Night blanketed the skies above Japan. The stars and the moon hung high, shining brightly without a single cloud to dull their glow.
The big clock tower showed it was nearly midnight. Yet the streets of Japan were alive, buzzing with energy. Why shouldn't they be? It was the last night of the year, and everyone wanted to see the new year arrive awake and in celebration.
Vendors lined the streets, busier than ever, selling fireworks, new clothes, and calendars anything to mark the passage into a new year. Some wandered from shop to shop, hunting for the perfect celebration items. Others sought a quieter dedication, offering prayers at temples or churches. People of various faiths gathered to thank their gods for seeing them through another year and to dedicate the new one to divine guidance.
Due to the events of the Purge seven centuries ago, many modern day religions incorporated the flaming being into their beliefs. Some worshipped him as the one true God, some as the son of their deity, and others as a divine warrior. Regardless of interpretation, he had left an indelible mark on human faith.
But for the youth of today, temples and churches felt slow and restrictive. Rituals seemed stiff, a far cry from the chaos of life outside. They wanted to dance, celebrate, and let loose as if there were no tomorrow. For many, the biggest celebration of the year was happening in the heart of Tokyo.
The venue was massive, designed to hold five thousand people. Every seat was taken, with some forced to stand. The second floor overlooked the first, offering a clear view of the stage below. Large screens displayed the performance for those too far away to see.
On stage, a boy rapped, the crowd cheering and dancing with him. The energy was electric, youthful, and unrestrained.
On the second floor, a girl sat apart from the excitement, her eyes wide with nervousness as the music and cheers swirled around her. Her name was Kaori Iruwai, appearing in her late teens or early twenties. Unlike most partygoers, she wore a formal jacket, a neat shirt, and black shoes looking more like she had stepped out of a classroom than a nightclub.
Beside her, her friend Yoshika jumped with excitement. Finally noticing Kaori's stillness, she teased, "Really, Kaori? You're not even going to enjoy the music?"
Kaori shook her head. "Nah… I'm just not used to parties. Didn't expect it to be this… chaotic."
"You mean fun, right?" Yoshika laughed. "I thought bringing you here would show you a new kind of fun. Guess not."
Kaori shrugged. "Yeah… parties aren't my thing."
Yoshika grinned. "Maybe they are. You just need to come to more. That's all."
Kaori made a firm face. "Nah uh. I'm sure it'll just make me more uncomfortable."
Their banter was interrupted as the song ended. The crowd erupted into applause, and the boy on stage passed the mic to the Master of Ceremonies.
"Come on, come on! Give it up one more time!" the MC shouted, and the crowd clapped louder. "Wow, that was amazing! The way he flowed with the song… elegant voice, too. I'm low key jealous." Laughter rippled through the audience.
The MC continued, "Overall, beautiful performance. Wish we could keep the songs going, because we barely scratched the surface of talent waiting to perform. But time… time waits for no one. Even time itself seems impatient tonight." Another wave of laughter followed.
He raised the microphone higher. "Alright, alright! The big moment is almost here the countdown to the new year! ARE YOU READY?"
"YEEAH!" the crowd shouted.
"No! I'm asking ARE YOU READY!?"
"YEEEEEEAAAAH!" came the louder, longer reply.
"Much better! It's about time we said goodbye to 2019 and welcomed 2020!"
The MC raised the mic, grinning. "I don't know about you guys, but for me… I've never seen a worse year than this one. And I'm an atheist but for the first time, I actually believed the devil himself was using me as his doormat this year!"
The crowd laughed.
"I'm telling you," he continued, leaning in, "imagine this: I went to withdraw money from an ATM, and when I got there… no card. I had to pay the driver in cash. I was sweating, bruh."
More laughter rippled through the crowd.
"I was thinking, they're gonna take me to the police for trying to get a free ride. I was scared. But I told the taxi driver I'd forgotten my card at home. Thank goodness, he said he'd wait for someone to bring it to me. I smiled, happily called my younger sister to come meet me with my card…"
He paused, letting the tension build. "Ten minutes later, she calls me and says: 'Brother… promise you won't be mad, okay?' And I'm like, 'Why? What happened?' She goes, 'I accidentally dropped your card in the fire. It's burnt now.'"
The audience erupted into laughter, some clutching their stomachs.
He waited for the laughter to settle and shook his head. "At that point… I just accepted my fate, bruh. That's crazy. And I was supposed to withdraw money to pay for exams, with the deadline an hour away." He looked at his watch dramatically. "So yeah… terrible year for me. But here's the thing 2020? I'm hoping it does me justice. And if your year was bad too… let's hope for a fresh start."
From the second floor, Yoshika leaned toward Kaori with a smirk. "Well, sounds like you weren't alone in having a terrible year."
Kaori sighed, glancing around at the cheering crowd. "Tell me about it."
The MC lifted the mic, voice booming.
"Alright everyone the new year is literally seconds away!I want all eyes on the big screen!"
The massive display above the stage flickered, switching from live footage of the performance to a countdown clock.
00:00:53
The numbers ticked down, second by second.
"When it hits ten, I want us all to count together," the MC grinned. "To a brand new year. ARE. YOU. READYYYYY?!"
"YEEEAAAH!" the crowd thundered back.
On the second floor, Kaori exhaled, almost relieved. Glad this is finally ending. Felt like it dragged forever… Once the countdown's done, I'm leaving.
The final seconds appeared on the screen.
10!
The crowd roared.
9! 8! 7!
The energy rattled the air.
6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!
"HAPPY NE "
BOOOOM.
The world ripped apart in an instant.
