Chapter XII - 12: The Oni (edited)

                                    

                                          
"Don't feel guilty for doing what's best for you." - unknown  
Third Person
Hope heard someone's roar, too. "Are you all right?" he asked Hope, noting the sudden way she turned away from him. 
Through the skylight's reflection, Hope saw her eyes glow gold. She fought against the animal instinct that pulsed through her veins, the lingering effect of the wolf's howl.
"Hope?" Scott called, tilting his head in concern.
"I'm fine," she said, her gaze drifting back to her reflection. This time, the gold sheen in her eyes had vanished. "What did you hear?"
She faced him again, sweeping her hair aside. Scott shook his head. "I think I heard Derek. We should get downstairs—I've got a bad feeling."
They hurried down to rejoin the party and arrived just in time to see Derek gripping the bouncer's neck—the one who was supposed to guard the DJ.
"Is that him? Derek?" Hope asked.
"Yeah," Scott confirmed, as they watched Derek fling the bouncer aside and seize the DJ's table, hurling it across the room. The entire crowd stopped and stared, too shocked to move.
Derek turned his gaze on the crowd, his glare so fierce that Hope feared it might cut them down where they stood.
"GET OUT!" he roared, the floor seeming to tremble beneath his voice.
"Damn, dude!" someone shouted, and then it was chaos—people shoving and clawing to reach the exits, desperate to escape. In moments, nearly everyone had fled.
A heavy silence fell, and in that stillness Hope and the others noticed a new presence: dark figures lurking in the dim light, each hidden behind a strange black mask. They were almost one with the shadows, barely distinguishable but unmistakably there.
"Scott, who are those guys?" Hope asked, nodding toward the masked strangers. Scott had no answer; he and the rest of the pack stood frozen. Nearby, Allison and Isaac steadied one of the twins, the tension crackling through the air.
Gradually, Hope realized they were the only ones left—Scott's pack remained, along with Rafael and Kira, who also stared at these eerie newcomers. Hope's own friends had vanished into the night.
In a synchronized shift, the masked figures turned their focus on Ethan. "Guys...they're all looking at me," he said, voice unsteady.
Moving in perfect unison, the masked forms stepped closer. Ethan's eyes darted nervously. "Why are they all looking at me?" he asked, panic rising with each identical stride they took toward him.
With no warning, Derek and Scott sprang into action, charging at the intruders. Their fists cut through the air, but the masked figures moved elegantly, almost casually slipping around every strike. Each attempted blow fell short, as though these beings had already seen it coming before the attack began.
Hope watched as Derek tried to snap one creature's neck, only to have it twist unnaturally and fling Derek hard against the wall.
Scott lunged next, but his target dodged with a graceful swirl and effortlessly knocked the Alpha to the floor. Isaac and Rafael charged in together, hoping a two-on-one assault might succeed. In response, the creature spun around and drew an obsidian blade from its own chest, dark mist curling around its form. The blade danced through the air in fluid arcs, forcing both boys to stumble back, instantly recognizing the hopelessness of a direct fight.
With lethal precision, the creatures closed in on Ethan. The one before him pressed a hand against his neck while two others restrained him. The flickering glow of their firefly-like eyes mesmerized him, leaving him frozen. The creature tilted its head, and an instant later, a sizzling burn ran through Ethan's body, dropping him to the ground.