Chapter 1: The Appearance of the Bimor and the Loss of His Family

Five years ago, a gigantic mirror suddenly appeared in a forest outside Beijing. It was massive, standing as tall as a ten-story building. The government immediately sent an elite team of soldiers and scientists to investigate the strange object.

Officer Zhang stood in front of the mirror, staring at its pitch-black surface. It reflected no light at all. He turned to the lead scientist, his brows furrowed. "Did it really appear here out of nowhere? No footprints or equipment?"

The scientist shook his head as he stared at the screen of his device in disbelief. "Yes, sir. There isn't a single trace on the ground. What's even stranger is that our equipment can't detect its presence at all. It's as if there's nothing there!"

Zhang waved his hand. "Examine it manually."

One of the scientists slowly stepped forward and raised a small scanning device toward the black surface. The moment the device touched the mirror, the temperature around them suddenly dropped until the air itself seemed to stop moving.

The scientist quickly pulled back and shouted, "Sir! The equipment is shutting down!"

The center of the mirror suddenly cracked with a thunderous boom, and the ground shook violently.

"Fall back! Everyone, move!" Officer Zhang shouted.

But it was already too late.

A dark creature crawled out through the black crack on all fours. It had no human features. Its eyes were completely white, and its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth. The creature let out a piercing screech that seemed to tear through their eardrums.

"Open fire!" Zhang shouted as he drew his weapon.

A storm of bullets tore through the air. In the blink of an eye, the creature moved like lightning and lunged at the first soldier, ripping through his armor and flesh.

Then the real nightmare began.

Dozens of other creatures started pouring out of the mirror behind it like a flood. Within minutes, the peaceful forest had turned into a bloody slaughterhouse.

Over the next five years, humanity learned what true terror meant and discovered the rules of the mirror the hard way. They learned that these monsters couldn't stand light and only emerged under the cover of darkness. But even more horrifying than when they appeared was the way they killed. When a child fell into their grasp, the creatures would devour them alive. Adults, however, met a far stranger fate. They would simply disappear without leaving behind a single drop of blood, leaving nothing but a pile of cold ash.

No one understood why the creatures treated children and adults differently, or where the people who turned to ash actually went. But humanity had to adapt to survive. Governments created special military units known as the Night Guards, and cities began sealing their massive steel gates as soon as the sun went down.

One night, the residents of the city began preparing to lock their doors and hide inside their homes. Shops closed their doors, traffic disappeared from the streets, and no one remained outside. Everyone knew that night was when the creatures appeared.

Inside a house in one of the city's neighborhoods, twenty-year-old Adrian sat with his mother, father, and his ten-year-old younger brother, Philip. They were getting ready for bed, completely unaware that the next few hours would change their lives forever.

Suddenly, a powerful crash erupted outside, followed by a violent tremor that shook the entire house. Everyone turned toward the source of the noise, but before they could figure out what was happening, part of the door shattered and several black creatures burst into the house.

"Adrian! Take your mother and protect Philip!" Adrian's father shouted.

More creatures poured into the house, their numbers growing by the second. His father tried to hold them back and keep them away from his family while Adrian rushed toward Philip and pulled him into his arms. Adrian tried to take his father with them, but when he turned back, he found him surrounded by the creatures. There was no longer any way for Adrian to reach him.

"Dad! Come with us!" Adrian shouted.

"Go, Adrian!" his father yelled through the chaos. "Protect your mother and your brother!"

Adrian hesitated for a moment, but he had no choice. Carrying Philip in his arms, he rushed upstairs with his mother close behind.

He entered one of the rooms and quickly shut the door behind them. Then he placed Philip on the floor and looked at him.

"Hide under the bed. Don't come out, no matter what happens."

Philip crouched down and crawled under the bed, while their mother stood frozen in the room, overwhelmed with fear. Adrian stepped toward her and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, Mom. Dad will be fine."

Before his mother could finish speaking, the door shook violently. Adrian turned toward it, then grabbed his bowling bat and prepared to defend them.

The door was smashed apart, and the creatures rushed into the room.

Adrian raised the bowling bat and swung it at the creatures, shouting, "Stay back!"

They attacked him from every direction, but he kept swinging, doing everything he could to stop them from getting any closer. Their claws struck him several times, sending him crashing to the floor more than once, but every time, he forced himself back up and continued protecting his mother and brother.

His mother stood in the corner of the room. The moment one of the creatures turned toward her, Adrian shouted, "Mom, run!"

She rushed out of the room, but moments later, her screams echoed from outside.

Adrian froze for a second before shouting in panic, "Mom!"

At that moment, the security forces stormed into the house, and the soldiers opened fire on the creatures. Several of them were shot down, while the rest began retreating until they finally fled the house.

Adrian struggled to his feet, wounds covering his arms and face, but he barely noticed them. He stumbled out of the room, his eyes desperately searching for his mother. He reached the middle of the house, then suddenly stopped.

His mother was lying on the floor.

