Loud noises, explosions, and blinding lights erupted in the background of a crumbling house.

Inside, two children stood amidst the chaos. One, with black hair and brown eyes, appeared to be on the verge of fainting, while the other’s voice was drowned out by the overwhelming noise.

'Fuck... It’s way too fucking loud...'

“D...mi...Da...”

'Who even is yelling right now?... Fuck, I can’t hear a damn thing.'

Gradually, clarity returned to the boy’s senses as he heard another child shouting.

“DAMIAN, PLEASE DON’T FAINT! GET UP RIGHT NOW! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!”

Damian, slowly pushing himself up, glanced toward the source of the voice.

“Ah, fuck, you’re alive, Stephen?”

“Hah... Hah... Yeah, pretty much... Hah... I don’t even know what’s going on anymore... It’s total chaos out there... and you’re bleeding a bit around your head.”

“Yeah... obviously... they’re the fucking Drakmire soldiers... fuckers don’t even know they’re working for the Bloodspires...”

Damian winced, touching his head. “...and it’s just a concussion, so no worries there... Can you stop gawking like an idiot and fucking help me up?”

“By Serenys, stop cussing so much! You’re just nine years old... and you seem to know way too much about these guys... the Bloodspires? How even—”

“Does it really matter right now, little Stevey? Point is, I knew about it and tried to prevent it, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”

Stephen glared at him for a moment before replying, “I’m older than you by two years...”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever... Were you watching Remir’s bar?”

The children glanced outside a shattered window, where the scene of corpses and blood trails sprawled across the ground. They then noticed a flickering green light source, revealing the words ‘Remir’s Bar.’

Stephen nodded. “For a bit, yeah... It’s about 50 meters from here. We should move when their patrol squads go elsewhere, but we’ll have to hurry. If what you said is right, then I won’t hesitate. I’ll take my chances. My instincts are telling me that another group is on the way, and I’m not gonna wait to find out if they’re Drakmires or one of us Skaldri. This place is done for, anyway.”

“Alright, then. You better start praying to your god for survival.”

“And what about you? You’re still not gonna put your faith in any of the gods?”

Damian looked at the red-haired boy with an unwavering gaze. “Not a chance. I’ll get by on my own, I know that much... Go use those blood-red eyes of yours and start finding the locations of those fucking hellhounds, if you ain’t gonna pray.”

“…Oh Serenys, please bless me with strength to survive this ordeal, and please forgive this foolish child. He does not know any better…” Stephen muttered before continuing his prayer for about ten seconds while Damian suspiciously watched him.

“Okay, I’m done... When do we make a run for it?”

“Ten seconds, and we go on ‘one.’”

Both children began counting in their heads.

'10... 9... 8... 7... 6...

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...'

They immediately bolted toward the battered doors and rushed toward the green-lit bar. However, as they reached the 30-meter mark, Stephen sensed a strange atmospheric shift and turned to his right. Damian, a bit slower, noticed this too and yelled at him.

“STEV—”

BOOM!

A magical bomb exploded, sending Damian flying to the left. The force slammed him into a wall, and he fell to the ground. Struggling to rise, Damian looked over at Stephen and saw blood staining his head and torso.

“Fuck... this fucking... this can’t be happening... I tried saving them, but they’re just too fucking egoistic... and now Stephen’s on the ground... probably dead. Shit...”

Through the smoke, Damian heard the echoes of soldiers shouting and running, their armored figures moving swiftly. He gritted his teeth.

“Hah... Fuck... now this... Hah... Just... Hah... Just why did I accept that deal with that stupid fucking god, Serenys?... Seriously now, just fuck my fucking life.”

*************************************************

“Billie Jean... is not my lover...”

A man and a woman, both around 20 years old, walked together. The man was singing Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, dancing and snapping his fingers. To mock the woman’s obvious irritation, he continued singing,

“…She’s just a girl, who claims that I’m the one…”

He paused, looking at the girl, who seemed to be warming up her hands. The girl, clearly angry, spoke through gritted teeth.

