SkyFall : Eulogy of The Void

Kiera

"Ri-Rinia!"

'I must reach Rin, I must hurry home and take Mom away!'

The shrill wail of warning alarms, the piercing cries of the scourge, and the desperate human screams shattered the ominous silence of the fading evening, swallowed whole by the encroaching night. Blinding beams of light descended from the towering walls, not from a fading sun, that even run from the terror unraveling in Xin's vicinity.

"Hey, you! Come here, quickly! You must—" The words were abruptly silenced. A youth no more than sixteen, carrying a small girl while sprinting, was brutally torn apart by the crumbling debris of concrete and steel, fragments of towering structures hurtling in all directions.

Women, men, adults, and children alike were uprooted and scattered like autumn leaves. The echoes of the scourge's guttural growls invading the destitute settlement of Gantz etched themselves more vividly into Xin's memory, reminiscent of that fateful midnight when his father had entrusted him to shield his younger sibling and mother. Pandemonium, dread, an overwhelming horror—a dissonance that threatened to rend his eardrums apart.

Yet, amidst this deafening horrors, only Xin's pounding heartbeat reminded him that time still marched on. It whispered the cruel truth that opportunity no longer lingered within his grasp.

Shortly after, Xin witnessed the crumbling and swift destruction of Rin's old school building. Bodies and the remains of those trapped inside lay scattered, with no one able to rescue them.

"Hey, you scoundrel!" Someone cursed, yanking his arm forcefully.

It jolted his entire being, snapping his mind back to reality.

Unable to focus amidst the surrounding chaos, everything lay in disarray, mere shadows and fleeting glimpses registering in his consciousness. He couldn't even recognize the person tugging at his hand. Everything felt chaotic. Everything felt bewildering. It felt like a hasty dream, a terribly dark dream.

Flashes of fire erupted from the city walls, targeting the ramshackle Gantz village. The scourge's roars intertwined with the deafening rumble of bullets, showing no concern for the humans below. In front of the barrels of guns, the inhabitants of Gantz scarcely differed from the monsters that had seized control of the world.

"We need to gather at the point—near the wall—if we want to sur—"

In a moment, Xin realized the person pulling him was a young woman, yet he couldn't see her face. Only her white hair and shimmering fair skin at the nape of her neck were visible.

Xin swiftly became aware of his surroundings. Reacting at lightning speed, he grasped the girl's hand and swiftly ducked, narrowly avoiding a chunk of hurtling concrete.

"My mother! I have to go back and save my mother!"

"Where is she now?"

"In alley 12, apartment number 4, fifth floor—my mother's still at home!"

"Are you out of your mind?! That's in the opposite direction of where we're heading! Towrads the outside of Gantz! We could die here at any moment, and you want to head back out?! We need to get to the wall! Now!"

Xin forcibly withdrew his hand and with a resolute face, he declared firmly, "If my sister and mother die, there's no reason for me to live. I'll live to save at least one of them, or I'll die with both of them."

"Goddamnit! Suit yourself! I don't care anymore. I'll save those who want to be saved!"

Xin dashed swiftly in the opposite direction, traversing a once narrow and squalid alley now reduced to open ground and scattered remnants of buildings, enveloped in smoke and debris carried by the wind. Meanwhile, the scourge and the forces atop the wall continued their relentless exchange of attacks.