Hiraya

The sky split open with a crack that reverberated through the very bones of the earth.

It wasn’t thunder, nor was it the storm that had been predicted. No, this was different. This was the sound of something ancient, something that had been held back for millennia, finally breaking free.

The first rift tore through the air, a jagged line of light that cut across the heavens like a wound in the sky—for a brief moment, time seemed to freeze as the world looked on in disbelief.

Eyrsil stood frozen in the middle of the street, her heart hammering in her chest. The world around her seemed to tilt, as if the very fabric of reality had bent. She struggled to balance her weight, as if everything around her is spiraling to the unknown. Her thoughts scattered, lost in the overwhelming presence of the rift. She could hear the distant cries of panic, but everything felt muffled, as if the chaos were happening behind a thick glass wall. Her eyes remained locked on the rift, watching as it pulsed with an eerie glow, dark and bright at the same time, as though it were alive. It breathed, expanding and contracting in rhythmic waves, almost beckoning her.

And through it, she saw... something.

A flicker—just a glimpse—of shapes too strange to comprehend. Shadows that moved with purpose, intelligence. Their forms were twisted, like charred diamonds under the dimming sun. She recoiled, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. What was that? The world seemed to hold its breath, and she almost could have sworn the rift was watching her, waiting for her to make the first move.

Then she saw those shadows move, as ominous as the devils described in the Bible. They seem like dark beings without any features but not, their silhouette is like humans but blurred as if they’re creatures in between reality and apparitions. Each of them is enclosed in a dark mist. Everything they made contact with lost all of its light. The grasses and trees decayed, the soil turned dark. As they got closer to where she was, a pungent smell hit her. It smelled like decaying carcass with mud, yet thick with the bitter metallic scent.

The one that led their way wore a thorn crown made of unknown metal. At its center a white crystal glows with divine light, a stark contrast with these damned creatures. They walked and crawled, high pitch screech echoed in the petrified city. As if sensing her gaze, the one on the lead turned its head towards her. She felt it staring even though it had no eyes.

Oh God. The thing directly locked into her, as if the second she moved it would launch and tear her, open her stomach, and eat every piece of her inside. Its scratch its long dark nails against each other, an unsettling noise echoed, as if a butcher is sharpening its knife to slaughter a livestock.

With its long legs it slowly trudged to where she stood frozen, it walked until it towers over her. Eyrsil slowly tilted her head, not daring to blink, fearing this thing might slice her up if she failed to keep it within her sight.

With Eyrsil’s terrified eyes, it opened its mouth, showing layers and layers of sharp teeth. Saliva dripped down and corroded the soil, while it slowly stretched its claws to reach her. Eysil instinct shouted for her to leave, to run, yet she remained standing, trembling.

Moved. You must move. She pleaded with her body watching the claws almost an inch away from her light-colored eyes, yet all she could muster was a soft sob.

At the brink of life and death, an unknown power surged through her body. Every inch of her skin tingled as if every cell was being reawakened. The power flowed through her like lightning, igniting something deep within her—something ancient, primal. Her mind expanded for the briefest moment, and in that instant, she could feel it all: the pulse of the earth, the thrum of the stars, the vibrations of every living being. She was connected to everything. It was intoxicating, thrilling. And then, it returned to nothing, only her eyes glowed, a light that could rival the sun.

Startled, the thing suddenly stopped, its claws almost touching her eyes. Few seconds felt like an eternity for Eyrsil, as if she’s waiting for death’s judgement.

Its claws twitch, then continue to reach out to her. But unlike before, she felt no malice. There was only this unknown feeling, she felt bitter, and grief struck her heart unknowingly. Her eyes watered, as if the one in front of her is someone she holds dear.

But she never knew them. She had never met these cursed beings.

Its claws reached downwards, trying to touch her lower eyelashes, but its claws sizzled and burned upon contact. A soft golden dust emerges from the point where it touches her, seemingly cleansing all of its sins. The dark mist temporarily dispersed, revealing the diamond-like nails beneath. It glistened with colors, like a rainbow in the mist, yet also reflected that golden glow of Eyrsil’s eyes.

