Chapter 1: The Summoning
Magic—an illusion, a superstition, a fading echo from forgotten times.
Most of the world doesn't believe in it anymore.
And yet, hidden in the shadows, there are still those who do.
They are rare, secretive, and devoted to a forbidden art known as Black Magic—or as it's called in Bengali, Kala Jadu.
This story begins with a group of such believers.
---
Somewhere in China — Early 2019
The land was buried beneath endless snow.
White stretched as far as the eye could see, swallowing mountains, forests, and silence alike. In the bitter cold, no one dared to climb these remote, icy slopes.
Deep inside a dense forest, at the foot of a mountain, lay a small cave. Wild animals usually took shelter there to escape the freezing wind.
But tonight, the cave held something far more dangerous.
Inside stood twenty people dressed in long black coats that resembled doctors' uniforms, except entirely black. Their faces were covered by masks marked with white question symbols, giving them a secretive, cult-like appearance.
The cave wasn't large—no bigger than a modest room.
On the ground, drawn in white paint, was a complicated circular pattern filled with strange symbols. Ten people sat cross-legged inside the circle, whispering chants in low voices. The other ten stood around them, silent and tense.
And then, without hesitation—
they moved.
The standing ten drew their blades and slit the throats of the seated ten.
Blood spilled out, filling the circular pattern until it turned deep crimson.
The air grew heavy with the metallic scent of blood. Anyone else witnessing this scene might have fainted—or died of pure shock.
Then, the blood-drenched circle began to tremble.
Something beneath was stirring.
Something was about to awaken.
And then, it did.
---
From the center of the circle, a shape emerged—half-human, half-fish.
A mermaid.
But this was no fairytale creature.
Her eyes burned crimson.
Two sharp horns jutted from her forehead, giving her the terrifying presence of a demon. She rose on her tail from the pool of blood and let out a haunting, inhuman laugh that echoed through the cave.
The masked cultists froze.
Not one of them dared to speak.
The aura radiating from her was so overwhelming that even breathing became difficult.
The memories of the ten sacrificed humans had already been absorbed by this being. Through their minds, she understood this place and its language.
She opened her mouth, her voice smooth and commanding.
> "Thank you for summoning me here.
My name is Zero, royal maid of Prince Belphegor."
Before she could finish, the remaining ten cultists collapsed, lifeless. They had been unable to withstand her presence.
Zero frowned, disappointed.
She had hoped for a proper introduction, but their fragility made that impossible.
She glanced around the cave, thoughtful.
> "This place seems… suitable for my master's tower," she murmured.
"I sense no trace of their energy here. This world may actually be safe for us."
Her expression hardened with determination.
> "I must begin construction immediately.
First, I'll need to absorb a vast amount of energy from this land.
After the Great War, our King perished and the Seven Princes lost their bodies.
Restoring our kingdom to its former glory will be worth any sacrifice.
I only hope that… when my task is complete…
my master will bring me back to life,
so I can serve him once again."
Tears welled up in Zero's crimson eyes, sliding down her cheeks.
Suddenly, the blood covering the floor rose and enveloped her, hardening into a crimson statue within seconds.
From the remaining blood, thousands of tiny red orbs burst out and scattered through the forest night, vanishing into the darkness.
Zero's work had begun.
---
Six Months Later — A Silent World
Half a year after the ritual, the entire world came to a standstill.
A mysterious virus had emerged from the heart of China.
They called it Covid-19.
Within six months, it spread across the globe, infecting millions and killing countless more. Scientists struggled but failed to create a cure in time. Fear spread faster than the virus itself.
For a full year, humanity hid indoors, terrified.
But something far stranger awaited them.
---
Late 2021 — The Tower Appears
All eyes turned back to China when, one cold night, something impossible happened.
In a remote, snow-covered mountain range, a tower appeared.
An enormous, sky-piercing structure that could be seen from every corner of the Earth.
No one had ever seen such a thing rise overnight.
And yet, there it stood.
Within weeks, hundreds of thousands gathered near the site, desperate for answers.
Scientists from various countries rushed to investigate. What they discovered only deepened the mystery.
The tower was made of a metal unknown to humanity.
Even the world's most powerful nuclear weapons couldn't leave a single scratch on its surface.
This only fueled global curiosity further.
People can never resist the pull of the unknown.
Meanwhile, elite military forces from the top ten nations of the world established a two-mile security perimeter around the tower. No civilian was allowed to enter.
And then—
when millions had gathered nearby—
it happened.
---
A beam of black light erupted from the tower, shooting into the sky and circling the entire planet in seconds.
The very next day, mass disappearances began.
People from all walks of life vanished overnight—students, workers, police officers, soldiers. No one was spared.
Within twenty-four hours, one million people disappeared.
Where had they gone?
The answer soon became clear:
They had entered the Tower.
What lay inside remained a mystery to the outside world.
People felt both fear and relief—
fear of the unknown, and relief that they weren't among the vanished.
But their relief…
would not last for long.
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— End of Chapter 1 —