Ikar

Thud, thud, thud—the footsteps were impossible to ignore. My heartbeat matched them, beating in the same rhythm. I was scared—really scared. I couldn't help but breathe fast and shallow. I covered my mouth to stay as quiet as possible.

But it didn't help. That devilish creature's body made no sense. It was thin, completely starved; on its belly you could clearly see its ribs, as if they were about to tear out from the inside. Its legs were stick‑thin yet very long, its arms were almost just as long. Its hands ended in six long, bony fingers that turned into claws. It moved on all fours, but it looked like every single step would hurt. Its face had no eyes, no mouth, no nose—nothing. It was completely black, darker than the night sky above, and its skin looked burned, as if it had just been scorched.

I watched it through a small gap in our shelter, and every step it took only made me more afraid. Suddenly I felt a light tap on my right shoulder. I flinched and clapped my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't make a sound. It was Daisuke tapping me. He signaled that he was about to speak. I wouldn't have minded—if we weren't in a situation where we absolutely had to stay quiet.

At that moment, not only did I turn, but everyone else in the shelter did too. Nikita waved his hand to tell Daisuke not to speak. Amina shot him a look that scared me almost more than the thing just a few centimeters from our shelter. He ignored it.

Daisuke's voice broke the silence. "On three, we run."

What? I wasn't ready for that at all. But we didn't really have any other choice except to run from here. While I was still stuck in my thoughts, I heard:

"Three, two, one—go!"

The words barely left his mouth before everyone was on their feet. We burst out of the shelter into the cold night air. The creature let out a scream so loud my ears rang, and then it charged after us.

"Where the hell are we even running?" Amina shouted, her boots pounding against the dirt.

"I have no idea!" Daisuke yelled over the noise.

"Are you serious?" I shouted as we ran.

What an idiot! He tells us to run but doesn't even know where. Aleks, focus. Where's the best place to run? Think. Think!

The trees blurred past us. My brain worked fast, pulling up the one place I knew might give us a chance. "The ruins," I said. "Follow me!"

Carmen's voice came from behind me, sharp and demanding. "Aleks, what are you planning?"

"I have an idea!"

No one asked again—they just ran. Branches whipped against my arms as we tore through the forest, the creature crashing behind us, snapping wood like it was nothing. The ground shook with every step it took.

The black stone archway appeared between the trees, and I felt my chest tighten—not from fear, but from the hope that we might actually make it. "Almost there!" I pushed harder, lungs burning, my feet hitting the dirt faster than I thought I could move.

We slipped inside one after another, twisting sideways to fit through the gap. The stone scraped my shoulder, and I nearly tripped on the uneven ground. The second I was in, I turned around.

The creature was there, right at the entrance. It slammed its body against the stone, claws raking deep gouges as it tried to force its way in. The gap was too small—its shoulders jammed against the sides, its teeth snapping inches from where we stood.

Huh. We made it.

Daisuke stepped forward, sticking out his tongue. "Blah blah blah, can't get us!"

The thing went still. Its head tilted slightly, like it was thinking. Then, without a sound, it reached up and began tearing itself apart—gripping its own arm and ripping it free, then its leg. The wet, cracking sounds echoed against the stone walls.

Daisuke's grin vanished instantly. "Oh, shit."

"Down the stairs. Now!" I shouted.

We didn't wait to argue. Feet slammed against the stone steps, our shadows twisting along the walls as we dropped deeper into the ruins. The air grew cooler with each level we passed, the darkness ahead swallowing everything.

When the stairs opened into the grand hall, the others slowed, their eyes darting to the towering columns and carved walls.

Amina stopped halfway in, her voice low but awed. "What is this place?"

Carmen didn't answer—she was already moving toward the far wall, eyes locked on the etched murals. Her fingers traced the shapes as she leaned closer. "Look at this…" she said.

The sound of stone cracking echoed from above. Then the thud of something heavy hitting the floor of the entrance chamber. The creature was inside.

Daisuke spun toward the stairs. "It's coming!"

"Help me with this door!" I ran to the massive one at the end of the hall, pressing my shoulder against it.

