Inside his head…

Obinai kicks a pebble, watching it skitter across the cracked pavement as he approaches Nurikabe. "Soon as this nightmare's over," he mutters, "I'm burning these clothes and soaking in a tub so deep I—"

WHUMP

An invisible force slams into his ribs like a freight train. Dirt explodes into his mouth as he hits the ground, the impact rattling his teeth. His vision whites out for a second—just long enough to taste blood and vomit.

"The fuck—" He barely gets his palms under him before—

SNAP

Something yanks him upward so fast his joints scream. His head whiplashes back, sky and asphalt blurring into a nauseating swirl. For one dizzying moment, he sees it—the clouds writhing, the sun pulsing like a dying bulb—

Then darkness swallows him whole.

No breath. No sound. Just the fading echo of his own choked gasp.

Not like this—

The thought cuts off mid-panic.

Silence.

Stillness.

Nothing.

Somewhere…

Obinai shoots upright, a strangled scream ripping from his throat. His sheets tangle around his legs like restraints, soaked through with cold sweat. The digital clock on his nightstand blares 3:47 AM in blood-red numbers, casting eerie shadows across his room.

Just a dream. Just a—

The last bits of the whispers cling to his skull like cobwebs.

His fingers twist in the damp sheets.

"What is—"

BANG

His bedroom door explodes inward, slamming against the wall hard enough to rattle the some framed photos. Mya stands silhouetted in the hallway light, her tiny frame vibrating with fury.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" she shrieks, stomping forward until her knees hit the mattress. The scent of subway grime punches through his panic. "I waited FIVE HOURS! Had to walk home ALONE while some creepy guy kept—" Her voice cracks.

Obinai's stomach plummets. The alley. The whispers. The—

Mya fists her hands in his shirt, shaking him. "Mom's gonna kill you! She called the police, Obi!"

Her palms are ice-cold against his sweat-slick skin.

"I—" His tongue feels too thick. The digital clock ticks to 3:48.

Mya doesn't give him a chance to finish. "You disappeared! I was waiting and waiting, and you didn't show up! Do you have any idea how scared I was?" Her words come out in a rush, her frustration spilling over, but there's a quiver in her tone that betrays her fear.

Obinai raises a hand, trying to calm her. "Mya, listen—"

"No, you listen!" She jabs a finger into his chest. "This isn't just about you vanishing again! Mom's been pacing holes in the carpet, and Dad—" She takes a breath. "He's in their room right now talking to nothing, Obi. Just muttering to empty air like he used to before they adjusted his meds."

She swipes angrily at her eyes. "So don't you dare 'just explain.' Tell me where the hell you were."

The clock on the wall ticks three deafening seconds.

Obinai opens his mouth—

Before he can respond, a sudden, thunderous crash shakes the room. The walls tremble, and the floor beneath them seems to shift. The sound is so jarring, so unnatural, that both of them freeze.

"What the hell was that?" Obinai breathes.

Mya's eyes widen, her anger forgotten as she glances toward the window. "Did something… hi-"

Another crash echoes in the distance, followed by a faint, chilling sound

screams...

They're distant but unmistakable, rising and falling in a haunting, discordant wail that sends a cold shiver down Obinai's spine.

Almost immediately, their parents, Amos and Maria, burst into the room. Amos's face is drawn tight with tension, his eyes scanning his children for any signs of harm. "Are you kids okay?" Maria sweeps in behind him. She catches Mya by the shoulders, fingers digging in just a little too tight.

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"Are you hurt?" The question comes out brittle.

Mya's chin lifts, but her hands betray her—fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Sounded like a dumpster got dropped on the roof," she says, forcing a shaky grin. "Can I look?"

"No!" Maria's arm shoots out, blocking the window. The veins in her wrist stand out like wires. "It's nothing, baby. Just...construction next door. But we do need to move."

Obinai watches his mother's throat work as she swallows. Watches his father's jaw clench hard enough to crack teeth.

Bullshit.

"Cut the crap," he snaps, already moving. "What aren't you—"

Amos grabs his arm. "Obinai. Don't."

For half a second, Obinai hesitates. His father's grip is trembling.

Then he yanks free and lunges for the window.

"OBINAI!" Maria's scream follows him as he rips the curtains aside—

—and the sight before him steals whatever words he might have said.

Beyond the city wall, the sky is consumed by a surreal nightmare. Towering white creatures loom over the horizon, their immense forms blotting out the fading light of day. They're grotesque yet eerily symmetrical, as if sculpted with unnatural precision. Each figure stands impossibly tall—easily 10 meters.

Their bodies ripple with unnatural musculature, pale and smooth like polished marble, yet they move with a chilling fluidity that belies their size. Their faces—or what passes for faces—are a chaotic blend of something beyond perfection and humanoid features. Ten perfectly round, white eyes are arrayed in circulature on their heads, each glowing faintly with golden irises.

The light from their eyes casts jagged, shifting shadows across the cityscape, bathing the streets below in an eerie, shifting glow. As they descend, the creatures emit a sound—a low, resonant rumble that vibrates through the walls and floor.

