A blaring siren woke Charles.
"Ah!" Pain gushed through his head the moment he struck the bed's railing. Panting, he threw the blue blanket off and looked around.
Sweat. . . Everywhere!
His hair was damp, and the back of his shirt was soaked. He placed a hand on his chest and measured his heartbeat: It's so fast. . . Did I have a nightmare?
The boisterous alarm left Charles no time to recall what had happened, even if he'd had a nightmare. He focused immediately and ran to Emory's nursery. The baby was wide awake, gazing at the white-painted ceiling.
Charles picked his son up and carefully sprinted down the hallway.
Now was not the time to engage in loving affection!
Woop! Woop! Woop!
The city-wide alert wasn't stopping, causing a shudder to run down Charles's back. The sky cracked? It's been so long since a monster spotting. . .
Fiddling with the center floorboard in the narrow hallway, he mustered all his strength, lifted it, and revealed the chilling entrance to their basement.
He descended the steps urgently, placed Emory on a ragged bed, and dug inside a small chest.
The cement-constructed basement was dark, humid, and covered in cobwebs, hiding things Isabelle and Charles never used, like old bedframes and paint.
Woop! Woop! Woop!
Charles's movements sped up. He fumbled with the night-black trunk and withdrew a flimsy sword. Is it an Iton? Or maybe a Lane? Please have mercy on us, I have a child
Throughout the history of Houtis, a spontaneous phenomenon plagued the country: The vast blue sky would crack like a mirror, leaking black haze, and vicious monsters would rampage through the opening, feasting on the citizens.
Charles only knew three of the four variants: the Iton, Lane, and Firio.
Schoolchildren were mandated to recognize three of the four variants and understand what followed their arrival.
The Iton were mindless beasts, red or purple in color, with multiple limbs and incredibly muscular bodies.
The Lane were a bit smarter, reaching that of a pre-schooler's intellect. They were physically weaker than the Iton but made up for it with element manipulation; their colors were dark blue, and they had only two limbs. However, that wasn't to say a normal human could face a normal Lane. Sightings of Lanes and Itons ripping arms and legs circulated through Houtis periodically.
The Firio had the intelligence of a high-schooler, masterfully wielded the four elements, and had the ability to disguise themselves among regular humans.
The fourth variant was one no civilian knew, obscured in government documents. It was said, however, that its powers had a magnitude greater than the other three combined.
Charles had never come across a monster, and he hoped he never would—especially now that he had a son.
The last spotting took place a couple of months ago in Maylor Precinct. Unlucky for the monster, many of Houtis's strongest sorcerers and sorceresses were present and handled the situation easily.
In the basement, the father and son waited silently, wishing the beasts would be eradicated and Houtis could be safe again.
Not all wishes come true, though. Imagination was only a concept of the mind.
. . . .
[Saint Precinct. . .]
A jagged creature rampaged through the streets of Saint Precinct, leaving destruction and horror with every step.
The bulging muscles on its three-meter body ruptured any proximate building in its search for food. Unfortunately for the hungry fiend, the streets had emptied the moment the siren blared.
Saint Precinct was the second nicest area in Trila, which quartered the Houtis Land Military base. While not as developed as Maylor Precinct, it was known for its surplus of sorcerer academies and trials.
Not a very smart place for this barbarian to cause chaos.
Hurtling on all four arms, the red beast crushed a small phone booth in its way and threw it against a nearby building wall.
Smash!
The result: A sizable dent, and hundreds of screaming civilians spilling out of the now-destroyed shelter.
The monster licked its jarring teeth and sped up. Currently treading Xol Street, a couple of blocks away from the military base, its protruding mouth oozed foam and saliva. Its hulking body was so large that every footstep left deep indents on the road.
Woop! Woop! Woop!
The siren continued, but the monster paid no attention.
Pow!
A piping blast blew up the area. The monster jerked its head and scanned the view with its four eyes.
Two figures, a man and a woman, were standing before it.
The man wore a white suit embellished with awards, and a yellow cape hung by his shoulders. His gleaming yellow eyes matched his sun-colored hair, which was parted down the middle. Neat and handsome, merciful on the gaze.
The lady next to him was equally striking. Her black hair was tied into a neat bun, and she wore the fairest skin. Clad in a bone-white suit with black patterns around her abdomen, a white cape fluttered as she took a step toward the enemy.
