Sealing the Shadow

The roar of the crowd was a physical wave, crashing over me, vibrating through the soles of my boots and up into my very bones. Lights, a thousand dazzling suns, swept across the stadium, catching the confetti that rained down like a joyous blizzard. It was everything I’d ever dreamed of, a sea of faces, all turned towards the stage, all caught in the infectious energy of our music. But tonight, beneath the exhilaration, thrummed a different kind of current, a dangerous undertow that only a handful of us could feel.

Beside me, Jaehyun’s gaze, usually so focused on the performance, flickered towards me, a silent question in his eyes. I gave him a tiny, almost imperceptible nod. We were ready. The Shadow Demon pulsed in the air, a suffocating pressure that tried to leech the joy from the very atmosphere. It fed on despair, and this crowd, this pure, unadulterated happiness, was its antithesis.

Mira, her usual competitive fire banked for the moment, stood a few paces away, her stance steady, her eyes scanning the periphery. Zoey, ever the picture of calm, was a reassuring presence, his subtle gestures directing the other huntxs who were scattered amongst the throng, their own identities as fans a perfect disguise.