In the skeletal remains of the skyscrapers that defined Megenagna—once the bustling heart of Addis Ababa—something shifted. The intersection, which used to be a chaotic ocean of humanity, now felt haunted, yearning for the scent of the living it had lost.
High above, a figure moved through the jagged remains of a building. It bore a humanoid shape, but its proportions were a nightmare. Its arms were unnaturally long, its knees were jointed backward, and its skin was the color of charred, sun-scorched timber. Massive, leathery bat wings were wrapped around its torso like a morbid shroud.
On the balconies of the Hidase Building, hundreds of these creatures hung upside down like gargoyles, their faces hidden behind their wings. They slept in the open air, waiting for the cover of a darker night.
One among them, a creature whose hunger would not let it rest, suddenly perked its ears. Its wings unfurled, revealing eyes that burned with a predatory fever. With a shriek that shattered the few remaining glass panes in the area, the beast launched itself into the void. It streaked through the bruised gray sky like a living shadow before slamming into the asphalt below with a sickening thud.
The impact cratered the road like a spiderweb. As the dust settled, the beast sniffed the air, jerking its head from side to side. Its nostrils flared, searching for the scent of fear, sweat, or warm blood. Finding only the dry taste of ash, it let out a bone-rattling roar of frustration and took flight again, disappearing over the rooftops like an ill omen.
Silence returned to the street below, but the intersection was not empty. Behind the scorched skeleton of a public bus, a shadow moved.
A young man in his early twenties huddled inside the wreckage. He didn't look human anymore; he looked like a soot-stained alley cat, trembling and gaunt, his clothes reduced to rags that hung loosely on his withered frame.
The youth peered through the rusted frame of the bus, counting the seconds in his head. One… two… six.
He listened until the rhythmic beat of the beast's wings faded into the wind. Only then did he dare look out through a shard of broken glass. Terror was etched into his face. His hands shook uncontrollably, accidentally clattering against the metal of the bus.
He froze, his eyes wide, his breath hitched. Silence. He finally released a long, shaky breath and looked down. Beside him lay a young girl, Sara. Her face was pale, her lips cracked and bleeding from dehydration. Her right leg was wrapped in a thick cloth that was no longer white, but soaked in dark blood and yellow pus. She was drifting in and out of consciousness.
"The beast is gone," the youth whispered, his voice like dry parchment. "Sara? Can you hear me? Can you stand?"
The girl's eyes fluttered, hazed by a high fever. "I… I don't know."
"We have to try," he urged, his gaze flickering to her infected leg. "The wound… we need antibiotics. We have to find a pharmacy."
"Is there one? If it's not close, we shouldn't move," she gasped, every word a struggle.
The youth scanned the desolate street through the window. Through the haze of smoke, two blocks away, he saw a faded green cross dangling precariously from a half-collapsed building.
"I see it," he lied, his lips trembling into a forced smile. "It's not far. Just a little further. I promise."
She nodded weakly, trusting him. The youth slid his arm under her shoulder and gritted his teeth as he hauled her up. As her weight hit her mangled leg, she bit her lip so hard it bled, stifling a scream of pure agony.
With agonizing effort, they climbed out of the wreckage. Using the long body of an Anbaasaa Bus as a shield, they began their slow trek. Step, drag… step, drag. They moved like ghosts through the ruins, their eyes darting in every direction.
Suddenly, a high-pitched, metallic screech tore through the air. It wasn't distant; it was directly above them. The sound of shearing metal screamed through the intersection. The youth instinctively let go of Sara. As the frequency reached a deafening peak, he clutched his ears, screaming in pain. Sara collapsed onto the asphalt.
Before they could even process the sound, the sky split open. A lash of pure, concentrated energy—a white-hot whip of celestial force—descended from the clouds. Like a falling star, it struck the center of the road, detonating the asphalt upon impact.
The shockwave robbed them of their breath. Dust, asphalt shards, and debris erupted like a lethal cloud. The youth struggled to his feet, coughing. "Sara!" he tried to shout, but no sound came. Instead, he coughed up a thick spray of hot blood that painted the gray ground crimson. He looked down at his chest.
He felt no pain—only a strange, spreading cold. He watched in detached horror as the upper half of his torso began to slide sideways. He had been sliced clean in two at the waist.
The energy lash had cauterized his skin but shredded his internals. His upper body slid off his hips like wet meat, hitting the ground beside the girl with a wet, heavy thud. His entrails spilled out across the cold asphalt like a tangled rope.
Sara's eyes and mouth flew open, a primal scream finally erupting from her throat. Her mind refused to accept the image of her friend in pieces. But the nightmare was only beginning. The half-severed carcass of the scorched bus, caught in the wake of the energy strike, was tumbling through the air toward her.
The tons of twisted iron crushed her instantly. It didn't just kill her; it erased her. Her bones snapped like dry twigs, and her internal organs detonated under the pressure.
Silence fell over the road once more. Seconds later, the sound of wings returned. The gargantuan beast landed on the bus that had crushed the girl. Its talons scraped against the metal. It unleashed a victorious roar that echoed through the ruins before it began to lap up the hot blood pooling from the wreckage.
Suddenly, ten armed men emerged from behind the jagged edge of a nearby building. The beast paused, its snout dripping with blood. It looked at the massive, smoldering magma blade that had sliced the boy in half—the weapon was still vibrating where it had struck the asphalt. The monster leaped toward the blade, wrenching it from the ground.
One of the soldiers fired an RPG. The rocket streaked through the air, trailing a plume of thick smoke. The shadow-beast raised the magma blade to shield itself. A colossal explosion rocked the street.
The blast was immense, hurling the beast backward. The ten soldiers cheered, shaking hands in a brief moment of triumph. But a sound emerged from the thick black smoke—a rhythmic, dragging sound.
A flash of red light cut through the haze. Before the two soldiers on the right could blink, their skulls were severed from their necks, their blood geysering into the sky. The unit opened fire into the smoke, but the beast was a blur of impossible speed. It lunged, shredding the three men carrying the heavy machine guns like they were made of paper.
"RUN!" the remaining five screamed. The radio operator on the back of the group scrambled to his feet. "We need backup! Immediate back—!"
The beast landed on him. The operator was crushed like a ripe tomato against the asphalt. The final four dived into a nearby building, desperate for cover, and unleashed a desperate hail of bullets. The rounds struck the beast but ricocheted off its hide in distorted arcs. Dragging the massive blade behind it, the monster lunged into their midst.
The room was instantly repainted in blood and sinew. After a moment, the beast surveyed the room, ensuring the slaughter was complete, and unleashed a deafening roar of triumph.
Daruel's dark angels and abyssal beasts were no longer confined to the shadows; they were spreading through Addis Ababa and across the globe. The age of desolation had arrived. The Earth cried out for the return of its true guardians. The Sovereigns had to rise.
To be continued….