The classroom buzzed with low murmurs, the hum of whispers punctuated by sharp gasps. A red-haired girl stood amidst the chaos, her knuckles still trembling from the punch she'd thrown. The boy she'd struck groaned, slumped over a desk now crooked from the impact. She didn't bother sparing him a second glance.
"Don't f***ing play with me," she spat, her voice cutting through the uneasy silence. Her gaze, sharp and cold, swept the room, silencing the whispers momentarily. Then, without a backward glance, she strode out of the room, ignoring the prying eyes that followed her.
The hallway was crowded, yet it felt suffocatingly empty. Her shoulders heaved with anger, but it wasn't just today's events gnawing at her. Sure, finding her boyfriend.... ex-boyfriend now.... flirting with someone else this morning had been the spark. His cutting words, calling her "expired" and "unworthy," had fanned the flames. But the fire in her chest had been burning long before this day, long before the snickering boy in class added his taunts to the pile.
She muttered under her breath, "I just hate today," as she pushed open the school gates and stepped into the bustling city.
The afternoon sun bore down on the asphalt, and the scent of exhaust mingled with the faint aroma of street food wafting from a nearby stall. Cars honked, bicycles weaved through the chaos, and people moved like clockwork in every direction. Yet, for her, the world blurred into a singular hum.
Her feet carried her down familiar streets, past worn brick buildings and flickering neon signs. She barely noticed the pedestrians jostling by. Her mind was heavy, replaying scenes she wished she could forget. The accident five years ago had taken everything... her parents, her brother, and her sister. The memory of twisted metal, the screech of tires, and the choking smell of burning rubber still haunted her dreams. She was the only one who had survived.
Her aunt, a woman hardened by life and dulled by the bottle, had taken her in. While the fees for school were paid, there was little else her aunt offered. The girl had tried, once, to bridge the gap between them, to find solace in the only family she had left. But every attempt was met with the glassy-eyed indifference of a woman too lost in her own despair. Eventually, she stopped trying.
Her feet brought her to the cemetery.... a quiet place, far removed from the city's relentless chaos. The gate creaked as she pushed it open, the sound echoing in the stillness. She walked past rows of gravestones, each etched with names and dates, lives reduced to a few lines on stone.
She stopped before five graves, the names familiar, etched deeply into her soul: her parents - Ted and Iris... her Triplet siblings - Jordan, Jovan, Jovia. She crouched by the side of the gravestones, brushing away a stray leaf that had fallen across her mother's name.
"Dad, Mom, Jordan, Jovan, Jovia…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. She pulled her phone from her pocket, its cracked screen lighting up as she navigated to a familiar app. "I'm playing Last Era of the Apocalypse again. Remember how we used to play it co-op? My rank's been stagnant since you all… since you left." Her voice broke, but she forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes.
The game loaded, the title screen flashing ominously. Last Era of the Apocalypse: a world where students trained to battle horrors beyond comprehension while balancing the mundane struggles of adolescence. Eldritch beings, occults, and humans locked in a never-ending war.... a fight for survival in a world on the brink.
Her fingers moved across the screen, guiding her character through the labyrinthine halls of a cursed ritual ground. The game felt different now.. hollow without her family's laughter filling the room. Slowly, tears slid down her cheeks, unbidden and unstoppable. She brushed them away, focusing on the glowing screen.
The sun dipped below the horizon as she played, casting long shadows across the gravestones. She finally stood, the cold air brushing against her skin. Night was creeping in, and it was time to return to her empty house.
She bowed deeply before her parents' graves and offered a small wave to her siblings'. The walk home was slow, her thoughts heavy.
Halfway across a busy street, she heard it.... a woman's desperate scream. Her head snapped up. A child had wandered into the road, and a truck barreled toward him, its horn blaring like a death knell. Without thinking, she sprinted toward the boy, her legs moving before her mind could catch up.
She grabbed the boy, shoving him toward the safety of the curb. His small body tumbled to safety, but the truck was too close now, too fast.
The last thing she heard was the screech of tires and the deafening crash.
A chilling stillness enveloped her. No pain. No sound. Just the sensation of drifting, her body dissolving like smoke. She thought, Is this what dying feels like?
But strangely, a warmth spread through her chest... not fear, not regret. Instead, a fleeting happiness. Will I see them again? she wondered, her family's faces flashing before her mind as they call out Nyx which is her name.
Then, a biting cold jolted her. Her eyelids fluttered, and she opened them slowly, her vision swimming into focus.
The world Nyx saw wasn't the familiar streets of the city or the cemetery. It was something else entirely. Darkened skies stretched endlessly above, churning with storm clouds that bled red lightning. Jagged spires of black stone jutted from the ground, and the air smelled of ash and despair.
Nyx breath quickened as her eyes darted around. The air crackled with dark energy, and in the distance, she saw a towering statue, it's hands clasped together In twisted worship, its silhouette pitch black, distorted.
"Where… the hell… am I?" Nyx whispered, her voice trembling.
And then..
The Ground Beneath Her Trembled...
A Deadly One ....