The crowd froze in the town square.
Every head tilted upward.
A meteor.
The colossal mass of fire tore through the black clouds, its blazing tail streaking across the sky like a hellish dragon descending to devour the world. Flames scorched the heavens. The air hissed and crackled. The ground beneath their feet trembled violently.
Ryu stood paralyzed, his face drained of color.
"I–Is that… a meteor?!" His voice was hoarse, nearly swallowed by the rising panic.
"That's impossible…" he whispered again, breath caught in his throat as if his lungs themselves were burning from the falling embers.
Screams erupted.
People shoved and trampled one another, running without direction. Bodies collided. Some fell and were crushed beneath the stampede. The stench of fear filled the air.
Evelyn grabbed Ryu's and Leon's hands tightly. "We have to run!"
Her hands trembled, yet her grip was iron-strong as she dragged them through the sea of terrified bodies.
The meteor drew closer. Its blazing light turned the sky crimson, as though the entire world had caught fire. The air grew unbearably hot; hair lifted from the static charge, skin felt scorched.
And then—
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
A cataclysmic explosion split the earth.
The shockwave rolled outward like a tsunami from hell. Rows of houses were flattened instantly. Bodies were hurled into the air. Trees snapped and ignited.
The ground convulsed violently. Cracks spread like black roots, opening the mouth of the earth to swallow everything above it.
Flames surged forward with waves of dust that devoured the city. Screams mixed with the roar of destruction—a tragic symphony marking the beginning of Indosvara's little apocalypse.
---
After the Blast
"Ukhh—cough—cough!"
Ryu hacked violently. Thick dust obscured his vision. His eyes burned, his nose stung, his chest tightened as if strangled by smoke.
His body staggered, skin aching from being thrown against rubble. He forced himself to stand despite trembling knees. A deafening ringing filled his ears, as if the world had sunk into suffocating silence.
But only one thought echoed in his mind.
Father… Mother… Sister…
His heart stopped for a fraction of a second. Panic devoured his thoughts. He looked around frantically, searching for Evelyn and Leon through the smoke and burning debris.
Through the haze, he saw them—Evelyn and Leon, swaying unsteadily, bloodied and pale… but alive.
"Thank God…" Ryu sobbed in relief.
But the relief lasted only a heartbeat.
His family.
Without waiting, he stumbled toward his home. His breath came in ragged gasps. Every step was agony, but fear drowned out the pain.
"My house… Mom… Dad… Sis…" His voice broke, trembling with restrained sobs.
Evelyn noticed the direction he was running. Her face paled. She chased after him. "Ryu, wait! I'm coming!"
Leon split off in another direction, sprinting toward his own home, dread gripping his heart over his father.
---
Ryu and Evelyn ran through a vision of hell.
Bodies lay scattered—some no more than pieces. A mother wailed over the crushed remains of her child. A little boy screamed for his parents amid the flames. A young couple lay dead, still holding hands, fingers locked together in their final act of love.
Each step felt like a thousand needles piercing Ryu's feet.
He ran through blood. Through screams. Past people still desperately clinging to life.
Tears streamed down his face.
But he did not stop.
His hope clung to one fragile wish: that his family had survived.
---
At last, he arrived.
And froze.
Before him stood nothing but broken wood, shattered bricks, and small flames licking at the ruins of what had once been his home.
Ryu trembled. His hands reached out instinctively. His eyes widened in horror.
"N… no… this can't be…" His voice cracked as his body shook with sobs.
Evelyn stopped behind him, tears spilling freely. She covered her mouth to suppress a scream.
Ryu didn't care.
He rushed into the rubble, trembling hands forcing aside heavy beams with hoarse cries.
"Mom! Dad! Sis! Where are you?!"
His voice echoed—raw, panicked, desperate.
Evelyn joined him, lifting planks with bleeding hands. "Ryu! I'll help! Don't give up!"
Wood splintered. Dust filled the air.
Then—
"R… Ryu…"
A weak voice.
Ryu spun around.
From beneath the debris, his older sister, Elena, emerged—her body covered in wounds, blood trickling from her forehead. She limped, barely able to stand.
