Drip…
A drop of water fell from the roof of a shop, creating ripples in a puddle that reflected the orange hues of the evening sky.
On the sidewalk, a man in a suit walked slowly, passing rows of shops adorned with decorative ornaments.
Splash…
His shoe stepped into a puddle, sending small splashes around him.
He was Luke Constantine, a detective.
With black eyes and a tall body, he wore a neatly pressed dark gray suit, paired with a white shirt and a deep red tie. In his hand, he clutched a few sheets of documents.
Luke turned into a narrow alley, accompanied by two colleagues.
"Senior, I heard you're getting married next month," said a woman with a ponytail, chuckling. "I never thought there'd be a woman willing to spend her life with an old man like you."
The man referred to as "senior" crossed his arms proudly. "Hah! Don't underestimate my looks. I always look twenty years younger!"
"Haha! Senior, you've gotten so cocky now. Look, Luke must be jealous hearing this!"
The woman glanced at Luke, grinning as she held back her laughter.
Luke maintained a stoic expression. "I'm not jealous at all. Dealing with women is troublesome. I'd rather stay single forever than live with someone who's a hassle."
Yes. I'm not jealous. Really. Not at all! Tch… Damn it!
Luke thought to himself, though his face remained expressionless.
The ponytailed woman observed him, as if she could read his mind. "You talk as if you've been in a relationship before. Do you think I don't know what's going on in your head? You spilled everything when you were drunk at the last party."
Luke suddenly tensed. "Huh? W-what do you mean? What did I say?"
"I don't know…" The woman smirked. "Maybe i think senior knows something."
Luke quickly turned to the man beside him, anxious. "What exactly did I say?"
The man paused for a moment, then seemed to recall something. "Ah, about that…"
Pfft—
He quickly turned his face away, trying to suppress his laughter.
Luke swallowed hard and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What's so funny?! At least give me a hint, damn it!"
Their laughter echoed through the narrow alley, accompanying their steps under the twilight glow. The cobblestone road gradually turned into asphalt, and the shops along the street began to close.
After a while, they reached an intersection.
Luke handed a few sheets of documents to the man in front of him.
"See you tomorrow, Luke. Bye!" said the ponytailed woman, waving her hand along with the man in the black suit beside her.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Luke turned around, walking alone down the increasingly quiet street. The shops closed, and the lights went out one by one. He read the documents in his hand, his steps slowing.
Tap…
Luke paused for a moment in front of the old bookstore, he gazing at the darkening twilight sky.
Crows flew across his line of sight. Something felt off.
"Ah… Why do I feel like something's wrong?"
Luke continued walking, but the atmosphere grew quieter and gloomier.
Caw… Caw…
The crows' cries echoed loudly in the silence.
Why does this road feel longer than usual? Did I take a wrong turn?
His heart suddenly beat faster.
Thump…
Luke narrowed his eyes, stopping in front of a bookstore. He looked around, but there was no one in sight.
Then…
Swossh–
A faint, eerie whisper reached his ears.
Sreshss…
Shahh…
Sahsh…
Luke turned quickly. But there was no one.
No… I need to get out of here.
Reflexively, he covered his right ear and ran. Yet, the road seemed endless. Buildings passed by, but it felt like he wasn't moving at all.
The sky grew darker, and the whispers grew louder.
"Sessssvresss..."
The whispers pierced his ears, stabbing his brain like sharp thorns.
"Arghhh!"
Luke fell, his body collapsing to the ground. His breathing became heavier, as if a needle had just pierced his brain.
"What is this soud?!. AARGHHH!!"
Luke pressed his hands tightly against his ears, but the sound continued to gnaw at his mind.
Is this a spell? A curse? What have I done.
Blood began to trickle from his nose. The veins on his face bulged, as if they might burst at any moment.
He screamed in despair. But his voice become slower.
"Someone!, Help me…!"
There was no response, the air was still moving normally, but everything there seemed to be staring at him like the angel of death. His heartbeat quickened. His chest burned with unbearable pain.
Am I… going to die here…?
Luke began to lose consciousness, but suddenly…
Silence—
The whispers vanished, replaced by a ringing in his ears, Everything became silent, everything became still, and motionless.
At that strange moment, Luke thought he had died, but one voice became clear in his mind.
"Arshen…! Archivis...!"
The voice was soft, like a woman's whisper, but heavy, like a dying old man, The voice echoed in Luke's mind.
Luke froze, he was shaking as if facing a very heavy pressure, he just stared straight at a dilapidated bookstore that was right in front of his sight.
Before losing consciousness, Luke heard one final, fragmented word…
"World."
Then, everything turned dark, as if the entire world had dissolved into an endless void of nothingness.
Drip…
A silver drop fell from the dark orange sky.
Crows flew in circles above, As if performing a certain ritual.
In the center of their formation, the sky slowly began to melting, like wax melting under a flame, as a black sky gradually replaced the twilight.
A purple moon and red sun began to reveal itself on the right and left sky, standing high in the black sky, like an eye gazing down at the world.
As its purple shone, the ground trembled violently. Buildings began to collapse. The earth split open. All the birds flew towards the crows that were flying in circles, and followed their rotation until they became a giant circle.
Luke's lifeless body was slowly buried under the rubble. Loud chirping began to be heard from thousands of birds above, and everything began to be covered by a dark mist that filled the entire place.
It all felt too fast, too sudden, too confusing, as if all this was an illusion in a dream. But everything is true, Like the end of the world is happening.
But...