The lady unsheathed her black claymore. "General Alanus," she said, her voice dignified. "It's an Iton."
Alanus scratched his clean-shaven face and sighed. "It is."
Whumph!
Tearing through the fabric of space, Alanus teleported directly behind the Iton and slashed its side. Blood splattered everywhere as the Iton fell to one knee, roaring.
Shackled by its new handicap, the Iton rumbled and crawled toward its attacker, fury brewing behind its eyes.
Alanus launched himself onto the roof of a neighboring building and bent his knees. Instantly, he propelled toward the Iton with hyper-speed, slicing its leg in half.
More screams tore through Saint Precinct.
After warping next to the woman, Alanus gazed at her and smiled. "Should we wait?"
She scoffed. "You didn't let me have a go."
"I can't let a beautiful lady soil her white clothes, dearest Lluvia. It's improper of me." He exaggeratedly bowed.
Lluvia rolled her eyes and faced the roaring Iton. "They wouldn't have been 'soiled.' I would've finished it in one move." She puffed up her chest, acting mighty
Alanus had purposely left it alive due to orders from the higher-ups, who needed to study the phenomenon. As the Land Military grew in power, Itons and Lanes weren't a threat to sorcerers as much as they were to regular civilians. This particular Iton, drenched in profusely pouring blood, rolled on the ground.
Gurgle!
Gut-wrenching squelches escaped its wound, pricking up Alanus and Lluvia's ears. They fixed their eyes on their opponent.
Pink flesh emerged from the wound in the stomach and the foot, completely replacing what was lost. In just a couple of seconds, the Iton had completely regenerated.
Lluvia didn't wait. She gripped her obsidian claymore and spun it in hand. Spirals of light blue magic circled and covered the blade, elongating her weapon's range. She stared at the Iton with calm blue eyes and stabbed the ground.
"Obey me, Aglana!"
The ground quaked and meekly replied, "Yes, your Veil."
Suddenly, the Iton that had once charged the pair fell into the ground. No, it would be more accurate to say the ground enveloped it!
Sucking the monster inside, the floor quickly reshaped itself, covering the hole where the Iton was engulfed.
Lluvia ordered radiantly, "Crush it, with no remorse." She waited for the cosmic pressure underground to crack every bone in the beast's body.
A hand reached out and stopped her. Alanus glanced at Lluvia, then the ground. "No, Aglana."
Immediately, the ground shot the Iton back up and whimpered, "Forgive me, your Glory."
Lluvia looked at Alanus. "What's wrong, General?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to overrule your order," he said, staring at the beast. "It's just—that thing isn't an Iton. It wouldn't have died even if your command went through."
Furrowing her brows, Lluvia asked, "Alright, what is it then?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. It must be a higher level than an Iton or Lane."
Lluvia dispersed the coils surrounding her blade. "That wouldn't make sense. Itons are the beasts with multiple limbs; Lanes only have two." She added, "Also, they're supposed to be mindless. I don't know about you, but that thing looked mindless to me."
Alanus scanned the area, glad the streets had emptied so quickly. "I'll ask Commander Saint. For now, we won't go near it."
Lluvia nodded and complied. She sheathed her sword, clicking it on her hip.
Cloudy skies and rushing wind fulgently loomed over them. Lluvia rubbed her shoulders, lamenting the atmosphere. It wasn't often she went on missions with Alanus, so she wanted to make the most of this one
Alanus was a gem in terms of ability, one of the strongest in Houtis, and wore a belt of pride for his talent. Of course, the title of the strongest was still a journey for him—it was secured by Naval Military Commander Constance Wales.
Despite all of that, Lluvia was still excited, hoping that Alanus might give her tips and teachings. Back at the base, he was always slumped with work and couldn't help.
However, judging by the look on his face, now wasn't the time to ask for pointers.
Alanus's expression was grim, like he had seen—or sensed—something he shouldn't have. His eyes shook as he looked back at the beast.
Its babbling mouth, filled with cuts and abrasions, muttered, "Bersebus. . . deserved. . . his. . . death. . ."
Bersebus? they collectively thought. Who is Bersebus?
The monster smacked the ground with one of its muscular hands, itching to get up. "Bersebus. . . deserved. . . his. . . death. . ."
Before it could utter anything more, Alanus mercilessly sliced its neck.