Unwritten Mythos

Guard Bee

Late that afternoon, the air in Vex's underground lair was thick with anticipation. She gestured for the resurrected man to change into a new outfit. With an unsettling calmness, he complied, showing no signs of resistance. His obedience was almost mechanical.

Once dressed, he followed Vex to a dimly lit reading room. She handed him a book, her eyes glinting with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"Come here, read this book," Vex instructed.

The man took the book and settled into a chair. He began to read, his eyes moving steadily over the text. Every word made sense to him; he understood the content with an ease that seemed instinctual, yet he was baffled by how he possessed such knowledge.

Vex watched with an almost predatory delight as he absorbed the material. Her smile grew more enigmatic as she observed the man's absorbed concentration. She then produced a file, its contents bearing the weight of secrets and identity.

"Avee," she read aloud, "28 years old, graduated from Beiling Police College, currently in charge of Beiling City's police station. Married, with a nearly 4-year-old son."

Her laughter, dark and melodious, echoed softly through the room. "Kitsune, how delightful. I'm about to present you with a great treasure!"

She turned her gaze back to Avee, who was still engrossed in the book. "Once you finish reading, you'll visit your old friends."

...

Night settled heavily over the city. Enko lay in bed, his eyes wide open, staring into the darkness. The sheets tangled around him as he tossed and turned, unable to find solace in sleep. Frustration gnawed at him, and he reached for the sleeping pills on his nightstand, hoping they would bring him the escape he sought.

The pills worked quickly, pulling him into the realm of dreams. As the boundaries between reality and the subconscious blurred, Enko found himself in a strange and chaotic landscape. He awoke in the midst of turmoil, the distant sounds of explosions and gunfire filling the air.

Enko staggered out into the chaos, his senses overwhelmed. Through the smoke and debris, he saw a face he knew all too well—but it was grotesquely transformed. The familiar features were now stretched and twisted, grafted onto the body of a monstrous creature. Long, razor-sharp thorns extended from its arms, slashing through the air with deadly precision.

The monster moved with an eerie grace amidst the destruction. It cut through the storm of bullets and bombs as effortlessly as if it were slicing through water. In moments, scores of people fell before it, their lives extinguished with brutal ease. The scene was nightmarish—a sea of lifeless bodies littering the ground.

Driven by a surge of adrenaline and determination, Enko charged at the beast. His attacks were fierce and relentless, yet each blow seemed to bounce harmlessly off the monster's hide. The creature remained unfazed, its strength and resilience seemingly insurmountable.

Desperation clawed at Enko as he fought, but his efforts were in vain. In a swift, cruel motion, the monster struck back, severing one of Enko's arms with a vicious swipe. Pain flared through him, but the agony was swallowed by the larger dread of the creature's menace.

Then, as if summoned by the monster's fear, the sky began to weep. Rain started to fall, mingling with the blood-soaked battlefield. The monster's movements grew erratic, its power momentarily faltering under the onslaught of the rain.

Despite the odds, Enko found a sliver of fortune to survive.

The scene shifted abruptly in Enko's dream, the boundaries of reality bending in disorienting ways. A high-rise building loomed ominously as helicopters circled it, their rotors thrumming in the night. A figure dashed down the stairs, only to be abruptly severed by a silver thread that cut through the air with deadly precision. The perspective wavered, shifting from one vantage to another in a dizzying whirl.