"Ah... well, we don't have much time. The next Dark Hour starts in like an hour," Venus said.
"And you NEED to change your clothes," Jack added.
"Why? I'm chill like this," Muta replied.
Everyone stared.
"You gotta be kidding me. BRO, YOU LOOK AWFUL. That outfit has ZERO drip," Edwin said, clearly offended.
"Please, just go change. I literally can't look at that thing anymore," Edwin added, stressed, handing him a new set of clothes.
Edwin had made everyone's outfit. He couldn't stand ugly clothes.
"You can change in there," Zoe said, pointing to a door left of the couch.
Muta took the moment to look around the house. The walls were yellow, but some spots had thicker paint. Kinda messy. Still, it felt like a normal house.
As he grabbed the doorknob, a soft shock ran through his body. When he opened the door...
It was the exact same room he had before coming here.
Muta froze, overwhelmed with joy. He turned back and everyone was smiling.
"Go ahead," Zoe said.
Muta took a deep breath, eyes tearing up. He couldn't go back home.
But now...
He had a piece of it with him.
And sometimes, that's all you need to keep breathing.
He changed clothes. Before leaving, he gave the room one last glance.
"Sgh… We're about to head out on a one-year trip and they hit me with this."
He stepped out, ready to ask a bunch of questions, but everyone started talking over each other — and he totally forgot what he wanted to say.
"I'm a GENIUS," Edwin said smugly.
"Chill, Mr. Supermodel," Jack replied.
"Hmph... i-it's not better than mine though!" Venus said, clearly jealous.
"COOW!" Zoe shouted, excited.
Muta was wearing a long black coat down to his knees, black jeans, a gray turtleneck, leather gloves, and a silver wristwatch on his left hand. Simple. Clean.
"Aw c'mon, it's not that good," Muta mumbled, embarrassed.
"Hmph. Your old clothes weren't good at all. Hand them over, I need to get rid of that mess."
Edwin took Muta's old clothes... and burned them.
"It's almost time. Let's go — before the Dark Hour hits, we gotta explain how things are gonna work 'til we get to Strabevield," Jack said, heading for the door.
Everyone followed him.
As soon as they stepped out, Muta froze.
A fish, the size of a human, jumped out of the water. It had horns instead of eyes, and tentacles writhing all over its body. And it was flying.
As Muta watched the fish glide through the air, he noticed something even more insane — massive creatures were swimming and walking upside down in the sky… and way off in the distance, he could see the ground.
"Ah… Eh… WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Muta shouted, pointing to the sky.
"The ground, duh," Zoe answered like it was obvious.
"The house is upside down. Same with this ocean," Venus said.
"And don't even bother asking how. We got no clue either," Edwin added.
"You gotta see the blood beach. The sea there is red, and the water just floats in the middle of the air," Edwin said, hyped.
"Cool," Muta muttered.
"All right… listen up," Jack said, checking his watch. "We got five minutes. Lemme explain this 'plan' better. Our goal is to reach Strabevield while training you to survive the creatures from the Dark Hour. During the Dark Hour, we fight the small ones. Some big ones we can handle, others... yeah, we just run. Since you've got zero experience, anything bigger than usual? We dip."
"The Dark Hour lasts five hours. So get ready," Edwin said.
"No rest during the Dark Hour. But once it ends, it won't come back for two days — so we'll have plenty of time to chill after," Venus explained.
"We could've used the white door to come back here and rest, but it broke the day you showed up. Can't handle more than two people at once," Zoe added, a bit annoyed.
"White door?" Muta asked.
"It lets you go anywhere you've already been with it. We didn't know it couldn't take more than two people. When we tried it, it just vanished like it got sucked into a black hole. You can buy them in any city — Strabevield's the closest one," Venus replied.
"It's basically mandatory to have one," Jack said. "Every place takes months or years to reach. Not that it matters, though. Walking leads to all kinds of adventures, and we don't age here, so… all good."
"Wait — we don't age?" Muta asked, shocked.
"Everything that ends up here just stops aging!" Zoe said excitedly.
Muta's jaw dropped. "How long have you guys been here?"
Zoe held up two fingers in front of his face while holding a stuffed cat in the other hand.
"Two years? I thought it'd been longer," he muttered, strangely disappointed.
"Believe me, every single day here feels like an eternity," Jack said, wide-eyed.
Right then, everyone's watches beeped.
Snap.
Everything went black.
This time, the giant eye in the ocean… was gone.
But the creatures that chased them across the bridge — they were here now. Right in the middle of the group.
Everyone froze.
