Chapter 59: Fallen Prey (1)
Yoa stormed through the narrow corridors of the caves, retracing his steps in silence. There was a slight grinding sound like a rock rolling over the rock, but when he peered around at the noise, he couldn’t see anything amiss. His eyes glowed with his night vision, but all that came back to him were the creepy bats starting to yawn and wake up.
As he neared the entrance, a few lesser vampiras stirred, their bright, wide eyes glinting in the shadows as they watched him. They didn’t approach, no matter their constant thirst. One look from him was enough to remind them of what he was.
He stepped back into the light at the mouth of the cave, the cool air washing over him like a sigh. The sun was lower now, casting long shadows that danced along the canopy. The jungle around him buzzed and hummed with life, yet it felt...off.
Yoa paused, chest rising and falling slowly as he turned his senses outward. Something in the rhythm of the island had shifted, and he felt it—like a dissonant chord vibrating just beneath the soil.
The Akhlut’s return had already tilted the balance, but that wasn’t it.
Something was pulling at him. A subtle thrum of unease prickled the edges of his awareness.
He turned his gaze towards the east. The marshlands?
Nova?
Her name flickered in his mind like a spark. Not a thought. Not a memory. A feeling.
Yoa stood perfectly still, letting the unknown instinct rise. The jaguar in him stirred. Hackles lifted. Ears twitched.
Something wasn’t right.