They walked side by side, not hurrying, but Dan kept catching himself unconsciously quickening his pace.

  Seline noticed it almost immediately.

  The street was almost empty. Streetlights cast a warm yellow glow; the asphalt, still wet from the day's rain, shone, reflecting neon signs. A car passed somewhere in the distance, and it grew quiet again—that special quiet of a city settling to sleep.

  Seline kept her hands in the pockets of her hoodie.

  She glanced at Dan.

  He walked slightly ahead. His shoulders were tense, his gaze sliding over the streets, shop windows, rooftops—never lingering on anything. As if he were here and somewhere else at the same time.

  “What do you think that was back there?” the slightly frightened girl finally asked.

  Dan slowed his pace.

  “I don’t know…” Dan lied in a half-whisper, slowly turning his head toward Seline.

  “Maybe some kind of light show… or… what if it’s aliens?!” Seline said with excitement.

  Dan remained silent. But he tried to reassure her with a faint smile, giving her a chance to calm down.

  “Anyway, it’s good we left…” Dan said, glancing back.

  The Lord could feel the Rift had fully formed, and soon mana from another world would begin seeping onto Earth.

  "It's late now. There shouldn't be too many people gathered. Hopefully, no one will decide to get close…", the Lord thought.

  "Ugh… what's going on… will we ever have a normal walk… And he seems different somehow. Can't believe he got scared," the girl thought to herself, upset by the ruined outing.

  They were already approaching the apartment building.

  Seline felt for the keys in her pocket and, standing before the entrance door, didn't want to take them out for a while longer, just to be near Dan a little longer.

  But seeing Dan's unease, she decided it was time to say goodbye.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “I’ll go in,” Seline said timidly, taking the keys from her pocket. “Thanks for walking me…”

  Dan smiled and nodded silently.

  “Will we…” Seline hesitated, “Will we see each other again?”

  Dan froze. He hadn't expected that question, or rather, he hadn't wanted to hear it, because he didn't know what to answer.

  “Yes,” unexpectedly, the answer escaped him on its own.

  Seline blushed and looked away. She couldn't believe what she'd heard, but an involuntary smile slipped onto her face.

  She opened the door. After standing for another second, she looked at Dan again.

  “Okay. Until next time,” the girl said with a smile.

  Dan nodded and turned to leave.

  'The entrance door closed behind Seline. Hearing the characteristic sound, Dan took a step and unclenched his fist. Darkness enveloped the Lord like a sheet, and he vanished.

  A few moments later, the Lord was standing at the corner of a building, right next to the square.

  The square was already filled with people.

  They stood in a semi-circle, packed in a dense mass—some filming on their phones, some shouting, some cursing, some laughing nervously, as if what was happening was part of some absurd show. Anxious tension hung in the air—the kind that's unconscious, instinctive, when people don't yet understand what to fear but already feel they should.

  A warped crack in space stretched vertically, like a scar left on skin. Inside it, an alien light churned—thick, shimmering, white-blue, like oil on water. The space around it quivered; the asphalt underfoot vibrated almost imperceptibly.

  The Rift seemed to breathe.With crackles, with short flashes, as if electricity were bursting out.

  “What the hell is that?!”

  “The government running experiments again, damn it!”

  “It’s a light show, what are you all making up?!”

  The noise of the clamoring onlookers only grew. To the cacophony of sounds was added the piercing wail of police sirens. Several cruisers had already blocked the entrances to the square. Police officers shouted through megaphones, trying to push people back, but the crowd only pressed tighter, as if drawn to the source of danger itself.

  “Citizens, step back!”

  “Do not approach! Clear the square immediately!”

  Dan stood in the shadow of a building, motionless, like part of the wall.

  He observed. The Lord of Darkness saw tongues of invisible energy seeping through the crack in the air. Slowly, like a calm stream, they spread across the asphalt. Some, flowing into the ground and finding no vessel, vanished; others continued their search.

  "The Core of that Reality is weak," the Lord noted, watching the mana dissipate. "But still…"

  Dan closed his eyes and clenched his fist. A moment later, he stood right before the Rift.

  “Hey, look!”

  “What are you doing, man?!”

  “Citizen, step back, please!”

  But Dan didn't hear.

  A step.

  “Where did he go?!”

  “Hey, police! Do something!”

  The Lord of Darkness crossed the threshold between two worlds. All voices, sirens, city noise vanished in an instant. In their place came a guttural growl and the clatter of rotting teeth, the crunch of bones and the ring of rusty daggers.

  “Goblins again…” the Lord uttered, exhaling in annoyance.