The screen faded from sunlight and laughter—waves crashing, Raul's ridiculous flirting echoing in the background—
to pitch-black.
A dark chamber. The sound of dripping water. The faint hum of alien machinery.
Out of the shadows, figures emerged.
⸻
The Strangers
They wore armor unlike any UNE design—sleek but brutal, covered in black plating streaked with sickly green and crimson camo. Their helmets looked like futuristic gas masks, the twin visors glowing a deep, menacing red.
None spoke. None moved hastily. They stood in silence, the dim crimson glow from their visors cutting through the dark.
One tilted his head toward the others. A simple nod.
The others returned it.
A silent agreement.
A mission decided.
And without a word, they vanished deeper into the shadows, the camera lingering on the faint red glow until it flickered out entirely.
⸻
Closing Beat
The cut snapped back to the beach—Raul and Marco making fools of themselves in the water, Jin laughing, Asura watching quietly from the shore.
But the mood was no longer quite the same.
Somewhere out there, in the depths of the galaxy...
the next storm was already gathering probably. Everyone hope there will be peace, not some alien invasion again or being sent on missions.
-
By the time the suns had set, the squad wasn't ready to head back. Raul, of course, had the idea.
"Boys, I heard there's a carnival set up by the pier tonight. Lights, food, games—the whole deal. LET'S GO!"
No one argued.
⸻
The Carnival
The moment they arrived, their jaws dropped.
Bright holo-lights spiraled into the night sky. Alien lanterns glowed with shifting colors. The smell of sizzling foods—skewers, fried dough, sweet drinks—floated through the air. Music blasted from every corner, and laughter filled the streets.
"BROOO," Marco shouted, spinning in a circle. "This place is heaven!"
The squad ran from stall to stall like children. Raul tried the shooting gallery, yelling "UNE reflexes, baby!"—and missed every shot. Marco laughed so hard he fell against the counter, only for John to silently step up and knock down all the targets with calm precision.
"Show off," Raul muttered.
Min-seo and Jerome battled in a strength test game, hammering down on the machine. Min-seo won by just one point, but Jerome swore the machine was broken.
Jin was dragged into a ring toss game by his siblings (who'd insisted on tagging along despite being told to stay home). He missed every throw until Asura stepped up, flicked his wrist once, and landed all the rings perfectly.
The carny worker froze. "...Uh... jackpot?"
Raul exploded. "BRO, PRODIGY STRIKES AGAIN!"
⸻
Food and Laughter
They stuffed themselves with carnival food—alien cotton candy that shimmered faintly, glowing drinks that fizzed like fireworks, and deep-fried skewers so good Marco nearly cried.
Jin couldn't stop laughing at Raul and Marco's antics, Jerome shook his head but secretly enjoyed himself, Min-seo even cracked a laugh at Raul's expense, and John just stayed quiet but stuck around the whole time.
Asura stayed in the background, calm as always... but Jin noticed him eating cotton candy slowly, and for the first time, his expression wasn't blank. He looked... almost at peace.
⸻
Closing Beat
The night stretched long—games, food, and laughter echoing under neon lights and fireworks overhead.
For the squad, this was more than just fun.
It was a reminder of why they fought.
Of what they wanted to protect.
And though none of them said it aloud, every one of them felt the same unspoken truth:
This was a night they'd remember forever.
-
Jin was grinning, holding a bag of glowing candy while Raul and Marco argued over who had more game tickets. The carnival was alive—music, laughter, fireworks overhead. For the first time in months, it felt like peace.
Then—
Jin froze.
Right in front of him, a man pulled out a knife. In one sharp motion, he stabbed another civilian in the neck.
Blood sprayed across the carnival lights.
"What the—?!" Jin's voice caught in his throat.
The stabbed man collapsed, lifeless. The attacker slowly turned, and his face—
His face was twisted in a wide, unnatural grin. Eyes wild. His lips stretched too far. A look of frenzied ecstasy.
And then—others joined him.
⸻
The Chaos
One by one, more people in the crowd began attacking. Some tore into others with bare hands, others grabbed knives, pipes, anything they could. Their faces all the same—fanatic, manic smiles. Their laughter mixed with screams, echoing through the carnival like a nightmare.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Raul shouted, pulling Jin back.
Marco stumbled, eyes wide. "They—they're killing each other! For fun?! Look at their faces!!"
Asura stepped forward calmly, narrowing as he scanned the scene. "These guys must be...."
Before Jin could respond to Asura... the ground shook.
BOOOOOOM.
A massive explosion erupted in the far city. The skyline lit up in flames, one of the tall towers collapsing into the streets below. Screams carried even to the carnival.
Jerome's face drained of color. "Oh no... this isn't random. This is an attack."
⸻
The Realization
The Marines fell into defensive stances, their instincts snapping back into focus. Civilians fled in every direction, some being cut down by the frenzied killers, others trampled in the chaos.
Jin's heart raced, but one thought rang louder than the screams:
-
The squad bolted into the chaos, instincts kicking in. Civilians screamed, scattering between the glowing booths and shattered rides. Jin drew his sidearm, firing warning shots into the air.
