"It's a beast!—although not fully evolved, it is still a threat!" Lawlet shouted as he took out his firearms.
The pistol had a long, slender barrel with a wooden grip, held firmly in both his hands. His fingers tightened around the trigger, his stance solid.
"Yulli, get ready for combat!"
Lawlet stole a glance at Yulli—only to see him frozen, his face pale, his entire body trembling. His sword remained sheathed. His hands barely twitched toward the hilt.
"Oit—Yulli, get your act together!" Lawlet barked.
But the momentary distraction cost him.
The beast blitzed straight through, knocking Lawlet clean off his feet. He hit the ground hard, his pistol slipping from his grasp and skidding several feet away.
"Damn it! It targets the weakest one first!" Lawlet hissed as he scrambled to get back up. He had to reach his weapon—fast.
The beast's deformed limbs twitched violently as it charged straight at Yulli.
Yulli's breath caught in his throat. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. Move. Move!
He forced his hand onto his sword's hilt. His fingers wrapped around it, but his grip was weak. His legs were frozen.
Pull it out. Now.
But he couldn't.
The moment his fingers clenched tighter, the world around him warped. His vision blurred.
The beast's grotesque form shifted—no longer a monster but a woman.
His mother.
Charlotte.
She stood before him, an eerie calmness in her expression. Her lips barely curled, her hollow gaze piercing through him.
"Oh, come now, son…" Her voice was soft, sickly sweet. "Kill it—like how you killed me."
His blood turned cold.
Yulli's surroundings faded. The ruined city, the beast, the battle—all of it disappeared.
It was just him and her.
She stepped closer, her fingers ghosting over his face.
"You killed me without remorse, right?" she whispered, her touch freezing against his skin. "So why hesitate now?"
His grip trembled.
"Is it because this one has claws?" She tilted her head, her smile widening slightly. "Because it growls instead of cries?"
Yulli's breath came in short, uneven gasps.
"You're still hesitating." She sighed, almost disappointed. "What a shame… I thought you were better than that."
The beast roared. It was right there.
"If you're not going to do anything..." She leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. "All your hard work… all your precious 'growth'… will die with you here."
His hands clenched.
"Then…" She leaned closer, her breath cold against his ear. "Kill… or die with me."
A gunshot rang out.
The spell broke.
Yulli's eyes snapped open just as a bullet whizzed past his face, slamming into the beast's shoulder. The creature let out an enraged shriek, its sprint staggering from the impact.
"Get your damn head outta your ass!" Lawlet's voice snapped through the haze.
Yulli barely had time to process before he saw Lawlet running toward him, one arm stretched out, his pistol already aimed for another shot.
The beast recovered almost instantly, its twitching limbs cracking unnaturally as it refocused on its prey—Yulli.
His mother was gone. The hallucination was over.
But the fear remained.
And the beast was still coming.
The beast charged forward, unfazed, its grotesque body twitching and convulsing unnaturally.
Lawlet fired a second shot from his other pistol, the bullet piercing through the creature's flesh. But it didn't go down.
It kept running.
"Damn it!" Lawlet hissed, trying to fire again.
Click.
Nothing.
He froze. His gun only had one shot before needing a reload—and he had forgotten.
The beast was closing in. Too fast.
Lawlet couldn't reach for his spare ammo in time. He braced himself—
BANG!
A third shot rang out, ripping through the air.
The same gun. The same pistol Lawlet had fired.
But he hadn't pulled the trigger.
His eyes snapped to the side.
Yulli stood there, arms trembling, Lawlet's gun clenched tightly in his shaking hands.
But something was off.
The gun was glowing.
Mana-infused. Forced beyond its limits.
Lawlet's eyes widened.
The beast was finally taken down.
Lawlet moved toward Yulli, who was still standing there—frozen.
His hands trembled. His breath came out shallow and uneven.
His eyes?
Empty.
Lawlet furrowed his brows. "Hey. What's going on with you?"
Yulli didn't respond.
Not a flinch. Not a blink.
Just staring past him, aimless.
The shaking got worse.
Lawlet's eye twitched.
A second passed.
Then another.
Then—
SMACK.
The sharp slap echoed through the ruined street.
Yulli snapped out of it, staggering slightly, eyes wide.
Lawlet grabbed him by the collar.
"Get your shit together, Yulli!" he snapped. "I don't know what the hell is going on in your head right now, but I don't have time for it!"
Yulli blinked rapidly, still disoriented. "I—I just...froze. I—" His breathing was still uneven. "I... remembered something."
"Yeah? Well, remember it later!" Lawlet barked. He let go of Yulli's collar, shoving him back slightly. "The gunshots were loud as hell. We've already got enough problems, and I'm too damn exhausted to fight alone."
Yulli swallowed hard, trying to get himself back under control.
And then—
A low growl.
Then another.
Then another.
The echoing chorus of beasts crawled through the ruined streets.
A chill ran down Yulli's spine.
Lawlet clicked his tongue, turning back toward the sound.
"...There they are."
One by one, dark shapes began to emerge.
From the alleys. From the broken windows. From the rooftops above.
Their eyes glowed in the darkness.
Their jaws unhinged, saliva dripping onto the ashen ground.
One.
Three.
Five.
More.
Too many.
Yulli's hands tightened into fists.
Lawlet, despite everything, grinned.
"Looks like we're popular."
The beasts stilled for a moment, their heads twitching unnaturally—
And then, they charged.
All at once.