The broadcast abruptly cut off, leaving thousands of viewers frozen in front of their screens as a torrent of chaotic chat messages flooded in.

For a surreal moment, there was stunned silence. The explosion, the shattered glass, the dust... It was hard to believe that what had started as an ordinary stream had taken such a horrifying turn.

Around the world, telephones began to ring. Calls were made, messages sent, all in a whirlwind of panic and concern.

Fans of Hylia and Mythos, who just moments before had been eagerly hanging on every word, were now in a state of shock. The online world buzzed with speculation: What had happened? Was everyone alright? Was it a trap?

Their communities held their breath, praying for the safety of their beloved creators.

In the room where it all began, the dust started to settle. The air was thick with tension, and the sound of sirens growing louder across the city echoed ominously.

This moment, which was supposed to be revolutionary in the history of video games, had turned into something far more sinister a memory no one would ever forget.

---

POV: Arthur

"Cough, cough… Hylia, are you okay?" I asked between fits of coughing.

Hylia was on the ground, her hands over her ears, pain etched on her face, but she managed a nod.

"It can go... but how did you know it would… do that?" she stammered, struggling for words.

"A hunch… There's even a chance someone saw my face," I replied, standing up and brushing off the gray dust that now covered my clothes. I offered Hylia a hand to help her up.

Together, we made our way to the window or rather, the gaping hole where it had once been. As we approached to look out onto the street and understand what had caused the explosion, we saw, about a hundred meters away, a building engulfed in flames, with a column of black smoke rising into the sky.

The scene before us was shocking. The surrounding buildings appeared partially destroyed, windows shattered, and some structures severely damaged. It was chaos almost surreal.

Distant screams, wailing sirens, and palpable excitement echoed from the street below. People were running in all directions. A thick layer of dust fell slowly, as if time itself had stopped.

My heart pounded as my eyes tried to take in the full extent of the damage. It was worse than anything I could have imagined. I could feel Hylia trembling slightly beside me. Her eyes were locked on the burning building, and I knew she was trying to comprehend what could have caused such a catastrophe.

"It seems to be the center of the explosion. Do you know which building that is?" I asked, turning to Hylia, who had a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror.

"It's... the Association building..." she murmured, turning her gaze to me.

"The Association? You mean the place where the most powerful people in the city gather?"

"Yes, that's where all the city's expeditions and conquests are organized."

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"That doesn't bode well, does it? An attack, perhaps?"

Hylia shook her head. "No, attacks are unlikely, especially on the Association. The only ones capable of something this big would come from outside… either another city, which seems crazy, or a more plausible hypothesis from outside monsters, specifically the Whispers."

"Then it's really bad..." I murmured, watching the ash cloud fall once more.

Hylia nodded again, though her eyes remained fixed on the desolate scene before us. Reluctantly, she finally looked away, and we stepped back from the window to prepare to leave.

The thought of walking through this scene of destruction made my blood run cold, but I knew we couldn't just sit there and wait.

We hurried down the stairs, our footsteps echoing strangely in the heavy silence of the building. When we reached the bottom, the automatic glass door was gone, opening onto indescribable chaos.

The hot, ash-laden wind hit us with full force, and the scene before us was even more catastrophic up close.

Broken walls and glass littered the ground. People seemed lost, wandering aimlessly. Some were trying to help the injured, while others stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide.

We took a few steps forward, searching for survivors, for answers, but most of all for an explanation of what had just happened. Each new image added another layer of disbelief and fear.

Suddenly, a siren blared, then cut off, followed by a woman's voice:

"MAXIMUM ALERT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. EVERYONE MUST PROCEED TO THE NEAREST EXTRACTION ZONE. I REPEAT..."

Arthur and Hylia exchanged a meaningful look. The announcement still echoed in the air, plunging the city into an atmosphere of controlled panic. Arthur clenched his fists, aware that the situation was far more serious than it seemed.

"We have to go," Hylia said, her voice trembling but determined. "The extraction zones are our only chance."

Arthur nodded, and they set off. The road was difficult, the city in ruins, the streets choked with panic. When they finally arrived at the extraction site, the scene was worse than they had imagined.

Chaos reigned. A desperate crowd was struggling to board the few available evacuation vehicles.

Overwhelmed guards were trying to maintain order, but the situation was spiraling out of control.

Shouts, screams, and cries for help filled the air, creating an atmosphere of total anarchy.

Arthur and Hylia pushed their way through the crowd, trying to stay calm. But as the hours passed, the tension grew. There seemed to be no evacuation in sight. Night was falling, and with it, fear grew.

Suddenly, Arthur's sword, recognized by the system, trembled. As he drew it, he noticed that the blade, usually pale and dark, now flickered with flashes of glistening mauve-purple.

Just as he was about to examine it more closely, a shrill scream rang out, followed by the crowd's panic. They were swept away by the mass, trying to avoid being crushed as shouts and incoherent words echoed through the night.

Pushed in all directions, Arthur and Hylia took cover in an alley, watching the chaos unfold. Hylia turned to him, her eyes wide:

"Arthur, your sword… it's glowing!"

Stunned, Arthur drew the blade, which extended to reveal a form he'd never seen before. It was as broken as ever, but along the edges and in the hollows that ran through the blade, a thick purple sap seemed to pulse with growing intensity.

"Arthur! Hide it!" Hylia half-cried, pushing the blade against him. The shouting in the crowd suddenly stopped, and the last civilian left the square as a hissing voice echoed:

"Zi-Ra, take your group and kill the rest. Na-ri, Na-fa, follow me. We've got something interesting here… What do I see? A human male and his female, hiding in an alley… Tell me, human, what kind of blade is this? It looks familiar…"

A figure slowly approached them, flanked by two others. Its movements were strangely fluid, despite the menacing aura that emanated from it. Arthur felt his heart race and his fingers tighten around the hilt of his rapier. The blade pulsed in his hands, as if responding to the intruder's presence.

"Answer me, human," the creature hissed, its face revealed in the faint moonlight. Its features, twisted into a grotesque parody of a human face, were marked by slit eyes that shone with an unhealthy glow. "This blade… it is mine."

Arthur felt a wave of terror wash over him, but an inner strength kept him from fleeing. The rapier now glowed a fierce purple, its pulses quickening, more insistent.

A distant rumbling, like muffled thunder, suddenly echoed from deep within the city. Arthur and Hylia exchanged anxious glances. Another explosion had just occurred.

"Arthur, we have to go now," Hylia whispered, her sword in hand, panic evident in her voice.

Arthur looked up at the creature as it approached, a triumphant expression on its twisted face. They were trapped, and the night was full of ominous promises.