As I stepped out of the apartment, I heard a noise coming from a nearby unit—loud knocks… violent knocks. A few seconds later, a gunshot echoed through the hallway.
I froze.
Curiosity flooded my mind.
Slowly, I approached the door. I grabbed the handle and opened it carefully… only to be met with a grotesque scene.
A green, amorphous creature stood inside.
It looked like a mass of flesh, supported by three pairs of clawed legs, each dripping with crimson liquid. On what seemed to be its head… three black eyes arranged like a tripod stared into nothingness.
I glanced around.
There had been a gunshot—behind the creature, the wall was stained with blood. And on the floor…
A lifeless body.
A man lay there, his weapon beside him, his blood spreading across the ground like a dark sea.
The creature was tearing pieces of flesh from his face and body, devouring them savagely.
I stepped back.
By accident, I tripped.
The creature lifted its gaze.
Instead of attacking, it let out a piercing screech… and leapt out the window.
I stood there, frozen, for several seconds.
Then reality hit me.
I had to leave.
"If someone sees me here… they'll think I did it."
I forced myself to move.
I stood up—and ran.
I slammed the door shut behind me and rushed down the stairs. The elevators were occupied. I couldn't waste time. Every second mattered.
"What the hell was that thing…? Is this real? No… I must be hallucinating… but this is real…"
—"Ahhh—damn it! What do I do?!"
I shouted as I descended the stairs.
By the time I reached the first floor, I was gasping for air. My legs burned, sweat soaked my body, my chest felt like it would explode.
Then—
I looked up.
There it was.
The creature… hiding among the trees outside.
I forced my body to move and ran after it.
Despite the pain. Despite the exhaustion.
We crossed four blocks before it slipped into an alley.
I followed.
Each step heavier than the last.
Then… I heard it.
A voice.
A child's voice… chanting.
— Milia moriär et nemo impedär'ir, fluminä sangrä currär et marä cadäverä per totus mundus.
(Thousands will die and none shall stop it, rivers of blood will flow and seas of corpses will cover the world.)
I took another step forward.
Suddenly—
The creature lunged at me with a feral scream.
I froze.
Closed my eyes.
And waited for death.
…
But it never came.
When I opened my eyes—
She was there.
Professor Eclipse stood in front of me, holding the creature back with one hand. A pulse of energy burst from her palm, launching it across the alley.
— Cessär vexär discipulä meä, fili Aredath'n.
(Stop bothering my student, son of Aredath.)
The creature stared at her.
— Nä interfecär Brujä, medïä cenä sum.
(Don't interfere, witch. I'm in the middle of my meal.)
Its voice was raspy, distorted… echoing unnaturally through the alley.
Eclipse stepped forward.
— Vamös, scire debes: neque tu neque alius limitäs territoriä meä transgredï.
(You should know better—neither you nor anyone else may cross the boundaries of my territory.)
— Tu non potestäs habes, damnätä meretrix!
(You have no authority, damned whore!)
For a brief moment…
Silence.
Then Eclipse smiled.
Cold. Sharp.
— Talä os habes… Purga os tuum credo.
(Such a mouth… I think I should help you clean it.)
She moved.
In an instant.
She grabbed the creature—
And ripped out its tongue.
A deafening scream tore through the alley as black liquid erupted from its mouth.
— Guttur frangär.
(Break the throat.)
Her hand glowed.
She struck.
The creature's throat exploded, splattering its dark fluid across the walls and ground.
It fled.
Leaving a trail behind.
Eclipse sighed, wiping the liquid from her face.
— "The children of Aredath are always so dramatic."
She turned and began to walk away.
— "See you tomorrow, Dark."
She smiled.
And disappeared.
…
I stood there.
Unable to process what had just happened.
Minutes passed.
Then I noticed something.
The trail of blood.
It wasn't random.
It formed symbols.
Luminari runes.
𖤚𖦁𖤕𖤯𖤓 𖦈𖥶𖥿𖦇 𖤗𖤘𖥾𖤕𖥾𖦇
Curiosity consumed me.
I followed the trail.
The runes glowed in a deep violet light.
After a few minutes, I reached an abandoned house.
I stepped inside cautiously.
Everything was decayed.
Damp walls. Mold. Rot.
And then—
Whispers.
Voices.
Everywhere.
Nowhere.
— Dies adventus suä iam venit.
(The day of his arrival is near.)
I ignored them.
I kept moving.
A noise came from upstairs.
I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight.
The stairs creaked with every step.
Then I saw them.
Photos.
Scattered across the floor.
I rushed forward.
They were… me.
A baby.
Two… maybe three months old.
In the arms of a woman.
Her face was obscured by a stain of crimson.
But her hair…
Long.
Jet black.
I grabbed several.
There were dozens.
Maybe seventy.
I could only carry ten.
— "This is… strange."
Then—
The whispers grew louder.
The photos lifted from the ground.
They began to spin around me.
Faster.
And faster.
A loud crash echoed through the house.
I looked up—
A mirror.
And inside it…
A shadow.
Red eyes.
Watching me.
It raised its hand.
Calling me.
I stepped closer.
Something pulled me.
I raised my hand…
And touched the glass.
Light exploded.
The mirror shattered.
I covered my face.
The photos spun violently, lifting my hair and clothes in the wind they created.
The whispers were deafening now.
I stepped back—
A shard of glass pierced my hand.
I gasped.
And then—
The shadow emerged.
From where the mirror had been.
It pointed at me.
Then touched my left eye.
A guttural voice echoed:
— Alä tuä nascär'ir tempus.
(Your wings will be born soon.)
A pulse.
Straight into my eye.
The photos accelerated—
Spinning faster than ever—
Then—
A flash of light.
Everything stopped.
The photos fell.
Silence.
I grabbed as many as I could…
And ran.
Out of that place.
Toward my house.
Ready—
To uncover the truth.