SWNOVELXO Chapter 9: The Approaching Cataclysm
The night stretched on, thick with tension. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, the droplets hissing against the cracked pavement. The ruined city stood in eerie silence, the usual distant cries of the infected completely absent.
Lucien stood at the edge of the rooftop, his golden eyes locked onto the horizon. The unnatural fog continued to roll in, swallowing entire districts beneath its suffocating embrace. The horde was getting closer.
Selene and Valeria were beside him, their expressions grim.
Eris, standing a few steps behind, seemed uneasy, her golden eyes flickering with something close to fear.
Lucien's fingers flexed at his side. Something about this was wrong.
Too quiet. Too controlled.
He exhaled sharply. If it's behaving like an army… then there's a commander.
Selene's voice was barely above a whisper. "Lucien… something is different about this."
He didn't answer immediately. He had already noticed.
The zombies in the distance didn't move like the mindless wanderers they were supposed to be. They were organized, their march slow but deliberate. The beasts within the fog were more than just mutated animals—they were waiting.
Waiting for something.
Lucien let mana trickle into his senses. The world around him sharpened. He could hear it now.
The synchronized, rhythmic breathing of thousands.
The low, guttural snarls of beasts, their claws scraping against shattered stone.
And beyond all of it—something else.
A presence, buried deep within the mist, pulsing with dark energy. Watching him.
Lucien clenched his jaw. It's testing me.
Valeria tapped her fingers against her cane. "It's too controlled. Someone's behind this."
Lucien nodded. "Not just someone." His golden eyes glowed faintly. "Something."
Selene's grip tightened on his sleeve. "Can we win?"
Lucien turned to her, taking in the way her deep violet eyes searched his face. He knew what she really meant.
Could he protect them?
Lucien reached out, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear. His touch was gentle, but his voice was firm.
"I won't let anything touch you. Either of you."
Selene lowered her gaze, trusting him completely.
Valeria smirked slightly, but there was no amusement in her eyes. "Then let's prepare."
Lucien nodded. "We don't have much time."
As they descended into the building, Lucien's mind raced.
This is bad. I should have noticed it sooner.
No. I did notice. I just didn't think it would escalate this fast.
He exhaled slowly. Mistake.
I can't afford mistakes.
Barricades needed to be reinforced. Paths needed to be cleared for escape routes. Weapons needed to be ready.
Eris, who had been quiet, finally spoke. "There's something… wrong with that fog." Her voice was hushed. "It feels… alive."
Lucien stopped walking. His golden eyes flicked toward her. "What do you mean?"
Eris hesitated, her fingers curling into her sleeves. "It's… pressing down on me. On my mana. It's like something is watching through it." Her golden eyes met his. "I think the fog itself is alive."
Lucien's expression darkened. Mana suppression.
That meant whoever was controlling this wasn't just powerful—they were deliberate.
Valeria muttered a curse. "So they want us blind and weak."
Lucien clenched his fists. They think this will cripple me.
They couldn't be more wrong.
Selene reached out, fingers resting against his forearm. "Lucien… if we have to run—"
"We're not running," he said, his voice quiet but absolute.
Selene studied his face, then sighed softly. She knew there was no changing his mind.
Valeria frowned. "If the fog keeps spreading, we'll lose visibility entirely. That's when they'll attack."
Lucien nodded. "Then we don't wait. We strike first."
His golden eyes flickered as he stepped toward the door.
The mana in the air thickened.
A distant, guttural roar echoed through the fog.
The first wave was nearly here.
Lucien stepped outside, the rain trickling down his face.
He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders.
Come then.
The storm was only beginning.