Daisuke just stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "You've gotta be kidding. Did you forget the scream we heard last time?"

"We don't have a choice! You want to stay here and die?"

"What are you two talking about?" Amina demanded, stepping closer.

Daisuke shot her a quick look. "Nothing."

"It doesn't matter now!" I gritted my teeth and shoved harder against the door.

Nikita jogged over without a word, planting his feet and pushing with me. Cealith followed, still looking disoriented, but his hands went to the wood all the same. The door groaned, moving only an inch.

From the stairs came another screech, closer this time. Then the pounding of limbs against stone.

"Come on, it's almost here!" Amina's voice was sharper now, rising with panic.

"Shut up and help pushing," Nikita said through clenched teeth.

The door creaked open another inch, just enough to make it feel possible.

Carmen and Amina turned from the wall, running toward us. Their footsteps echoed fast and hard.

"It's right there!" Carmen shouted.

The shadow of the thing stretched along the wall behind them.

"Push!" Nikita barked.

We shoved together, forcing the gap wider. The wood scraped against the floor, the hinges groaning, but finally there was just enough space for us to slip through. One by one, we squeezed inside. I grabbed Amina's arm and pulled her through just as the creature lunged.

The door slammed shut. The creature pounded against the wood again and again, claws tearing into the surface, the sound vibrating through the walls.

We stood there in the dark, the only light the faintest glow from the seams in the wood, the noise outside reminding us we weren't safe yet.

Inside, it was pitch black. The only sound was the pounding on the door, heavy and violent, each strike making the wood shift forward before snapping back. My chest rose and fell fast. We'd made it in here at the last second.

But I didn't feel relief. If anything, my heart actually started beating even faster. We had no idea what was in this room with us.

Suddenly, it got bright.

I turned around quickly. Two torches on opposite walls burst into flame on their own.

"What the hell," Amina breathed, her voice uneven as she tried to slow her breathing. After a few seconds, her chest eased and her voice steadied. "Honestly, after all the shit that's happened, I'm not even surprised that random torches are lighting themselves."

She let herself drop to the ground and sat there, pushing her hair back from her face with slow, tired hands. Her expression was flat, almost drained. "So… what's the plan? We're basically trapped in here."

The creature slammed the door again. The sound made the hinges squeal, the wood shifting with every hit.

"Looks like we're staying here for a while," Nikita said, then gave an ironic grin.

"Do you think that's funny?" Amina said, lying on the floor, sounding depressed.

Another slam rattled through the hall.

"Hey, guys," I said, my eyes fixed on the door, "you don't think this thing's actually going to break through, right?"

"We can only hope," Nikita replied.

"Well, I thought maybe we could barricade the door somehow," I answered.

"Do you see any objects here we could use to barricade the door?" Nikita replied.

I turned around—the room was empty.

"No," I said.

"Then don't ask stupid questions," Nikita said.

He then lay down on the floor and made himself comfortable. "Wake me up when the beast is gone."

"Are you serious?" Amina said.

"I kept watch all night. I'm dead tired," he said. A few moments later, he was snoring.

What a guy.

"Hey, Aleks," Daisuke called from the far end of the room.

I turned. He was standing at the wall, his posture rigid, staring at something.

I walked over, my boots echoing against the stone. When I got close enough, I saw what had his attention—a massive carving set into the wall, bigger than any of the ones we'd seen in the entrance chamber. Like before, there was a block of text beside it.

I focused my gaze back on the mural on the wall and tried to analyze it. On the left side, the same humanoid figures from before were locked in the middle of a battle, charging forward together. Above them, in the sky, were figures with wings, also part of the battle, looking like they were fighting alongside the humanoids against something. The first thing in my head was that they might be angels. I had even seen some in real life toaday, which made the idea feel less crazy. Both sides surged forward. One of the angels looked especially striking. He was above all the rest—a figure in the center, bigger than any other. It looked like he was leading both the angels and the soldiers below.

The right side wasn't hard to figure out. I knew right away what it represented. Creatures like the ones that had attacked Earth, and like the one outside our door now, swarmed across the battlefield. They were shown in many different forms, each more absurd than the last. There were even some that could fly, hanging in the air. The creatures charged at the humanoid figures and the likely angels flying above.

