There are truths the universe is built on—truths we all know instinctively, no matter how hard it may be to put them into words. Here's one truth: monsters were created to fulfill a purpose. Just like me. Just like you. If a monster is capable of ending the world, maybe it's not because we're meant to overcome them. Maybe it's because the world is supposed to end.  Twenty years ago, a curtain fell over the sky. Magpie was a child, then. He doesn't remember much that came before it. But the world now is small, and empty, and very dark. He's died a thousand times. He keeps coming back. And he knows nothing, except that no matter what he tries, there is no end. Well, that's not true. He knows one more thing. There's something watching them. He's been seeing it out of the corner of his eye.