The world around Takeshi was shifting again. The desert stretched endlessly in all directions, the sand shifting with a cold, eerie wind. He barely had time to take it all in before the shadow moved again.
Asami grabbed his arm, pulling him toward a nearby rock formation. "We need to go. Now."
Takeshi's heart was racing. "What... what is that?" he asked, his voice shaky. The thing in the distance was growing closer, a dark mass that seemed to swallow everything in its path.
Asami didn't answer. She was already moving, dragging him along with her. "I told you—it's hunting us. We have no time to explain. Not yet."
They ran, the sand kicking up behind them as the shadow followed, never losing ground. Takeshi could feel it closing in on them, something cold and suffocating in the air around him.
"What is that thing?" he asked again, his voice barely above a whisper.
Asami didn't slow down. "It's a Drift Beast. A creature born from the deepest parts of Nehvarra. They hunt Drifters like us."
Takeshi's stomach dropped. "What do we do? How do we stop it?"
Asami glanced over her shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. "You don't stop it. You survive. That's all we can do."
Takeshi's mind was spinning. He'd never felt this powerless before. The Drift, his power, everything that had seemed so amazing now felt like a curse. He wasn't ready for this. Not this.
They reached a narrow canyon, the walls high and jagged. Asami stopped, pulling Takeshi behind a large rock.
The shadow loomed closer, now only a few hundred feet away. It moved like liquid darkness, shifting and warping with every step.
Takeshi's breath caught in his throat. The shadow was almost upon them. There was nowhere left to run.
Asami turned to him, her face grim. "This is it, Takeshi. I can't protect you. You have to fight."
Takeshi stared at her in disbelief. "Fight? I don't even know how to use my power!"
The shadow seemed to hear them. It surged forward, faster than before, its shape becoming clearer—it was a creature, a massive beast of shadow with glowing red eyes that pierced through the dark like twin stars.
Asami gripped his arm, her face hardening. "You'll figure it out. You don't have a choice."
The Drift inside him surged to life, stronger than ever. He could feel it, a power building deep within him, trying to break free. But it wasn't just his power. Something else was inside him, something ancient and dangerous. The Drift was calling to him, pushing him toward the Beast.
His heart pounded in his chest as he felt the power rip through him, like a dam breaking. The world around him blurred, the shadows twisting into shapes he couldn't understand.
But he didn't have time to think. The Beast was already on them.
Asami's voice rang in his ears. "Do it now, Takeshi!"
With a shout, Takeshi reached out, letting the Drift flood through him. It felt like his entire body was burning with power, the energy spilling out of him in a bright burst of light.
For a moment, everything was still.
Then, the world exploded.
The light crashed into the shadow, but instead of vanishing, the Beast absorbed it. The shadow seemed to grow even larger, stronger, as if the Drift was feeding it.
Takeshi screamed, struggling to hold onto his control. It wasn't working. The Drift was slipping through his fingers like sand.
The Beast lunged.
But just before it reached them, a crack of bright, searing light ripped through the sky.
And then, everything went black.
End of Chapter 10.