selenfall

Noah stared at the monster.

He stepped back. Stumbled.

Run. His instincts screamed at him. But his body… frozen.

Fear crushed him, thick and sticky, clinging to his muscles, his bones.

Even the air… felt heavier. As if the mist itself wanted to trap him here.

I'm going to die.

His feet slipped. He stumbled backward, slogging through the crimson mist.

Each step… heavier than the last.

The monster… unmoving. The smile still there. That damn smile.

Then — the leap.

A sound like tearing flesh, splitting the silence. Its arms stretched — grotesque, warped.

And before he could react — a black hand, veined with glowing red, slammed into his chest.

It tore him off the ground.

The icy grip crushed his ribs.

He thrashed. Clawed. Screamed. It didn't matter.

The monster raised him to eye level. That gaze. Cold. Patient.

Then… the mouth opened.

Teeth. A gaping spiral of razor-sharp fangs.

The stench of ash. Of death.

Is that it? I'm just… going to disappear? Without even knowing why Leïla…

His thoughts spun in circles. Not dying… Not dying… Not dying…

A bitter spark snapped inside his head. A dry, hollow laugh.

— Shit… I'm gonna die a virgin AND without even a proper rejection…

He clenched his teeth.

Something… deep inside… Cracked.

Not like this. Not like this.

His eyes met the monster's. Its gaping mouth. The fangs waiting.

Not without knowing.

— I WANT AN EXPLANATION!!

His voice ripped through the air — so raw — he felt his vocal cords strain to the limit.

And the world… split apart.

A burst of blood-red light exploded from his chest. A shockwave… thundered out of him.

The air vibrated. The mist tore apart in a swirling blast.

The monster — its head burst with a sickening crack of shattering bone.

Noah crashed down on top of the lifeless corpse. Gasping.

He panted. The taste of iron on his tongue. His arms… shimmering with a red glow.

He stared at his trembling hands.

— What… the hell… is this…

And suddenly —

A rumble. Wings.

The birds. Their feathers soaked in that crimson light…

They dived for him.

— No… NO… NO!!

Noah sprang up. Ran.

Behind him — the forest exploded. Screeches. Flashes.

And above — a blood-red sky torn open like a wound.

---

Ray.

Crouched on the rooftop. The wind screamed in his ears.

Below, the city sprawled like a sea of smothered embers. Neon lights, headlights, reflections on steel. An ocean of frozen light beneath the mist.

Except… the forest. A black hole. A void the city refused to swallow.

He breathed in slowly. The air smelled of rain and electric dust.

His eyes — twin shards of steel — locked onto the dark mass of trees.

And then…

A red rupture split the shadows. A flash. A pulse. A ripple, barely there.

The corner of his mouth curved upward.

He raised the cigar to his lips. A violet flame coiled around his fingers — a fluid serpent.

— Ray here. Target located. Northern forest.

A crackle in his earpiece.

— Priority elimination. Energy spike… 3.2. Might not be alone. Be careful.

He narrowed his eyes. His smile… widened.

— I'm counting on it.

He took a drag, let the wind devour the smoke.

Then —

A circle of violet flames opened beneath him.

Ray vanished — swallowed by fire.

---

Ray reappeared in a breath.

And what he saw…

Carnage.

Trees torn apart. Scorched trunks. Feathers, bird limbs — everywhere.

He narrowed his eyes.

A monster… gutted.

A Class 9… here?! Who the hell killed it?

He moved forward, slow and sharp. Eyes scanning, senses on edge.

And then…

Beneath a tree, slumped against the trunk — Noah.

Unconscious.

Ray stood still for a moment.

— What the hell…

He crouched. Grabbed the boy.

And in a violet circle — vanished into the night.

---

End of Chapter