Chapter 37: Surrounded, For Real?

As we continued our hasty retreat from the mountain, my grip on the key of pure aura's power began to wane. The energy that had surged through me, granting me strength and vitality, started to vanish like a receding tide.

I stumbled, my legs feeling suddenly heavy and uncooperative. The aura that had wrapped around me, invigorating my tired body, dissipated as swiftly as it had arrived. My strength drained away, and I found myself falling to the ground, weakened and vulnerable.

Alex's eyes widened in alarm as she watched me collapse, panic and worry instantly washing over her. She knelt beside me, her voice trembling with concern. "Ethan, are you okay? What happened?"

I struggled to catch my breath, my body feeling as though it had been hollowed out. "I'm fine," I managed to reply, my voice weak but resolute. "The aura's power... it's gone. But I'm okay."

Alex's eyes searched mine, her worry etched across her face. "Are you sure? You just collapsed out of nowhere."

I nodded, doing my best to reassure her. "I'm sure, Alex. It's just that... the aura's effects were temporary. I can't sustain that level of power for long."

Reluctantly, she accepted my explanation, though her concern didn't wane. As she looked down at me, her expression shifted, and she seemed to hesitate.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my curiosity piqued by the uncertainty in her gaze.

Alex bit her lip, her brows furrowing in confusion. "It's just... when you fell, your face... it changed."

I blinked in surprise, not entirely comprehending her words. "Changed? What do you mean?"

She seemed at a loss for words, but then she attempted to explain. "Your facial shape... it shifted slightly, as if... as if you became someone else for just a moment."

Confusion knitted my brow as I tried to process what she was saying. My face had changed? It didn't make any sense.

Before I could respond, a sudden chill swept over us, and an eerie silence descended upon the area. It was a silence that foretold danger, and I could feel a shiver of apprehension coursing through me.

And then, with unsettling swiftness, they descended from the sky like phantoms. Vampires, their forms graceful and predatory, landed on their feet around us, forming a menacing circle. Their crimson eyes gleamed with malevolent hunger, and their lips curled into sinister smiles.

Alex and I were trapped, surrounded by our relentless pursuers. The vampires had tracked us down, their tactics and abilities far beyond anything we had encountered before.

My heart raced as I realized the gravity of our situation. We were outnumbered and cornered, with no clear means of escape. The fleeting power of the key of pure aura had deserted me, leaving me vulnerable and unprepared.

As the vampires closed in, the shifting realities of our perilous journey took on a new and dire dimension. We had eluded them before, but now, in this moment of vulnerability, the full extent of their cunning and ruthlessness was about to be revealed.