Obinai's legs feel like lead as he stares, unable to move. His lips part, but no words come.

Behind him, Mya's voce barely rises. "Obi? What is it? What do you see?" She tries to push past Maria, but her mother pulls her back, holding her tightly.

"Stay here," Maria says. "Amos, what—what is this?"

Amos doesn't respond immediately. He takes a hesitant step toward the window, his face pale. "Obinai," he says quietly, but there's a weight to his voice that freezes Obinai more than the sight outside. "Step away from the window."

His voice comes out hoarse. "They're… they're coming over Nurikabe."

Maria gasps, her arms tightening protectively around Mya. Her voice trembles as she repeats, "The wall? They can't. That's not possible."

Her eyes dart to Amos. "You said there was no life on the other side! You told me—"

"I know what I said!" His voice shreds at the edges. "The sensors showed nothing—no thermal spikes, no particle trails—just empty goddamn graphs!" A vein throbs at his temple. "I was supposed to be right!"

Maria's fist connects with the mini-fridge door hard enough to dent the laminate. "Look at them!" She jabs a finger toward Obinai—pale and shaking by the window—and Mya, who's curled into a ball on the floor, silent tears cutting tracks through the dust on her cheeks. "You promised we would be safe! You swore!"

Mya whimpers, pressing her face into her knees.

"I KNOW!" He roars, sending a neglected toys avalanching to the floor. His hands claw at his scalp like he's trying to tear the thoughts out. "You think I don't see this? You think I wanted—"

A high-pitched screech cuts through the house—metal straining beyond its limits. The lightbulbs explode in a shower of glass.

In the sudden dark, Amos' voice drops to a broken whisper: "...It told me to choose."

Maria freezes. "What?"

Amos' silhouette trembles against the window. Outside, the streetlights begin to warp, bending toward the house like trees in a hurricane.

"The voice...of divinity," he rasps. "It said...all of them could be saved...or none based on what I did."

A choked sound escapes Obinai's throat. Mya's head snaps up, her wet eyes reflecting the eerie glow now pulsing from outside.

Maria staggers back. "No. No, you didn't—"

"I didn't do anything!" Amos rounds on her, wild-eyed. "But standing here screaming won't un-fuck this!"

The walls groan. The temperature plummets. Somewhere below their feet, something scratches—long, jagged drags against concrete.

Obinai barely registers the exchange, his wide eyes fixed on the monstrous figures moving beyond the wall. He's transfixed, paralyzed by the sheer impossibility of what he's seeing.

Amos moves swiftly, stepping to Obinai and grabbing his arm with enough force to jolt him out of his trance. "Get away from there," Amos says.

Obinai stumbles backward as Amos pulls him away from the glass, his breath coming in short gasps. "But… what are they?" he manages to choke out, his voice barely above a whisper.

Amos doesn't answer, his focus shifting to Maria and Mya. "We need to move. Now."

Maria shakes her head, her voice breaking. "Move? Where? They're already—"

"Maria, just listen to me!" Amos interrupts. "We can't stay here. We're leaving."

As Amos continues to pull him away, Obinai stumbles back, his body trembling. "What are they?" he manages.

"Heralds," Amos mutters under his breath, his face grim as he glances toward the window one last time.

Another crash resounds, closer this time, shaking the entire building so violently that plaster cracks race along the ceiling, sending tiny pieces raining down like dust. The floor beneath them shudders, the vibration resonating in their bones.

Obinai stumbles, grabbing Amos's sleeve for balance. "Dad—what is this?"

Amos's hand twitches—a brief tremor before he balls it into a fist. "If I did it now..." he murmurs, so low Obinai barely catches it. "Would everything go back?"

"What?" Obinai's stomach lurches.

Amos shakes his head sharply. "Never mind. Can't." He turns to Maria. "We need to move. Now."

Maria nods, her face pale but set with grim determination. She turns to Obinai and Mya, her voice steady. "Kids, stay close to us. Do you hear me? Don't let go, no matter what." Her hand finds Mya's, gripping it tightly.

Another crash rocks the building, more intense this time. A low, ominous rumble follows, the sound of something enormous shifting outside. The cracks in the ceiling spread, and a framed photo of the family on the wall tilts precariously before falling to the floor with a sharp crack.

"What's out there?" Mya whispers, her voice barely audible as she clings to Maria's side. "Is it the wall? Is it falling?"

Maria kneels briefly, cupping Mya's face with trembling hands. "No, sweetheart. It's not the wall," she says softly. "It's something else. But you have to trust us, okay? Stay close, and we'll keep you safe."

Amos moves toward the window again, his expression tense as he peers outside. "It's worse than I thought," he mutters under his breath, his face pale as he steps back quickly.

Obinai, unable to resist, moves toward the window despite his parents' warnings. "Obi, don't!" Maria hisses, but he's already there, pulling the curtain aside just enough to glimpse the nightmare unfolding below.

And towering over it all are these...

Heralds...

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