Huff, huff, huff!
Haruko ran through the alley. She had been sleeping at home, but somehow ended up on the streets, surrounded by a group of children.
Then... she saw a man in garish clothes, radiating evil and chaos, dressed like a priest... crush a person's head.
Her mind went blank, and she fled on instinct. When she came to, she was alone.
Not just Haruko—the dozen or so children had scattered completely.
She seemed to have escaped far enough, yet she didn't dare stop.
Whimper, whimper.
A police car passed by, spotting Haruko emerging from the alley. It pulled over, and two officers stepped out, addressing her. "Hey, kid, come here. Why are you out so late? Where are your parents?"
Recently, Fuyuki City and its surroundings had seen a surge in child abductions and cult-related incidents, prompting heavy nighttime police patrols.
Seeing the officers, symbols of safety for ordinary people, Haruko instinctively approached them.
"Uncle... there's a murderer... he, he..."
"Come on, don't be scared. Take it slow. We're here."
The officers exchanged a glance, noticing bloodstains on Haruko's skirt. Her words sharpened their focus. One officer drew his pistol from its holster.
The other officer smiled, calming Haruko's nerves.
"There was a priest... he... he crushed someone's head... sob, sob!"
For a child to speak at all in this state was remarkable.
"It's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid. We're here!"
The officer soothing Haruko signaled to his armed colleague.
The armed officer cautiously approached the alley, gun raised, flashlight on. The beam revealed nothing but trash bins.
He didn't lower his guard, advancing slowly with gun and flashlight in hand.
Squeak.
A strange sound rang out. The officer spun, shining his light.
"Wind hitting something?"
As he wondered, a noise came from behind—something falling.
Squeak!
Bang, bang!
"Aaahhh!"
Gunshots mixed with a scream echoed from the alley. The other officer opened the car door, placed Haruko inside, drew his pistol, and rushed toward the sound, flashlight blazing.
Reaching the alley's entrance, he saw through the light a grotesque creature—a fusion of starfish and octopus, with eight tentacles and spiky, revolting skin, its purple-black body twisting and malformed—disemboweling his partner.
"You bastard!"
Bang, bang!
The gun's muzzle flash lit the alley. Bullets tore through the air, piercing the creature's body, purple-black blood splattering the walls.
Yet the monster kept moving. The bullet wounds sealed as tiny tentacles intertwined, restoring it.
It scuttled swiftly, climbing walls and darting across rooftops, its eight legs shifting with uncanny speed.
Bang, bang, bang!
The officer fired repeatedly, some shots hitting, some missing—but none slowed the creature.
Click, click.
Out of ammo!
Squeak!
...
Haruko huddled in the car's backseat, head buried, curled into a ball. Gunshots and eerie cries rang out.
Suddenly... silence.
She didn't look up, still waiting.
Time crawled by with no sound from outside. Curiosity finally overpowered her, and Haruko lifted her head.
"Aaahhh!"
A black monster pressed against the car window, staring at her. Countless eyes, crimson pupils swirling chaotically, locked onto her the moment she screamed.
In that instant, another child developed a fear of dense clusters. Thousands of eyes fixed on Haruko.
Her sanity shattered.
Then...
Crash!
The monster began smashing the car. Each blow dented the interior, rhythmic, each strike deliberately slower than the last.
It was undeniable—like master, like familiar. It wanted Haruko to feel terror.
It succeeded.
Haruko's heartbeat synced with the creature's blows, her heart pounding as if it would leap from her throat.
"This is a dream! There's no way such a monster exists! I must be sleeping at home... someone, please save me!"
Tears streamed as she screamed her fear.
The heavens seemed to answer. A bolt of lightning struck the monster.
The terrifying heat of the thunderbolt reduced it to charred remains, twisting into ash in an instant.
"...Didn't expect you to step in yourself, Master. Don't you have a deal with someone?"
"Who cares? If they talk too much, I'll just end them!"
"Tch, tch. Found your dad... or should I say mom? That's some backbone."
"I prefer to call it... having a reliable backer!"
Bang!
Samuel ripped off the deformed car door.
"A god?"
Samuel's ethereal appearance and the lightning he wielded led Haruko to mistake him for a deity. But it didn't matter—to her, Samuel was a god in that moment.
Samuel smiled, extending a hand. Haruko's tension eased, and she instinctively returned a relieved smile, reaching for his hand.
Snap!
Samuel's hand clamped onto her shoulder, a surge of mana knocking her unconscious.
"Hey! Be gentle with the girl. You're not quite like the person I know. Aren't you usually..."
"Usually what?"
"Not telling!"
"Heh, I can guess. But this child doesn't belong to our world. It's better she forgets all this."
Samuel knew exactly what kind of person he was, but as he said, this child was better suited to a normal life.
"Seriously... this Caster has pissed me off. What do you think, Roman?"
"Right. Gilles de Rais... I have to deal with you myself. I can't let you tarnish your former glory any further."
Roman recalled the French Marshal who once aided him, now fallen into a demonic state.
***
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