As Nova ran, the screams of the villagers grew louder, more desperate, echoing through the burning streets. His pace quickened with every step, his chest heaving with panic and adrenaline.
Figures dashed past him—people stumbling over debris, clutching their loved ones, their faces twisted in horror. They didn't notice him, didn't hear him calling out.
"Hey!" Nova shouted, voice cracking. But no one turned, no one answered.
Suddenly, the sky turned dark; black clouds hid the sun.
Pitter... Patter.
Rain started to fall. But it didn't stop Nova.
Ahead, the village spread out before him, and the sight froze him in place. Houses were engulfed in flames, timber snapping, roofs collapsing in a symphony of destruction. Smoke swirled thick and black, blending with the dark clouds that had suddenly swallowed the sun. The air was acrid with the scent of burning wood, charred earth, and fear.
People ran in every direction—some tripping over fallen beams, some clutching the limbs of their injured companions. Half the buildings in sight were reduced to embers, and the ground was littered with bodies, some lifeless, others screaming for help that would never come. Blood mingled with mud, slicking the streets under his feet.
"Hey!" Nova grabbed a frail man who was running away. "What's happening? What caused all this fire? Why is everyone running away instead of trying to extinguish it?"
The man looked at Nova with wide, bloodshot eyes. Nova's grip loosened upon seeing this. "Leave me!" the man shouted and escaped from Nova's hold, continuing to run.
A middle-aged man barreled toward Nova, roughly pulling him along.
"Hey! Stop!" Nova cried.
"Shut up if you want to live!" the man panted. "The demons don't spare anyone, not even a child!"
Nova's mind reeled. "What...? Demons? No! My mom—she's still there!" Summoning every ounce of strength, he pushed the man off and sprinted forward. The man grunted but didn't stop, leaving Nova to navigate the devastation alone.
He walked through a nightmare: streets strewn with debris, shattered carts, collapsed rooftops. Dead and dying villagers lay scattered like discarded dolls. Limbs torn, heads missing, cries swallowed by the rain.
Nova's stomach turned, bile rising, but he forced himself forward.
Some armored cultivators fought desperately, wielding swords and spears etched with the emblem of a tree with outstretched branches, trying to stem the tide of inhuman monsters. But for every demon that fell, more emerged from the inferno—gray-skinned and grotesque, their bodies twitching with unnatural movements, eyes burning crimson.
Just then, from the thick fire ahead, blocking the way straight from the village, a creature crawled forth—skin gray and raw like burnt parchment, a sickle, stained red, clutched in one of its hands, bones jutting out beneath the flesh. It twitched as if unsure of its own form, its head jerking side to side before letting out a piercing "Ghraaaakhh!" Hollow sockets flared crimson, and the stench of decay filled the air as more of them began to emerge from the light.
It started running toward the nearest person, but before it could reach him, three cultivators in armor blocked its path.
Nova could not believe his eyes. His village, his home, was in ruins because of those gray, inhuman beasts. They cut people ruthlessly—they didn't gain anything from killing—but still, they did it. He couldn't understand why.
But instead of anger, Nova was experiencing something else—for the first time, fear. Absolute fear.
"Mom..." The thought of Elaine shot through his mind, and he started moving around, desperately looking for her.
When he couldn't find her anywhere on this side of town, Nova slowly moved toward the fire.
Tap... Tap... Tap.
Pitter... Patter...
Finally, he reached the largest fire, flames roaring and licking at the sky. His eyes searched frantically, desperate.
Nova couldn't hear anything except his footsteps and the rain falling. The screams and noises were blurred.
But still, for some reason, his heart didn't stop pounding like a beast. His mind couldn't stop imagining the worst.
And then—
Tap.
A hand emerged from the blaze and landed on the floor, as if someone were crawling. It was burned and blistered, the hand of a human, thin fingers, a silver wedding ring glinting faintly in the firelight.
Haah... Haah...
Nova's chest tightened.
What happened next made Nova's eyes widen. He was horrified. He didn't know how to react, couldn't understand what was happening, because the hand was followed by a human—a face—the face of his mom, Elaine.
Burned, blistered, her clothes tattered, hair singed.
She wasn't screaming, even though almost all of her body was in fire, as if her body had enough of pain, as if her mind had enough of screaming.
"Haah... Haah..." Nova couldn't move; he could only take huge gasps.
"Nova…" she whispered, voice faint, strained, carrying over the roar of flames and the rain.
Nova froze for a moment, paralyzed. He took a step forward—
"Run…" Elaine's voice trembled but was firm, stopping him from taking another step. "It's… coming. I… I won't make it…" Her hand reached out, trembling, as if to hold him, to protect him one last time. "Go… go home… There's something...beneath the table…" Her eyes turned wet, "Your sister…" A tear flowed down her cheek. "Take care of her… now… go…"
Nova's chest heaved, his throat tight. The words barely registered through the storm of emotions. But then he finally got himself to talk.
"Mo—"
Suddenly, a hand—a large hand, not human, gray like the last demon but darker—emerged from the fire, slowly. It landed on top of Elaine's head and tightened its grip around it.
Everything went silent. Nova's eyes widened, heart pounding, his body frozen in horror as he stood there helplessly.
Elaine kept looking at Nova, with tears flowing down her face. A faint, fleeting smile formed on her face, trying to ease Nova's heart even as she faced her end... She didn't resist. She simply closed her eyes, surrendering to the inevitable.
And then—
Crack! Squelch!