First Light of a New Age

Chapter 10: Increasingly Bleak

Austronesian Empire, Tanah Melayu, Malacca, Streets Of Malacca.

2000, 1st Week, January.

As the violent storm raged on, the morning sky that was usually warm and lush with a perfect weather was now hung heavy with a pall of gray, veiling the sunlight, while the ground below was shrouded in a veil of thick fog. Amidst the hushed landscape, it was completely quiet, punctuated only by the distant echo of gunfire.

Accompanied by the sound of faint footsteps, a team of twenty heavily armed soldiers can be seen moving through the streets.

“Hey captain, why isn’t this storm dissipating?” One of the soldiers was the first to speak, casting a wary eye over the vast expanse of white mist in the middle of the storm.

Indeed, the storm persisted for an entire day. As they ventured deeper, the mist within the storm became increasingly dense. By now, the visibility was less than five to six meters.

Exploring through the desolate streets, even some soldiers could not help but shudder with fear at every rustle, fearing that an enemy might suddenly jump at them.

“Uh…” After a brief silence, the experienced captain also could not provide a reasonable explanation. 

“It’s probably an anomaly.” asserted a dark-skinned soldier, tightening his grip on his machine gun.

The Captain interjected, his voice a grave reminder, "Anomaly or not. Keep your guard up though, who knows who might be lurking in the shadows."

As if he wasn't right enough, a shadowy figure quickly maneuvered across the battlefield, able to skillfully dodge detection from the group of twenty soldiers stationed at different intersections. The figure bore a sinister silhouette, appearing deformed with a set of twisted horns crowning its head and limbs sharp as blades. It balanced effortlessly on legs that gleamed like swords, a chilling contrast to its humanlike form.

“Did anyone else hear that?” Gulping in nervousness, a soldier suddenly asked as he broke the uneasy silence.

"Must be your imagination," the captain replied gravely, his tone masking any hint of uncertainty, "Keep moving people. The rest of the forces can't have gone far."

The figure moved with ghostly silence as it stalked its prey. At the opportune moment, it easily leaped from a five-story building and made a dash toward its target, covering the 100-meter distance in mere seconds.

At the same time, the dense fog permeating in the streets seemed to be bearing an indescribable sense of oppression, constantly pressuring the soldiers' nerves with each passing moment.

"I swear to god, Captain. I am hearing a sou-..." the soldier paused as he took notice of the eerie approach and raised an alarm.

"Enemy conta-!"

*Shing!*

*Spurt!*

Before the soldier could finish his sentence, a spout of blood shot up in the sky, accompanied by the sickening thud of a fallen weapon.

However, his team already heard his cry and turned their attention to him, but to their horror, they only turned to find his bisected body lying on the ground.

"What the fuck is that!?"

Amidst the continuous cries of alarm, they spotted the enemy responsible for their comrade's death, and immediately each and every soldier raised up their weapons toward the advancing figure.