Ding dong!
The metallic sound of the bell echoed through the classroom walls, vibrating with such intensity that Mochi's shoulders jerked. She opened her eyes abruptly, disoriented, finding herself face-to-face with the wooden surface of her desk and the sound of her classmates laughing as they began gathering their things.
The afternoon sun streamed through the windows, bathing the room in a warm orange glow. Mochi let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms toward the ceiling to shake off her drowsiness.
Suddenly, a delicate hand dropped a paper napkin right in front of her nose.
"Here you go, Mochi. Wipe up—you've got drool on your face, sleepyhead," said a soft, warm voice.
Mochi looked up. In front of her stood Haruka, her best friend. The elf's white hair shimmered in the sunset light, and her long pointed ears twitched slightly as she gave her a smile she only ever showed Mochi. Haruka was very popular, excellent at sports, and always ranked at the top of the class. She was known as a cold beauty with everyone… except Mochi.
"Looks like you're still having trouble staying awake in class. The teacher was annoyed with you, but decided not to wake you," Haruka added, crossing her arms but maintaining that affectionate gaze.
Mochi's cat ears, which had perked up at the bell, drooped again, and her tail curled sadly around the leg of her chair.
"Ugh… even if he didn't say anything, he'll probably scold me harshly again tomorrow," Mochi complained, taking the napkin and wiping her cheek with a trace of embarrassment. "How humiliating that they saw me sleeping like that… again."
"I guess it's your natural talent," Haruka teased, watching her hurriedly stuff her notebooks away.
"Haruka, give me a second. I'll pack my things and we can walk home together," Mochi said, shoving a textbook into her bag upside down with enthusiasm.
Haruka sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Mochi, remember what we talked about: today we can't go home together. I have my part-time job."
Mochi's energy deflated instantly. Her ears drooped again, and she put on an exaggerated pout that could have melted anyone, trying to playfully draw sympathy.
"Ah, right… your job. I completely forgot. I guess I'll be going home alone today… wandering the streets, sad and abandoned…"
Haruka couldn't help but let out a small laugh and, with a quick motion, pinched Mochi's cheeks, gently pulling them.
"Don't be so dramatic. And listen carefully, Mochi: you've seen the news, right? Over the past few weeks there have been several strange disappearances in the city. Don't waste time wandering around—go straight home, understand? No detours to the candy shop or the park."
"Yes, Mom, I get it," Mochi replied, her voice distorted by the pinch on her cheeks. "I'll go straight home, I promise."
Haruka squeezed a little more before letting go, fixed a stray lock of her hair, and slung her bag over her shoulder.
"You better. I'll message you when I'm done later. Straight home!" she warned one last time from the classroom door, waving before disappearing down the hallway.
After saying goodbye to Haruka, Mochi took her time. She stopped by the school bathroom and carefully examined herself in the mirror. She wiped away a trace of drool from the corner of her lips and fixed her hair. Perfect, she thought. No one would guess that ten minutes ago she had been asleep on top of a book.
When she stepped outside, the sound of her own footsteps echoing through the halls felt strange. Normally, at this hour, the school would be full of chaos—shouting, the music from the club band, and the sound of basketballs bouncing in the gym. But the disappearances had changed everything; the authorities had canceled all club activities until the situation was resolved.
Once she reached the street, Mochi's mood improved. The sky was a spectacle of vibrant reds and oranges that bathed the buildings in warm light. Her tail swayed from side to side rhythmically; it was impossible to feel sad with such a beautiful view. As she passed by her favorite bakery, the smell of freshly baked bread was too tempting to resist.
"Just one," she told herself, buying a warm, fluffy sweet bean anpan.
Ring ring!
She had barely taken her first bite when her phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Hello, Haruka. What's up?" Mochi answered, her voice slightly muffled by the bread.
"Mochi? How are you? Have you already gotten home?" Haruka's voice sounded tense, carrying that "overprotective mom" tone she always used when she was worried.
