Hi, this is my first novel. I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to leave a comment, and please excuse any mistakes—English is not my first nguage. Thank you for reading!

  Ding dong!

  I jolted awake, startled by a piercing sound: the bell signaling the end of csses. I gnced around and saw my cssmates packing up their things and leaving the cssroom.

  It seems I fell asleep during the st subject... Suddenly, someone pced a paper napkin in front of my face.

  “Here, Mochi. Wipe your face; you’ve got drool, sleepyhead.”

  Only one person called me by that nickname. I looked up and saw the girl handing me the napkin: she was slender, of average height, with medium-sized breasts. She had a pretty face, bright green eyes, short white hair, and beautiful long, pointed ears—distinctive features of an elf. It was my best friend, Haruka.

  “You’re still struggling to stay awake in math, huh? The teacher was annoyed with you, but he decided not to wake you,” she commented.

  “Ugh, even if he didn’t say anything, he’ll probably scold me hard tomorrow,” I replied, using the napkin to wipe the drool from my face.

  How embarrassing that they saw me sleeping like that... again.

  “Haruka, give me a second. I’ll pack my stuff, and we can head home,” I said quickly, grabbing my notebooks and books to stuff them into my bag.

  “Mochi, remember what we talked about: we can’t walk home together today.”

  “Oh, right, your part-time job. I forgot. I’ll head back alone then,” I replied, putting on a deliberately forlorn expression.

  Haruka pinched my cheeks.

  “Mochi, have you seen the news? There have been several disappearances in the city these past few weeks. Don’t dawdle and go straight home, got it?”

  “Yes, Mom, I got it. I’ll go straight home,” I teased.

  Haruka squeezed my cheeks again before saying goodbye and leaving the cssroom, not without reminding me once more to head straight home.

  I finished packing and left the cssroom. I decided to stop by the bathroom first to wash my face.

  After washing up, I looked in the mirror above the sink. My reflection showed a girl with long, wavy pink hair, matching sparkling eyes, and cute bck cat ears and tail—traits of a catsith like me.

  After leaving the bathroom, I walked through the empty school hallways. It was strange to see the cssrooms so quiet and deserted; they were usually filled with students enjoying their club activities, but not anymore.

  This was all because of the disappearances that had been happening in the city tely. As a result, the authorities had banned all extracurricur activities, so students would go straight home after csses.

  The walk home was peaceful. The streets were still bustling with people, and the sun was setting, painting the sky a warm orange. I loved this atmosphere; it gave the city a magical touch. I could’ve stared at the sky for hours. I stopped for a moment at a shop and bought an anpan—it was delicious.

  My phone suddenly rang: Ring ring!

  I checked the screen and saw it was Haruka. She probably wanted to make sure I’d gotten home.

  “Hey, Haruka. What’s up?” I answered.

  “Mochi? Are you okay? Have you made it home?” she asked, sounding a bit worried.

  “I’m almost there, no need to worry so much. I can get home on my own,” I replied pyfully.

  “Sorry for being so pushy, Mochi. I was afraid you’d get distracted eating something or staring at the scenery.”

  I choked a little on the bread. Haruka had nailed it... how predictable am I?

  Suddenly, I noticed something strange. The street, which had been full of people just moments ago, was now completely empty. But that wasn’t the most unsettling part: an absolute silence bnketed everything. No sound of cars, no chirping birds... nothing. It was as if I’d been transported to another world.

  “This is kind of creepy...” I muttered unintentionally.

  “Mochi? What’s wrong?” Haruka asked, armed on the other end of the line.

  “Nothing, just... the street emptied out all of a sudden, and it’s a little creepy, but don’t worry, I’ll be home in a sec,” I said, quickening my pace.

  But then I stopped dead in my tracks. About ten meters ahead, someone stood in the middle of the street. They were tall, over two meters, and unnaturally thin. Their arms and fingers were abnormally long, and I couldn’t see their face—they were holding a bck umbrel that obscured it.

  “Mochi? What’s happening?!” Haruka insisted, her voice now heavy with concern.

  They didn’t move. They just stood there, rooted in the middle of the street, and every passing second made me more terrified. I wanted to move forward, go around them, avoid them somehow, but my legs wouldn’t respond, as if they weighed a ton.

  Suddenly, they began to lift their umbrel, revealing their face.

  Or rather, the ck of one.

  They had no face. Their skin was white as paper, no mouth, no nose, no eyes. Where a face should’ve been was a bnk canvas. I couldn’t breathe.

  Then, a vertical line appeared down the center of their face, from chin to forehead, and it began to split open like a crack, revealing two rows of long, sharp teeth.

  Before I could react, the thing let out a horrific wail, a mix of an animal’s screech and the static of a poorly tuned radio, and lunged at me, extending its arm.

  “Kyaaaaaaaaa!” I screamed, consumed by panic.

  I turned and ran desperately through the empty streets. It didn’t matter where I went: every building and shop was closed, and not a single soul was around. I didn’t need to look back to know it was following me; I could hear its footsteps getting closer and closer.

  “What the hell is that thing?” I whimpered through sobs as I fled.

  Then I remembered I was still on the call with Haruka. I had to ask for help!

  “Haruka! Something’s chasing me, I need help!” I shouted, nearly crying.

  But there was no response.

