Craymoor was on the brink of collapse. The once bustling streets swarmed with panicked citizens—shouts and screams blending into a cacophony of terror. Fires burned uncontrollably, their glow mingling with thick, choking smoke. Above, dark shapes fell from the sky, the grotesque World Eaters descending like harbingers of doom.
Fifteen-year-old Zenith darted through the crowd, heart hammering, lungs burning. Behind him, his mother's voice cut through the chaos. "Zenith! Stay close!"
But then came a monstrous roar, and shadowy claws reached down, tearing through the fleeing people. His mother was ripped away, screaming as a World Eater dragged her into the abyss.
His father fought desperately, swinging a broken plank at the creature. "Run, Zenith! Get out!" he yelled, but a second beast struck him down before Zenith could reach his side.
Zenith froze, eyes wide with horror, as his parents vanished into the growing nightmare.
Tears blurring his vision, Zenith stumbled forward, desperate to find his sister. In the swirling crowd, a sharp voice gripped his arm.
"Ires," she said, pulling him roughly. She was fifteen, eyes fierce and unyielding despite the terror around them. "You can't save them. You'll only die trying."
"I have to find her! My sister's still here!" Zenith pleaded, wrenching free, turning toward the market square.
Ires shook her head, grasping his arm again. "Then we find her. Together."
As they moved through the panicked throng, the sky darkened with more falling World Eaters, their screams echoing across the city.
Suddenly, Zenith spotted her—his sister, clutching a loaf of bread, frozen with fear near the old fountain. He broke into a run, Ires close behind.
But a massive claw snatched her from the ground before they reached her. Her scream was swallowed by the chaos as she disappeared into the maw of the beast.
"No!" Zenith cried, reaching out in vain.
Around them, Craymoor burned, cries and destruction drowning out all else.
Ires pressed his shoulder and shouted at him.
"We have to go now"
The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning wood. Zenith's legs pumped furiously, his breath ragged, heart pounding like a war drum. Behind him, the city was unraveling — Craymoor was dying.
Ires was just ahead, eyes sharp, scanning the sky and the streets. "Portals," she hissed. "They're opening all over. We don't have much time."
Zenith glanced up just in time to see a rift tear open above the shattered rooftops — a swirling vortex of dark energy, from which a hulking World Eater tumbled, crashing into a stone pillar. The ground shook beneath them.
"Left!" Ires grabbed his arm, yanking him away as another creature landed with a deafening roar, blocking their path.
They ducked behind toppled carts, the monster's guttural growls vibrating through the stones. Zenith could hear the panicked screams of the fleeing townsfolk mingled with the shrill screeches of the beasts.
More portals ripped open — some near the ancient market, others in the shadowed alleys. From each one poured hideous shapes: beasts with serrated claws, eyes burning with malice, wings like torn shadows blotting out the sky.
Zenith stumbled over debris, pain shooting through his ankle. Ires caught him swiftly. "Keep moving!" she urged, pulling him toward a narrow alleyway.
They pressed their backs against the cold, crumbling wall, barely daring to breathe as a creature thundered past mere feet away, swiping the air with massive claws.
"We need to reach the city gates," Ires whispered fiercely. "If we can get beyond the walls, there might be safety."
Zenith nodded, forcing his fear down. Each step was agony, but his will was steel. He had to survive.
The chaos behind them grew. Fires spread like wildfire, illuminating desperate faces, shattered homes, and crumbling statues.
A piercing shriek sliced the air — a massive winged beast soared overhead, its eyes locking onto them. It dove with terrifying speed.
Ires pushed Zenith to the ground just as the creature slammed into the alley's entrance, crushing stones and splinters in its wake.
Panting, they scrambled up, racing through winding streets, dodging falling debris and more creatures emerging from rifts like nightmarish invaders.
Finally, the city walls came into view — tall, ancient, and scarred by the assault. Guards stood in desperate formation, arrows nocked and weapons drawn.
Ires waved frantically. "Over here! We need to get out!"
The gates creaked open just as a monstrous roar signaled a new wave of World Eaters approaching. Zenith and Ires sprinted through the threshold, the heavy gates slamming shut behind them.
For a moment, silence fell — broken only by their ragged breaths and the distant howls echoing from the city.
They had escaped Craymoor.
But the war was only begining.