*Warning! This chapter is for 18+ only! *
PART I
Let's rewind time to the 5th of July, the year 1990.
Chiba, Tokyo, Japan
The sky was dark with thick clouds covering the entire city. It was completely silent, and people had long gone to bed, sleeping peacefully and comfortably in their beds.
Outside a house stood Hideaki, a police detective who had solved many major cases worldwide. He was a small, trained man with a sturdy body and a short black beard. On this evening, he wore a light brown cowboy hat with a very thin beige trench coat that covered him all the way down to his ankles, making it resemble a dress.
Hideaki pulled out a golden Zippo lighter that gleamed when the streetlight hit it. He took out a cigarette, lit it, inhaled, and exhaled slowly. He looked around the neighborhood where an eerie silence hung in the air.
He furrowed his brow. "The young woman found yesterday had leather wings on her back, and she was wearing only a short black dress. Why on earth would someone operate wings on themselves? It's pure torture. What has become of the youth these days?"
He shook his head, followed by a sigh.
Suddenly, a police officer came running towards him at full speed, sweat dripping down his forehead. He stopped in front of Hideaki to catch his breath.
Hideaki closed his left eye and couldn't help but make a remark. "Yuki-chan, are you already training for your marathon?"
Yuki coughed, held his chest, and his face slowly turned red. "I've told you not to call me chan, Detective Hideaki,"
"There's a black crack in the air by the water." he reported with a serious face.
Hideaki furrowed his brow. "Are you still hungover from yesterday's gathering? I told you to go home early so you could get the alcohol out of your system."
Yuki shook his head, straightened up, and stared him in the eyes. "I'm completely clear-headed. The Samurai Squad is waiting for you."
Hideaki nodded, took one last inhale, tossed his cigarette, and crushed it with his foot.
Seeing this, Yuki's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but make a comment. "Your ancestors wouldn't approve of that, and smoking ruins your future."
Hideaki shot him a sharp sidelong glance.
"They're dead, so what the hell can I use it for? If I die, I'll come back and haunt you." followed by a loud laugh.
Yuki furrowed his brow, coughed lightly, and commented. "You come from a spiritual family that has hunted ghosts and the supernatural for many generations. Beware not to curse your family from their graves."
"All they can do is turn in their graves in anger," commented Hideaki, followed by a chuckle.
He turned around. "let's not waste any more time on chit-chat."
Quantum Science Lab, D.C Washington, USA
In the heart of the research complex, Quantum Science Lab buzzed with activity. The quantum resonance chamber, a glowing sphere suspended in a magnetic field, dominated the space. Scientists in white lab coats worked at clusters of terminals, monitoring data streams, while nearby, the particle accelerator hummed with energy, propelling particles through winding paths. Quantum computers lined the walls, processing complex algorithms and simulations.
At a dark, round table, a young guy was diligently taking notes from a book, wearing safety glasses. Occasionally, he adjusted them, massaged his temples, appearing deeply concentrated. People bustled around, tinkering with various things.
*Clang*
The test tubes clinked together several times, causing him to look up, furrowing his brow.
"Can't you do that in silence? I can't concentrate. The report needs to be sent before midnight. There's only half an hour left."
"Sorry, Elias, we're trying to be quiet. We'll be done soon." commented a man with a nervous voice.
Elias ran his hand through his hair and quickly finished writing.
*Slap*
The thick book closed, and he hurriedly packed everything along with the others, taking the last empty test tube. The door was closed gently and securely locked.
He looked through the glass, a smile spreading on his lips. "I hope I don't have to come back here."
*Vroom*
A loud hum echoed, rumbling through the area, and the ground shook violently.
Elias lost his balance, falling to the floor, and the test tube shattered. "What on earth?"
Others panicked.
"What's happening?"
"It didn't come from our lab. Could it be from Lab 2?"
"We're the main laboratory."
Elias quickly got up, helped the others, and rushed out of the building to the courtyard, greeted by a blood-red sky. All the employees gathered as they looked up at the strange phenomenon, furrowing their brows. There was no moon present, the sky was clear, but there were no stars, and it was completely calm.
"The sun has set. What's going on?"
"Is it the moon?"
"No, it can't be the moon because it's not even there."
Elias spotted a short brown-haired woman with large round glasses and plenty of freckles on her face.
He quickly approached her, asking the crucial question. "Have the sensors picked up anything, Karen?"
Karen nodded, pointing to a large square black box securely tied to a thick oak tree.
Above the treetops hung a large black dish. The box blinked red and beeped constantly.
Elias furrowed his brow. "It's the alarm for something foreign from outside."
He looked up at the sky again. "What on earth is happening?"
The ground shook even more violently.
