That night, heavy rain fell in the human world.
Arka stood in the alley behind his house, still breathing hard after training. The pendant at his neck throbbed restlessly. The wind around him stirred uneasily, as if warning him.
Then the shadow appeared.
It wasn't an ordinary shadow. A black creature with cracked skin, glowing red eyes, and claws dripping with something smoky. It emerged from a crack in the air, as if tearing through space.
“Heir…” Its voice was hoarse and hungry.
Arka took a step back. Wind immediately gathered in his palm. But before he could release it, Elara appeared from the shadow beside him.
Her thin dress was soaked by the rain, clinging to every curve of her body. Her black hair stuck to her neck and chest. Her eyes were sharp.
“Don’t be alone,” she whispered. Her hand touched Arka’s waist for a moment—warm and reassuring—then she stepped forward.
The hunter attacked.
Black claws lashed out. Elara moved swiftly. Golden-green wind burst from her hand, forming a thin blade that sliced through the air. Arka moved too. He released wind from his palm, driving the creature backward until it slammed into the brick wall.
The rain grew heavier. Elara’s body was drenched. The white-and-green fabric across her chest was nearly transparent, revealing the shape of her breasts rising and falling with every breath. Arka tried to focus, but his eyes lingered there for a moment.
The hunter rose again. Faster this time. Its claws raked Arka’s shoulder. Pain burned through him. Blood flowed.
Elara gave a soft cry. She leaped and pressed herself against Arka’s back, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Together!”
Their winds merged.
Elara’s green wind and Arka’s wild current combined into a razor-sharp vortex. The creature was hurled backward, the cracks in its black body splitting even deeper. Elara was still pressed against Arka’s back. Her soaked breasts pushed against him, the warmth of her body seeping through their rain-drenched uniforms.
“Now!” Elara hissed in Arka’s ear.
Arka released everything he had. Wind exploded from his chest. The pendant blazed brightly. Green light struck the hunter, shattering its body into black dust that dissolved instantly in the rain.
Only the sound of rain and their ragged breathing remained.
Elara was still embracing Arka from behind. Her body was wet, warm, and trembling softly. Arka felt every detail—the shape of her breasts, her breath against his neck, her fingers pressing into his stomach.
“You’re hurt,” Elara whispered. She turned to face Arka. Her fingers touched the wound on his shoulder. Blood stained her fingertips. She lowered her head and let her tongue brush the bloody fingertip for a moment before looking at Arka.
“Heir’s blood… sweet.”
Arka swallowed. Rain soaked both their faces. Elara moved closer. Her lips nearly touched Arka’s.
Then the pendant at Arka’s neck suddenly shone brighter. The world around him shifted. Fragments of memories entered his mind without permission.
His mother. Still young. Standing in the same forest he had seen in that other world. The same pendant in her hand. Her face wet with tears.
“Protect him,” his mother whispered to someone unseen. “Hide his blood. Don’t let them find my son.”
The scene shifted again. His mother held a baby. The baby—itself—cried softly. The pendant was hung around its tiny neck.
“Forgive me, Arka…” His mother’s voice trembled. “I can’t be with you in that world.”
The memory shattered.
Arka jolted back into the rain-soaked alley. Elara was still holding his face in both hands. Her eyes were worried.
“You saw it?” Elara asked softly.
Arka nodded. His throat tightened. “My mother… she really came from there.”
Elara wiped his cheek, wet with rain. “She protected you until the end. Now it’s your turn to protect yourself.”
She brought her face closer. Their lips touched softly—only for a moment, wet, warm, and full of promise.
Then Elara pulled away. Her body began to fade beneath the rain.
“The first hunter is dead,” she whispered. “But whoever sent it… knows you’re here now.”
Arka caught Elara’s wrist before she disappeared completely. “Don’t go yet.”
Elara smiled sadly. “I can’t stay for long. But tonight… I felt closer to you.”
She vanished.
Arka stood alone in the rain-soaked alley. The wound on his shoulder still throbbed. The pendant at his neck was warm. In the distance, the night wind carried the scent of something darker, hungrier.
And beyond the rain, someone in the ancient kingdom smiled.