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Lumi barely had time to move before a figure burst from the mist—a shape of twisting shadows and sharp, unnatural angles. Its limbs were too long, its fingers curved into talon-like claws.
A single thought exploded in her mind: Run.
But before she could react, the frog on her shoulder let out a piercing croak, louder than should have been possible. A burst of shimmering green light erupted between them and the creature, sending it skidding backward into the fog. It let out a guttural hiss—high-pitched, grating, like glass shattering inside her skull.
Lumi stumbled back, her heart hammering. "What—what was that?"
The robed man didn’t flinch. "A Mistborn. A hunter. And it has already marked you."
Marked.
Lumi’s skin prickled, and she glanced at her arms, half-expecting to see some eerie symbol burned into her flesh. But there was nothing—only a lingering coldness, like something unseen had wrapped around her.
The Mistborn shifted in the fog, its distorted form flickering in and out of sight. Its face—if it had one—remained obscured, but she could feel it watching. Waiting.
The frog’s voice whispered into her mind. They have finally found you.
A slow, crawling fear spread through her chest. "Why are they after me?"
The man’s silver-green eyes darkened. "Because you are the last of your kind."
Lumi’s breath hitched.
The last?
No. That wasn’t possible. There had to be others. Her mother, at least.
She turned to him. "My mother—she’s alive, isn’t she?"
For the first time, something like regret flickered across his expression. "She was."
The past tense sent a dagger through Lumi’s heart.
Before she could demand answers, the Mistborn lunged again—faster this time, a blur of black mist and jagged limbs.
Lumi’s instincts took over. She barely registered her own body moving, but suddenly she was diving backward, her arms outstretched. The air around her shifted, thickened—like the moment before a downpour.
The Mistborn hit an invisible force and reeled back, snarling.
Lumi gasped, her hands trembling. "What—what did I just do?"
The man studied her, something unreadable in his gaze. "You awakened."
Lumi blinked. "Awakened?"
But there was no time for answers. The Mistborn let out another ear-splitting shriek. More shapes moved in the mist, creeping closer.
"We need to go," the man said, his voice urgent. "Now."
Lumi hesitated. She had spent her whole life here, in this cottage, believing she was just a girl with strange eyes. But that was a lie.
And now, the truth was clawing its way toward her.
She took one last look at the cottage—her home, her small, simple life. Then she turned away and ran into the mist.
The hunt had begun.
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