"Aghhhh!" The screams of a man echoed throughout the street as the flying monster caught up to him. He was slow as he carried a 2-year-old child.
Screeech!
Everyone turned back and looked at the man, but no one helped.
The terrifying flying monster approached.
It opened its beak and flew at the man.
"At least help my child! I'm begging you! I'M BEGGING YOU!" The man screamed at the top of his lungs, but no one looked at him.
Vincent looked back. He wanted to help. Seeing the struggling father, he truly wanted to help. But his body moved on its own. His survival instincts prevented his body from stopping, as he knew if he stopped, it would be a certain death.
'It's over,' Vincent closed his eyes in regret as he saw the flying monster was almost upon the man.
'I'm sorry!' He turned his attention before him and continued running.
Creech!
The scream of the beast rang behind the man.
The man's expression turned dark, void of hope. Only hate remained on his face—hate for the world and humans.
"YOU BASTARDS!" He roared as he felt the impending doom behind him. "I hope you all die a horrible death! I hope none of you survives!!"
THUD!
"AGHHHH!" The man screamed as the monster's beak caught his head. Pain surged through his body as he felt his head almost burst under the clenching of the monster's beak. He felt his feet leave the ground.
Swoosh!
Just as the monster picked him up in the air, the man threw his child on the ground in one last attempt to buy his child one more second of life. One more second in this rotten world.
"AGHHHH!" The screams of the man echoed in the ears of the escaping humans as the monster brought him higher in the sky, and the grip of the monster's beak tightened around his head.
The veins on his forehead popped up, and his eyes enlarged, almost bursting from their sockets.
"RrraaaAAACK!"
Splash!
The man let out one last cry. The monster used the full force of its beak, crushing his skull.
The man's headless body started falling while the beast munched on the remains of his head in its beak. Parts of the smashed brain flowed out of the hollow holes in the beak.
Thud!
The lifeless body of the man hit the ground.
The monster descended and started feeding on the man.
"WAAA! Whaaaa!"
The cries of the 2-year-old child filled the air. It cried in pain, in fear. The child cried for help.
But no one turned to help. Everyone continued running for their life.
The body of the man brought the running civilians some time to escape.
Vincent turned back for one last time, only to see the monster feeding on the man in the distance.
Luckily for him, there was no other monster in sight.
He ran toward the marketplace; even the outskirts lay half-collapsed, but some buildings still stood.
The roofs had collapsed into the houses, and the outer wall had thick cracks, but they still stood.
The marketplace stalls were destroyed. Fruits and vegetables rolled on the ground, many smashed by vendors who had abandoned their stalls, running for their lives.
Vincent separated from the running crowd and took a shortcut to his house.
He thought of nothing but surviving - not living, not saving, just not dying.
The side of his abdomen hurt. He felt his lungs burn.
Dust lingered in the air.
With every breath he took, the earthly smell reminded him of the grim reality. This was not a dream.
If he stopped running, he would die. Despite his terrible stamina and years of smoking catching up to him, Vincent didn't stop and pushed through the pain.
He reached his house at last.
A bitter smile formed on his face. 'As expected...'
His house has collapsed.
But it was one of the more fragile buildings around, so it didn't surprise him.
'This isn't too bad,' Vincent thought as he looked at the house behind the remains of his home. He walked on the pathway and stopped before the house.
Behind this house was another, placing the house between two buildings, which, in Vincent's opinion, made it safer for hiding.
Screeeech!
A scream tore through the air.
Vincent's heart skipped a beat.
He could tell the monster was not far from him.
Crash!
He smashed through the window of the house. The rubble of his collapsed house blocked the entrance to the house, so he had no other choice.
Vincent entered the house slowly and carefully, not to cut himself on the glass.
Luckily for him, no one lived in this house.
Screech!
Another scream rang outside. It was now much closer.
A line of cold sweat crawled down his spine; the thought that it was too late crossed his mind.
Thud!
As he entered the house, his body collapsed.
His arms and legs trembled.
The supply of adrenaline stopped, and reality started setting in.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bathroom.