"S–Sis!"
Ryu pulled her into a tight embrace, tears bursting free. Evelyn sobbed in relief.
Elena gave a faint smile despite her injuries. "Let's… find Mom and Dad…"
Together, the three of them dug through the wreckage. Their hands bled. Nails tore. They didn't care.
Only one thing mattered: family.
---
And then they found him.
Sato—Ryu's father.
Half his body was crushed beneath a massive slab of stone. Blood pooled around him. His head tilted unnaturally. His eyes stared blankly.
He was already gone.
"No… NOOOOOOO!!!"
Ryu screamed until his voice shattered. Elena collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. Evelyn covered her face, her knees buckling.
But worse—
Beside Sato lay Salsa, their mother.
Still alive.
Her leg was pinned beneath a heavy beam. Her face was pale, lips stained with blood.
"Mom!!!"
The three rushed to her side.
They tried lifting the beam together.
"Hang on, Mom! We'll save you!" Ryu cried, voice raw from sobbing.
But Salsa only smiled weakly, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"My child… it's useless. My leg… is crushed…"
"Don't say that! You'll survive!" Evelyn shouted desperately.
Elena trembled, staring at her mother in horror.
Salsa coughed blood.
"Listen… one last time…"
"Don't say that! Please don't leave us!!!" Ryu screamed, muscles straining as he gripped the beam.
"You… are my treasures… the only ones in this world… Evelyn, Ryu, Elena… thank you… for coloring my life…"
Tears streamed uncontrollably down their faces.
"Please… live on without me. Don't lose hope… even if this world is cruel…"
"Mom!!! Don't talk like that!!!" Elena wailed.
Salsa smiled softly, blood trickling from the corner of her lips.
"Promise me… you three must always stay together. Don't fight. Protect one another…"
Their sobs grew louder.
"There's so much… I want to say… but…" Her voice faded. "Remember… I love you… more than anything…"
Her eyes dimmed.
Her head fell limp.
Her breathing stopped.
"MOMMMMM!!!"
Their screams united, shaking the air.
Ryu clutched his mother's cold body, crying until no sound came out. Evelyn fell to her knees. Elena stared blankly, her mind refusing to accept reality.
Their world had collapsed.
---
But tragedy was not finished.
DUARRR!!!
The earth shook again.
From the massive crater where the meteor had fallen, a pillar of violet light shot into the sky. A horrifying sound echoed—like thousands of beasts roaring at once.
The ground cracked.
And from the crater…
They crawled out.
Monsters.
Their bodies were black and slick, eyes glowing red, teeth sharp as daggers. They howled hungrily—crawling, walking, leaping.
The surviving citizens screamed.
A monster lunged at the nearest human, tearing them apart as blood sprayed. Another bit off a head in a single snap. Claws ripped open stomachs, spilling entrails across the ground. Human screams were replaced by the sickening sound of chewing.
Evelyn staggered, trembling violently.
Elena covered her mouth, tears mixing with rising nausea.
"No… this isn't real…" Ryu muttered, face ghostly pale.
But one of the monsters turned.
Its crimson eyes locked onto them.
With a savage howl, it leapt—landing atop the rubble where Salsa and Sato's bodies lay.
GRAAAAAGHHHH!!!
The monster's massive body crushed them instantly.
Blood exploded outward—splattering across Ryu, Elena, and Evelyn.
Ryu froze.
The world shattered once more.
From eyes filled with tears, a new flame ignited—pure fury.
"Mom… Dad…" His voice trembled. "You weren't even… allowed to remain whole…"
The monster stepped closer. Its claws glistened with fresh blood. Its breath reeked of decay.
Evelyn and Elena grabbed Ryu.
"Ryu! Don't! You'll die if you go near it!" Evelyn screamed.
But the monster advanced, saliva dripping from its jagged teeth.
Elena stepped in front of them, trembling but resolute.
"What do I do… God…"
The monster raised its claw high.
The shadow of death loomed over them.
And just as the claw swung down—
To be continued… ⚔️