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Evie Carter has always lived a quiet life, running a small bookstore left behind by her mother. But when a cryptic stranger arrives demanding an ancient pendant she inherited, everything shatters. The pendant is no ordinary heirloom.it's a key to a prison that holds something powerful... and terrifying. Now, secret organizations, dark sorcerers, and supernatural assassins are hunting her, all desperate to unlock the seal she unknowingly protects. Her only ally? Nathan Cross a mysterious and battle-hardened warrior with secrets of his own. He claims he can protect her, but Evie isn't sure if she can trust him. One thing is clear, though: the Arcane will stop at nothing to get what they want. As the chase unfolds, Evie is forced to confront the truth about her mother, the pendant, and the deadly world hidden in the shadows. With time running out and betrayals lurking in the dark, she must decide-will she fight for survival, or become the key to unleashing an unimaginable darkness? Because in the world of the Arcane, power isn't given. It's taken. And Evie might be the last thing standing between the world and complete destruction.
Chapter 1 The Night of Shadows
The city buzzed, restless, like it couldn't sleep. Neon signs blinked on and off, dying stars spitting light, while horns blared down streets slick with rain. The air hit her nose hard, wet asphalt, gasoline fumes, and that stale cigarette stink lingering everywhere.
Evelyn "Evie" Carter yanked her coat tight, hurrying along the sidewalk, boots tapping soft and quick. It was late, way too late for a lone woman out here, but the library had sucked her in again, hours slipping away like they always did.
Books were her thing. Always had been. That musty smell of yellowed pages, the hush of nobody around, it was her bubble, the one spot she didn't feel like some tiny, pointless speck.
Tonight, though, something chewed at her brain. A weird itch she couldn't scratch.
Streets were off. Too quiet. No chatter drifting from corners, no car radios thumping, just this creepy, dead silence swallowing everything. Streetlamps flickered, weak and buzzy, splashing warped shadows over cracked pavement.
She muttered to herself, "You're imagining it, Evie, chill and kept walking."
Then she heard them.
Footsteps.
Slow. Steady. Matching hers, step for damn step.
Her breath snagged. She sped up, fingers digging into her bag strap. Alley ahead, was sketchy but it'd chop her walk home in half. She'd done it tons of times. Just move fast, right?
She darted in, narrow as hell, heart banging loud in her ears. Walls loomed, plastered with torn gig flyers and graffiti, "Rusty 4eva" scrawled in red drips. One streetlight hummed, flickering, throwing long, freaky shadows across the wet concrete.
Then, out of the black, a guy stepped up. Tall. Face drowned in shadow.
Evie stopped cold.
She barely twitched to bolt before more shapes slunk out behind her, one, two, four, four, crap, she was done.
The tallest one swaggered forward, voice oily and smirking. "Hey there, sweetheart."
Her gut twisted, oh no, oh no.
"Gimme your bag," another barked, all gravel and spit.
A mugging. Just that. Had to be. Right? She swallowed, throat like sandpaper, forcing words out steady. "I don't have money, seriously."
The first guy chuckled, dark and mean. "Ain't your cash we want, sweetie."
Her pulse hammered. That tone, slimy, wrong, screamed this wasn't about her wallet. It was her they were after.
She shuffled back, but a hand, clammy, rough, snapped around her wrist. She yelled.
Then, chaos. A blur, fast as hell. A wet crack, bone smashing bone. The guy holding her reeled, blood pouring from his busted nose, swearing through his fingers.
A shadow stormed in, fists flying, elbows cracking skulls like it was nothing. One thug hit the ground, groaning, curled up tight. Another lunged, knife glinting, dumb move, only to lose it in a flash, blade skittering across concrete.
Evie flattened against the wall, eyes bugging out. This guy wasn't just winning, he was owning them.
One tried to run, too late. The stranger snagged his collar, slammed him into the bricks so hard the air shook. "Who are you?" Low, deadly, cutting through the mess.
The thug shook, gasping. "J-just hired us, man, to grab her!"
"By who?" His grip tightened, knuckles popping.
The guy jerked, then cracked. Body spasmed, eyes rolling back, and he dropped. Limp. Gone.
Evie's breath stuck, choking her. What, what the hell?
He was dead. Not from the stranger, though, something else, something invisible, like his spine just snapped itself.
The others saw it, bolted, shoes slapping away into the city's hum.
Quiet hit, hard.
Evie pressed a shaky hand to her chest, gulping air, trying not to lose it.
Then she looked, really looked, at him.
Tall. Shoulders wide. Black coat, dark jeans, beat-up combat boots. He stood loose but coiled, like a wolf sniffing for trouble.
Those eyes, though. Ice blue. Sharp. Cold as hell. They locked on hers, and a shiver ripped down her spine.
Neither said a word. Too long.
Then he broke it. "C'mon, you're with me."
Her fingers dug into her coat. "W-what?"
His gaze flicked to the corpse, then back. "Those guys? Not random. They wanted you."
She swallowed, hard. "Why, why me?"
His jaw went tight. "That."
She followed his look, to the pendant dangling at her neck. Mom's pendant. All she had left for her.
Her pulse thumped. "It's just some necklace."
He stepped closer, slow, deliberate. "No. It ain't."
Dread sank in her gut, heavy and cold.
Tonight wasn't right. He wasn't right.
She stumbled back, shaky. "Who, who are you?"
He watched her, too long, before answering. "Nathan Cross." His voice was steady, but something dark lurked in it, dangerous. "You wanna live? Move. Now."
Her breath came fast, ragged. Run? Scream? Yeah, she should.
But her gut knew, he was why she wasn't dead already.
And deep down, she felt it.
This was just the start. The real mess was coming.
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Chapter 1 The Night of Shadows
10/03/2025
Chapter 2 Bonds Forged in Fire
10/03/2025
Chapter 3 Whispers in The Dark
10/03/2025
Chapter 4 The Price of Secrets
11/03/2025
Chapter 5 The Clock is Ticking
11/03/2025
Chapter 6 Nowhere to Hide
11/03/2025
Chapter 7 A Deal with Shadows
11/03/2025
Chapter 8 No Turning Back
11/03/2025
Chapter 9 The Pact Sealed in Shadows
11/03/2025
Chapter 10 Power Feels Like Hunger
11/03/2025
Chapter 11 The Cost of Power
11/03/2025
Chapter 12 The Price of Mercy
11/03/2025
Chapter 13 A Deal in the Dark
12/03/2025
Chapter 14 A Pact with Shadows
12/03/2025
Chapter 15 Into the Lion's Den
12/03/2025
Chapter 16 The Package of Secrets
12/03/2025
Chapter 17 What's Inside the Box
12/03/2025
Chapter 18 The Vault's Shadow
13/03/2025
Chapter 19 The Second Case
13/03/2025
Chapter 20 A Heart That Shouldn't Exist
13/03/2025
Chapter 21 The Countdown Ends
13/03/2025
Chapter 22 A Shadow That Won't Burn
14/03/2025
Chapter 23 No Way Out
14/03/2025