Their reaction made it clear — this wasn't normal. Not at all.
Muta could barely breathe.
One of the creatures stood right in front of him. Staring.
It was long and twisted.
Hands moved underneath its skin like worms crawling through flesh.
Every part of Muta's body shivered.
He was gonna puke. For real.
Then... the hands vanished.
Out of nowhere — PRAK!
One hand tore through the creature's chest, carving a line down its body.
Two more hands followed.
Ripping the torso open. Slowly. Like a door made of meat.
Inside... more hands.
And a head.
The head turned.
Locked eyes with Muta.
Smiled — from ear to ear.
Then it opened its mouth.
And leapt at him.
But the second it touched Muta's coat — the creature screamed. Loud. In agony.
Its skin caught fire. Twisting.
Cracking.
Until it slowly turned to dust.
Meanwhile, one of them lunged at Jack.
No time to think. They were already trading blows.
Jack was holding his own.
But inside?
Full panic.
The fear was eating him alive.
Afraid to mess up.
Afraid someone would get hurt because of him.
His punches were wild. Brutal. Desperate.
But sloppy.
Every time he landed a hit, the creature burned. Its skin sizzled.
But when the monster hit back — Jack didn't feel pain.
He only saw the creature's hand burning where it touched him.
Then the thing grabbed his arm.
He was wearing a short sleeve.
The skin was exposed.
When that warped hand touched his bare skin —
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Jack screamed. Like his nerves were on fire.
Fear came rushing back.
Almost made him step back.
But he didn't.
He grabbed the creature's arm with both gloved hands. Tight.
Pure instinct.
Didn't let go.
The monster's skin began to burn faster.
The smell of rot.
Smoke. Then flames.
It screamed.
Twisted.
Collapsed — burning like a broken doll.
Jack just stood there.
Panting.
Heart pounding so loud it hurt.
His arm shaking.
He looked down.
The creature's handprint was burned into his skin — like it'd been seared with an iron.
Hair gone. Flesh raw.
Meanwhile, Edwin was up against two creatures.
But this wasn't a fight.
It was a massacre.
He was pissed.
Inside and out.
No patience. No mercy.
The creatures stopped.
Just stared.
But the second Edwin moved—
He aimed to kill.
His arms cracked as they extended.
And in a blink, both of the creatures had their eyes crushed.
Like rotten fruit.
The fire in their eyes faded.
And what was left… turned to goo.
Still twitching.
Edwin looked down at it, disgusted.
Pulled a dark cloth from his pocket.
Tossed it over the goo.
It started burning.
Slowly. Like it was melting from inside.
He turned away before it finished.
Venus and Zoe were together.
Zoe wasn't as terrified as last time, but still shaking a bit.
Her eyes tracked Venus, who was fighting three creatures at once.
It was like watching a dance.
The movements of the four were synced — fast and clean.
No one landed a hit.
Then they closed in on Zoe.
"AAAAAH!" she screamed, scared.
The scream broke the rhythm.
Venus lost focus. Missed a move.
And, for a second, was vulnerable.
That was enough.
A punch. Fast.
Hit her face hard.
No mark left, but it hurt.
A lot.
"MEEEEEAAAH!!" Venus yelled, sounding more like an angry cat than a person.
Angry, she didn't think.
Pulled one of her knives and threw it at the creature's eye that hit her.
The blade went straight in.
Another creature charged, trying to catch her off guard.
She spun around, dodging.
And before it could breathe, Venus stabbed it in the eye with another knife.
Only one left.
But that one… was standing still.
Opening its own belly.
Something inside was moving — a second creature trying to get out.
Venus looked at her belt.
No knives.
No time.
She shifted form.
Her body turned to shadow and reshaped into a feline, bigger and more threatening.
No longer just a cat.
More like a jaguar, wearing a dark outfit covering her whole body.
The silhouette was elegant and lethal.
She leapt.
Before the creature finished opening itself, Venus sunk her claws into its chest.
Ripped. Smashed. Shredded.
Finally, plunged a paw right into its glowing eye.
Silence.
Zoe, who had watched everything with sparkling eyes, jumped up with joy.
"DID YOU SEE DAT?!" she shouted, smiling.
It calmed her. At least a little.
Venus was already turning back into human form when...
SPLASH!
A creature jumped out of the lake.
Right at Zoe.
Venus saw it.
But didn't have time to warn her.
The creature touched her.
And started burning.
Zoe didn't notice.
She was still laughing. Still celebrating.
The creature screamed. Melted.
Fell to the ground in burnt pieces.
