Kurai crouched in the narrow gap between two crumbling pillars — a forgotten corner just beneath the back stairs of the building. It was a space so small and hollow that few would even notice it existed, but Kurai fit easily, her thin frame folding into the shadows. This was her sanctuary, her retreat when the world above grew too sharp to bear.
She sat there now, curled tightly, her arms stinging with the memory of her mother's grip. Angry red marks were imprinted around her wrists, fingerprints burned into her skin. She rubbed them absently, feeling the dull ache radiate up her spine where her mother had slammed her into the wall.
The words still echoed in her ears, raw and venomous."Why? Why do you always act so strange? Can't you be normal for once?"Her mother had screamed, voice slicing through the stale air of their broken home. Kurai hadn't replied at first, only stared back into the wild, desperate eyes that matched none of the warmth a child should expect.
"Oh, God... that girl... I hate her," her mother muttered, almost to herself, before shoving Kurai aside like a discarded object.
The impact rattled through her ribs, but it wasn't the pain that hurt most — it was the certainty in her mother's voice.
Slowly, Kurai bent down, picking up her battered bag from the floor. Her voice came out so low it was almost a whisper."If you hate me that much... why not just kill me?"
Her mother snapped her head around. "What did you say?"
Kurai lifted her gaze, the hollow in her chest widening."I said kill me! Then all your problems would be gone!" she shouted, voice breaking through the stagnant air.
Her mother staggered back a step, tears welling in her eyes."You think I gave birth to you just to kill you? You think I kept you here all these years because I hated you?" she demanded, her voice trembling with something halfway between rage and grief.
But Kurai shook her head, her throat tight."Who knows why? I never asked to be born... and this place?" She gestured weakly around her, the walls peeling, the ceiling sagging, the air heavy with the scent of mildew and despair. "I don't even think of it as a home. It's just a cage. It's suffocating."
Her voice cracked on the last word
Kurai closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the cold concrete wall. She tried to will herself into forgetting, into numbing the sting of everything—her mother's voice, the bruises, the emptiness gnawing inside her.
For a while, there was only silence.
Then—footsteps.
She stiffened, listening.The steps were light, deliberate, but not cautious. She could tell from the rhythm, the soft thud of sneakers against concrete, that it was just one person. And from the heavier fall of each step, she guessed it was a boy. Still, Kurai didn't move. She stayed wedged between the pillars, as if she could disappear into the cracked stone if she just stayed still enough.
There was a faint metallic clatter — a tool? A device? — and curiosity tugged at the edge of her mind. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and shifted, peering out from her hiding spot.
There he was.
Yenith.
She had seen him around before — the boy with careless hands and a smirk that made trouble feel like a hobby. He was crouched by one of the old windows now, fiddling with something mechanical, a strange object bristling with wires and blinking lights.
Sensing her gaze, Yenith turned, flashing a wide, guilty smile."Oh no," he said playfully, "I got caught."
Kurai just stared at him blankly. Without a word, she stood and began heading toward the lower stairs, wanting no part of whatever he was planning.
"Wait, aren't you even going to ask what I'm doing?" Yenith called after her.
"Not really," Kurai muttered without looking back. "You could blow up this whole place and I wouldn't care."
Yenith chuckled, a low, amused sound."But if I blow up this place," he said, "wouldn't you be blown up too?"
Kurai paused for a heartbeat, then shrugged."Then I guess I should leave the building," she said simply, resuming her slow walk.
"Where will you go?" he asked, voice lighter than the weight hanging between them.
Kurai didn't turn around."Somewhere," she replied. She meant it, too — she had no plans to go home. That place wasn't home. It was just another dead end.
But Yenith's next words made her stop."I don't think anywhere will be safe for you in a few minutes," he said, his tone shifting, something sharper, heavier threading through it.
Kurai turned slightly, frowning."What do you mean?"
She followed his gaze toward the broken window. Her breath caught.
The night sky, which had been heavy and black, was beginning to split apart — tearing at the seams. Jagged beams of red light pierced through the darkness, striking the ground with violent, unnatural force. The air vibrated with the low hum of something vast and ancient waking up.
Yenith stepped closer, his expression losing its casual edge."Do you want to live?" he asked, voice cutting through the rising noise.
Kurai's eyes widened, confusion flashing across her face."What?"
"Yes or no," Yenith said again, firmer this time, his gaze pinning her to the spot.
For a moment, Kurai hesitated, teetering at the edge of something she didn't understand. Then, before she could stop herself, the word slipped out:"Yes."
Yenith's grin sharpened into something fierce and urgent."Then let's get out of here before this place becomes an arena."
Without waiting for permission, he grabbed her wrist — the same one still sore from her mother's assault — and pulled her down the stairs.
The school had descended into chaos.
The red beams slashing down from the sky had shattered whatever fragile order remained. Students flooded toward the exits, pushing and shoving, some screaming, some simply frozen in shock. Others pressed against the windows, their faces pale and terrified as they tried to understand the nightmare unfolding outside.
Teachers shouted over the noise, their commands sharp and desperate:"Get back inside!""Away from the windows!""Stay calm!"But their voices were swallowed by the rising panic.
Yenith didn't hesitate. Gripping Kurai's wrist tighter, he dragged her through the stampede, out of the crumbling school building, and onto the open road.
The street was worse.
Far worse.
People were everywhere — running, shoving, screaming. Mothers clutched children to their chests. Businessmen tripped over themselves, abandoning briefcases in the middle of the street. Stray shoes and shattered phones littered the asphalt. The wail of sirens pierced the air from somewhere distant, but it was quickly drowned by the metallic screech of colliding cars.
Vehicles spun out of control, slamming into each other with bone-crushing force. Horns blared in a maddening symphony as drivers screamed through their windows. One car mounted the curb, smashing into a row of streetlights, which toppled like brittle matchsticks.
The sky above them continued to tear itself apart, raining down sickly red shafts of light that cracked the pavement where they landed.
"Look down!" Yenith barked, his voice sharp over the chaos.
Kurai blinked up at him, stunned and confused.
"Keep your head down," he repeated, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Without thinking, she lowered her gaze to the ground, her feet stumbling to keep up with him. She could hear everything — the shrill cries of children separated from parents, the brutal crunch of metal folding against metal, the wet, horrible thud of bodies falling. Somewhere nearby, glass shattered in an explosive spray.
Her mind began to hollow out, every thought growing distant and slow, like a record playing at half-speed.What's happening?Why is this happening?Where are we going?
She didn't dare look up. She just walked, letting herself be pulled through the nightmare.
Eventually, they stopped.
In front of them loomed a massive wall — a transparent black surface that shimmered like oil under the bleeding sky. It stretched impossibly high, curving inward at the top, enclosing something vast and hidden. Though she couldn't see clearly through the shifting darkness, Kurai sensed something enormous moving on the other side — something that made the air hum and the ground tremble under her feet.
"Look here," Yenith said, his voice lower now, urgent.
Kurai turned to him, her eyes blank, her body numb.
Gently, he raised his hand toward her temples.A soft glow sparked at his fingertips — a pale blue light that pulsed in the dark like a heartbeat.
The moment he touched her, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Her knees buckled slightly, and the world tilted violently. It felt like something inside her mind was being... rewritten. Unlocked.
"Now it's fine," Yenith said, almost cheerfully, as if they weren't standing at the edge of madness.
Without waiting, he guided her toward the black wall.
The moment her foot crossed its threshold, a bolt of something unseen — a force like pure lightning — slammed into her.
Her body convulsed. Her mind tore open with a silent scream.
And then — darkness.
She fell, unconscious, swallowed whole by the unknown.