The Twilight District—Sector V—was deceptively quiet. A cold breeze swept through the fractured ruins, carrying the scent of scorched asphalt and rusted iron. Neon lights flickered along cracked walls, their dying glow stretching across puddles scattered along the uneven streets.
Above, between the skeletal towers, the sky itself split open. A jagged rift tore across the heavens, purple lightning coiling along its edges like veins around an open wound.
From that wound, a single leg emerged—scarred and scaled, far too heavy to belong to anything human. It pressed against the ruined earth with a thunderous weight, making the air vibrate. Behind it, a broad, twisted back moved through the fog. The figure stood tall, near ten feet, its shape vaguely human but grotesquely warped. Dim neon glinted across scars carved into its flesh. The rest of it melted into shadow.
The rift pulsed once more before sealing shut, leaving behind nothing but the crushing weight of its presence.
The city seemed to hold its breath.
---
Two couples made their way through the ruins, laughter defying the silence.
Rean and Talia, hand in hand, shared a single earbud, leaning close to one another. A few steps behind, Zen and Mayra moved in rhythm, their laughter spilling into the night air. They had just watched a bootleg horror film projected onto the wall of a ruined building—a fragile piece of normalcy in a city that had long forgotten such things.
Rean grinned. "Okay, that last jump scare? I didn't flinch. At all. My soul maybe left my body for a second, but my face? Solid as stone."
Talia snorted. "You literally screamed into my arm like a kettle."
Zen widened his eyes in mock horror. "The great Rean, defeated by a budget ghost lady with cheap effects!"
"At least I didn't drop popcorn and dive behind Mayra," Rean shot back.
Mayra burst into laughter, shaking her head. "Next time we get chased, I'm tying his shoelaces together."
Zen threw his hands up dramatically. "Traitors. I thought love and support were still a thing!"
"Not after your third scream," Talia teased.
Their voices echoed into the ruins, fragile warmth against the fractured neon light. They passed a wall of cracked murals, one phrase barely legible through peeling paint:
"We once had stars."
Mayra slowed, her laughter softening. "…Do you think demons are real? Not movie ones. Real ones."
Rean shrugged, trying to hide unease. "Nah. If they were, they'd have better snacks."
Zen lowered his voice into a theatrical whisper. "Or maybe… they only come when laughter lasts too long."
The words had barely left his mouth before a metallic clang echoed through the silence. The four froze.
Talia's hand gripped Rean's arm. "Okay. Not funny anymore."
"Relax," Rean muttered, though his laugh was forced. "Probably just a rat. Or some drunk sleeping it off."
Zen's voice wavered. "Or maybe the director heard us mocking his budget…"
"Let's just keep walking," Mayra whispered.
---
They reached the remains of a collapsed skyway bridge. Fog thickened around them, swallowing neon light and even sound itself. No skittering rats. No distant hum of broken wires. Only a silence that pressed against their lungs until every breath felt heavy.
A shadow descended from above.
It landed in front of them with a bone-shaking thud.
Ten feet tall, its limbs twisted like molten branches. Its face stretched into a grotesque smile, skin torn by what looked like barbed wire, teeth gleaming through ripped flesh. Candle-like flames burned deep within its eyes.
"Where the laughter ends…" it crooned in a voice like metal scraping stone, "…the screaming begins."
Rean whispered, "…Guys… run."
But the demon was already moving.
Its claws closed around him, crushing ribs like paper. Blood sprayed as Rean was slammed against the concrete. His scream cut short as the monster's hand twisted.
"REAN!" Talia's voice shattered into hysteria as she lunged, but the creature seized her by the throat. Its tongue dragged across her face, savoring her fear.
"Don't worry," it whispered, its grin widening. "From here… your new life begins in hell."
Her skull burst in its hand. Blood sprayed in a fountain.
Zen roared and charged, but the demon's claws skewered him mid-run, impaling him through the chest. With a casual flick, his body was flung aside like garbage. His head struck a wall with a crack—then silence.
Mayra screamed, scrambling backward on blood-slick stone. Tears blurred her vision.
The demon crawled toward her, claws dragging lines into the ground. "You're perfect," it hissed. "Your scream… I'll make it last an hour."
---
A voice cut through the madness.
Cold. Merciless. Inevitable.
"Turn around."
The demon froze. Its burning eyes shifted.
Beneath a dead traffic light, a man stood. His coat billowed though there was no wind, and his eyes—gray, sharp, unfeeling—pierced through the fog.
No sword. No hesitation. Only stillness.
His voice was calm, yet heavy enough to smother the night.
"For every drop they bled… you'll suffer."
The demon laughed, grinning wider. "Another hero? Or… dessert?"
Its words had barely finished before Rayyan vanished.
He reappeared midair, heel smashing into the demon's skull. CRACK! Bone splintered as the monster was hurled into a wall. Before it could rise, Rayyan was already there. His fist came down like a hammer. Once. Twice. Again. The ground quaked with each strike, gore splattering the stone.
The demon screeched, swiping wildly. Rayyan dodged, a blur, until one claw finally grazed his side. He slid back across the fractured road, boots grinding against concrete.
The monster's voice wavered for the first time. "You… you're not human. What are you?"
Rayyan's eyes glowed faintly in the dark. His voice was cold, unyielding.
"…I am hell."
The demon roared in fear, wings tearing free from its back. Its aura surged, heavier, sharper.
It struck, claws and wings thrashing in a frenzy. Rayyan weaved through them, though one blow sent him staggering a few meters. He straightened slowly, gaze never leaving his target.
"…Enough."
Lightning surged across his hand. A blade of pure steel, wrapped in blue sparks, manifested at his side. The air itself recoiled.
Rayyan raised the weapon. "Breathe your last."
The demon laughed nervously, wings spreading. "Yes… this ends—"
Its words died with its body.
A single arc of steel cut the air. The demon froze. Its head slid from its shoulders, thudding into the dirt before the body collapsed in a heap of blood and bone.
Rayyan's blade hummed once before he lowered it. "Enough talk."
---
When the dust settled, only silence remained.
Mayra lay trembling, her face streaked with tears and blood. Her lips quivered as she whispered, "Why… why did you save me?"
Rayyan looked down at her, his voice flat.
"Because no one else did."
She shook her head violently, sobbing. "I lost them. My love, my friends. Then why… why am I still alive?"
Rayyan's eyes narrowed. His voice was a knife.
"Don't waste it. They died saving you. Live—so their deaths mean something."
Mayra's voice cracked. "Who… who are you? Why are you like this? So cold…"
He turned away, the light flickering across the steel of his blade as he sheathed it.
"Someone who should've died long ago."
He paused, his shadow stretching across the ruin. His words lingered like ash.
"But hell forgot to take me. So I stayed."
He stepped forward, fading into the mist.
"…Rayyan."