Without a second thought, he stood up and, with shaky steps, reached the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him.
The bathroom only had a small, high window, so no monster could spot him through it, making it the safest place in the house.
Once again, he collapsed to the ground.
A wave of nausea attacked him.
He crouched in the corner of the bathroom and hugged his knees.
Each time he blinked, he saw the child's falling body - small, weightless, innocent.
The curses of the dying father echoed in his ears.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," He muttered continuously.
His hands wouldn't stop trembling. His mind whispered - coward.
"Shut up!" Vincent grabbed his hair, pulling on it as tears rolled down his face. "I couldn't do anything, I couldn't do anything. It was not my fault."
Screech!
A scream of a monster rang from outside.
Boom!
The sound of a building collapsing reached Vincent's ears.
The beast was somewhere near Vincent.
Not long after, a scream of a dying man echoed outside.
Vincent's insides turned upside down as he could hear the beast feeding on the man while he was still alive. The feeling of being eaten alive was something Vincent didn't want to imagine.
He covered his ears and closed his eyes, praying as he cut himself from the outside world.
Slowly, with no sound to interrupt him, Vincent diverted his mind from the guilt.
'How can I survive?' He started focusing his thoughts on survival.
The seconds turned into minutes, and the minutes into hours. Vincent took his time thinking, remaining unmoving with his eyes and ears still closed.
'It's a good thing I left the group,' Vincent thought. 'In the fear and the heat of the moment, many would think it's better to stick with a larger group, but it is safer to be alone. In a large group, we are just a bigger target, relying on luck to see who gets plucked out first until no one is left.
I saw several more towers fly in the sky, but I doubt they were the only ones that fell. There might be more. However, considering the tower's height, it can be spotted from a distance. So there shouldn't be any outside the city.'
While focusing all his energy on thinking, Vincent forgot about his guilt.
'Going outside the city is a big no. The military bases are outside the city, but they will need resources—a lot of resources. I don't want to risk it. Yes, that is safer, but what will one eat if they don't have resources? I won't be the only one going to them, that is certain.
If I go to the military, they might protect me for the first few days. But inevitably, they will put me up to dangerous tasks. I will just be waiting for my death. But if I play things right and live cautiously, I think I can survive alone.'
'The body can survive longer without food. The most pressing matter is to secure water. A frown appeared on Vincent's face. 'But I doubt the water network or the electricity network survived. The tower crash must have destroyed everything. So I can only hope there is some bottled water in this house or the adjacent house.'
"AGHHHH! Help - me!" A scream reached his ears, even though he kept his ears tightly closed.
His eyes snapped open, and his heartbeat rocketed.
It only meant one thing.
He was close.
Vincent slowly took his palm off his ears.
The sound of hungry growls reached his ears, and the screams of the man intensified.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Thud!
Crash!
The body of the man slammed into the wall, shattering the bathroom window.
Glass fell inside the bathroom.
Tears welled in Vincent's eyes, and his head spun, his life flashing before his eyes.
The horrifying munching of the monster feasting on the dead body echoed in his ears.
It was just under his window.
A warm, metallic smell reached his nose.
Blood.
Vincent wrapped his palms around his mouth.
A wave of nausea attacked him, and he barely held in his puke.
But if he made a sound now, he would die.
Like that, the seconds turned into minutes, and Vincent was forced to sit quietly and listen to the monster feasting, not daring to make a sound.
'The monsters were set loose just now; they are rampaging and killing everything in their way.' Vincent thought. 'The situation should calm down in a few days.' He could only console himself, even though he hardly believed his own thoughts.
But it was the only way to cope with the mental pressure.
Only a wall separated him from a bloodthirsty monster.
His mind was on the verge of breaking; only his will to survive kept it together.
The torture lasted for an hour before the monster left.
Night fell.
Vincent stayed vigilant, not daring to fall asleep. The screams of his kin would occasionally reach his ears, and the roars of the monsters would shake his bones, keeping him awake throughout the night.
As the sun rose, Vincent's exhaustion caught up with him.
