Chapter 141

The heavy clouds hung low like the sky was about to collapse. A raging storm sent the waves crashing violently against the jagged coastline. Between the water and the sand, dark, viscous figures crawled onto the shore. Slowly, they began to rise, staggering upright like humans as though learning to walk. Their destination was the city. With each step, their bodies evaporated bit by bit, their movements growing more and more human. Elara saw them. She was sitting on a rock by the sea, watching as the shadowy figures marched toward the city, now devoid of its lights. She wasn't alone. Beside her, a man sat with his long legs dangling over the wet and dark rocks. His ankles were slender and bony, his pale skin almost translucent. He lounged lazily, his elbows propped up and eyes half-lidded like a sunbathing cat, except he wasn't basking in the sun. He was basking in the glow of the luminous silver eyes above him. Elara glanced up at the sky, then quickly looked away. Something a