🌸 Chapter 9: Shadows of Fire

The city was cloaked in a gray haze, the aftermath of rain leaving puddles that reflected the dim glow of streetlights. Ashi walked briskly along the sidewalk, her bag clutched against her chest, drenched from the remnants of the morning drizzle. Every step felt heavier, not from fatigue, but from the weight of unease pressing on her chest. Her mind replayed the events of the past week—the shadows, the strange black car, the man who seemed to appear wherever she went. And the nightmares, vivid and relentless, which had begun to consume her nights entirely.