*Crack*
In the red sky above them, a black crack opened, widening, and forming a large black hole surrounded by swirling black smoke.
"A portal or a black hole?" commented Elias.
"Portals don't exist, so it can only be a black hole, but it would have crushed us before we could get close." remarked Karen, furrowing her brow.
People began to discuss loudly.
"What type of black hole is it then?"
"Didn't you hear, Karen? It's not a black hole."
"I play video games. It looks like a portal."
"That's fantasy and made up. Portals to another world don't exist. It's nonsense."
The shaking stopped, and suddenly, a pale hand emerged from the crack, silencing everyone as they held their breath. Slowly, another hand followed, then the face of a young man, and finally, the entire body emerged. A man in a black cloak with thick black horns on his forehead and glowing purple eyes stared down at them. He hovered in the air, and his cloak fluttered even though there was no wind.
"A monster!" shouted a man who couldn't stay silent any longer.
"An alien!" nervously exclaimed another man.
The stranger squinted his eyes and spoke with a deep, resonant voice that could be heard throughout the area.
"Lithien, is this it?"
Another young man suddenly flew out of the crack, wearing a black hooded cloak. His eyes were glowing purple, with pale skin like the man. He looked around, examining the area, and suddenly, his eyes fell on a person standing in the courtyard looking up at them.
"It's him." He pointed at the man, sending him a sharp gaze.
Elias furrowed his brow. "What are they saying? I don't understand them. They look like us. Are they really aliens?"
"It's traced to him, but strangely, the connection ends here," Lithien replied.
With a swift movement, he flew down and hovered over the man in the courtyard.
"You, human. Where have you hidden it?"
The man, named Christian, was a middle-aged man. He nervously looked up at Lithien, biting his lip as beads of sweat rolled down his temples.
"I'm not a scientist but an engineer. I'm here only on a business trip and have nothing to do with this. Can you spare me?"
His last sentence made everyone turn towards him, sending him hostile looks. They quickly stepped away from him, creating a significant distance.
Lithien glanced up at his leader, who shook his head. He made a quick nod and looked back at Christian.
"If you tell me where you've hidden it, we can consider it."
"Hidden what?" Christian asked with an even more nervous voice.
Lithien closed his left eye. "Are you playing dumb to buy time?"
With a swift motion, Christian floated up towards him in the air. Lithien extended his right hand and grabbed Christian by the throat, squeezing tightly.
Christian clutched his throat, attempting to resist while his face turned redder.
"I... I'm not lying." He forced the words out, struggling to breathe and kicking his legs in the air.
"Unfortunately, I don't play the same game." said Lithien, squeezing harder.
*Crack*
The neck broke loudly, and Christian hung lifeless in the air, triggering a chain of panic among the onlookers who had witnessed the entire scene. They started to flee from the site in horror.
PART II
*Whoosh*
Countless black-clad figures swiftly flew out of the crack surrounding them, and panic set in again, causing them to reveal all their secrets.
"Spare us. We haven't done anything. We're just miserable underpaid sneaky researchers."
"Are you some kind of gods come to punish us?"
"Is it about the signature I forged last year? It was just a couple of millions."
"I regret being with the underage one, but I was young and stupid."
"I've cheated on my wife 32 times, and I've prepared divorce papers."
"I love women who wear big diapers, spare me."
"I'm only into men."
All the men threw a quick glance at the last speaker, furrowing their brows as they walked far away from him.
Elias furrowed his brow and looked at Karen, who shook her head and facepalmed, followed by a deep sigh.
"Do you have the gun?" he asked in a low voice.
She nodded and pointed to her left pocket on her kilt where something black stuck out.
"It's the one we made with gamma rays."
Elias silently and slowly reached his right hand into her pocket, felt the gun, and held the trigger.
"When I give the signal, run away."
Lithien extended his left hand, and his nails transformed into black, turning into long sharp claws that he thrust into Christian's chest. He quickly twisted his hand.
*Crack*
Bones broke loudly, and he pulled his hand back with a bloody heart in it, still beating. A terrible smell quickly spread in the warm air, causing the employees to cover their mouths.
Lithien opened his mouth, revealing sharp white teeth.
*Munch*
He chewed on the heart, quickly devouring it, licked his lips, closed his eyes, and opened them a moment later, now bloodshot but still glowing.
"It's either on an island called Japan or another island called Denmark."
The leader nodded and ordered with an icy tone. "Kill them and let's get out of here."
He turned around and flew back into the crack.
Lithien threw Christian to the ground and turned to the group, giving them a smile, and licking his lips. He made a gesture, and the group was surrounded from all sides.
*Crack*
*Munch*
"Argh." The employees screamed in pain.
One by one, they were consumed by the alien beings.
