New York City, USA, Year 4055
Sirens wailed as buildings crumbled, flames crackling across the city with explosions bursting at uneven intervals.
Screams of women and cries of children echoed through the streets. People scattered like frightened birds, their footsteps pounding the pavement.
They were running from something.
Beasts.
Hundreds of them. No, thousands — flooding the entire city.
The country's Defense stood at the forefront. Their fighting gear looked unreal, something straight from the future. Large armored cars and planes flew into the midst of the beasts, firing lasers into their ranks.
On the ground, soldiers charged in mech suits, shots firing repeatedly, but the beasts kept swarming in. Each one stood nearly the size of a small house, blue markings glowing on their necks. They moved like a coordinated bunch, dodging the barrage of attacks and forcing their way into the middle of the force.
Tanks rolled out, firing concentrated beams that killed the creatures on the spot, but more kept coming. The Force seemed to be holding their own against them.
Until...
The sound of a beast echoed that caused the others to clear a path.
This beast stepped forward. It looked exactly like the smaller ones but was yellow instead of blue. The ground shook beneath its feet. It was obviously stronger, smarter, and bigger — way bigger.
The tanks fired their beams, but they just seemed to bounce off completely. Bullets were ineffective.
But what choice did they have? Shooting was the only thing they had been trained to do.
"Fire! Kill them! Don't let up!" a voice shouted from atop a tank. He was obviously the one in command here.
The large beast opened its mouth and fired a blast that broke their defenses. As soon as the smaller beasts saw this, they launched in, killing them as they ran for their lives. The sound of flesh being torn, bones being crushed, and screams filled the air.
"Retreat! We shall regroup at camp—"
Before he could finish, he was gone. The top half of his body missing.
The ones who had stayed behind immediately ran away after seeing their leader dead. They ran as fast as they could. The human part of them had taken over.
Throughout this chaos, a figure moved quietly, undetected.
Hands buried in his long brown coat, a mask covering his face. His white hair, tied in a neat ponytail, swayed with the violent winds sweeping the city.
His name was Devon.
He stopped beside a burning store, its TV screen flickering. Through the cracked glass, silhouettes of dead bodies lay slumped. Perhaps killed by the building collapse.
The news blared:
"The world plunges into despair as thousands of Oedipals lay waste to New York City's once-buzzing streets. Never has such a large number of Blues been seen moving together in these numbers. Thousands are dead, the toll still rising. Government agencies, including the army, have been nearly annihilated in two days. Reports flood in from across the country and the world. Humanity may have to accept our time here has ended. We—"
An explosion shattered the store into rubble, shards of glass scattering across the street.
Devon stood in the debris, unmoving, waiting for the dust to clear.
A massive beast emerged.
A grotesque cross between a dog and a bat. Four wings sprouted from its back, its face carrying the clear features of a dog. The distinct blue coloration over its face.
Devon met its gaze, unflinching.
Through his mask, he spoke,
"Go bother someone else. I'm on a tight schedule."
His eyes glowed red with malice.
The monster hesitated… then backed away, sensing danger.
Devon stared for a moment, expecting it to test his patience.
But nothing.
Devon walked on, hands still buried in his coat.
Suddenly—
The beast lunged from behind, razor-sharp teeth sinking into his arm, flinging him across the city. He crashed through debris, buildings, walls.
The beast stood still, exuding smug satisfaction.
From the crumbling structure, a silhouette stepped forward.
Devon's boots crunched.
Through sirens and screams, that sound stood out.
Steady.
Deliberate.
He stood before the monster once more, coat tattered, presence suffocating.
"Taking your life changes nothing, merely an insect in the grand scheme of things."
He spoke as if addressing something that could understand — despite knowing it couldn't.
He pulled his right hand from his pocket. Removed his glove.
And touched the beast's leg.
The monster froze.
Its eyes — once filled with malice — softened.
It looked at Devon like a loyal dog.
Then collapsed.
Its massive body struck the ground, a shockwave cracking the pavement.
Devon walked forward, climbed the beast, and placed his hand on its head.
"Elucin."
The creature's body broke into tiny blue particles, dissolving into the air.
Devon slipped his glove back on and continued walking.
Who would have thought beasts could deserve such painless deaths?
Suddenly roars from beasts could be heard in the distance.
"You're only delaying the inevitable, Nick," Devon shouted.
"We both know how this ends."
Almost immediately, rain began to fall, drowning out the chaos, soaking him completely.
The timing felt almost deliberate.
Devon let out a quiet sigh.
Then walked on.