Inside his head…

Obinai trudges forward, muttering under his breath. "Soon as I'm done with this voodoo shit, I'm taking the longest bath of my life. This is—"

His words cut off in a strangled yelp as something wrenches him backward with incredible force. His body hits the dirt with a sickening thud, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. He wheezes, coughing violently, his chest heaving as he struggles to sit up.

"What the hell was—" he starts, but before the thought can finish, his body is yanked upward with impossible speed. His head snaps back, and the last thing he sees as his eyes roll back is the sky above, twisting and warping like a living thing, before darkness engulfs him.

Somewhere…

Obinai's eyes snap open, his body jerking upright as a scream tears from his throat. His breath comes in short, panicked gasps, and cold sweat drenches his skin. He clutches at the sheets beneath him, his fingers digging into the fabric as his wide eyes dart around the room.

The remnants of the voices linger in his mind, faint but menacing, like echoes from a nightmare that refuses to fade. His chest rises and falls rapidly as he presses a trembling hand to his forehead, wiping away the sweat beading there.

"What… the fuck…?" he mutters hoarsely, his voice shaking as he tries to piece together what just happened.

Before he can gather his thoughts, the door to his room bursts open with a loud bang. The sudden noise makes him flinch, his head snapping toward the doorway.

"Where were you, Obi?" Mya demands, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Her expression is a mix of anger and worry, her brows knitted tightly. "I had to take the train home by myself! Do you even know how mad Mom is?"

Obinai stares at her, his mind still spinning. "Mya, I—" He struggles to find the words.

Mya doesn't give him a chance to finish. She steps closer, her voice rising. "You disappeared! I was waiting and waiting, and you didn't show up! Do you have any idea how scared I was?" Her words come out in a rush, her frustration spilling over, but there's a quiver in her tone that betrays her fear.

Obinai raises a hand, trying to calm her. "Mya, listen—"

"No, you listen!" she snaps, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "You always do this, Obi! You leave me behind, and I'm the one who has to deal with Mom freaking out. What the hell were you even doing?"

Her words hit him like a punch, but before he can respond, a sudden, thunderous crash shakes the room. The walls tremble, and the floor beneath them seems to shift. The sound is so jarring, so unnatural, that both of them freeze.

"What the hell was that?" Obinai breathes, his voice low and tense.

Mya's eyes widen, her anger forgotten as she glances toward the window. "Did something… hi-"

Another crash echoes in the distance, followed by a faint, chilling sound

screams

They're distant but unmistakable, rising and falling in a haunting, discordant wail that sends a cold shiver down Obinai's spine.

Almost immediately, their parents, Amos and Maria, burst into the room. Amos's normally calm face is drawn tight with tension, his eyes scanning his children for any signs of harm. "Are you kids okay?" he asks, his voice sharper than usual, edged with an unfamiliar fear.

Mya, her voice trembling but steady enough to mask her fear, steps forward. "Did something crash into the building?" she asks, looking toward the window. Her small frame shifts as if to approach it, but Maria moves swiftly, stepping in front of her and blocking her view.

"Sweetheart, everything is fine," Maria says in a tone meant to soothe, though her darting eyes betray her unease. "Just stay away from the windows, okay?"

Her words hang in the air as she glances at Amos, her expression begging him to confirm her assurance. Amos's lips tighten, and he looks toward the window with a troubled frown.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Obinai, his heart still hammering from the earlier crashes, feels his curiosity gnawing at him. "What's going on?" he demands, his voice low but insistent. "You're not telling us something."

Before Amos can answer, Obinai, driven by the restless mix of fear and defiance bubbling in his chest, pushes past them toward the window. "Obinai, wait!" Maria shouts, her hand reaching for him, but it's too late.

He reaches the window, his breath catching in his throat as he pulls back the curtain. The sight before him steals whatever words he might have said.

Beyond the city wall, the sky is consumed by a surreal nightmare. Towering creatures loom over the horizon, their immense forms blotting out the fading light of day. They're grotesque yet eerily symmetrical, as if sculpted with unnatural precision. Each figure stands impossibly tall—easily 20 meters—dwarfing every structure in sight.

Their bodies ripple with unnatural musculature, pale and smooth like polished marble, yet they move with a chilling fluidity that belies their size. Their faces—or what passes for faces—are a chaotic blend of something beyond perfection and humanoid features. Ten perfectly round, white eyes are arrayed in circulature on their heads, each glowing faintly with golden irises.

