Beyond Mortals

The night air was crisp, filled with the sounds of laughter and rustling costumes as children ran from house to house, their bags overflowing with candy. The streets were lined with jack-o'-lanterns, casting eerie glows onto the sidewalks.

Alex adjusted his hoodie as he and Nate walked toward the park. "I still can't believe I forgot it was Halloween."

"Dude, how?" Nate scoffed, popping a piece of candy into his mouth. "It's literally the best day of the year—free candy, haunted houses, free candy."

"I dunno. Been a little distracted lately." Alex flexed his fingers, feeling the cold metal of his ring press against his skin. He hadn't told Nate how weird it had been acting lately, and honestly, he didn't want to think about it tonight.

The park entrance came into view. Under the dim streetlights, Leannah stood waiting for them, arms crossed.

"You're late," she said.

"Yeah, well, some of us don't have supernatural time perception," Nate muttered, stuffing more candy into his pocket.

Leannah ignored him, her sharp gaze scanning their surroundings. "Something feels… off."

Alex frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before she could answer—everything changed.

Scene 2: The Voice in the Sky

One second, the park was full of life—the next, it was frozen.

The laughter, the shuffling of footsteps, the rustling leaves—gone.

The wind stopped. Streetlights flickered and stilled. The world had been trapped in a photograph.

Alex's heart pounded. "What the—"

Nate snapped his fingers in front of a frozen trick-or-treater. No response. He took a step back. "Okay. Nope. Nope, nope, NOPE."

Leannah's eyes darkened. "This isn't normal magic…"

Then—

The sky rumbled.

A deep, inhuman voice filled the air, vibrating through the ground, through their bones.

"YOU CANNOT HIDE FROM ME."

Alex's breath hitched. The voice wasn't loud, but it swallowed the entire world.

Dark clouds gathered, twisting violently above them, swallowing the stars.

Lightning cracked—revealing something massive moving within the storm. A silhouette, shifting, unseen—but terrifyingly real.

Leannah's fists clenched. "It's him."

Alex swallowed. "Who?"

She didn't turn to look at him. "The Dark Master."

The storm rumbled again.

"LEANNAH. YOU CONTINUE TO INTERFERE."

Leannah's voice was steady. "I will never stop."

A slow, dark chuckle filled the air. "STILL AS DEFIANT AS EVER. BUT YOU KNOW THIS WAR IS FUTILE."

Alex's stomach twisted. "What war?"

The sky churned. The presence in the clouds shifted, but it was impossible to grasp its true form.

Then—it spoke directly to Alex.

"AND YOU… CHILD. YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU."

Alex felt his wrist ring turn ice-cold. He clutched his hand over it instinctively. "I—I don't know what you're talking about."

"DO NOT LIE TO ME."

A BOOM cracked through the sky. The streetlights shattered, plunging the world into darkness.

Nate yelped. "Dude. DUDE. Can we leave now?"

Leannah took a step forward, standing between Alex and the storm. "Leave him alone!"

The voice hummed. "SO YOU HAVE NOT TOLD HIM THE TRUTH."

Leannah didn't answer.

Alex turned to her. "What does he mean?"

Before she could respond—

The storm dissolved.

The clouds faded. The stars reappeared. The shattered streetlights flickered back to life.

Time resumed.

Children ran past them, laughing. Cars honked. The wind blew once more.

But Alex, Nate, and Leannah stood frozen.

Because the Dark Master had just given his first warning.

And it wouldn't be the last.

Scene 3: Searching for Normal

The air still felt heavy as they walked through the town's Halloween festival.

Alex kept glancing up at the sky, half-expecting the clouds to twist again, for that voice to return.

"So… that was new," Nate muttered, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. "A giant evil sky-god thing knows you exist now. That's totally fine."

Leannah walked beside them, silent, deep in thought.

Alex exhaled. "We need to focus on blending in. If we act weird, people are going to notice."

"So what, we just pretend we didn't get a death threat from the sky?"

"Yes," Alex said flatly.

Nate groaned. "I hate this."

A costume shop came into view, its windows glowing with orange string lights.

Leannah stopped, frowning at the decorations. "Why do you celebrate this strange custom?"

Alex blinked. "Wait—you don't know what Halloween is?"

Leannah shook her head.

Nate gasped dramatically. "Oh, this is criminal. We are fixing this immediately." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward the store.

Leannah raised an eyebrow. "I can walk on my own."

"Not the point."

Inside, the shop was packed with kids trying on capes, masks, and vampire teeth. Alex and Nate led Leannah to the costume aisle.

"Alright," Nate said. "Pick something. Anything."

Leannah's eyes scanned the options—witches, ghosts, superheroes—before she reached for a black, hooded cloak. "This will do."

Nate groaned. "Boring. Try this." He handed her a sparkly unicorn onesie.

Leannah glared. "Absolutely not."

Alex chuckled, his shoulders finally relaxing for the first time that night. Maybe, just for a little while, they could pretend things were normal.

Even if they weren't.

To Be Continued…