Chapter 43
The Invasion
Part 2
The invasion began across the entire planet Kyriagi, impacting every major city within each kingdom and empire. Although the scenes varied from place to place, the consequences were the same everywhere. The gates appeared suddenly, and monsters emerged like locusts; the sight was identical everywhere.
She was immersed in deep thought. Orders had been issued, and everyone was on standby. At the same time, she was receiving reports from the major cities in the kingdom and other kingdoms as well, indicating that the same phenomenon had appeared at their gates and in their vicinity.
All the other kingdoms' monsters had started to pour out of the portal. Some cities had already fallen, but the gate in front of the capital remained unchanged; nothing had emerged from it so far. This did not bring her any relief; on the contrary, she became more anxious about what might happen and what could come out of it.
She, more than anyone else, had the vision still vivid in her mind. She even tried to contact the boy, Aden, but his communicator was offline. This increased her anxiety, making her fear that the worst might have happened to him, because in her opinion, he was the only one capable of standing in front of the gate or portal, just like in her vision.
The footsteps of someone entering the room where Emika was stopped abruptly in the middle of the room, as if the person who had approached reconsidered disturbing her. She did not turn; her gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon where her dreams had revealed the black portal.
A small shiver crawled up her spine. Finally, she noticed the change. The air around her felt different, as if a hurricane were approaching. The entire area seemed to pulse, as though something was forcefully pushing its way out.
Something was moving, then it suddenly stopped as if nothing had ever happened.
She stood up from her desk and noticed someone else in the room with her. It was one of her subordinates, who said, "Akane, when did you come in? Ah, never mind. What have you got for me?" Akane was one of her intelligence officers who worked directly under her, but her official title was secretary. No one except Emika was aware of her true role.
"I have more reports for you. Would you like me to read them to you?" Emika noticed a bunch of documents in her hand, then glanced once more at her desk, where piles of other documents still lay untouched. She hadn't had time to review them yet. With a sigh, she looked back at Akane and said, "Please do, and give me the most important information first."
Akane nodded silently, glancing back at the document in her hand. She removed a portion of it, placed it on top, and began reading from the first page.
"Here's the first report that I have received, we have activated some of the security defensive drone that was dormant in the city and it's as follows."
Name of the city: Malind
Population: 230,000
Country: Angariya
"A border city between Angariya and Hughes Country, serving as a trade hub between the two regions. It features tourist attractions, an information center, and a free market, reports arrived in fragmented bursts, with communications cutting in and out amid static-laced interference. Security drones transmitted images for less than three seconds before their signals died.
The last frames were seared into the minds of anyone who saw them: a creature shaped like a centipede but covered in iron plates, moving silently out of the phenomenon gate.
It didn't charge. It didn't roar. It simply moved across the plains opposite the city gate, near the border, until it stopped about five hundred meters in front of the city gate. The creature's many limbs carried it vertically as easily as they did across the ground. The last report we received said it was not moving, as if it were waiting for someone or something.
The distress calls from Korveth ended abruptly—not with an explosion or a final plea, but with silence."
Akane paused for a moment, looking at Emika's face and reaction. Unexpectedly, instead of the relief she had ainticipated to see on Emika's face, but what she saw was just panic a worry at the same time. Akane did not expect Emika to be so concerned and wondered if she had misunderstood the report she was giving. She asked, "Isn't that a good thing? So far, no casualties or property damage have been reported, unlike in the other countries from which we received reports.
Emika was thinking of sonething else totally she knew that it was the last recorded city of Aden's path that he was traveling through before his signal completely disappeared in less than an hour. To ease Akane's mind, she said, "I was thinking about the boy Aden. That was the last city he was in before his disappearance. once more out the window and added, "I don't know if we could say what's happening in our country can be called lucky or not, but time will tell. Never mind, please continue the report."
Akane continued to read the reports she received from across the country. Although the phenomenon did not appear throughout the entire country, it was observed in five major cities—the most populated ones—as well as in about four smaller cities and two small villages on the outskirts of the kingdom. Except for the two villages, which were destroyed without any significant casualties, the entities that emerged from the gate in the other cities did not move from their initial locations.
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Hughes Country
Name of the city: Kalif
Population: 328,000
The invasion commenced on an otherwise ordinary evening when a mysterious portal materialized in about five to six hundred meters on the north side gate of the city. This rift in reality, pulsating with an eerie luminescence, drew the attention of curious onlookers. However, what emerged from this otherworldly gateway would soon plunge the city into a nightmare.
From the depths of the portal, a horde of grotesque creatures emerged, each more terrifying than the last. These entities, described by witnesses as towering figures with elongated limbs and eyes that glowed with malevolent intent, instilled a primal fear in the hearts of those who beheld them. Their forms were a grotesque amalgamation of various predatory traits, suggesting an evolutionary design aimed at instilling terror and chaos.
The monsters exhibited a range of abilities that further compounded the horror. Some could emit piercing shrieks that shattered glass and disoriented the populace, while others displayed unnatural agility, allowing them to traverse the urban landscape with alarming speed. The sheer unpredictability of their movements rendered any attempts at defense futile.
As the invasion unfolded, the city's residents were thrust into a state of panic. Initial disbelief quickly morphed into sheer terror as the creatures wreaked havoc. Families barricaded themselves within their homes, while others sought refuge in public shelters, only to find that no place was truly safe. The air was thick with the acrid scent of fear, and the sounds of destruction echoed through the streets.
Witness accounts describe scenes of unimaginable horror: buildings collapsing under the weight of the monsters, fires igniting in their wake, and the anguished cries of those who were unable to escape. The psychological toll on the residents was profound; many were left traumatized, grappling with the reality of their city being transformed into a battleground.
As the night wore on, the city succumbed to chaos. Emergency services, overwhelmed and ill-equipped to confront such a formidable threat, struggled to maintain order. The once vibrant urban landscape was reduced to a tableau of destruction, with debris littering the streets and the remnants of a once-thriving community lying in ruins.
The infrastructure of the city, designed to withstand natural disasters, proved inadequate against the relentless assault of the invaders. Critical facilities, including hospitals and emergency response centers, were rendered inoperable, exacerbating the plight of the survivors. The loss of life was staggering, and the emotional scars left on the community would linger long after the physical destruction had been addressed.
The beginning of the invasion marked a dark chapter in the city's history, one that serves as a chilling reminder of the fragility of civilization in the face of the unknown. As the dust settles and the survivors begin to rebuild, the memory of that fateful night will remain etched in their collective consciousness. The emergence of the portal and the subsequent invasion of monstrous entities not only decimated the city but also irrevocably altered the lives of its residents, leaving them to grapple with the haunting question: what other horrors might lie beyond the veil of reality?