While his consciousness drifted into uneasy sleep, somewhere far beyond the sky...
...
On one of the moons.
A tower stood in the heart of a crater - dark, gloomy, wrong. Space itself bent in its presence, as if reality itself opposed its existence.
Demonic holiness spread from the tower.
The tower gates were wide open, reaching dozens of meters in height. A pathway of dark violet bricks led to the entrance of the tower, with the sides lit by violet flames burning inside skulls that stood on white spines.
One could not see anything beyond the tower gate. It was pure darkness, with three pairs of red eyes occasionally appearing.
...
On the top floor of the tower, a throne stood alone.
Throne dozens of meters tall, purely made of white bones, bones of beings with strange skeletons. A throne of fallen foes.
A demoness knelt at the foot of the throne, bowing to the entity sitting on the throne.
An entity cloaked in shadows
Demonic holiness released from the being.
The banners hung from the top floor's ceiling swayed without any wind - banners telling the story of great battles of a being covered in shadows.
And behind the throne hung a banner of a celestial map.
Just the sight of this entity could kill, make even the gods tremble.
"My lord," The demoness spoke softly, her skin crimson, he figure both divine and vile. Black wings protruded from her back, and her tail, ending in a black arrowhead, swayed in the air.
She rose, holding a black scroll in her hands.
"Your majesty, we investigated this planet," She unrolled the scroll. "The inhabitants on this planet call themselves humans. Weak, fragile - useless as slaves - but edible. Our lesser clansmen enjoy their taste. We could breed them for livestock.
"This galaxy is a waste. Barely any mana in the air." A voice rang, a voice deep and dark, as if coming from the abyss itself.
"Yes, my lord. But the dimensional rift will soon spread mana through this world. Mutations will occur."
BOOM!
A wave of power rippled through the throne room. A power of decay, power of doom.
"I hate unpredictable outcomes, Karai,"
The demoness trembled. "Forgive me, my king. I will monitor everything personally."
"Good. The universal restrictions still bind us?"
"Yes, my lord. Only the lowest demons can leave the towers. Greater beings risk destruction. The vice commander, Gallion the Shadowweaver, has already paid the price for defying the universal rules. But once mana is introduced into this world, the bindings will weaken."
"How long?"
"Several years for a greater demon, but for you, my king..."
The demoness hesitated.
"This galaxy cannot withstand your power. Decades, maybe even centuries before you can descend."
The darkness on the throne pulsed with irritation.
"So be it. We will dry this system, recharge the nexus, and move on."
"Yes, your majesty,"
"Leave,"
The demons bowed and backed away, never daring to turn her back.
As she left, the king's voice rumbled through the throne room.
"Let the world drown in mana. Let them evolve, suffer, and devour each other. Entertain me till your time is up."
...
Crack!
Vincent's eyes snapped open.
'Am I imagining things?' For a second, Vincent forgot where he was.
He glanced at the bathroom window. Judging by the light, it was dusk, or maybe not. The dimensional rift devoured the light of the sun, so he couldn't judge.
Crack!
Another sound. Glass cracking. From the other side of the bathroom door.
'No...Did it return?'
The hairs on Vincent's body stood up in fear; his pulse spiked.
His gaze swept through the small room - nothing useful. The only useful thing was the curtain rod above the bathtub, but taking it down now would kill him faster than the monster.
Adrenaline rushed through Vincent's veins as his fear intensified.
He tiptoed to the door and peeked through the keyhole.
'What is that? A human?'
A figure walked past the keyhole.
Vincent took a step back and closed his eyes. 'Let's calm down and think logically,' he said, taking deep breaths and considering the possibilities for a few moments.
'No!' His eyes flew open, logic kicked in. 'It's not a monster. If it's a monster, not to mention how it has entered without causing a huge commotion, if it walks around, with its weight and size, the sound of its footsteps would be far louder.'
With a trembling palm, Vincent extended his arm and touched the door handle, hesitating. Though his deduction seemed logical, he didn't know the weight of the creatures. He might be wrong. It was a gamble.
Soundlessly, Vincent opened the door and peered.