The Sanctuary Colpses
The sound of the horn shook the air.
Renji’s pulse spiked. His entire body screamed at him to run.
Across the room, Selene stood perfectly still, her violet eyes narrowed at the fractured air. The headlights on the other side flickered, their glow distorting reality like light bending through water.
Then—the wall exploded.
A massive steel form barreled through, its grill twisted into a monstrous grin.
HONK.
The shockwave ripped through the Sanctuary. Shelves colpsed. Floating glyphs shattered like gss. Ancient tomes—some likely older than time itself—disintegrated in the pressure.
Renji threw up his arms as a gust of force smmed into him.
"Move!" Selene’s voice cut through the chaos.
She didn’t wait for him to react. With a sharp motion, she flung her hand forward.
The air hummed.
A barrier of violet light erupted between them and the monstrous Truck-kun.
The impact rippled through the Sanctuary.
Renji stumbled back, gasping for breath. "You weren’t kidding. It really won’t stop coming for me."
Selene didn’t respond. She was focused, her hands weaving symbols in the air as the barrier pulsed against the truck’s relentless force.
But it wasn’t enough.
Cracks formed.
"We have to go!" Selene snapped. "Now!"
Renji didn’t need to be told twice.
Escape Through the Gate
Selene’s hand shot out—grabbing his wrist.
A rush of cold energy shot through Renji’s body.
The world warped.
In the next instant, they were no longer standing in the Sanctuary.
Instead—
They were falling.
Falling Into the Abyss
Renji barely had time to curse before gravity seized him.
He and Selene tumbled through a void of shifting lights—a pathway between realms.
A vortex of symbols and ancient letters twisted around them, glowing with a deep, eerie blue.
Renji gritted his teeth. "Teleportation?"
Selene’s voice was sharp. "A colpsing portal. Hold on—"
Before she could finish, the space around them twisted violently.
Something was wrong.
Renji felt it before it happened—an instinct born from lifetimes of danger.
Selene’s spell had been sabotaged.
Their descent accelerated.
The symbols flickered, then shattered.
Renji’s stomach lurched as the world ripped apart around him.
"Brace yourself!" Selene yelled.
And then—
Impact.
The Ruins of a Forgotten World
Renji hit the ground hard.
Pain exploded through his body, but he was alive.
Dust and debris settled around him. The air smelled of ash and rain.
He groaned, pushing himself up. "Selene?"
A figure staggered nearby. Selene, her robes torn at the edges, her silver hair disheveled.
"We made it," she exhaled. "Barely."
Renji looked around.
They were in a ruin.
Massive pilrs, cracked and broken, jutted from the ground like the ribs of some ancient beast. Strange statues lined the area—figures carved in desperate poses, as if frozen mid-scream.
A sense of wrongness clung to the air.
Renji frowned. "Where are we?"
Selene scanned the area, her expression unreadable. "A pce that should not exist."
Renji muttered under his breath. "Yeah, that’s real reassuring."
Then—
A whisper.
Faint. Distant.
But unmistakable.
Renji’s body tensed. "Did you hear that?"
Selene nodded slowly. "We are not alone."
The Watchers in the Dark
Before Renji could respond, the statues moved.
Or rather—the shadows within them did.
A shape unfurled from one of the broken figures, its form shifting like liquid darkness.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, dozens of them began to emerge, rising from the ruins like ghosts.
Renji’s hand instinctively went to his side—only to realize he had no weapon.
Selene stepped forward, her violet eyes glowing. "Do not move."
Renji swallowed. "I wasn’t pnning to."
The shadows watched.
Then—
One of them spoke.
"A lost one… and the traitor."*
The voice was like wind through dead leaves.
Renji’s blood ran cold. "Selene… what did they just call you?"
Selene exhaled, her jaw tight.
"This is going to be complicated."
To Be Continued…
