Open the door

The convoy moved through the skeletal remains of the city, the towering ruins of skyscrapers looming overhead like silent sentinels. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the faint green glow of the sky cast an eerie light over the desolate streets.

'Where are we even going.'

Erley trudged along, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. In just one day, he'd been thrust into a world of chaos, fighting grotesque monsters, learning he was an Imperfect, and waking up with no memory of who he was.

It was overwhelming, but he refused to let it break him.

'So it's true the day time is just a little brighter, its still pretty green though.'

The journey had been long, and though his body wasn't tired, thanks to his Imperfect physiology, however his mind was exhausted.

The faint brightness of the daytime sky offered little comfort. It was still a sickly green, but at least it was better than the oppressive darkness of night.

All kinds of thoughts coming into his head.

'Imps..'

Erley glanced at Hao, who was chatting animatedly with Moen. The big man nodded along, his expression blank, as if he barely understood what was being said.

"Hao! come here."

Hao turned, his ever-present grin widening.

"Yes?! what do you want."

"What are those Imps you mentioned? The ones you said you killed?"

Hao blinked, surprised.

"When did i tell you that?!"

"Uh.. literally yesterday"

"Oh! Right, right. Yeah, I've killed a few Imps. I mean, we killed one yesterday, didn't we"

Erley frowned.

"Oh! so that was an imp? i didn't know"

"Yeah, that was an Imp. Though the one we fought was bigger and stronger than most."

'And they killed it so effortlessly...'

"I see. Do you know what our mission is?"

"Not really. Myora hasn't told anyone, i don't think"

'Myora... so that's her name'

The convoy came to a sudden halt. Myora's voice cut through the silence, cold and commanding.

"We'll rest here."

It was an alleyway that split 4 ways, in between a couple houses.

The houses were ruined, they could have taken a rest inside one of the four houses around them, but it was too risky—any imp could've made that their nest.

'We need to move.'

Indeed, being around four potential nests for imps was not a situation anybody would want to be in.

Myora began distributing supplies from the backpack Moen carried. Erley reached for a water bottle, but she snatched it back before he could take it.

"You. I can't have you here if all you're going to do is waste our supplies."

Everybody, except the small young man, turned to watch, their expressions unreadable.

Erley clenched his fists but kept his voice steady.

"Alright, don't worry. Last time, I was just overwhelmed. I woke up and was thrown into a mission with no warning or experience. I'm not some genius—I'm still human."

She keeps the bottle.

"Next time i will help, i swear."

She glances at the bottle for a moment, then hands it to him.

"Fine."

Taking the water bottle he goes back into his corner to sit down and drink.

Myora shares some last words for him. Her tone sharp.

"Just so you know, you're not a human."

Erley glances at her for a second, He took a long drink, the words echoing in his mind.

***

The convoy resumed their march, the towering skyscrapers of the city center growing closer with each step.

They entered the main part of the city through a broken road, the ruins of old buildings standing like forgotten relics.

"Get ready, this is where a lot of those imps are nested."

Continuing down the road, the small convoy keeps walking towards the center.

'Shouldn't we be running?'

As if listening to his thoughts, Myora orders.

"Stay quiet. We don't know what's out here."

Annie, walking to Myora's left, couldn't contain her frustration.

"Have you guys not been here before?!"

"No, now stay quiet."

Annie's face twisted with anger, but she fell silent.

Erley scans the area.

'We are in unexplored land, guess i have to stay alert but... I literally don't hear or see anything dangerous or amusing here! what are we even looking for!?'

Erley shows his annoyed face.

Suddenly, a loud clang echoed through the air—the sound of a metal can hitting the ground. Everyone froze.

Myora turns sharply.

"Who was it?"

Pointing towards a building behind them Hao responds.

"Um, i don't think it was any of us actually."

The building looked empty, its windows dark and lifeless. The convoy doesn't see anything wrong.

'What was that.'

Erley's eyes narrowed. He'd seen something move—a shadow darting across one of the upper floors. It seemed as if nobody noticed it.

He says, with his voice low.

"Myora, we should run."

"Why? We can't afford to attract attention by running"

"Alright whatever, i thought i saw something inside but i might just be hallucinating."

Myora gave him a sidelong glance but said nothing. The convoy keeps moving forward.

***

Ten minutes later, the convoy reached a cluster of older buildings. Unlike the skyscrapers, these structures were smaller and more decrepit, their roofs collapsed and walls crumbling.

Myora points to a small building at the end of the road. Its roof was intact, and it seemed empty—a rare find in this ruined city.

"Alright, we'll rest over there. Scout the area, well set up camp."

The road going down was surrounded by a bunch of buildings, which would slow down their walk by a lot due to the dangers that could be lurking within them.

Erley keeps glancing over his shoulder, his unease growing. Hao tries to reassure him.

"Relax, man. It was probably nothing."

But Erley couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them.

"Erley, Selth, Annie, go scout the area around, Selth scouts the left. Annie the right."

Erley takes a look infront of him, they were surrounded by buildings, behind him a tall building that seemed to hold apartments.

Erley nodded, his grip tightening on his crude sword. This was his first real task for the convoy, and he wasn't going to mess it up.

Selth was already gone, his small frame blending into the shadows. Annie moved off to the right, her spear held tightly in her hands.

"Alright, i will be back."

Erley approached the building behind them—a multi-story structure that might have once been an apartment complex. He jumped through a broken window, landing silently on the debris-strewn floor.

The interior was a mess. Broken furniture littered the ground, and the walls were stained with dried blood.

Broken glass and pictures sitting in the ground. Some of them too ruined to be able to recognize anything, some of them were still intact. Memories of a family, broken by war.

'Whoever lived here left in a hurry'

Suddenly, a sound makes him freeze. It was footsteps on the floor above him.

'Somebody..'

Erley moves quickly to the main door and goes up the wide stairs, he stops in front of a wooden door that was half open, his heart pounding.

From inside, he heard gagging—a wet, choking sound that sent a chill down his spine.

He pushed the door open slowly, the hinges creaking.

A figure stood in the room, its back to him. It looked human, but something was wrong.

The door creaks.

The creature turns and locks eyes with Erley.