**Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past**
Y/N’s heart pounded as she turned towards the shadowy figure. The dim glow of the streetlights barely illuminated the stranger, but she could sense something eerily familiar about them.
Luka immediately noticed her change in demeanor. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.
Y/N swallowed hard. “We’re being watched.”
Luka’s eyes scanned the area, his posture shifting subtly, ready to protect her if needed. “Are you sure?”
A gust of wind carried a whisper-like chuckle to Y/N’s ears, sending a shiver down her spine. “I know you’re there,” she called out, stepping forward bravely. “Show yourself.”
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, from the shadows, a figure stepped into the faint light.
Y/N gasped. It was someone she thought she would never see again—her past had finally caught up with her.
“Surprised to see me?” the figure asked, smirking.
Luka instinctively moved closer to Y/N, his protective instincts kicking in. “Who is this?” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Y/N’s lips parted, but the words caught in her throat. Could she tell him? Could she explain everything now?
The figure chuckled again. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable here. But did you really think you could escape your past so easily?”
Y/N clenched her fists. “Why are you here?”
“To take back what belongs to us,” the figure said cryptically. “And that includes you.”
Luka tensed beside her, his eyes narrowing. “She’s not going anywhere.”
The figure’s smirk widened. “Oh, we’ll see about that.”
A sudden pulse of energy erupted from the stranger, sending a shockwave through the air. Y/N barely had time to react before the world around her blurred into chaos.
Y/N staggered backward, shielding her eyes from the blinding light that followed. Luka grabbed her wrist, pulling her close as the force of the shockwave rippled through the alleyway, shaking the ground beneath them.
The air crackled with electricity, the energy swirling around them like an impending storm. Y/N’s breath hitched as memories of her past—of another life—flashed before her eyes. She had been running from this moment, but now it was here, and there was no more escaping.
Luka’s grip tightened around her hand. “Y/N, what’s happening?”
Before she could respond, the figure took a step closer, their voice almost mocking. “You really don’t remember, do you? Or are you just pretending?”
Y/N exhaled sharply. “I remember enough.”
“Then you know what comes next.”
The figure extended a hand, and with it, the space around them seemed to warp. Y/N recognized the sensation—an attempt to pull her back to the world she had left behind. But she wasn’t going to let that happen. Not now. Not when she had finally found a place where she belonged.
“Luka,” she whispered, looking into his eyes. “Trust me.”
He nodded without hesitation.
Y/N turned back to the figure, her resolve hardening. “I’m not going with you.”
The stranger’s eyes gleamed with something unreadable. “Then let’s see how long you can fight fate.”
With a flick of their wrist, the energy surged forward, and the battle truly began.
To be continued…