Adrian stood there for a few seconds before rushing toward her and dropping to his knees. He grabbed her hand with both of his and gently shook it. "Mom... Mom, open your eyes."

She didn't move.

He shook her hand again, but there was still no response. His voice began to tremble. "Mom, I'm here... Please, open your eyes."

She didn't answer.

Adrian suddenly lifted his head, as if remembering something, and began searching the house with his eyes.

"Dad?"

He couldn't find his father. He quickly stood despite the pain and looked around, only to notice a pile of ash on the floor.

Adrian stopped in front of it and stared at it for a long moment. He took one step forward, then another, before dropping to his knees again. He reached toward the ash but stopped just before touching it, his entire body beginning to shake.

"No..."

He clenched his teeth, trying to hold back his tears, but he couldn't.

"No... Dad..."

Adrian bent forward and buried his face in his hands as he broke down crying. He no longer cared about the soldiers around him, the blood covering his body, or the creatures that had escaped the house. All he could see was his mother, who was gone, and the pile of ash that remained where his father had been.

"There are survivors!" one of the soldiers shouted as he searched through the house.

Another soldier approached Adrian and asked, "Are you okay, kid?"

Adrian looked up at him, but he couldn't speak.

A few moments later, another soldier appeared carrying Philip. The moment Philip saw his brother, he rushed toward him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Adrian..."

Adrian didn't answer. He simply pulled his brother into a tight embrace and closed his eyes as the tears continued to fall.

The soldier looked at the two brothers. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."

Adrian kept his arms around Philip, but before he stood up, he turned one last time toward his mother. Then he looked at the pile of ash left behind by his father.

He didn't say a word.

He simply stood there, staring at them.

Several days had passed since the night of the attack, but Adrian still couldn't get it out of his head. After losing their parents, he and Philip moved in with their grandfather, their mother's father, who became their guardian.

The house was quiet that night. Philip sat on the couch watching TV while Adrian stood by the window, staring at the empty streets. One shop after another began closing for the night, and Night Guard patrols appeared throughout the streets, preparing for another night.

Adrian placed his hand against the glass and watched them in silence.

His grandfather noticed him standing there and walked over. "Adrian, what are you looking at?"

"The guards," Adrian replied without taking his eyes off the street.

His grandfather looked outside. "What about them?"

Adrian turned toward him. "I want to join them."

His grandfather's expression immediately changed. "What did you say?"

"I want to become a Night Guard," Adrian said firmly.

His grandfather stepped closer, his expression serious. "Adrian, you know how dangerous that job is. Those creatures killed your parents right in front of you."

Adrian clenched his fist. "That's exactly why I want to join."

He fell silent for a moment, then looked toward Philip sitting on the couch.

"I don't want what happened to us to happen to someone else."

He turned back to his grandfather. "If there had been someone there who could protect my parents that night, maybe things would've been different."

His grandfather tried to respond, but Adrian continued, "I can't change what happened, but I can stop it from happening again."

His grandfather lowered his gaze for a moment. "And what about Philip?"

Adrian looked at his brother, then walked over and placed a hand on his head.

"I'll protect him."

Philip looked up at him with worry in his eyes. "Big brother... Are you really going to fight those monsters?"

Adrian gave him a small smile. "I won't let them get anywhere near you."

His grandfather continued staring at Adrian. He could already tell that the decision had been made.

"If you're determined to do this," he said quietly, "then you need to understand that the road ahead won't be easy."

Adrian raised his eyes. "I'm ready."

Outside, sirens began blaring, signaling the start of the nightly curfew. The lights of the Night Guards moved through the streets as the city prepared for another night.

Adrian stared at them and silently made a promise to himself.

"I won't let another night like that happen."

The next morning, Adrian sat alone in the yard, tying his shoes as he prepared to leave. He had already made his decision, and he had no intention of backing down.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him. "So you really made up your mind."

Adrian turned around and found Dan standing by the gate.

Adrian smiled. "Dan? What are you doing here?"

Dan walked over. "I heard you want to join the Night Guards."

Adrian looked at him in surprise. "Who told you?"

Dan sat down beside him and looked at him seriously. "Adrian, are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Adrian answered without hesitation.

"Even after what happened to your parents?"

Adrian fell silent for a moment before answering, "Because of what happened to them."

Dan looked at him without saying a word.

Adrian continued, "I know I might not be able to protect everyone, but I'm not going to stand by and watch those creatures kill more people."

Dan gave him a faint smile. "I knew you'd say something like that."

Adrian looked at him. "What do you mean?"

Dan stood up and held out his hand.

"If you're going to become a Night Guard, then I'm joining too."

Adrian stared at his hand in surprise. "You?"

Dan laughed. "Don't look at me like that. You really think I'm going to let you go off alone and fight those things?"

For the first time since the attack, Adrian smiled. He grabbed Dan's hand and stood up.

"Fine... But don't regret it once the training starts."

Dan grinned confidently. "Me? Regret it? You're the one who's going to regret this when you realize you'll have to compete with me."

Adrian laughed. "We'll see."