Veil of crimson shadows

Chapter 5: Beneath the Surface

The Iron Quarter stretched out before them like a labyrinth, its narrow alleys twisting in ways that made Caleb's head spin. The storm overhead hadn't let up, and the rain fell in relentless sheets, soaking them to the bone. Caleb clutched the mask tightly as he and Theo moved quickly through the maze of wet stone and flickering gaslight.

"We can't go straight to Vane's place," Theo muttered, glancing over his shoulder. "They'll expect that."

Caleb nodded, his mind racing. Theo was right. The attackers wouldn't stop. Whatever power the mask held, it had drawn their attention and maybe something even worse. They needed answers, but they also needed a plan.

"There's a safe house," Caleb said after a moment. "South of here, near the edge of the Quarter. We can lay low for a bit, figure out our next move."

Theo shot him a skeptical look. "One of your safe houses? You mean the kind that hasn't been safe since your last 'job' went sideways?"

Caleb smirked despite himself. "Trust me."

Theo snorted but followed without another word. 

The safe house was tucked behind a crumbling apothecary, its entrance hidden beneath a loose grate that led into the sewers. It wasn't much a small, damp chamber with a cot, a rusted lantern, and a stash of supplies Caleb had hidden years ago.

Theo wrinkled his nose as they climbed inside. "Charming."

"Better than dead," Caleb said, lighting the lantern.

The soft glow illuminated the room, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Caleb set the mask on a table and sat down across from it, staring at the thing as if it might spring to life at any moment.

"So," Theo said, dropping into the only chair, "what's the plan? We can't just keep running, Caleb. Those guys back there... they weren't normal."

"No kidding," Caleb muttered. He leaned forward, his fingers brushing the mask's surface. It was cool to the touch now, its carvings dull and lifeless.

"What did you see?" Theo asked, his tone softer.

Caleb hesitated. "When I... when it took over, it was like I wasn't in control anymore. But I could see everything feel everything. The mask... it wasn't just reacting. It wanted me to fight. It wanted blood."

Theo's face darkened. "Then why keep it? Why not get rid of it?"

"You think I haven't tried?" Caleb snapped, his voice rising. "Every time I put it down, it pulls me back. It's like it's tethered to me. I don't think it can be destroyed, Theo."

Theo stared at him, his expression unreadable. "If that's true, then we need to figure out how to stop you from becoming its puppet."

Before Caleb could respond, a faint sound reached their ears a distant scrape, like metal on stone.

"Did you hear that?" Theo whispered, his hand going to the knife at his belt.

Caleb nodded, rising slowly to his feet. The sound grew louder, closer. Someone or something was moving through the tunnels outside.

Theo extinguished the lantern, plunging the room into darkness. The two men pressed themselves against the walls, weapons drawn.

The scraping stopped.

For a moment, there was only silence. Then a voice echoed through the tunnel, low and guttural.

"Caleb Dorne. You cannot hide."

Caleb's blood ran cold. The voice wasn't human. It carried an otherworldly quality, like the rasp of stone grinding against stone.

"You have taken what is not yours," the voice continued. "Surrender the mask, and you may yet live."

Theo glanced at Caleb, his eyes wide. Caleb shook his head. He wasn't about to hand the mask over to whatever was out there not without a fight.

The door to the safe house shuddered as something heavy slammed into it.

"Caleb," Theo hissed, "what the hell do we do now?"

The mask pulsed faintly on the table, as if responding to the threat. Caleb hesitated, then grabbed it, feeling the cold weight of it in his hands.

"Get behind me," he said.

Theo didn't argue.

The door buckled under a second blow, then a third. With a deafening crash, it gave way, and a figure stepped into the room.

It was humanoid, but barely. Its body was covered in black, stone like plates, and its eyes burned with an unnatural light. In one hand, it held a massive blade that seemed to hum with energy.

The creature fixed its gaze on Caleb. "You cannot wield it," it growled. "The Mask of Midnight belongs to the shadow."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem to think so," Caleb shot back, lifting the mask.

The creature roared and charged, its blade slicing through the air. Caleb barely had time to react. He raised the mask, and once again, the crimson energy flared to life, forming a shimmering barrier between him and the attack.

The blade struck the barrier with a blinding flash, and the room trembled from the impact. Caleb staggered but held his ground, the mask's power coursing through him.

"Caleb!" Theo shouted.

"I've got this!" Caleb yelled back, though he wasn't sure he believed it.

The creature lunged again, and this time, Caleb met its attack head on. The mask guided his movements, its energy weaving around him like a living thing. Each strike, each dodge felt effortless, as though the mask was controlling his body.

But as the fight raged on, Caleb began to feel the strain. The mask's power was overwhelming, burning through him like fire. He could sense its hunger, its need for destruction.

"Caleb, you're losing control!" Theo shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

Caleb gritted his teeth. He couldn't let the mask win not now.

With a desperate surge of willpower, he channeled the mask's energy into a single, explosive strike. The crimson light erupted outward, engulfing the creature and sending it crashing into the wall.

When the light faded, the creature was gone, its body reduced to ash.

Caleb collapsed to his knees, the mask slipping from his grasp. His chest heaved, and his vision swam.

"Caleb!" Theo was at his side in an instant, helping him up.

"I'm fine," Caleb said weakly, though he knew it wasn't true. The mask had nearly consumed him.

"We can't keep doing this," Theo said, his voice shaking. "That thing... it's going to kill you."

Caleb looked down at the mask, its surface dark and still once more. "Then we find a way to end this. For good."

Theo nodded, though his expression was grim. "We'll start with Vane. He has to know something."

As they left the safe house, Caleb couldn't shake the feeling that the mask was watching him, waiting for the next opportunity to take control.

And deep within the shadows, something stirred, its hunger growing.