Zoe just blinked, confused.
"Uh?"
Muta saw everything. He was horrified, trembling, traumatized. Had already vomited twice… and was about to do it a third time.
"Guys… let's go back inside… please," Muta said, almost throwing up again.
Out of everyone, Zoe was the one who answered. She exploded at him:
"NO! OUR JOB HERE IS TO MAKE YOU LEARN TO KILL THIS SHIT! NOT RUN JUST 'CAUSE YOU SAW SOMETHING GWOOSS!" Zoe squeezed her plush tight and continued, voice cwacking: "IF YOU GET SCARED AND WUN… THE PEOPE AROUND YOU WIWW END UP DEAD!"
She said it with tears in her eyes.
Muta lowered his head. Felt like trash now.
"Sorry…"
Jack, despite his hurting arm, slowly came closer.
"Relax, man. We know it's not easy seeing this nasty shit. It's scary, I get it. But she's right… if we back down now, you'll never get over that fear."
"Your arm—" Muta started, but was cut off.
"Didn't I tell you, Jack?!" Edwin yelled, furious. "I said you had to wear something to cover your arms! Take this and put it on already."
He threw a long-sleeved shirt at Jack.
"All right, all right, damn…" Jack grumbled, forcing the shirt on.
Muta took the chance to ask:
"One of those things jumped on me… and started burning."
"It's the clothes," Edwin said. "They're made from a special material. Without them, you would burn."
"Hm… wouldn't it be better to, I dunno, put a bandage on Jack's arm?" Muta asked.
"No use. During the Dark Hour, nothing heals. So try not to get hurt, okay?" Venus replied.
"Well, shall we move?" Edwin said.
The group started crossing the bridge. Edwin led, Jack right behind, Venus last… with Zoe and Muta in the middle.
With each step, more fog appeared. Whispers came from all directions, scratching their ears like the bridge itself was talking.
Jack and Zoe were tense, alert. Edwin wore a face full of anger.
They walked for a full hour without saying a word.
Muta was about to collapse.
Then, a fish — the same species as the flying one from before — swam right in front of his face.
His body froze. The shock nearly made him pass out.
The fog was so thick that Venus, right behind, didn't notice he had stopped.
They bumped into each other. Both screamed. A LOT.
The whispers stopped.
The silence after was even scarier.
Muta held his breath for a second. Venus too.
Then Muta looked back, hesitant, about to call the group…
But before he could, Venus, in pure panic, turned into a cat and jumped into his arms.
"RUN!" she shouted.
Muta froze. "W-what?!"
Then he heard it.
Steps. Fast. Many.
From behind.
Without thinking, he started running with Venus in his arms.
His power activated on its own. With every step, the ground beneath him became elastic, pushing him forward with insane force.
Muta was flying low. The fog parted as he ran.
Still… it took almost a minute to catch up with the rest. They were also running for their lives.
Zoe was in Edwin's arms. Jack was being dragged on the ground, holding onto his leg tight.
When they saw Muta and Venus fly past… they didn't stop to think.
"FUCKED!" was the collective thought.
They thought the creatures were right behind them and started screaming as Edwin sped up.
Minutes later, Muta and Venus hit a wall.
Thanks to Muta's power, the impact felt like landing on a mattress. They fell to the ground and, still lying there, looked up to see what they'd hit.
It was a giant wall stretching up to the "real ground." There was a door in the middle.
Venus approached the door. Still in cat form, she jumped and grabbed the handle with her paws, pushing it down hard. Once inside, she floated upside down in front of Muta.
He froze.
Hadn't processed the absurd size of the wall… and now Venus was right there, floating upside down out of nowhere.
"COME ON!" she shouted, clearly nervous.
Muta, mouth open, started walking slowly, trying to find logic in all of this. Just as he was about to cross the door, the others bumped into him.
He fell again.
Got up, ready to complain, but was cut off by screams.
Looking back, he saw a swarm of creatures coming.
Without thinking twice, he ran into the structure.
Jack, already battered from being dragged, entered last and slammed the door shut.
Silence.
Everyone stopped to catch their breath, not saying a word.
Edwin put Zoe down. She went straight to Muta.
Stopped a foot away, staring him straight in the eyes (looking down, of course — Muta was short… or maybe she was just tall?).
She tilted her head like an owl and asked, with her cute lisp and tangled speech:
"How'd you do that?"
"I-I don't know!" Muta answered nervously.
Zoe asked like it was a crime, and Muta could feel her breath close, only seeing her glowing eyes in the dark.
