End of the night

Ezra had pinned his last hope on the dimming lights of Quentin Square, but as the last crystal lamp powered down, he realized he was in great danger. He immediately turned back and looked behind him, desperate to find another safe zone.

But the street lamps behind him had already turned off and the ones in front were flickering rapidly, their power crystals almost on the verge of returning to their dormant state.

Ezra looked around him, hoping to find a house or an inn on whose doors he could knock to escape the clutches of the Shadow Lurkers, but this part of the city had no residential buildings, and the only concrete structures flanking the road were the statues of Valaria’s old kings and stargazing courtyards with open roofs.

There were open parks in the distance, and a couple of car repair shops, but not a single soul was stirring at this late hour, and none of the stores had any lights on.

Ezra could hear the Shadow Lurkers chittering in the darkness and in the dim light cast by