For centuries, I had existed as a shadow, a creature of nightmares confined to the darkness of the library. The war with Hybern had come and gone, yet my hunger for freedom had only grown stronger. When I found her, I knew she was different—more powerful, more intriguing than anyone I had encountered in my thousands of years. Her presence stirred something within me, a strange, unfamiliar pull that went beyond my usual hunger. She didn’t trust me, not fully, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes—curiosity, perhaps? The way she moved, the way she faced me without flinching, made her a puzzle I wanted to unravel. I had seeked her out. Seeked out someone for the first time.

I let the shadows curl around her, close but not threatening, testing the waters. “You hold the power to bring me back to what I once was,” I said, my voice a whisper in the darkness.

Her gaze met mine, unyielding, and I realized that for the first time in eons, I was not the hunter, but the hunted, and the thrill of it was intoxicating.

“In exchange, I will give you what you seek—power, knowledge... or perhaps something more.”