The sky had gone wrong.
Dark clouds swirled above Lumisgrave like they were alive. The rain had stopped. But the air still dripped with something heavier than water. Something unseen, something cold.
Inside his small room, Arslan stood still, staring out the tiny window.
He had just spoken with his mother. She'd left the room a few minutes ago, worried but gentle, asking him to eat something before the strange weather grew worse.
He didn't answer her.
His black hoodie clung slightly to his back, damp from the earlier drizzle. He watched how the streets dimmed too fast. How even the lamps lining the roads flickered weakly — as if afraid of the dark around them.
Then he heard it.
A sound that wasn't quite sound. A hum… no, more like a feeling. It vibrated through the floor, through his boots, through his bones.
> "What the hell…" he whispered.
He stepped away from the window, eyes narrowing.
Outside, people looked around too — guards, vendors, even children paused mid-play. Something in the air pressed against their lungs.
Then it began.
From cracks between bricks, corners of rooftops, even the gaps in cobbled streets — a strange grayish-blue smoke began to rise.
Thin at first. Gentle, like morning fog.
Then thicker. Heavier.
> "Is something burning?" Arslan muttered, walking out of his room.
But there was no fire. No heat. No ash.
Just smoke. Cold. Silent. Spreading.
He rushed down the stairs, pulling his hood up. His boots slammed against the wooden steps as he swung the door open.
Outside, people had begun coughing. Not violently — more like gasping.
One woman stumbled into the street, holding her chest.
> Citizen (panicking): "What is this smoke!? It's in my chest— I… I can't…"
Arslan ran to her, but before he reached, she collapsed. Just dropped to the ground. No scream. No warning.
He froze.
Another man fell. Then a child. Then two guards.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
No screams. No cries.
Just bodies, falling.
Even the horses in the square… slumped quietly, knees giving way.
> "No… no no no," Arslan said, his voice cracking. "WHAT IS THIS?!"
He backed up toward the wall, covering his nose and mouth. But the smoke wasn't choking him.
It was inside him.
He felt his knees wobble.
> "Damn it… move… move—"
But he couldn't. The air was thick. Not heavy, but empty. As if it stole his energy. His will.
> "Mom…" he whispered.
His legs gave out.
He hit the ground. Face turned toward the sky.
And then… everything faded.
All of Lumisgrave fell silent.
In the castle, the King dropped beside his throne, crown slipping sideways.
In the alleys, guards fell beside food stalls. Merchants collapsed beside their gold.
No blood. No signs of struggle.
Just… stillness.
The smoke hung above the sleeping bodies like a veil.
---
TWO HOURS LATER
A breeze.
The sky… clearer.
Birds chirped again. A horse neighed somewhere in the distance.
The smoke was gone.
And Arslan stirred.
His fingers twitched. His breath returned. Slowly, like someone waking from a dream they didn't want.
> "Ugh…" he groaned, pushing himself up.
He blinked. The world was blurry. His head hurt.
He looked around.
People lay everywhere. Some were waking. Others still motionless.
> "What the hell happened…?"
He stood. Weakly. The air was cool again. The sky looked blue.
But something felt wrong.
He ran toward the central street, past fruit stalls turned over, lanterns shattered. He saw others standing now — blinking, confused, some crying.
> Woman: "What happened? Was it… a dream?"
Old Man: "I haven't slept like that since the War of Shrouds…"
Young Man: "Did we all just… pass out?"
Arslan didn't speak. He kept walking, slowly now, his heart pounding.
Then—
BOOM.
A low, rumbling grind beneath his feet. Like metal scraping deep underground.
He stopped.
So did everyone.
From the center square… the earth cracked.
Not a little.
A wide, glowing fissure opened like the jaws of the world.
Crimson light pulsed beneath it.
And from it… a gate began to rise.
Black. Metallic. Massive.
Covered in ancient symbols that glowed red. Chains wrapped around it, rattling, like they had held something in for centuries.
> Child (trembling): "L-Look… there… something's coming out!"
The people screamed.
Another crack split open near the eastern market.
Another gate rose — this one taller, shaped like a twisted arch with claw-like spires at the top.
Then another… near the river.
Three gates. At once.
Arslan stared in horror.
> "What are these…?"
> Merchant (backing away): " is this our punishment!"
> Citizen (shouting): "THE GATES! THE GATES HAVE RISEN!"
Panic.
Some people ran. Some collapsed again. Others just dropped to their knees, praying.
But Arslan stood still.
His fists clenched.
> "This can't be happening…"
Then, deep in his chest — a pulse.
A faint burning. Like fire awakening in his ribs.
He grabbed his hoodie, breathing heavily.
> "W-What is… this feeling…"
His shadow flickered unnaturally.
The gate nearest him creaked. Like something stirred behind it.
He stepped back. Just once.
But he didn't run.
Instead… he stared at the gate.
Its runes pulsed once… in sync with his chest.
And for a split second, he thought he heard a whisper.
A voice… deep… ancient…
> Voice (distant): "You… Dark pulse… I'm coming"
The gate fell silent again.
People around him still screamed. But his world had narrowed.
He looked at his hands. They were shaking.
But it was a fear.
It was something else.