Something massive crashed down from above, tearing through the roof. Metal beams, plaster, and glass rained down, smashing the first floor. The impact sent shockwaves through the hall, knocking people flat.
Kaori's body hit the ground before her brain caught up. Reflexes. Pure instinct.
What what was that just now?!
She pushed herself up, her eyes catching the jagged hole in the ceiling. Chunks of twisted steel still fell, clattering loudly as screams filled the air.
Her first thought was disbelief. The roof… it just collapsed? Why? Weak construction? How…
But when her vision steadied, reality hit her harder than the fall ever could.
Half the people on the first floor were gone. Crushed. Their bodies buried beneath rubble and twisted steel. The survivors were screaming, crawling, bleeding.
The second floor fared better, though even there some lay injured.
And then Kaori saw it.
At the center of the devastation. Standing amidst dust and blood.
A silhouette no, a monster.
Her lips trembled. "Wait… isn't that… a Zunan creature?"
The figure straightened slowly. Then it let out a sound part lion's roar, part bat's shriek that shattered glass and made the crowd collapse to their knees, clutching their ears in agony.
The creature stood five meters tall, its frame swollen with grotesque muscle. Its pale, crocodile like skin gleamed under the broken lights.
But its face was wrong. Horribly wrong.
No nose. No mouth. Just a single, massive, blood red eyeball.
Its mouth if it could be called that was vertical, stretching grotesquely from chest to waist, filled with jagged canines that glistened hungrily.
A line of sharp, horn like spines ran from the crown of its head down its back. Its clawless hands flexed, each twitch radiating malice.
It was a vision of living nightmare. A true demon.
But its appearance wasn't the most terrifying thing about it.
What mattered was what all Zunan creatures desired.
Human hearts.
And as the monster stepped forward, the real chaos began.
Kaori's mind raced, her heart hammering. No… what the hell is happening?! What is that thing doing here? Aren't they supposed to be dealt with in the other universe?!
Down below, a man stumbled back, pressing himself against a wall. His face was pale, his body trembling as the Zunan fixed its massive red eye on him.
In the blink of an eye, the creature appeared before him.
It extended one hand one long, pale finger hovering centimeters from the man's chest. Exactly where his heart was.
The man's voice cracked, begging. "P please… please, I don't want to die!"
But mercy wasn't in its nature.
From the tip of its finger, a jagged claw burst forth. It speared into the man's chest with sickening ease. The man screamed, his voice raw, as the creature's other hand tore his ribcage apart like paper.
Blood sprayed. The scream turned guttural, then broke into silence.
The Zunan plucked the still beating heart from his chest, raised it, and tossed it into the grotesque vertical mouth on its torso. Rows of canines shredded the organ with wet crunches before it swallowed whole.
The man's lifeless body was tossed aside like garbage.
Kaori's stomach lurched, her breath caught in her throat. I I… I just saw it… I just saw it eat his heart.
The Zunan's enormous eye shifted, scanning the room. Slowly, it turned its gaze toward the trembling crowd.
Every soul in the hall understood at once.
There was no escape.
The slaughter had only just begun.
"Kaori we need to get out of here!" Yoshika's voice finally cut through the chaos.
All around them, people were already rushing for the exits. The crowd surged like a tidal wave, bodies slamming into each other, shoving, clawing, desperate to survive.
The Zunan didn't move. It just watched.
Dozens of people from the second floor spilled down the stairs toward the main doors. For a brief moment, hope flickered.
Then shhk!
Every single head dropped cleanly from its shoulders. No scream, no warning. Just bodies collapsing in heaps, blood spraying across the walls.
The creature stood by the door now, though no one had seen it move. The carnage was instant.
Yoshika grabbed Kaori's trembling hand. "Crap… that monster's in full killing mode." Her eyes darted wildly. Think, Yoshika, THINK! What do we do? Hurry!
Her gaze landed on the stage.
"Come on!" She yanked Kaori with her.
"What? The stage? Why?" Kaori shouted, stumbling after her.
Yoshika didn't answer. Sweat poured down her face. Please, God. Let it be there.
They scrambled onto the stage, pushing behind the heavy curtains. The sound from outside was unbearable screams tearing through the air, wet crunches of bodies ripped apart, and the grinding of teeth on bone, like metal scraping against metal. Kaori flinched with every sound, her stomach twisting.
"YES!" Yoshika gasped suddenly. She had found it a backdoor tucked away behind the curtains.
But it was locked.
Kaori's heart sank. "It's shut! How are we gonna open it? We don't have the keys!"
"I know that!" Yoshika snapped. "Just shut up and let me think!"
Her eyes darted around until they landed on a metal rod near the stage rigging. She grabbed it, jammed it into the lock, and heaved her weight into it.
Kaori rushed to help, bracing against Yoshika, shoving with everything she had.
SNAP!
The lock broke.
Both girls gasped in relief, lungs burning. Yoshika pulled the door open. "Come on! Let's go!"
She stepped outside first.
Kaori followed but froze.
The screams. The chaos. All of it had gone silent.
Her blood ran cold. No… don't tell me…
She didn't need to look to know. She could feel it the suffocating gaze of the creature. Right behind her.
Her body stiffened as sweat dripped down her temple.
And then, before her eyes, Yoshika her friend, her anchor in the chaos took one step forward… and her head slid cleanly off her shoulders.
Her body crumpled to the ground.
Kaori's world shattered. Fear. Panic. Grief. Every emotion collided at once, freezing her where she stood. She couldn't scream. Couldn't move.
She could only tremble as the shadow of the Zunan loomed over her.