"I'm almost there, you don't need to worry so much. I can get home by myself," Mochi said, trying to sound dignified while enjoying the sweet.
"Sorry for being so persistent, Mochi. I was afraid you'd get distracted eating something or admiring the scenery."
Mochi suddenly choked, letting out a small cough as crumbs threatened to go down the wrong way. Am I really that predictable? she thought.
"Mochi? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah… it's just…" Mochi stopped abruptly.
Her words faded. She lifted her gaze from the ground, and the piece of bread nearly slipped from her hand. Just a second ago, the avenue had been full of hurried office workers and students from other schools. Now, the street was completely empty.
There were no people. No cars passing by. The birds that had been filling the trees along the sidewalk with song had vanished entirely.
"This is kind of scary…" she blurted out without thinking.
"Mochi? What's wrong? What's scary?" Haruka's voice on the other end of the line now sounded distant, as if the signal were weakening.
"It's nothing, just… the street emptied out all of a sudden and it freaked me out a little. But don't worry, I'll be home in a second. I'm just going to… walk faster."
Mochi quickened her pace, her heart pounding, but she couldn't go far. Her feet came to an abrupt stop.
In front of her, about thirty feet away, stood a figure that defied all logic. It had a human silhouette, but far too tall—over seven feet—and extremely thin. Its arms and fingers were unnaturally long, almost brushing the ground. She couldn't see its face; a black umbrella, held by a skeletal hand, concealed it.
The figure didn't move. It simply stood there, planted in the middle of the empty street. Mochi wanted to go around it, to run along the opposite sidewalk, to do anything to avoid it—but her legs felt glued to the asphalt.
"Mochi! Mochi! What's happening?" Haruka's voice came from the phone.
Suddenly, the strange figure dropped the umbrella. The object hit the ground without making a single sound. That was when Mochi saw it.
It had no face. Its skin was white as paper. There were no eyes, no nose, no trace of a mouth. What should have been a face was an empty, terrifying canvas. Mochi was left breathless as a chill ran up her spine.
Then, a vertical line appeared right in the center of that blank face, stretching from the chin to the very top of the forehead. The skin began to tear like old fabric, revealing two rows of long, sharp teeth dripping with a dark substance. A forked, unnaturally long tongue slipped out, probing the air.
"GRIIIIKZTCH!"
The thing let out a horrifying screech. It wasn't a human cry; it was a grating mix between an animal's shriek and the static of a badly tuned radio.
Mochi dropped her phone and clamped her hands over her ears. Her cat ears, extremely sensitive, flattened against her head in a desperate attempt to block the sound. The noise caused a sharp pain that pierced her skull, making her dizzy enough to nearly lose her balance.
Without waiting for her to recover, the creature hunched over and lunged at her with unnatural speed, its long limbs moving like the legs of a spider.
"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"
Mochi spun around and ran as fast as she could. It didn't matter where she looked—every building and shop was closed. Not a single person, not a single place where she could hide.
She didn't need to look back to know the thing was chasing her; the sound of its long, rhythmic steps was getting closer and closer.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Mochi's cry choked in her throat.
In the middle of the panic, her mind clung to the one constant in her life: Haruka. She didn't stop to think about what a sixteen-year-old student could do against a monster; she simply acted on pure instinct. To Mochi, Haruka wasn't just her friend—she was her protector, the one who always had a solution for everything.
"Haruka! Help me! Please, help m—!" she screamed desperately into the phone.
But there was no response. The silence on the other end of the line was absolute. Mochi glanced at the phone for a second and felt a wave of horror—the screen was black. The call had dropped somewhere along the way.
Panicking, she tried to dial again while running, but the edge of a loose tile on the sidewalk betrayed her. Mochi tripped and fell hard, crashing against the concrete ground.
"Agh!" A sharp pain shot through her leg. When she got up, she saw her knee was bleeding, staining her school sock.
