A sharp crack of lightning split through the haze of Nox’s consciousness as he fought to grasp the fragments of his thoughts. The last thing he remembered was the creature—her—a towering nightmare, a being woven from nightmare and desire. It had reached out to him, and as it touched him, something inside Nox snapped. He had been frozen in terror, unable to move, unable to look away, even as it loomed over him, its claws nearly scraping his chest.

  But then, a shift. The creature recoiled, as though struck by an invisible force. The pain that followed was unlike anything he’d ever known. It was blinding, as though the very essence of his being was being torn apart, and it threw him to the ground. His body throbbed with an unfamiliar energy, every pulse of pain sending jagged waves through his nerves.

  He couldn’t remember how long he lay there, but when he finally forced his eyes open, the world had changed.

  The sky was still dark, the air thick with the scent of smoke and death, but everything felt… alive. And not just the world around him—no, the air itself felt charged, as though the atmosphere itself was pulsing with raw emotion.

  He could feel it—them—in a way he never had before. Creatures—fragments of the world's emotional energy—had always been something he could see but never touch. Their presence, always shadowy, always distant, had never been a danger to him. They were mere phantoms of the past, remnants of long-dead emotions. But now, something was different. Now, they were real.

  Nox’s breath came in sharp gasps as he slowly pushed himself to his feet, his legs shaky beneath him. The headache that raged through his skull was unbearable, each throb of pain echoing through his body. He blinked, his vision still swirling in and out of focus, but when he finally brought his gaze into focus, the world around him appeared… clearer. Too clear. He could see it all—the creatures that had once remained invisible, fading at the edges of the human world, now solid, real. He could see their emotions. He could see their desires.

  His body, stiff with exhaustion and disorientation, trembled as the weight of what had happened began to sink in. The creature—the one who had touched him, whose claws had barely grazed his skin—had left something behind. It had unlocked something, a power that had always been dormant within him. And yet, this wasn’t just a gift—it felt more like a curse.

  The overwhelming energy in the air made him dizzy. His pulse was erratic, each beat pounding against his temples as the creatures now visible to him passed by, unaware of his gaze. They were no longer mere shadows or figments of his imagination. They were real, walking among the people—touchable. And they could hurt him now. Hurt him.

  His mind reeled as he stumbled back, his heart racing in his chest. How had this happened? How could something so insubstantial have suddenly become so... real? He had always been able to see them, to understand them, to track their movements. But never had he feared them—never had they been able to touch him. He had always been separate from their world, a silent observer. But now… now the line between the living world and the world of the creatures had blurred.

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  The realization hit him like a physical blow: I could die now. He had never truly understood the depth of his mother’s warning about desire, about how it clung to the world, but now it was clear. He was caught between two realms—one where these creatures had no power over him, and another where they could easily tear him apart.

  Nox staggered to his feet, the adrenaline finally kicking in, but his limbs felt heavier than ever. His body had changed, but so had the world around him. As he looked out into the chaos, the weight of his new reality pressed down on him. Every second, the creatures—his unseen companions—moved and shifted, feeding off the energies of the living. And now, he realized, their desires were stronger than ever.

  They could hurt him. They could kill him.

  He closed his eyes, the world spinning with the overwhelming weight of it all. He wanted to scream, but the sound lodged itself in his throat, a hollow echo of the panic that churned in his gut.

  For a moment, it felt like the world had stopped turning. The creatures, the city, even the winds—everything stood still.

  But only for a moment. Then, the chaos resumed. And Nox was left to navigate this new world—one that was both familiar and terrifying, where the lines between the living and the dead were no longer as clear as they once were.

  ‘Right…’ he thought, trying to come up with something that would at least create an illusion of normality, ‘Food and water.’

  As he was coming to, Nox also remembered the others, and his head snapped in the direction where Luke and the others had been, only to find it empty.

  ‘They ran,’ he sighed, relieved.

  Maybe someone else would feel disappointed that his “comrades” had run away and left him behind, but Nox knew that even if they had bravely stayed, nothing good would come of it. Maybe the police lady had wished to stay, but Luke had most likely dragged her away.

  ‘Since he knew that I am somewhat aware of those monsters,’ he thought as he gently rose and dusted himself off.

  His ears were still ringing, and the dust made him cough every few seconds, but with the new awareness of his “imaginary” monsters materializing, along with the previous encounter with the more dangerous kind, he had become more cautious. Nox started trying to look ahead, sticking closer to walls, avoiding open spaces.

  When he reached the main street, just as he was about to walk by an alley, he was thrown to the ground. Looking up, he saw the huge skeletal monster staring at him. He must have bumped into it. It was the same one that had first materialized into this world, causing panic and appearing on the news. But it didn’t look aggressive. The few times Nox had seen it, the creature would simply cross the street and disappear back into the shadows.

  Only this time, it looked at Nox, tilting its head every so often. Finally coming to a decision, it extended one of its long, skeletal arms and offered it to help him up. Without hesitation, Nox grabbed it. Despite seeing them and the destruction they caused, it was the first time he actually touched one of them—except for when that scary humanoid one brushed one of its hands against him.

  “Thank you,” Nox said once back on his feet and brushed off his pants.

  With a nod, the skeletal monster returned to its daily activity of crossing the street. But right before it disappeared into the darkness, Nox noticed something about it that he had never seen before. A strange colour surrounded the monster, like steam escaping from its body.

  As he walked around the streets, he noticed the same steam-like substance escaping from all the creatures. Some, that had injuries or cracks, looked like they were emitting flames.

  ‘What a strange sight,’ he thought, watching it curiously.