Anaki's eyes were set on his wrist watch, his iris studying the moving hand. It strikes twelve and a black cloak of darkness spreads throughout the sky. The stars, once bright and reassuring, are swallowed by an unnatural darkness that spreads like ink spilling over a canvas. The familiar skyline becomes a shadowy silhouette against the deepening gloom. Streetlights flicker and fail, casting eerie, sporadic glows throughout the encroaching night. The world, once bathed in light and colour, is now cloaked in an oppressive, suffocating blackness, turning every familiar sight into something alien and threatening. Miss Yaryu looks up a little chilly, "is it a lunar eclipse?"

"How can there be a lunar eclipse," Anaki's voice sounded distant yet it was a whisper so close, "without a moon?" His words sent a spine chilling shiver down her nape, she stands forcing a nervous smile. "Alright, I think we should head inside, it is getting a little cold, too."

"Wait." Anaki walks to the edge of the terrace facing the city streets. "You need to see this for yourself. What we once believed to be a child's story is now our reality." Anxious yet curious they stare at all the darkness with the flickering lanterns as the sole source of light, they join his siege at the distant abyss.

"There is nothing there." Orion felt Eli's cold hand around his, "what's going on? This is uncomfortable."

Anaki's face crumpled in sorrow, tears burning his cheeks. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I know this is overwhelming and frightening, but you need to understand: this is real, and we're all in danger. I know it is going to be painful but you can't die."

"What are you—" Miss Yaryu's voice faltered as she flinches, there was a low rasping sound echoing from the dark alley below. It scratched the back of her mind like a nightmare climbing out from the depths of her fears. An old man and his wife exit the alley bickering with one another. Their sight washes a sigh of relief over her, "my goodness, for a second I thought a monster would pop out. Alright, enough of this, Anaki, let's head back inside."

She reaches out to him but he pulls his hand away. Shocked to see the normally docile Anaki avoid her, her maternal instincts clasped her throat. "Did something happen?"

"It is happening again." Anaki's expression grew grim. "There will be many more of them tonight," he said. "But while they're still confused, we have a chance to escape."

"What're you trying to say?!" Orion could feel a menacing presence, he didn't like this strange feeling. Like an old dread creeping over him, some sort of oppressive presence that seemed to claw at his very essence. "What is this all about?"

"It's the end of the world." Anaki finally spilled it, stoic.

Miss Yaryu screams falling back to the floor. She holds her mouth nauseous, "that- the cops! We need to-"

Orion and Eli watch in horror as the old man, transformed into a frenzied creature, violently attacks his own wife beneath the flickering red light of a lamp post. His eyes are clouded white, veins bulging grotesquely beneath his skin. He tears at her flesh with a savage, inhuman hunger, leaving no room for mercy or restraint. The helpless old woman's scream drown in her own blood. She lies on the floor, immobile. The ticking clock strikes another minute and the monster that attacked her stares mindlessly around.

The old man's thirst is not ravished there; it spills over into the street, where he turns on a passersby with the same ferocity. People scream and flee, but some are quickly overpowered and become part of the macabre scene, their bodies convulsing and twisting as they, too, are transformed into those horrible monsters. The once-familiar street now echoes with the sounds of chaos and despair as one life after another is violently snuffed out, replaced by the monstrous, insatiable hunger of the undead.

Orion falls to his knees, his legs giving out beneath him, he can't believe what he is seeing. His eyes widened and pupils dilate in terror at the mangled, grotesque mercilessly spreading its influence throughout the streets. His breath comes in short, panicked gasps, unable to comprehend the horror. "What is this?" his voice cracks. "This—it can't be—Eli!"

His gaze snaps to Eli, who stands frozen just a few feet away, eyes filled with the same terror Orion feels gripping his chest. For a split second, everything around him freeze. The world narrows down to the sight of his friend, so vulnerable, so precious. A surge of desperation hits him like a jolt of electricity. He has to protect him. He needs to protect him.

"Eli." He reaches out but Eli stands there, body frozen from shock, staring at the mindless massacre unfolding before them. The whole city is in an uproar—screams, explosions, fires, wails, and accidents all swirl in the cloak of this mysterious darkness. It's chaos. He can hardly believe it, yet it's happening right before his eyes. Even though Eli can't hear a single cry, he can feel it all. An ominous shadow tightens around his throat, its chilling grip a spectre of death.