“One more word out of your mouth, and I swear to god I will pull that damn ear off.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“...”

“...”

“…But the KID IS NOT MY SO—AHHH OK STOP! I’M SORRY!”

“Seriously, fuck this! I can’t believe this! How the hell did you even get a 100 on the exam?? That makes no sense! I worked my ass off to get a 94, while you... you slept and played games the whole week!”

“That, milady, is what you call a skill issue.”

“OH FUCK THIS! C’MERE AND LET ME FUCKING KILL YOU ALREADY!”

“AHH OK STOP! STOP! I’M SORRY!”

After nearly a minute of pinching his ears, she finally relented, letting the poor man go. He then looked at the blonde-haired girl and asked,

“…So... about that bet we made…”

“A win is a win. You can request anything from me. Damian, I’m not a sore loser, you know?”

“I never said anything about it, Lily.”

“Oh, and obviously, if you ask for something too brash, I’ll straight-up kick you in the balls.”

He pretended to look scared, pouted, and said,

“Damn, what’d I ever do to you, girl?”

“…Tch, I should’ve punched you instead... So, out with it, what’s your request?”

“Would you go on a date with me?”

Lily, initially baffled by the question, stood silent for a moment.

“…Huh? Wait, wha, hold on. Wha…”

Damian didn’t stop there and continued, his blush evident, but his resolve unshaken.

“I’m not gonna hold off on this any longer. I can’t hide my feelings anymore.”

“Wait... hold on... I’m no—”

“I like you, Lily. Ever since we met a year ago.”

“Wait... ple—”

“And I’ll say it as many times as you want me to. So, would you go out wi—KFFH!”

“I SAID WAIT A BIT!!”

She hit him with her handbag.

Damian, groaning, thought to himself, 'Goddamn, what the hell’s in her handbag? It’s fucking heavy... huh? Why’s she breathing so heavy?'

“...Uh, are you okay?”

“...You’re not pranking me or anything, right?”

With boundless confidence, he replied,

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t do that to anyone.”

“...”

'Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say yes...'

Lily, oblivious to his inner turmoil, was thinking,

'HE LIKES ME? HOLY SHIT!! WHAT THE FUCK!!! BUT HOW THE FUCK DOES HE SAY THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE? FUCK, I DON’T THINK I CAN EVER SAY THAT! OK, calm down now, girl...'

“Lily?”

“...Hm, ah, yes?”

“...Uh, so, about my question?”

“...”

Damian thought, 'She’s gone real quiet... is she okay?' He realized it was probably because he’d asked out of nowhere. 'Man, if she rejects me, things might get awkward between us later on... But I have to go through with it!'

“…Tell me?”

“Huh? Did you say something, Lily?”

“…What do you like about me?”

“Well, you have pretty eyes, they shine like emeralds... Your smile gives me butterflies in my stomach, and you make me feel like I’m in a utopia.”

“...”

“And that’s just the top of my head! Well, you also have a nice body, and you’re also very cu—KHFF!”

“SERIOUSLY, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE, YOU PERVERT?!”

“…Goddamn, my stomach... not again...”

“Ahh, I’m sorry!”

“…So, about the answer?”

Damian asked again, and Lily, still blushing, finally replied,

“…Yes, I like you too, Damian.”

“…Ahh, that’s actually so nice to hear... and kind of relieving as well.”

“So, when are we going for our date?”

Damian froze, clearly caught off guard by her words. It wasn’t what he expected to hear. Lily, still blushing but now a little annoyed, added with a playful edge:

“You’d better have the best date planned out, or I’ll leash you when we get home.”

“…Whoa, didn’t know you were into that kind of thing. I guess I’ll have to adjust my tastes, huh?”

“H-Huh??? No, wait, that’s not what I meant—”

Damian chuckled, unable to hold back the laugh. “Pfft, ahahaha.”

“…You…”

“Don’t worry, I got it planned out. How about we grab some food first?”