The light from their eyes casts jagged, shifting shadows across the cityscape, bathing the streets below in an eerie, shifting glow. As they descend, the creatures emit a sound—a low, resonant rumble that vibrates through the walls and floor, an ominous counterpoint to the earlier tremors.

Obinai's legs feel like lead as he stares, unable to move, his breath coming in shallow gasps. His lips part, but no words come.

Behind him, Mya's voice cracks with urgency. "Obi? What is it? What do you see?" She tries to push past Maria, but her mother pulls her back, holding her tightly.

"Stay here," Maria says, her tone strained but firm. "Amos, what—what is this?"

Amos doesn't respond immediately. He takes a hesitant step toward the window, his face pale. "Obinai," he says quietly, but there's a weight to his voice that freezes Obinai more than the sight outside. "Step away from the window."

His voice comes out hoarse, almost a whisper. "They're… they're coming over the wall."

Maria gasps, her arms tightening protectively around Mya. Her voice trembles as she repeats, "The wall? They can't. That's not possible."

Her eyes dart to Amos, her expression a mix of desperation and accusation. "You said there was no life on the other side! You told me—"

"I know what I said, Maria!" Amos snaps, his voice cracking under the strain. His hands ball into fists at his sides, his jaw clenched as he stares toward the window. "The readings showed nothing—no movement, no heat signatures—nothing! This isn't supposed to be possible...I was supposed to be wrong!"

Maria's voice rises, her desperation spilling out in sharp words. "But it's happening! Look at them, Amos! You swore we were safe!"

Amos's composure finally breaks, and he spins toward her, his face taut with frustration and fear. "I know, damnit!" he yells, his voice trembling. "I know what I said! But standing here arguing isn't going to fix this!"

Obinai barely registers the exchange, his body still frozen at the window, his wide eyes fixed on the monstrous figures moving beyond the wall. He's transfixed, paralyzed by the sheer impossibility of what he's seeing.

Amos moves swiftly, stepping to Obinai and grabbing his arm with enough force to jolt him out of his trance. "Get away from there," Amos says, his voice sharper now, leaving no room for hesitation.

Obinai stumbles backward as Amos pulls him away from the glass, his breath coming in short gasps. "But… what are they?" he manages to choke out, his voice barely above a whisper.

Amos doesn't answer, his focus shifting to Maria and Mya. "We need to move. Now."

Maria shakes her head, her voice breaking. "Move? Where? They're already—"

"Maria, just listen to me!" Amos interrupts, his voice firm and commanding. "We can't stay here. We're leaving."

As Amos pulls him away, Obinai stumbles back, his body trembling. "What are they?" he manages, his voice barely audible.

"Soldiers," Amos mutters under his breath, his face grim as he glances toward the window one last time.

Another crash resounds, closer this time, shaking the entire building so violently that plaster cracks race along the ceiling, sending tiny pieces raining down like dust. The floor beneath them shudders as if alive, the vibration resonating in their bones.

Obinai stumbles, grabbing Amos's sleeve for balance, his voice raw and trembling as he looks up at his father. "Dad… what's going on? What's happening?" His words are laced with desperation, the fear in his eyes mirroring the chaos outside.

Amos glances down at him, his jaw tight and his expression unreadable. His hand trembles for a brief moment before he clenches it into a fist. "We have to get them out of here," he says abruptly, his voice firm but strained, as though forcing himself to focus.

Maria nods, her face pale but set with grim determination. She turns to Obinai and Mya, her voice steady despite the chaos threatening to engulf them. "Kids, stay close to us. Do you hear me? Don't let go, no matter what." Her hand finds Mya's, gripping it tightly, her knuckles white.

Another crash rocks the building, more intense this time. A low, ominous rumble follows, the sound of something enormous shifting outside. The cracks in the ceiling spread, and a framed photo on the wall tilts precariously before falling to the floor with a sharp crack.

"What's out there?" Mya whispers, her voice barely audible as she clings to Maria's side. "Is it the wall? Is it falling?"

Maria kneels briefly, cupping Mya's face with trembling hands. "No, sweetheart. It's not the wall," she says softly, her voice catching. "It's something else. But you have to trust us, okay? Stay close, and we'll keep you safe."

Amos moves toward the window again, his expression tense as he peers outside. "It's worse than I thought," he mutters under his breath, his face pale as he steps back quickly.

Obinai, unable to resist, moves toward the window despite his parents' warnings. "Obi, don't!" Maria hisses, but he's already there, pulling the curtain aside just enough to glimpse the nightmare unfolding below.

And towering over it all are these...

Heralds...

as Amos said.