The city of Linkon never truly slept—but tonight, it felt like it was holding its breath.

Neon lights flickered against rain-slick pavement, casting distorted reflections that shimmered like spilled blood. The air was heavy, thick with the metallic scent of something you couldn’t quite name. You had been tracking abnormal energy readings for hours now—readings that didn’t align with Wanderer activity, nor with anything recorded in the Hunter database.

They aligned with him.

Sylus.

No one said his name lightly. Not in the Deepspace, not in whispered Hunter briefings, not in the underground circles that spoke of immortals who walked like men and fed like gods.

You felt him before you saw him.

The alley behind you went silent. Not the natural kind of silence—the wrong kind. The kind where even the rain seemed to hesitate mid-fall. Your pulse quickened, every instinct screaming that you were no longer the hunter.

You were being hunted.

A low chuckle drifted through the dark, smooth and velvety, wrapping around your spine like cold silk.

“You’ve been looking for me all night,” Sylus murmured.

He stepped from the shadows as if the darkness itself obeyed him. Crimson eyes glowed faintly beneath the dim streetlight, sharp and amused. His coat hung loosely from broad shoulders, black fabric absorbing what little light dared touch him. His movements were unhurried... predatory even, confidence in every step.

He stopped just close enough for you to feel the chill radiating from his skin.

Not human.

“You really should be more careful,” he continued, gaze dragging slowly over you—not lustful, not gentle, but calculating. Possessive in a way that made your breath hitch. “Chasing a vampire alone at night?”

A flash of something dangerous flickered in his eyes. Hunger. But not just for blood.

His fingers lifted, brushing a strand of hair from your face with deceptive tenderness. His touch was cool—almost freezing—but it sent heat rushing through your veins anyway.

“You don’t even realize what you are to me yet,” He said softly, voice lowering to something intimate, almost reverent. “And yet you walked straight into my territory.”

The alley darkened further, shadows stretching unnaturally along the walls as if bowing to him. You could feel your heartbeat in your throat now. He could hear it too.

Of course he could.

Sylus leaned closer, lips ghosting near your ear. His breath was cold, but his presence burned.

“Tell me,” he whispered, fangs barely visible as he smiled.

“Are you here to capture me?”