The sound grew louder. Dragging feet. Wet breaths. Something scraping against metal.
Mira squeezed Azri's sleeve so tightly he thought she'd tear it. Fran tried to laugh it off again, but his voice cracked. "Aight, bro, I—uh—I didn't mean it…"
From the ruined street, a figure stumbled into view.
At first, it looked human. But only at first.
Its body was stretched unnaturally thin, ribs jutting out like broken scaffolding. The skin hung loose, pale and damp as if it had been soaked for days. Its head twitched at an odd angle, as if its neck had too many joints. And its eyes—two black pits leaking a faint, red glow—locked directly onto them.
It opened its mouth.
The sound wasn't a scream, or a growl. It was… laughter. Broken, stuttering laughter, like a recording glitching on loop.
"Azri…" Mira whispered, her voice trembling. "What… is that?"
Azri didn't answer. His stomach twisted. He didn't summon this. Fran had. And yet here it was—something given shape by careless words.
The creature staggered forward, each step faster, more deliberate. Its laughter rose, distorted and wrong.
"Back inside!" Azri yelled, pushing Mira toward the basement door. "Go, now!"
Fran stood frozen, eyes wide, face pale. "I—I didn't mean it—I didn't mean it—"
The creature's head snapped toward him at the sound of his voice.
It lunged.
Azri swung the bat with every ounce of strength he had. The crack echoed like thunder as it connected with the thing's head. The skull caved but didn't break—it only turned toward him again, smiling wider.
Azri's chest heaved. His hands shook. This wasn't like fire beams or lightning. This wasn't under his control.
This was something else.
Something alive.
The creature lunged again, faster than before. Azri didn't think—he shoved Mira through the doorframe and grabbed Fran by the collar, dragging him back toward the passage.
"Move!" Azri shouted.
The thing's laughter filled the air like a broken siren. Its limbs bent at impossible angles as it scrambled across the cracked ground, dragging itself faster than legs should allow.
They sprinted through the ruined streets, rubble crunching underfoot, Mira's terrified breaths echoing in Azri's ears. Fran stumbled, nearly falling, but Azri yanked him upright and pushed harder.
"There!" Mira shouted, pointing. The faint outline of the basement door shimmered in the distance like heat rising off asphalt.
The creature shrieked, a sound sharp enough to rattle Azri's skull. It was close—too close. He could almost feel the heat of its breath behind him.
They dove through the doorframe.
The world twisted.
Azri hit the concrete floor of his real basement, gasping, his bat clattering beside him. Mira collapsed, clutching her chest, while Fran lay flat on his back, trembling.
Then came the sound.
Thud.
Thud.
THUD.
The monster slammed against the other side of the passage, its laughter now a guttural howl. The wall shook as if something enormous was pounding against it.
Azri scrambled up, heart pounding. The door stood closed, faintly glowing at the edges. The creature's twisted hands scraped against the invisible barrier, nails screeching against nothing.
But it couldn't get through.
The glow pulsed once, then settled into silence.
Mira pressed her palms to her face, trying to steady herself. "What the hell was that, Azri?! What did you do?!"
Fran swallowed hard, still pale. "I was joking, man. I swear. I didn't think…" He trailed off, staring at the trembling wall where the thing lingered, smiling through the cracks.
Azri's chest heaved. He couldn't bring Veyra back. But Fran's words had created… that.
And it wasn't going away.
Mira was the first to speak, her voice shaking. "Azri… what the hell is happening? That—thing. That world. Tell me the truth."
Azri hesitated for a bit
He looked at both of them, his hands still trembling around the bat.
"It's not just another world. In there… anything I wish for happens. Strength, speed, even magic. Money stays when I bring it here. But abilities… they don't last long outside."
Mira's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying you can just… create things? Out of nothing?"
Fran sat up slowly, rubbing his temples, still pale. "So when I said that demon line…" He let out a weak laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "…you're telling me it actually listened?"
Azri didn't answer. He didn't need to.
Silence fell again, thick and uneasy.
Finally, Mira shook her head, clutching her arms like she was trying to hold herself together. "This is insane. That place is wrong, Azri. Nothing good comes from something like that. We should destroy it—seal it off—something."
Fran leaned back against the wall, forcing a grin he didn't feel. "Destroy it? Are you serious? If this is real, do you know what that means? We could have everything we've ever wanted. Money, powers, anything. You don't just walk away from that."
Mira glared at him. "You saw what almost killed us in there. That thing wasn't some gift. It was a curse."
Fran shrugged, but his voice cracked under the weight of fear. "Maybe… or maybe it's just about knowing the rules. We screwed up once, yeah, but imagine if we didn't."
Azri stayed silent, staring at the faint glow of the hidden door. His mind was a storm. Mira was right—it was dangerous. But Fran wasn't wrong either. The temptation was undeniable.
The only certainty was, whatever that place was, it wasn't going away.
And sooner or later, they'd have to decide whether to risk going back...