Veil of crimson shadows

The streets of Ravenmoor felt different now, as though the city had exhaled in anticipation of what was to come. Caleb and Theo moved quickly, leaving The Hollow Star behind as the chaos they'd left inside spilled into the streets. The attackers' bodies remained unconscious on the tavern floor, but Caleb couldn't shake the feeling that they wouldn't stay down for long.

"Caleb, we need to talk about what just happened," Theo said, his voice low but urgent.

Caleb didn't stop moving. "Later."

"No. Now," Theo snapped, grabbing Caleb's arm and forcing him to stop. "What was that back there? That power. That wasn't you. It was it."

Caleb looked down at the mask in his hands. Its surface had gone still again, the faint glow of its carvings extinguished. He didn't know how to explain what had happened, only that in that moment of panic, the mask had acted on instinctor maybe on his.

"It saved us," Caleb said, his voice hard. "That's all that matters."

Theo shook his head. "It didn't save us. It made a statement. Whatever that thing is, it's using you. You heard what Vane said it's alive. It's not on your side."

Caleb couldn't argue with that. The mask had chosen him, that much was clear. But why? And what would it demand in return?

Before he could respond, a shadow moved in the corner of his vision. Caleb turned sharply, his knife in hand, but the alley behind them was empty.

"You saw that, right?" Theo whispered, his own blade now drawn.

Caleb nodded. "We're being followed."

The words had barely left his mouth when a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was one of the attackers from the tavern the scarred leader. Somehow, he was already back on his feet, his eyes glowing faintly with an unnatural light.

"Persistent," Caleb muttered, stepping in front of Theo.

The man didn't speak. Instead, he raised a hand, and two more figures emerged from the darkness, flanking him. Their movements were too smooth, too coordinated, as if they were being guided by an unseen force.

"Give us the mask," the leader said, his voice colder than before. "You don't understand what you're dealing with."

Caleb tightened his grip on the mask. "Oh, I understand just fine. What I don't understand is why you care so much. What's it to you?"

The leader's lips curled into a cruel smile. "The mask doesn't belong to you. It never did. It's part of something much greater than you could possibly comprehend. And you are unworthy of its power."

"Funny," Caleb shot back, "it doesn't seem to agree."

The leader snarled, and in a blur of motion, he was upon them.

Caleb barely had time to react. He raised the mask instinctively, and once again, it came alive in his hands. Crimson light flared from its surface, and a pulse of energy erupted outward, throwing the attackers back.

But this time, it didn't stop there.

The light coiled around Caleb like a living thing, seeping into his skin. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he felt weightless, as though the mask was lifting him above himself, showing him the world through its eyes.

The attackers were nothing more than shadows, their forms twisted and incomplete. The mask whispered in his mind, its voice seductive and commanding.

"Strike them down, Caleb Dorne. Use the gift I have given you."

Caleb's body moved before his mind could protest. The energy from the mask flowed through him, guiding his movements as he lunged at the nearest attacker. His knife struck true, but it wasn't just the blade that did the damage. The crimson light erupted on impact, consuming the man in a flash of heat and smoke.

The other two hesitated, clearly unnerved, but the leader barked a command, and they charged again.

"Caleb!" Theo shouted, but his voice was distant, like an echo in the back of Caleb's mind.

The mask had taken over.

Caleb moved with unnatural speed, his strikes precise and brutal. The energy from the mask didn't just empower him it overwhelmed him. Each attack felt like it was feeding the mask, as though it were drawing strength from the chaos.

When the last of the attackers fell, Caleb stood over their unconscious forms, his chest heaving. The light from the mask dimmed, and slowly, reluctantly, it released its hold on him.

"Caleb," Theo said again, his voice trembling.

Caleb turned to face him, and the look on Theo's face said everything.

"You're scared of me," Caleb said quietly.

Theo didn't deny it. "You weren't yourself back there. That wasn't you."

Caleb looked down at the mask, its surface smooth and dark once more. "Maybe it was."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then Theo stepped closer, his voice low.

"We need to figure out how to destroy that thing. Before it destroys you."

Caleb nodded, though he wasn't sure he believed it was possible. The mask had chosen him, and it wasn't going to let him go without a fight.

"Let's find out what Vane knows about these people," Caleb said, gesturing to the fallen attackers. "They're connected to the mask somehow. Maybe he can give us answers."

Theo hesitated, then nodded. "Let's move before more of them show up."

As they disappeared into the night, the mask pulsed faintly in Caleb's hands, as if pleased.

And somewhere deep within the city, the shadows whispered in anticipation of what was to come.