

'If Sylvathar really wants to destroy Amthar... or even just grow stronger before returning to the Demon Realm, he'd need an army. But if that's the case, why waste power creating hybrids this weak?'

His gaze lingered on the body, brow furrowed.

"Unless... these rookies weren't made by him at all," he murmured aloud. "Maybe someone else—another Gaia demon. Not as powerful, but strong enough to replicate the process."

The idea didn't sit well with him. None of this did.

These hybrids were nothing like Gordon or Ember—nowhere near their level. Yet they were popping up in the heart of Zone 8's capital, not far from the Tempest Palace.

It felt reckless. Sloppy.

'Allowing weak, unstable hybrids to wander around the city? The odds of patrolling knights spotting and killing them should be high... assuming they could actually find them.'

But if these things had already been hiding in the city, their erratic behavior would've made them easy to track—no detection crystal needed.

And yet… none had been caught.

Not until tonight.