"My phone!"
She looked back. The device had been flung away and lay face down on the asphalt. But there was no time to retrieve it. The creature had already closed the distance.
Mochi scanned her surroundings. Then she saw it—a gap: a narrow passage between two gray brick buildings, barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways. Without thinking twice, she threw herself into the opening.
Halfway through the passage, she felt something that made her stomach churn. It was like passing through an invisible wall made of gelatin. The air offered a strange, viscous resistance before letting her through.
When she emerged on the other side, the city she knew had vanished.
She found herself in a tangled network of alleyways. She looked back, hoping she was safe, but the white figure was already forcing its thin body through the same narrow gap.
Mochi didn't stop. She plunged deeper and deeper into the maze. She turned left, then right, climbed rusted stairs, and crossed covered passages, but every path seemed to lead to another identical one.
"Help! Is anyone there?!" she shouted, but there was no answer.
This place is strange… it has no end, she thought.
Based on the distance she had run, she should have reached the main street or the park by now, but this place seemed endless. It was as if the space itself were twisting to keep her trapped.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of running, she noticed a change. The alley opened into a small inner courtyard, hidden between the walls of four towering buildings that blocked almost all the light.
The place looked abandoned for a long time. Grass grew wildly between cracked tiles, and moss covered the walls. In the center of the courtyard, lonely and worn, stood a small stone altar.
Mochi stopped abruptly, her lungs burning. She wasn't used to physical exertion. Her eyes searched for another exit—a passage, a door… anything.
There was nothing. Only concrete walls rising toward the sky. She was trapped.
And behind her, the sound of long fingers scraping against the alley walls told her the hunter had just entered the courtyard.
"GRIIIIKZTCH!"
The creature's howl echoed off the concrete walls. Mochi flinched, pressing her hands against her ears until it hurt.
I can't stop, I have to escape, she repeated to herself. But her eyes found only impassable walls and moss. She was in a dead end.
"Hey, girl… looks like you're trapped. I could help you."
A voice suddenly echoed. It was low and deep.
Mochi froze. Although the words sounded strangely kind, there was something beneath them… an immense anger seeping through.
"Who are you? Where are you?" Mochi spun around, her heart in her throat, searching for someone among the tall grass or behind the altar's shadows. She saw no one.
"I can save you," the voice continued, ignoring her questions, "but first you must do something for me."
Mochi pressed her hands to her temples. She realized it—the voice wasn't coming from anywhere. It was resonating directly inside her head.
Every instinct she had, from the tips of her ears to her tail, screamed at her not to trust it.
But then, the sound of the creature's claws scraping the ground snapped her back to reality. The static-like shrieks were getting closer.
"Fine! What do I have to do?! Tell me quickly!" Mochi shouted, on the verge of collapse.
"Go to the altar," the voice ordered. "Tear off the seal on the door."
Mochi rushed toward the stone structure. Her legs, never trained for physical exertion, trembled violently. She remained standing only thanks to the surge of adrenaline.
In front of her, on the small door of the altar, rested a yellowed paper covered in intricate red markings. However, the center of the seal was blackened, as if something from within had been trying to burn through it for centuries.
Mochi reached out. Her fingers brushed the paper. She hesitated. A part of her knew that if she removed that protection, something very big would happen.
"GRIIIIKZTCH!"
The howl burst out right at the entrance of the courtyard. The white figure, its vertical mouth stretched wide open, appeared, lunging toward her with blade-like fingers.
"What are you waiting for, girl?!" the voice in her head roared, losing all its kindness. "Tear it off or die!"
There was no more time for doubt. Mochi shut her eyes and pulled the seal with all her strength. As the paper came free, violent gusts of wind were unleashed, whipping through the courtyard, raising clouds of dust and dry leaves.
"Kyaa!" Mochi cried out, desperately holding down her skirt as the gale threatened to lift it, her hair whipping across her face.