Elias pulled out the gun and shot it towards the black box by the oak tree.
*Creak*
The satellite dish suddenly turned downward towards them, catching the alien beings off guard.
*Vroom*
A powerful wave of heat shot down towards them, and Elias and Karen ran away from the courtyard.
Lithien looked at the dish, flew up towards it, and clenched his fists.
*Crash*
It was smashed to pieces, and he grabbed it, tore it off, and threw it down to the courtyard.
*Crash*
It hit three employees who fell lifeless.
Lithien looked at the spot where Elias and Karen had stood and squinted.
"Do they want to play cat and mouse?"
He broke into a cunning smile and waved his right hand.
"Eldari, chase them, but don't kill them."
An older man with long white hair in a black robe flew out of the crack towards Lithien, bowed to him, made a quick nod, and swiftly flew away, leaving a trail of black smoke.
Tokyo Bay
*Crash*
The waves pounded hard against the stones.
Hideaki and Yuki stood together with a large group, The Samurai Squad, looking at a black crack hovering in the air in front of them.
He furrowed his brow. "What is this?"
"We believe it leads to another place, maybe a kind of door or portal." replied a man.
Hideaki extended his right hand, but Yuki quickly stopped him.
"Detective Hideaki, don't touch it. It could be toxic."
Hideaki looked at his hand and commented. "I have spiritual genes, so my ancestors protect me."
He stuck his hand into the crack, and suddenly, it expanded.
*Crack*
It quickly transformed into a large black round circle with smoke swirling on the edges.
Hideaki squinted and concluded. "A portal."
With slow steps, he stepped into it.
Yuki and the others waited for several minutes, but he didn't come out, so they sat down.
Two hours after, Yuki stood up, furrowing his brow, and looked at the portal.
"Detective Hideaki should have come out by now." He stood up and walked towards the portal.
"Yuki-kun, be careful." warned a man.
Yuki looked at his hands and revealed, "I've been with Detective Hideaki for many years, and he has always been the father I never had."
He turned his head and gave them a smile. "If I don't come back within 10 minutes, go back to headquarters."
The group nodded, but as he took a step, Hideaki suddenly came out of the portal. He looked like himself except for his black skin, and his eyes looked bloodshot. On his forehead were two black dots.
Yuki stared at him and furrowed his brow. "Detective Hideaki?"
Hideaki sniffed the air and broke into a smile, followed by loud laughter.
"It's a whole different world, and I've managed to gain superpowers."
Yuki took a few steps back, casting a nervous glance at the portal, which was pitch-black and emitted something unsettling that he couldn't put into words.
"What do you mean by superpowers?"
With a swift movement, Hideaki ran towards him, and his right hand plunged into Yuki's chest.
*Crack*
His heart was pulled out, and Hideaki quickly devoured it. He greedily licked his mouth, traces of blood still present.
Yuki's body fell to the ground, and Hideaki began to consume him like a ravenous, starving wolf. Blood and chunks of flesh flew to the sides, and a foul odor spread in the heat, hanging thick in the air.
The group was terrified out of their minds and their bodies stiffened, and they froze in place, sinking heavily. They quickly looked at each other, nodded, and fled. They ran as fast as they could without looking back.
*Crack*
"Argh." Hideaki bit a man on his left leg, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.
*Crack*
Like a wild beast, Hideaki leaped onto another man, biting him on the neck.
"Argh." the man screamed in pain.
*Munch*
One man turned around curiously but regretted his decision. He was met with a bloody, monster-like face with black sharp teeth, while chunks of meat and entrails hung between them. The mouth opened and now resembled a black hole, and his heart sank.
*Snap*
His face was bitten by the sharp teeth, and he screamed, holding his face as he tried to push Hideaki away.
One by one, the group fell, and shortly after, Hideaki stood alone, staring voraciously towards the buildings where lights still flickered in the windows.
"Heh. I feel overwhelmed by magical powers." He broke into a smile and ran back towards Yuki, kneeling in front of him.
"How was it that he guided me?" he mumbled, looking at his right hand.
He roared loudly, and black sharp claws grew out of his nails like thick crocodile claws. With his index finger, he poked Yuki in the forehead.
Yuki's eyes began to move, changing into a blood-red color, and suddenly, he spoke.
"Detective Hideaki?" His voice was deep and husky.
He looked at himself and back at Hideaki, blinking a few times.
"You revived me? How did you do it?"
Hideaki smiled, stood up, and looked towards The Samurai Squad, all lying dead on the grass.
"Not everyone can withstand the powers, and it was only luck that you woke up. Let's see who is stronger among them."
Yuki stood up and followed Hideaki, looking at his hands and then at the group.
"Can I learn the same?" he muttered.