The sky dawned covered with heavy clouds. The air felt cold, motionless, and the city was still waking in silence. In a simple but well-kept room, a fifteen-year-old girl slowly opened her eyes, Hallara Daytona.
Another ordinary day.
She sits up in bed, still sleepy, and looks at the clock: exactly 06:00. She sighs and walks to the kitchen, where the smell of freshly brewed coffee welcomes her. Her mother, Dalza, is already there, absentmindedly stirring an empty pot.
— Hi, mom… I'm going to get ready for school, okay? — says Daytona, her voice still heavy with sleep.
— Alright, daughter. I didn't have time to prepare anything for breakfast, so take this money and buy something on the way. — her mother replies, giving a quick smile and returning to the cabinets.
Daytona grabs the bills on the table and goes back to her room, puts on her uniform, ties her hair, and leaves. The morning wind is cold, but comforting. The city seemed too quiet.
At the bus station, she sits on a bench and stares at the ground impatiently.
— What a delay… I'm going to be late again. — she murmurs.
She raises her gaze, there is a small snack stand further ahead.
— Well… since the bus isn't coming, I might as well eat something.
She walks to the stand and buys a warm piece of bread, but barely takes the first bite when the sound of a bus engine echoes behind her. Daytona turns, runs as fast as she can, but the bus leaves.
Out of breath, she bends forward, resting her hands on her knees. At that moment, a dark, gleaming car stops beside her, a familiar car. The window rolls down, and a familiar face appears.
— Late again, huh? — it was Huracán, her longtime friend, with a confident smile. — Get in, I'll take you.
Daytona looks at him, surprised.
— Wow! What car is this? How did you know I'd pass by here?
— I always pass here. I thought I might find you. You still take that old bus? Now we go by car… — he jokes, opening the glove compartment.
— Is this car yours?!
— My dad's. — he answers, laughing. — But for now, it's with me.
The sound of the engine echoes through the streets until the school gate, where they meet Martin, the third of the group. He seemed to have been running.
— Good to see you again! — Martin says, excited.
— Good to see you too! — Daytona replies, opening a genuine smile.
The trio walks through the corridors full of voices and hurried footsteps. The day passes between monotonous classes, quiet jokes, and small silences only teenagers understand.
At recess, Daytona finds herself alone climbing the stairs, absentmindedly staring at nothing.
— Lately some… strange things have been happening. — she murmurs to herself.
— Talking to yourself now? — Martin asks, appearing behind her with his usual calm demeanor.
Daytona laughs. — You heard everything?
— Not everything… I was looking at the ceiling.
— And why do you always look at the ceiling?
— My thing. — he answers, going down the stairs. — Even I don't really understand it.
Hours later, the bell marks the end of classes. Huracán and Daytona take the car to her house. On the way, the conversation stays light, almost carefree.
— What are you going to do tonight? — Huracán asks.
— Go out with my parents. They said it's a birthday surprise!
— Must be a trip.
— Maybe… — she replies, looking at the sky through the window.
Later that night, the trio meets in the garage of Daytona's house. Her father and mother are already ready inside the car.
— Is Martin coming with us too? — the mother asks.
— Yes, if it's not a problem. — he replies.
— Not at all. Get in, we're going to be late.
The car glides along the dark road, under a thin rain. The speedometer shows 120 km/h. The trees bend with the wind. Daytona rests her head against the window, watching the headlights cut through the night.
Until something appears on the road.
A man completely unrecognizable.
He was entirely black and seemed to wear no clothes, he was practically an anomaly.
Her father tries to swerve, but the car skids, spins several times and plunges into a ravine covered with trees.
The impact is devastating. Daytona is thrown outside when the door opens. She falls violently, rolling across the ground until stopping exactly on a red circle, drawn with symbols and lit candles.
The sound of rain and fire mixes.
She is startled by the scene and by what happened. — What is this!?
She tries to stand, her right arm throbbing.
— Ah… my forearm… I think it's broken… — she murmurs, her voice trembling.
The smell of iron, earth and smoke surrounds her. Looking at the circle, she notices the central symbol, a pentagram, still glowing.
She panics, stands up quickly and staggers toward the overturned car already in flames. Inside, she finds Martin, injured but alive.
— Daytona! Are you okay?!
— I don't know… and my parents?
Martin lowers his head. — I couldn't get them out… the car was too destroyed.
— No… it can't be… — she panics, her voice breaking.
— We need to get out of here! — he insists. — There might be something in this forest.
Martin grabs her hand and pulls her. They run along the muddy road, trying to find help. No car passes. The silence weighs.
Until suddenly, headlights appear in the distance. A black SUV stops beside them. The window lowers, revealing a serious-looking man, with discreet scars on his face.
— Need help? — the driver asks, firm voice.
— Yes! Thank you for stopping! — Martin says.
— You can call me Ghost. — the man replies, looking at them through the rearview mirror. — And you?
— I'm Hallara Daytona, and this is Martin Zantanna.
— Get in. It's not safe to stay here.
The car continues silently along the night road.
— What were you doing here so late? — Ghost asks.
Daytona explains, still in shock. Ghost only nods his head. — Tragic… I'm heading to a hotel nearby. You can spend the night there.
The reception clock read exactly 00:00 when they entered.
— Just one night, — Ghost says to the attendant.
He hands the key to Martin. — Rest. Tomorrow morning I'll come back. I have matters to resolve.
In the room, the silence is heavy. Daytona sits on the bed, looking at her forearm.
The pain… disappeared.
— Martin… look at this. It stopped hurting.
— What do you mean?
— It was broken. Now it feels… normal.
— That's strange. — he replies, lying down.
Daytona tries to sleep. But that night, sleep brings something that is not a dream, it is a call.
She awakens in a dark, humid place, covered in mist, the same forest from the accident, but different. The sky pulses in red.
— Where am I? Anyone there…? — she whispers.
A dull sound echoes behind her. When she turns, she sees a colossal figure, dark skin with the texture of living stone. On its head, a goat skull served as a mask.
The creature's eyes were completely black and deep.
— Daytona… you are smaller than I imagined. — the creature says.
She falls backward, terrified. — Who are you?!
— I am Belzebub. — he answers calmly. — And it was in my circle that you fell. It was not an accident. I chose you… you need me, I need you, we need each other.
— Why me?!
Belzebub says, his voice echoing throughout the place. — That accident earlier was not a real accident, it was arranged. Something bigger, a king planned it, and if you want revenge, come with me. And I also need you, Daytona.
The forest seems to tremble.
— But wake up now. Tomorrow we will talk properly.
— Wait! Don't leave yet!
Daytona awakens, sweating. The room is silent. The clock reads 03:15.
She looks at her arm, it was completely healed.
She stays silent for long seconds, her heart racing.
— What… happened to me? — she murmurs.
And there, in the dark, Daytona realizes that something had begun, something that would change everything.
End of the Pilot Episode.