“…Sure…”

The two of them went to a restaurant for dinner and then enjoyed desserts elsewhere. They wandered through various shops until midnight, talking and enjoying each other’s company.

The night was peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaos that had taken place earlier. Damian couldn’t help but feel grateful that Lily had accepted his feelings.

“…So, how was it, all in all?” Damian asked.

“…Well, it was good, for a first date—around a 7 out of 10, but…”

“But?”

“…But it was the best because you were here,” Lily said, smiling.

“…And here I thought I was the only one allowed to say cheesy lines.”

“Oh, please... not this again,” she muttered.

Damian, clearly overhearing her, struck a dramatic pose and grinned.

“Ahaha, no need to worry! After all, your knight in shining armor is here!!”

“Ahhh, please stop! There are other people watching us!”

Damian continued his playful banter, intentionally embarrassing both of them in public. A few people nearby couldn't help but comment.

“Ahh, youth these days,” an old man sighed.

“Tch, I hope they break up already...” muttered a random guy, probably someone who had never been in a relationship.

As they continued their playful back-and-forth, Lily noticed a strange light flickering in the sky.

“Hm, what’s that? There’s a flashing light in the sky...”

Damian, hearing her words, quickly turned around to look.

Slowly, more people began noticing the strange light, which seemed to split into multiple trails.

They whispered among themselves:

“Hey, do you think that’s a comet?”

“Nah, no way—it’s splitting apart. Maybe a satellite?”

Damian’s gut twisted. Something about it felt off.

“…Uhh, don’t you think it’s getting too close to us?” Lily said.

“Lily?”

“Yes?”

“Run.”

The two sprinted as fast as they could, heading away from the light that seemed to grow closer at an alarming speed.

The crowd, a bit slow to react, only began to realize the danger as the light source rushed toward them.

BOOM!!!

The ground trembled violently. Screams echoed around them as explosions tore through the city. Fire spread across buildings, and electricity lines crackled ominously in the darkness. The streetlights flickered and died, leaving the world in an eerie half-darkness.

Behind an apartment complex, Damian and Lily collapsed, breathless and shaken by the chaos they had just witnessed.

Damian turned to Lily, his voice filled with concern.

“Haah, are you okay?”

She continued panting, nodding in response.

“Hooh... okay, we’ve gotta go out and help them... and we still don’t know what caused this, so we have to be careful. Haah... We got insanely lucky. The damage seems random—not concentrated in one area—otherwise, we’d be dead right now.”

Lily took a deep breath before replying, “Haah, yeah... but if it’s a meteorite, there could be radioactive metals. Shouldn’t we...?”

“I don’t think it was a meteorite,” Damian interrupted, shaking his head. “It didn’t look like it had any rocks in it to begin with.”

“But even then, Damian, don’t you think it’s too risky to...”

“…Lily?”

Damian noticed her sudden silence. Confused, he looked at her face. She was pale, her eyes wide with fear.

He followed her line of sight, his stomach sinking as he realized what she was staring at.

“Lily, why—”

But as he looked up into the sky, he saw something that made his blood run cold. It was unbelievable. Something straight out of novels or books—things he had read about, but never imagined could happen in real life.

There, in the sky, were two cracks in space itself—two rifts that seemed to tear reality apart. And through them, two eyes appeared.

One glowed yellow, the other red.

Both Damian and Lily instinctively wanted to look away, but they couldn’t. They were drawn to the sky, unable to break free from the force that seemed to pull their gaze upward.

Damian, whose worldview was grounded in science, had his entire understanding of reality shattered in an instant. As he stared into the yellow eye, he thought to himself, Huh?... For some reason, why does it feel like that yellow eye is looking at me?

And he was right. The red eye seemed to be looking elsewhere, but the yellow one was focused on him—directly at him.

Suddenly, a blinding light surrounded him. It felt like an explosion of energy, and before he could even react, it pushed Lily away from him.

She scrambled to her feet, shouting something, but Damian couldn’t hear her over the deafening rush of energy.

In the next moment, everything went dark.