The streets of St Alesia were empty. All that remained was the sound of music reverberating from house to house. Flashes of light appeared and disappeared—until suddenly, they stopped, materialising into Dain Aurelion.
Dain looked back, staring at the concert, glimmering with sparkling lights and fireworks. The cheers could be heard from the farthest reaches of the city—and the music, even farther. He looked down at the ground, the image of the explosion he had walked into back at the hotel replaying over and over.
'What are you doing, Dain? You could be with your family right now. All this guilt and doubt could have been avoided.'
He looked forward. His eyes glowed gold as a dark crimson aura illuminated the area.
'No. This is necessary for the protection of my family. I won't let the Court of Darkness win. Not now—not ever.'
Reinforcing his resolve, he prepared to continue his search. But suddenly, he felt the terrifying aura increase tenfold. The sound of earth tearing apart erupted beside him. He turned to his left, watching as houses collapsed before sinking into the ground. A large crack, glowing red, expanded and widened. Red, glowing eyes opened from the abyss below before—
Boom!
Dain's eyes widened as crimson magic shot upwards and enveloped him.
The Fracture Gate had opened.
Back at the concert, Nova Lira's music energised the crowds. People were jumping, screaming, singing. Her beautiful voice washed over the audience in a euphoric tide. Each beat expressed an emotion—joy, pleasure, relief. Every note carried magic that awakened the fangirl in every heart.
The music was so loud, no one noticed the slight tremor of the earth tearing apart. Everyone was fixated on the star of the show. Sarah arrived at her seat, barely able to contain her excitement. She couldn't stop her body from dancing as she walked. The sight of her brother dancing like a diehard fan made her chuckle. Even the beautiful song filling her ears couldn't stop her from snapping a picture of him.
'I should've made a bet on this.'
She quickly made her way to his side and danced along. She hugged her mother as they jumped to the beat. None of them knew that trouble raged their way like a tsunami.
Thankfully, the guards outside felt the dark and hungry presence. Their eyes glowed yellow, widening at the pillar of crimson light that reached into the heavens. That's when they saw the magical creatures, barging through houses as they charged. Acting quickly, one of the guards pulled out his radio and shouted into it:
"S–Sir, a Fracture Gate has opened! Multiple creatures are heading our way right now!"
His face morphed into pure terror as a terrifying black creature leapt into the air, descending toward them.
"Prepare for impact!"
The creature landed on its ten legs, crushing ten guards instantly. The rest stumbled, staring at the skeleton-like beast towering over them. It stood on its elongated limbs, ready to pierce through them. Its magical aura—thick, suffocating, crimson—pressed down on their chests. It turned its red eyes upon them, gazing into their very souls.
Roar!!!
More guards rushed out, aiming large weapons at the creatures. The tips glowed orange and green, as though holding back immense power. In the centre, a tall man in a black suit and cane walked forward, calmly locking eyes with the lead creature. His gaze shifted to the horde rushing behind it.
"What should we do, Sergeant?" one of his men asked, fear all over his face.
"Isn't it obvious?"
The Sergeant stretched out his arms.
"Eradicate them. Don't let a single one through. We hold them off until reinforcements arrive."
"Sir, yes sir!"
The creature's mouth widened into a smile. Its companions grew near, drooling with hunger.
"Now—attack! Leave none of these bastards alive!"
Gunfire erupted, cutting through the music behind them.
Inside the arena, most of the crowd remained oblivious. Elara glanced to her side, her eyes glowing orange. She was breathing heavily, her face contorted with worry. Sarah noticed.
"Mum, are you alright? You're sweating."
Elara's lips quivered. She grabbed Sarah's arm.
"Sarah, listen to me, darling—grab your brother and run that way. Quickly!"
She pointed to the right gate, fear etched into her face. Sarah was about to reply when an explosion tore through the left side of the stadium. Bodies spiralled through the smoke. One landed on the stage—headless.
It was the Sergeant.
Silence fell.
Time paused as the crowd waited in dread.
Step. Step. Step.
The sound of colossal footsteps echoed, each one sending a chill down every spine.
Malrik and Sarah activated their Arcane Sight—and immediately vomited. Several others dropped to their knees, their glowing eyes shaking.
"S–So much magic," whispered Malrik.
He and Sarah locked eyes—both reflecting the same fear.
Everyone turned towards the left gate as the smoke cleared. Towering, horrifying creatures stood there, some chewing on dead guards. Each one wore a devilish grin, their mouths dripping with saliva.
Roar!
The silence shattered.
Screams erupted as the crowd surged toward the right gate in a desperate attempt to flee.
Malrik stood frozen, breathing heavily. For some reason, his body wouldn't move. He stared at the black sand below. He saw a familiar boy—headless—lying in a pool of red. He felt heat rise through his body, like flames wrapping around him. He looked up—
—a creature descended upon him.
Elara acted fast. A brown bow and arrow formed in her hands. She fired, striking the beast, then lunged. Her magic-covered fists smashed the creature across the arena.
She landed in front of her paralysed son.
"Sarah!" she called. "Take your brother and run. I'll be right behind you—I promise."
Outside, Dain landed on a tall house and dropped to the ground, exhausted.
"That was a close one, babe."