Amid the chaos, she heard a sharp crack behind her. When she turned, terror surged again—her pursuer, the faceless creature, was already upon her. Mochi tried to step back, but her back collided with the cold stone of the altar. She was cornered. The creature leapt, its long fingers extended like spears.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!" Mochi pleaded, shrinking into herself.
But before the claws could reach her, something fell from the sky like a black meteor.
BOOM!
A thunderous impact shook the ground, cracking the courtyard tiles. A shockwave blasted away the dust, and something splattered across the area—the remains of the faceless creature, crushed mercilessly under an immense weight. What had once been a threat was now nothing more than stains scattered across the ground.
When the dust settled, Mochi stood frozen. In front of her loomed a colossal cat, over twenty feet tall. Its fur was so black it didn't seem to reflect the light around it. Its enormous, gleaming golden eyes fixed on her.
"At last… free once more," the colossus's voice rumbled through the courtyard, making the windows of the surrounding buildings vibrate. "But my power has weakened after centuries of confinement."
The great cat tilted its head, observing the small Mochi as if she were nothing more than a simple snack.
"I need to feed to regain my strength," it growled, revealing fangs the size of swords.
A chill ran down Mochi's spine. She had escaped one nightmare only to awaken something far worse. The monster tensed, preparing to pounce on her in the blink of an eye, but then—
"Stop right there!"
A clear, commanding voice cut through the air.
At the entrance of the courtyard, a familiar figure appeared. Haruka stood there, her school skirt fluttering in the wind. In her right hand, she held a fan that seemed to be made of crystal.
"Step away from her!" Haruka said, pointing the fan at the cat. "I won't let you lay a single claw on her!"
At the sight of her, the crushing weight of fear suffocating Mochi vanished. Haruka came for me, she thought, feeling a sudden warmth rise in her chest.
The black cat shifted its gaze toward the newcomer, sniffing the air. A spark of interest glimmered in its eyes.
"A prey with refined ether flow… even better than the little one," the monster growled, turning its massive body toward the elf. "You will serve as my feast."
The beast lunged to attack.
"Haruka, watch out!" Mochi shouted, reaching out toward her friend.
But Haruka did not step back even slightly. Her green eyes sharpened, and the temperature of the place dropped suddenly. She held her crystal fan with elegance, pointing it directly at the beast's chest.
"Pierce," she whispered in a firm voice.
The courtyard ground exploded. In an instant, gigantic ice stalactites burst from the tiles like spears, growing at an impossible speed. The black cat was impaled mid-leap; the ice pierced its body from all directions, anchoring it in place.
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" the beast roared with a mix of agony and fury. "AT LAST… AT LAST I GAINED MY FREEDOM!"
Its body began to unravel into particles. And yet, it did not give up. The monster struggled against the crystal spears, roaring as its very existence began to fade in its attempt to escape its impending disappearance.
"I WON'T ALLOW IT!" its voice turned savage, fueled by centuries of accumulated resentment.
At the last second, as its physical form disintegrated, the cat gathered all its remaining power into a single point. From its open chest, a spear of pure darkness emerged. The projectile shot toward Mochi with a speed that made it impossible to react.
Mochi didn't have time to scream. The spear struck her directly in the center of her chest, piercing through her in an instant.
She froze.
Strangely, she did not feel the tearing of flesh nor the warmth of blood. There was no pain, only a deep, icy numbness, as if her soul had been torn from her body. The world around the altar began to lose its color.
"MOCHIIIII!" Haruka's scream shattered the silence of the courtyard.
Mochi's vision began to blur, as if a dense black fog were swallowing her sight. The last thing she managed to see was Haruka's face rushing toward her; her usually calm expression had completely broken, revealing a look of desperation and pure terror that Mochi had never imagined seeing on her friend.
Haruka reached out, calling her name, but the darkness was faster.
Mochi closed her eyes, and the world went completely black.