The sky didn't simply darken—it began to crack. Thin, jagged lines spread across the clouds like shattered glass, glowing faintly with a deep crimson light, as if something beyond the heavens was forcing its way through. The storm twisted unnaturally, spiraling downward toward a single point—toward Avi. He stood still amidst the ruins of the broken temple, his gaze fixed on the creature that had emerged from the shattered pillar. The air had grown unbearably heavy, each breath feeling like it carried weight, as if the world itself was resisting what had just been unleashed.
The creature rose fully now, its form grotesque and unnatural. It resembled a human only in outline, but everything else about it was wrong—its limbs too long, its body flickering between solid and distorted, its blackened skin veined with molten red light. Its hollow eyes burned with a terrifying awareness, locked entirely onto Avi. There was recognition in that gaze, and something darker—something patient, as if it had been waiting for this exact moment. Its voice echoed again, low and haunting, repeating the same words as before, as though confirming its success in finding him.
The man in the black suit stepped forward, placing himself between the creature and the others. Whatever calm he had maintained earlier was gone, replaced by sharp focus and urgency. Energy surged around him, forming visible distortions in the air, like heat waves bending reality itself. He muttered under his breath, unable to comprehend how a sealed entity could break free so easily, especially in the middle of a modern city. His hand clenched, gathering that invisible energy into a concentrated force around his arm. Without looking back, he ordered both Avi and the girl to run, his voice firm and absolute. But neither of them moved.
The creature tilted its head slightly, studying Avi with unsettling curiosity before taking a single step forward. The ground beneath it cracked instantly, unable to bear its presence. Then, without warning, the man attacked. He moved faster than the eye could follow, appearing in front of the creature in an instant and driving his energy-coated fist forward with explosive force. The impact sent a shockwave tearing through the ruins, shattering nearby glass and throwing debris into the air. For a brief moment, it seemed like he had succeeded.
But then the creature caught his fist.
Everything went silent. The man's eyes widened in disbelief as the energy around his arm flickered violently, unable to overpower the creature's grip. Slowly, almost casually, the creature tightened its hold, and a sickening crack echoed through the air. Pain flashed across the man's face, but he held back any sound. The creature murmured a single word—weak—before effortlessly throwing him across the ruins. His body slammed into a broken wall, collapsing part of it under the force of the impact.
The girl gasped, instinctively stepping back, but Avi didn't react outwardly. Inside him, however, something shifted. The creature's gaze returned to him, its tone almost amused as it spoke again, pointing out his lack of memory. Avi's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked if he was supposed to remember. The creature's distorted laughter echoed again, promising that he would.
Then it vanished.
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared directly in front of Avi, its clawed hand striking forward toward his chest. At the last possible moment, Avi moved—not with speed or force, but with precision. He shifted his body just enough for the attack to miss him by inches. The movement was effortless, almost instinctive, as if his body already knew what to do before his mind caught up. The creature paused, surprised for the first time.
Avi stepped back calmly, creating distance. His expression remained composed, but his eyes had sharpened, becoming more focused, more aware. He observed the creature carefully, realizing that its attacks weren't random—it was targeting something specific. The creature responded with interest, as if entertained by his awareness.
Before anything else could happen, the girl's voice cut through the tension. She stood nearby, her hand raised despite the slight tremble in her body. There was fear in her, but it didn't control her. She told the creature to get away from him. That single act of defiance shifted the atmosphere instantly. The creature's attention turned toward her, and something dangerous flickered in its hollow eyes.
Avi's calm broke for the first time. He told her not to interfere, but it was already too late.
The creature moved.
In an instant, it closed the distance between them, its presence overwhelming. The girl froze, not by choice but because her body refused to respond under the crushing pressure. Just as the creature's claw reached her, Avi stepped in.
The attack meant for her struck him instead.
Time slowed. The impact should have ended him, should have torn through him without resistance. But the moment the claw touched his chest, something deep inside him awakened. A pulse surged through his body—ancient, violent, alive. Crimson energy erupted outward, not chaotic like before, but responsive, as if it recognized him.
The force blasted the creature backward, sending it crashing into the remains of the pillar and carving a deep trench into the ground. Silence followed, heavy and suffocating. Avi stood still, while the girl stared at him in shock, whispering his name again without understanding why she knew it.
He didn't respond. His vision blurred as fragments of something unfamiliar flashed through his mind—the throne, the battlefield, the voice that had spoken to him before. Pain surged through him, forcing him down to one knee as the energy around him flickered violently, unstable and overwhelming.
The creature rose again, its expression no longer amused. This time, there was something else in its gaze—recognition mixed with certainty. It whispered that this was his mark. Avi looked down at his chest, where the torn fabric revealed a glowing crimson symbol burned into his skin. It wasn't just a mark—it felt like something deeper, something that had been sealed and was now breaking free.
Nearby, the man in the black suit lifted his head weakly. The moment he saw the symbol, his expression turned to pure horror, as if he had just witnessed something that should never exist.
The creature began walking toward Avi again, slow and deliberate, like a predator closing in on its prey. It spoke calmly, almost mockingly, saying that he was supposed to remain buried. But now, things had changed.
Avi tried to stand, but his body resisted. The power inside him burned, tearing through him as if it didn't belong. The girl stepped forward again, ignoring the fear pressing down on her. She told the creature to stay away from him, her voice shaking but determined.
The creature dismissed her as insignificant and raised its hand. Dark energy gathered, violent and destructive. Avi's eyes widened as he told her to run.
She didn't.
The attack was released.
And something inside Avi broke.
Not in anger or fear, but in something deeper—something ancient.
He lifted his head slowly, his eyes glowing crimson once more, but this time the glow didn't fade. The air around him changed completely, as if the world itself had shifted. The storm above reacted violently, the cracks in the sky spreading further as something beyond them stirred.
Avi stood up despite the pain, his movements now steady and controlled. Then he spoke a single word—cold, absolute.
"Enough."
Everything stopped.
The creature froze mid-motion. The energy dissipated. Even the storm seemed to pause, as if the world itself had obeyed his command. The creature's expression twisted, no longer amused but deeply unsettled. It whispered in realization that it was true.
Avi stepped forward, his eyes no longer human. He told the creature that it shouldn't have come. But the creature only smiled again, this time with tension behind it. It replied that it had no choice—because the moment Avi's seal broke, something else had begun.
The sky shattered completely.
From beyond the cracks, something vast started to descend. A massive shadow spread across the city, swallowing everything beneath it. The girl looked up, her breath caught in her throat as she whispered what it was. No one answered.
Because no one truly knew.
But Avi did.
And for the first time since all of this began, he felt something new—not fear, but certainty. This wasn't the beginning of his story. It was the continuation of something far older, something that had finally come to claim him.
As the mark on his chest burned brighter, the beings beyond the sky began to arrive.
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🔥 To be continued in Chapter 3: "The Ones Who Descend"