"Want me to read it?" Daisuke asked, already looking at the text.

I nodded.

He took a breath, his voice steady.

"O Ikar, Hero of Eden, Light of the Highest, merciful angel— you shall be the one to guard the being from the unbeing, the breath from the silence. You shall lead heaven and earth in the final days. O Ikar, you shall call back the One who departed and make existence live once more."

A sudden whisper was right next to my ear. "Hey, what are you two doing?"

I flinched, heart hammering, and found Carmen's face inches from mine.

"Ah—shit, you scared me," Daisuke said, his voice cracking. Guess I wasn't the only one.

"Carmen, it's you," he said again, but now his face was frozen in panic, like he'd just realized what he'd said. "Uh—sorry for the language. I didn't know it was you. I'm usually… more charming."

Huh?

"Huh. What's this?" Carmen's gaze locked on the mural.

"That, my dear Carmen," Daisuke said, regaining his usual tone, "is one of the carvings Aleks and I found…"

I thought we had a promise that we wouldn't tell anyone we'd been here already. Well, whatever. That's just how he is. I didn't want to listen to that conversation and went over to the others.

Meanwhile, the creature kept hammering at the door.

Cealith and Amina sat on the floor, backs against the wall, deep in conversation. Next to them lay Nikita, snoring loudly.

"Hey, Aleks," Cealith said when he saw me coming.

"Hey," I replied and sat down with them.

Now the three of us sat by the wall, hopeless, just trying to wait it out.

"If the thing doesn't leave soon, we should sleep through the time like he does," Amina said, eyes fixed on Nikita.

"And what if it still doesn't leave after that?" Cealith asked.

"That'll be a problem for our future selves," Amina said.

Perfect.

"Hey, Aleks, tell me—how did you even know something like this was here?" Cealith asked. Amina, sitting next to him, leaned forward so she could hear my answer better.

I actually had a promise with Daisuke that I wouldn't tell anyone what we went through down here. But the idiot broke it himself, so it shouldn't be a big deal if I do too.

"The reason Daisuke and I took so long getting firewood was because we were here, checking out the ruins." I looked at Amina. "Amina, I'm sorry. We lied when we said a bear attacked us."

"Ah, no shit," Amina said, cracking up as she slapped my shoulder. "The guy really thought we bought it."

"What is a bear?" Cealith asked.

Amina stopped laughing for a moment. She and I leaned toward Cealith, staring at him in surprise.

"What do you mean, what's a bear?" Amina said.

"Wait, Amina—maybe on the planet the elves came from, there were no bears," I said.

"What do you mean there were no bears?" Amina replied.

We started talking about our worlds and learned different things about the elves' old world. For example, their civilizations weren't as advanced as ours; they were about as developed as the Middle Ages. When Amina showed him her phone, Cealith almost fainted because he couldn't process that humans had made something like that.

Later, Carmen and Daisuke joined us and the conversation opened up. Daisuke complained about why the creature had already come on the first day, since it was said they would only arrive in six months and we'd have time to prepare. Then he told everyone what those murals on the walls showed and started to speculate about what the writing might mean.

Nikita woke from his sleep and yelled at Daisuke to keep it down. The two of them started arguing and it almost escalated, but Carmen stopped them.

In the end we lay down on the cold floor and tried to sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, but it didn't work. At one point I felt like I was going crazy because in one ear I heard the creature hammering, and in the other Nikita's loud snoring—until finally, at some point, I drifted off and sleep finally took over.

I woke to someone shaking me. Daisuke crouched over me. "Hey. I think it stopped."

We got everyone up. My back ached from the stone floor. No one moved toward the door right away. We stood there like idiots, looking at each other, each of us waiting for someone else to go first.

Finally, Nikita dared to step forward and try to open the door. For some reason, it was easier to open from this side than in the other room, so he managed it by himself. Meanwhile, we all stood behind him, as if he could protect us if something suddenly jumped at us.

"Hey, you scaredy-cats, stop hiding behind me," Nikita said. "See? There's no one here."