Dain turned to see Eve approaching with six armed men behind her.
"What are you doing here? You were supposed to guard the other gate," he snapped.
"And you were supposed to stop the gate opening—not almost get sent to the underworld," she shot back. He glared. She sighed.
"Fine. If you must know, the gate opened early. Like you said, only one creature appeared. I killed it quickly. And as you can see, the guild reinforcements arrived just in time."
Dain eyed the silent men behind her. Something felt… off. But he set it aside.
"Thanks to you, the creatures have already made it to the stadium—where your family is."
He clenched his fists.
"So, what's the plan, Mr Leader?"
"We need to destroy this gate. Too many are coming through."
He turned to the men.
"You lot—destroy the gate. Eve, stay here. Kill anything else that comes out. Be on the lookout for members of the Court. They want these creatures—and I intend to stop them."
Eve strutted toward him, placing a hand on his chest.
She leaned in, breathing into his ear.
"And you, beautiful? What are you going to do?"
Dain's eyes glowed gold.
"I'll kill every creature still walking."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Eve chuckled, then turned to her men.
"Well? You heard the man. Get to work."
Each of them disappeared, taking position around the crimson pillar. Their guns—glowing brown—aimed at the gate.
Eve looked down at the monsters trying to tear down the building.
She smirked and turned to her men.
"Besides, we've got more than enough down here."
Back in the arena, Malrik was being led out by Sarah. He looked back—his mother was still fighting. She summoned shields, spears, swords—killing monsters left and right, saving civilians as she moved.
Sarah searched frantically, trying to find Lira. She'd lost sight of her after the creature attacked Malrik.
Suddenly—
"Sarah, look out!"
A mob of panicked civilians crashed into them. They were knocked down, trampled, and swept away in different directions.
Malrik groaned, opening his eyes. A growl came from behind him. He froze. Fear gripped him as memories of the headless boy returned. He turned—
—red, glowing eyes stared back. A wide, drooling mouth opened, ready to swallow him whole.
He shut his eyes and covered his face.
Then— Slice.
"Sarah!"
On the other side, Sarah opened her eyes. She turned left—and smiled.
"Lira!"
Lira was running toward her with arms outstretched. But then—her expression changed. Her eyes darted right. Sarah followed her gaze.
Her eyes met another creature, staring back, Hungry.
Sarah froze. Her breath quickened. The thick magic pressed against her skin like weight. The creature roared in her face, snapping her out of it.
Thrusting her arm forward, sparks flew—exploding against the monster. She quickly turned around and ran for her life. The enraged creature leapt through the smoke and descended on her. Sarah dashed aside just in time. Behind her, Lira rushed past and leapt—her magic-charged fist slammed the creature into a wall.
They high-fived in victory.
"You alright?" Lira asked, checking Sarah's bruises.
"I'm fine, I promise."
Ignoring the pain, Sarah looked around.
"I've got to find my brother."
"I'm sure he's fine. He's probably already out."
Sarah notice Lira's worried face and quickly grabs Lira's hand.
"It isn't your fault, you know."
Lira sighed. "I know. Still… my first live show, and people are dying."
"And it's not your fault," Sarah insisted. "We're all here because you're an idol. There'll be more concerts—and I'll be at every one."
Lira chuckled. "I don't think your mum would want to come after this."
"I'll convince her."
They laughed—until:
"Sarah!"
Time slowed.
They looked up.
Dain was descending like a meteor, desperation all over his face.
"Da—"
Stab.
Both girls widened their eyes. Pain coursed through them. They looked down—A bony, branch-like leg had pierced straight through their stomachs.
Sarah felt a warm liquid run down her leg. Behind Lira, the ten-legged creature loomed, smiling. Sarah was drenched in sweat. Lira reached out to protect her.
The leg retracted—bringing both girls with it. Dain appeared—cut the limb clean, grabbed Sarah, and leapt to safety.
"Wh–What are you doing? Save—save Lira too!" she begged, coughing blood.
She stared at Lira—still caught. Tears streamed down her face.
Dain turned away.
He had to protect Sarah first.
Elara, trapped on the other side, tried to get to her daughter. But she was slammed into a wall. She summoned a shield to block the next attack.
She and Sarah could only watch as the creature lifted Lira.
Lira slid along the leg. She looked at Sarah, smiled through tears—
—and reached the end.
"Lira!" Sarah screamed.
Crunch.
The monster bit down.
Blood mixed with saliva. Limbs fell to the ground.
Sarah cried uncontrollably. She fought against her father's grasp, kicking and screaming.
"Calm down, Sarah!" Dain shouted.
"Shut up!"
She elbowed him, broke free, and dropped to her knees. Blood still poured from her wound. Memories of Lira played in her mind.
Elara finished her battle and landed beside Dain. She glared at him.
"Why didn't you save that girl? You could've gotten both!"
He said nothing.
"Sarah!"
Malrik appeared, running to her, a girl with white hair behind him.
Elara's eyes glowed orange. A dark purple aura covered the arena. The creature licked its lips and smiled.
Purple words hovered above it:
The Hollow Echo
Elara's voice was low and furious.
"Do you see what you've done now?" She didn't know whether to glare at her husband—or the thing before her.
"Now… we have to face a Demon."