It looks to be in pain, yet it stubbornly tries to reach her. Every second felt like eternity, until a piercing shrill was heard from its brethren as if calling it, it turned around and broke the deadlock. It crawled away along with its kind leaving everything in destruction.

Her pulse quickened. Fear gripped her like an iron fist, wrapping around her chest, squeezing tighter with every second. She wanted to scream, to call out for someone, but her throat was dry, paralyzed by the strange force she felt emanating from the rift. Her hands trembled, and her feet felt frozen to the ground. She couldn’t move. Not even when the air around her seemed to vibrate with an abundant amount of energy.

Then, the rift grew. It widened, spreading like an open wound, the edges crackling with dark energy. More rifts followed, tearing open the sky in jagged streaks. Each new rift brought with it an overwhelming cacophony of strange sounds—like distant, discordant music, faint whispers of voices that were not human.

The earth trembled beneath her feet, and for a heartbeat, it felt as though the world itself was being torn apart. Around her, people screamed, their panic a deafening roar, their figures running, rushing, fleeing from the chaos. But Eyrsil could not move. She was rooted to the spot, her eyes wide with shock and awe with what she’s witnessing today.

She felt weak, light-headed. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her, and she swayed slightly, trying to regain her balance.

The rift seemed to recede then, as if the storm of power had exhausted itself. The figures from the other world that had emerged from the cracks slowly disappeared, vanishing into the fabric of the world, leaving behind only a lingering chill in the air.

Eyrsil blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. Was it over? The rift was still there, a fading glow in the sky, but the strange beings were gone. It was as if the very air had shifted, infused with something that had never been there before—a power she could only feel from the other side. Ether.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind raced, trying to process everything. The rifts. The strange figures. The power that had surged through the Earth. Is this the time?

But then... something else broke through the fog of her thoughts.

Samael.

Those things had crawled in his direction.

Her adoptive brother. The one she had raised and sworn to protect. He was at their family’s cabin, miles away, near the mountains outside the city. Her chest tightened as the weight of the realization hit her like a physical blow. The rifts. The chaos. The unknown horrors that had emerged from the cracks. Whatever had just happened—it wasn’t over. It’s the beginning.

Eyrsil didn’t wait for her thoughts to catch up. Her body moved before her mind could process it. She pushed through the crowd, weaving in and out of panicked people who were running in all directions. Their fear was contagious, but Eyrsil couldn’t afford to be afraid. All that mattered now was getting to Samael.

Please, let him be safe.

Her legs carried her through the streets, past the ruined buildings, past the desperate families, past the confusion that seemed to have swallowed the world whole. She barely noticed the chaos around her—her focus was singular. Samael. She had to get to him.

She fell multiple times but has stood up again and again. Her knees bled, her elbows torn, and even her nails were broken. She bumped into others, her long hair got entangled yet she kept on running pulling it carelessly, she ran as if she felt nothing.

As she reached the edge of the city, the roads that led to the cabin stretched before her like an endless, lonely path. The sun hung low in the sky, casting an eerie light across the landscape. As if telling her that the darkness had come. But something about the air felt... different. It was thicker, heavier. As though the world itself had changed. The ground beneath her feet seemed to shift with every step. The grasses were rotten, every rock crumbled. It was the trace of those beings.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. The strange feeling from the rift still lingered in her veins, leaving her with an unsettling sense that everything was connected—like threads pulled taut between herself, Samael, and whatever lay beyond the rifts and those who had escaped it. The feeling of something ancient stirring, something powerful, that the thing she feared the most had already started.

But no matter what, Eyrsil would not let that happen. Not to Samael.

She quickened her pace, her heart pounding faster now, both from the terror of the unknown and the need to protect her brother. She won’t lose him. Not now, that she had sacrificed everything for him.

Her breath hitched as she turned a corner and saw the silhouette of the cabin in the distance. The warm, familiar glow of the porch light flickered. She quickened her pace, her fear and hope driving her forward. Whatever awaited her at the cabin, whatever new nightmare had come with the rifts, she would face it. She had to. Samael needed her.

The sky overhead dimmed as the rift’s energy began to settle, but the storm in Eyrsil’s heart was far from over.