  I gnced at my phone: at some point, probably when I started running, the call had dropped. I tried to redial, but I tripped on the edge of the sidewalk, and the phone flew out of my hand, rolling far away.

  I scrambled to my feet as fast as I could. I couldn’t afford to go back for it; that thing was too close.

  I tried to keep running, but to my horror, I realized I’d reached a dead-end alley. I looked around desperately and spotted a narrow passage between two buildings, barely wide enough for me to slip through.

  Without thinking, I squeezed through it.

  When I emerged on the other side, I found myself in an unfamiliar area: a maze of alleys and passageways between buildings.

  I gnced back.

  It was squeezing through the same gap, still chasing me.

  I couldn’t stop. I ran as fast as I could, delving deeper into the byrinth of alleys.

  Soon, I ran out of road again when I reached a small garden tucked between towering buildings. It wasn’t rge: a patch of wild, unkempt grass with an ancient, moss-covered altar at its center, forgotten by time.

  GRIIIIKZTCH

  The scream tore through the air like a rusty knife. I covered my ears, trembling. I can’t get distracted, I repeated to myself, searching desperately for an escape. But there was no way out. I was trapped.

  “Hey, kid... Looks like you’re in quite a mess. I could help you.”

  A voice suddenly echoed in my head. It was an old man’s voice, hoarse and brittle, each word dripping with a mocking tone, as if savoring my fear.

  “Who are you? Where are you?” I shouted, spinning in every direction.

  “I can save you, but first, you have to do something for me,” the voice replied, brushing off my questions like they were the buzz of a fly.

  Every instinct screamed not to trust it. But the shadow chasing me was almost upon me.

  “Fine! What do I have to do?! Tell me quick!”

  “Go to the altar. Tear off the seal on the door.”

  I ran to the altar. My legs shook. There, just as the voice said, was a seal. I reached out but hesitated. The air around me grew colder, as if the altar itself were breathing.

  GRIIIIKZTCH

  The scream, now much closer, tore a sob from me.

  “What are you waiting for, kid?! Rip it off or die!” the voice growled.

  I couldn’t hesitate anymore. I gritted my teeth and tore the seal off with all my strength. As I did, an icy wind erupted from the altar, slicing my skin like invisible bdes and lifting my skirt.

  “Kyaa!” I yelped, clumsily holding it down.

  “Hahahaha...!”

  The ughter echoed, growing deeper, morphing into something no longer human.

  Behind me, I heard a heavy, wet crunch. I turned and saw my pursuer, its massive mouth full of teeth stretched into a ravenous grimace. I tried to back away, but the altar pressed against my back, cold and rough.

  The monster lunged at me.

  “Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” I screamed, my voice tearing through the air.

  But the creature didn’t stop. Its footsteps pounded like drums on the ground, its arm reaching for me, relentless.

  Then, something fell from the sky like a bolt of lightning. A sharp crash, branches snapping, a dull thud. I felt something warm sptter my face. I wiped it with my trembling sleeve, only to see my hand stained red.

  I looked up, my heart pounding furiously.

  Before me stood a majestic beast: a colossal bck cat with fur as dark as the abyss, its eyes bzing like furious stars. Its body, ethereal, seemed woven from the very fabric of the night.

  “At st... free again,” its voice rumbled like distant thunder. “But my power is diminished.”

  Its fiery eyes pierced through me.

  “I need to feed to be reborn.”

  A chill tore down my spine. I’d just escaped one death, only to face another, far worse.

  “Don’t fear, child...” it said, smiling with shadow-forged fangs. “You won’t feel pain.”

  The monster lunged at me in a fsh of darkness.

  “Stop right there!” a shout sliced through the air like a sword.

  A figure emerged from the trees: Haruka. Her dress billowed like a fg in a storm, her crystal fan gleaming with its own light. She was panting from running, but her eyes were steady as steel.

  “Get away from her! I won’t let you touch her!”

  Hearing her, the knot of terror in my chest loosened. Haruka was here. And as long as she was by my side, nothing could harm me.

  The monster ughed, hoarse and malevolent.

  “A far better prize,” it growled, redirecting its attack toward Haruka.

  “Haruka!” I screamed in desperation.

  She didn’t flinch. Her voice was a whisper ced with power:

  “Pierce.”

  The air trembled. The ground froze beneath our feet. Icicles shot up like deadly spears, impaling the monster from every direction.

  The cat roared in pain, its shadows writhing and dissipating like smoke in the dawn’s light.

  “This can’t be happening! I’ve finally gained my long-awaited freedom!” it bellowed, its voice quaking with fury as its body continued to unravel, each fragment fighting against its own dissolution.

  “I won’t allow it!” it roared, its voice growing fiercer, as if fueled by ancient rage.

  From its disintegrating form, a spear of pure darkness emerged. The violent shape hurtled toward me with the speed of lightning, piercing my chest in an instant. There was no pain, only a profound numbness, as if my body were suspended in a void.

  “Harukaaa...” Her name escaped my lips, a desperate whisper, though I didn’t know if it was from suffering or the fear that gripped me as the spear lodged in my heart.

  My vision began to blur, as if darkness were overtaking the light. I saw Haruka’s face drawing near, her expression twisted with a desperation I’d never seen before. I’d never seen her like this, so vulnerable, so consumed by anguish.

  Before I lost consciousness completely, the st image I held was the fsh of her figure running toward me, her eyes reflecting such intense helplessness that it shattered my soul.