He feels cold, sweat trickles down his temples, and a sickening churn twists his stomach. The overwhelming scene of death and destruction pulls his consciousness into a spinning vortex. His mind slips into a dark abyss, and no voice escapes his throat.

He wants to go back home, back to his mother's embrace. Why is this happening? It was supposed to be a fun school trip. Could it all be an act? A nightmare? Is he going crazy?

His fingers clench. No. He repeats in his mind. The word echoes, spinning around and driving his soul to the edge. This is real; he can feel it. His senses are heightened and sharper than before. He can see it clearly from afar—the corpse shaking violently after a single bite, its head twisted to the side, yet it still stands. She was dead only moments ago, killed by that 'turned' human, and yet after dying, after having her neck broken, she still moves. Clumsily but steadily, she takes one step after another. Her violent white eyes and foaming mouth fixate on her next victim: an unfortunate mailman. She reaches out, and though he tries to evade her, fear-stricken and paralyzed, he fails to push her away. Her fangs sink deep into his arm. His flesh ripped apart, and though there may have been screams, they reach Eli only through the raw, emotional horror he feels in his mind. He feels the pain surge into his chest and skin, crawling into him.

"Eli!" Orion grabs his hand again, it was trembling from the shock. "Eli, are you okay? I-I don't know what's going on but it'll be alright."

Who was he kidding? Orion is terrified and he knows that alright is his last desperation to keep his fears in check. But what can he do? He promised Eli, he trusts him and he can't lose him again. He holds his friends shoulders, even if it is the end, even if he will never see his family again-Orion chokes on his tears and repeats, "don't worry. Everything will be alright, we just have to stick together."

But Eli had already seen all the horror. His shivering lips let out a whisper. He sobs as large tears gush out streaming over his hoodie. Sniffling he grabs onto Orion's hand, "I want to go home."

Miss Yaryu snaps into reality with a start, her eyes widened in sheer terror as it crashed down upon her. She stood abruptly, her legs trembling beneath her, her voice barely more than a frantic whisper. "I—what is happening? Is this a revolt? You children must get downstairs, immediately!" Her hands fumbled with her phone, her fingers slipping over the buttons as if they had a mind of their own. "I need to call the school... and the police... I—I don't know what to do..." Her voice wavered, caught between desperation and disbelief. "I, I..." She turns to Anaki, her face a mask of fear and confusion. "You knew this would happen. How?"

Anaki opens his mouth, where to start? He can't tell them what he had foreseen, not yet. They must first see more, more of the unbelievable supernatural that will follow.

"How isn't the correct question." He grips his pants, feeling the weight of his own experiences press down on him. To him, the brief respite of peace he had felt like a rare blessing after years of unrelenting hell with those monsters. His own memories of terror and survival are etched deeply into his soul. Yet for Miss Yaryu and the children, their lives had been ordinary until this moment—a stark contrast to the nightmarish reality he had lived on that damned premonition.

He understands that their panic and confusion stem from a world they never imagined could be so cruel. The normalcy they once knew is now a distant memory, shattered by the horrific events unfolding around them. His challenge now, he decides, is to bridge that gap, to guide them through the uncharted territory of this new, terrifying world, and to ensure their survival, at all cost. "The question you should be asking is: What now?"

Miss Yaryu could hardly believe she was hearing this from a mere seven-year-old. The world as she knew it had flipped upside down, descending into utter chaos. Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupts from a nearby apartment. The blast sends a shockwave through the air, shattering windows and scattering debris. The fiery orange plume bursts into the sky, casting an intense, flickering light across the pitch darkness of the world.

In the streets, the sounds of panic and despair fill the air. Screams of terror mix with the wail of sirens and the frantic shouts of people trying to escape the chaos. Cries for help and the clamor of rushing footsteps create a cacophony of fear. Amidst this turmoil, Anaki steps forward, his shadow stretched long and ominous by the raging flames. "It's begun," he says, his eyes once more alien, like a chilling silence that choked whomever met it. "Heaven's Wrath."

He bore a serene expression. "You're not alone," his gaze sweeping over the terrified faces before him. This moment is a blessing in disguise—a chance to avert the hell he had foreseen. Whether it's reincarnation, rebirth, a second chance, or a miracle, he is resolved to defy fate and alter the world's destiny. With a barely audible voice, he makes a promise that echoes with the weight of his newfound purpose. The promise that changes their fates.

"Don't worry." He smiles. "I will save you all, no matter the cost."