"GET DOWN! MOVE TO SAFETY!" he shouted, trying to push people back.
Raul, John and Marco grabbed 3 of the frenzied attackers and slammed them into a wall. Jerome pulled a wounded man away from the crowd while Min-seo shielded a family behind a booth.
Asura blink-stepped into the fray, disarming a knife-wielder with fluid precision—only for the man to counter with a sweep kick.
Asura's eyes narrowed. "...What?"
⸻
The Shock
The attacker pressed forward with shocking skill—pivoting, striking with open palms, footwork sharp. Not wild like a civilian. Not desperate. Calculated.
Jin lunged forward to help, only to be forced back by another frenzied man who struck with a soldier's jab-hook combo, fast and precise.
"These guys..." Jin gritted his teeth, blocking a strike.
"They're fighting like—"
"—trained Marines," John finished coldly, parrying a kick with his forearm.
⸻
The Reveal
Raul growled, slamming his opponent down, but his grin faltered when the man countered mid-fall, rolling with the impact like someone drilled in combat.
"NO WAY!" Raul shouted. "These dudes aren't just psychos—these guys got training!"
Marco's eyes went wide as he was forced back, his opponent slipping into a stance that mirrored the UNE Tactic Ashes of Warfare drills.
Jin's stomach dropped. "Oh no..."
Asura blink-stepped again, striking his enemy down, but his expression hardened. "They're not civilians. They're infiltrators."
⸻
Closing Beat
The squad's blood ran cold as realization set in.
This wasn't random chaos.
These killers weren't just laughing lunatics—
they were soldiers, masked as civilians, unleashed on Eryndor Prime.
And the squad had just stumbled into the opening wave of something far, far bigger.
-
The once-glowing carnival was now a nightmare. Neon lights flashed against blood-slick pavement, the air thick with screams and gunfire.
The attackers' laughter echoed everywhere—distorted, inhuman, rising like a chorus of lunacy. Their eyes bulged bloodshot, veins glowing faint red as if some sickness or drug pumped through them.
⸻
The Kidnappings
"JIN! LOOK!" Jerome shouted, pointing.
Three attackers wrestled a grown man and his little son into the back of a black van, their laughter echoing as the doors slammed shut. Another group dragged men into the alleys, disappearing into shadows.
"THEY'RE TAKING PEOPLE!" Marco yelled, his voice cracking with rage.
Jin's stomach twisted. "Why? What the hell do they want with civilians?!"
⸻
The Gunfire
Suddenly, one of the laughing maniacs pulled out a G-40k pistol—a UNE standard sidearm.
He raised it high, firing wildly into the crowd. Civilians fell, screams piercing the night. Then he turned and shot his own squadmate in the head.
Blood splattered across the booth wall.
But instead of outrage, the others laughed harder.
"You were weak!" the shooter screamed, voice shaking with joy. "The weak deserve to die!!"
And the others cackled, clapping him on the back like it was a joke.
⸻
The Squad Reacts
Raul's eyes went wide. "These guys are outta their damn minds! They're killing their own!"
John's jaw tightened, his voice low. "No... they're insane. They've probably been broken into this. Conditioned."
Asura's face darkened. "Worse. They've been made to believe this... is freedom."
⸻
Closing Beat
The squad fought desperately to shield civilians as more attackers swarmed, dragging people into vans, firing wildly, laughing all the while.
The carnival lights flickered against the chaos, painting a picture Jin would never forget:
The night they realized the enemy wasn't just another army.
It was a force of fanatics—soldiers twisted into monsters.
-
The shooter kept cackling, firing into the crowd, his pistol flashing neon light against blood and screams—
Then in a blur of silver and speed—Asura blink-stepped.
The man barely had time to gasp before Asura's fist cracked across his jaw.
CRACK!
He hit the ground unconscious, teeth flying.
Asura scooped up the G-40k pistol without hesitation. His eyes narrowed.
"No choice."
⸻
The Counterattack
He raised the pistol and fired.
Each shot was precise, surgical, dropping the frenzied maniacs one by one.
BLAM—one attacker trying to gouge a man's eyes out dropped instantly.
BLAM—another dragging a child into the shadows collapsed in mid-step.
BLAM BLAM—two more fell in sync as they tried to lunge at Raul.
The squad covered him, fighting alongside as the carnival turned into a warzone.
⸻
The Savagery
But even as they pushed back, the attackers' depravity only deepened.
One tackled a civilian, laughing as he bit into their shoulder like an animal. Another pinned a man down, thumbs digging into his eyes, blood spraying as the victim shrieked. Others clawed and tore at flesh with bare hands, their faces twisted into grotesque smiles.
Marco froze, horrified. "What the hell are they?!"
Raul shouted, shoving an attacker off him. "They're not soldiers—they're DEMONS!"
⸻
The Squad's Resolve
Jin gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to look away as he fired his weapon. "No—they're human. That's the worst part. Someone made them this way."
Asura kept moving, blink-stepping through the madness, every shot from the G-40k precise. Calm. Efficient. Unstoppable.
And for the first time tonight—the squad felt a spark of control.
———————————————
To be continued...