"B-because IT WAS TOO COOW!" Zoe said, bouncing with excitement and sparkling eyes.
Muta let out a relieved sigh, while the rest of the group burst out laughing.
"It's too dark in here," Muta said.
"I've got the perfect item for this!" Edwin said excitedly, opening his bag and pulling out a container filled with glowing fruits.
He handed one to everyone. By then, Muta thought he'd seen everything… so he just popped the fruit in his mouth and asked:
"If this fruit glows, chew chew, why was the bag still dark when you opened it? chew chew"
Edwin answered like it was the most normal thing ever:
"It's a bottomless bag."
"chew chew, Your ass." Muta said, disbelief all over his face.
Suddenly, everyone started glowing.
"Where to now?" Muta asked, trying to hide his surprise. He kinda expected this, but seeing it live was next-level.
Edwin show disgust in his face.
"We just gotta go down… but this tower changes every Dark Hour," Jack said.
Muta looked at Jack and saw how wrecked he was. Then he remembered when they ran across the bridge, Jack was being dragged.
He couldn't stop laughing.
But the laugh was cut short by a sharp, high-pitched scream that sent chills down everyone's spine. No one knew where it came from, but they all ran for the stairs.
The group descended for a few seconds until they reached the next floor. It was a place with tall grass covering the ground, white walls, and the only light came from themselves. As soon as they entered, they heard the scream again — louder, closer. It was right in front of them.
The tall grass moved.
Frozen with fear, they turned to go back up — but the stairs had vanished. Instead, there was a hallway splitting in two directions.
Without thinking, the group ran out.
Venus shifted back to human form while running and approached Zoe, who was beside Muta. Edwin followed, carrying the injured Jack. Everyone shouted so loudly their voices could be heard outside the tower. It felt like a contest: who could scream louder, them or the creature chasing them.
Muta turned left, with Zoe and Venus right behind. Edwin kept going straight, still carrying Jack.
The movement in the grass split and followed both groups.
Muta and Zoe cried in despair, with the creature behind them. Venus seemed more worried about the two than herself. After running everywhere, unable to find an exit in the maze, they reached a dead end with only one door.
Muta and Zoe stopped in front of it, desperately trying to open it, crying and screaming for their lives. Venus, right behind, shouted for them to get out of the way. Then, she shifted to jaguar form and slammed into the door with full force.
Nothing happened.
Venus stood up, turned back — ready to face the creature.
As she walked slowly toward the thing, she hit Zoe's plush toy with her tail, sending it flying toward the creature. Zoe started screaming and crying even louder, stomping her feet and trying to curse Venus — but only nonsense words came out.
Muta got even more nervous and anxious with Zoe's screams. Suddenly, she hugged him tight with all her might. Since Zoe was taller, Muta barely touched the ground with his feet. Now he was the one screaming in pain, while Zoe seemed even more out of control.
As the plush hit the grass, the creature's screams stopped. Venus readied herself. The grass slowly moved to where the plush had fallen... then violently shook as the creature tore it apart. The plush's head flew off and landed at Zoe's feet.
Seeing this, Zoe completely lost it. She squeezed Muta even tighter — this time out of pure rage. With Muta in one arm, she charged at the creature.
The creature jumped.
It was small, with a round head, a mouth that almost circled its skull, sharp teeth, and a long tongue. It had no eyes — it saw by echolocation. Its body looked like a small dog, but was entirely made of exposed flesh and bone.
Zoe grabbed the creature by the neck while screaming even louder. The glove she wore caused the creature to catch fire. As the flames grew, Zoe let go. The creature ran, burning, leaving a trail behind.
Zoe dropped Muta to the ground and knelt. She picked up what was left of her plush. She cried quietly, torn between pain and fear, holding the pieces with shaking hands.
Venus approached slowly, but before she could say anything, Zoe lifted her head. Her face was red, eyes teary. She looked right at Venus... and slapped her.
It was a light slap. But Venus stepped back, surprised. Zoe lowered her gaze and muttered, hurt:
"Sorry…"
Suddenly, the door behind them opened.
Edwin entered carrying Jack.
"You guys… killed the creature?" he asked, out of breath and tense.
"Zoe did…" Venus replied, almost whispering.
"Zoe?!" Edwin looked surprised, staring at her.
Jack moved in Edwin's arms, worried:
"W-why is Muta on the floor? What happened here?"
"It's a long story… but he's okay," Venus said, guilt weighing heavier and heavier.
"We found the stairs to the floor below," Jack informed, as Edwin set him down.
"But we have a problem."