Sigil

"So… this friend of yours, what's her name?" Ozai asked, walking beside Zero, who seemed miles away in his thoughts.

His boots splashed quietly through puddles of rainwater and blood, the sidewalk littered with broken glass and charred rubble.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in bands of orange and molten gold.

Sporadic clouds drifted across the skyline, drizzling faintly, while a massive, darker storm front loomed in the distance like a tidal wave of shadow.

A storm was coming.

"Yo?" Ozai waved a hand in front of Zero's face.

"Huh?" Zero snapped out of it, glancing at him. Dark bags hung under his eyes like bruises.

"You alright? You look half-dead," Ozai joked with a weak smile.

"Are you usually this oblivious?" Zero asked. 

Ozais brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Zero's voice was low but tense. "How are you acting like this is normal? Look around!" He gestured at the destruction—the cracked pavement, overturned cars, the smears of blood leading nowhere.

"People are dead, everywhere. And the moon's not even up yet. I've been running from those—those things all day. We don't even know what's is going on. So tell me— how the hell can you still smile?"

Ozai held his head down slightly, the smile fading from his face.

"Are you even human?" Zero asked.

A pause.

"…No. I'm not," Ozai said softly.

Zero barely reacted to this information, as if he somehow expected it.

"I don't know how it works here in New Jersey," Ozai continued, "but in my world… there are people who aren't born. They're made—by our goddess, Lilith."

He raised his hand, red sparks flickering from his fingertips, dancing like fireflies in his palm.

""I'm one of those special people--- a demigod placed on earth to help and contribute to humanities progress in some way. Some called us Avatars. Others… Constellations."

"Constellations? Like the stars?" Zero asked, curious.

Ozai nodded. "Each of us carried a piece of her essence. Each assigned a purpose. In my case, I was crafted for combat—for weaponry. I was humanity's blacksmith… and its bravery."

The sparks condensed into a small glowing dagger that hovered midair. He reached out and grabbed it, slicing the air.

"But after a while, I realized… bravery was the only thing I could feel."

The dagger dispersed, fading into sparks that drifted upward like dying stars.

"I didn't feel joy---or sadness. Or fear. I was empty. A machine built solely to fight. And I hated that."

Zero walked quietly beside him, listening.

"Then one day… I met a little girl."

They turned the corner. Ahead, Zero's house came into view—dark, lifeless.

The front yard was empty, but the side wall near the bathroom had collapsed. Water pooled around shattered tile and exposed pipes. Debris from earlier lay scattered across the lawn.

The bodies from the couple that were slaughtered this morning still laid on the middle of the ground, flies circling around them.

Zero's stomach turned.

Ozai's softened his voice. "She offered to make me feel again. Said she could give me emotions--long story short I agreed—though, thinking back, I'm pretty sure she tricked me."

He chuckled quietly to himself.

"But once I said yes… the world changed. The colors got brighter. I could hear the birds. I noticed the flowers. And for the first time, my thoughts felt like mine."

He looked around at the shattered houses, the smoke in the distance.

"I think that was the best trick anyone's ever pulled on me. And now… there's not a single day I don't cherish that."

A long silence passed.

"Even in situations like this," he said, his voice steady.

"Your world sounds... horrible," Zero said flatly as he suddenly stopped walking, Ozai stopping beside him.

"It's not, trust me! You're just... experiencing the worst of it, hah..." Ozai chuckled awkwardly.

"Is this the place?" He asked, the two now standing in front of a quiet black house.

Zero did not answer, instead he rushed onto the front porch.

"...I'll take that as a yes," Ozai said, trailing behind him.

Zero reached the door, and before he could grab the knob, he noticed it was already creaked open.

His heart sank. He barged into the house, Ozai following close behind.

"Tia! Tia?!" Zero called out, his voice echoing through the quiet home.

"Ahh—so Tia's her name!" Ozai said. "Tiiiia—Tia!" he added, calling out as they searched.

They checked the kitchen, the bathroom, the basement, the attic—and finally, Zero burst into her bedroom.

He looked around. Nothing.

"Damnit!" he shouted, slamming his hand against the wall—only to feel something strange. When he pulled it back, he noticed his hand was now covered in a dark, black ink-like substance.

"What the—" Zero stammered.

Ozai rushed into the room. "Did you find her?"

Zero didn't answer. He just stared at the substance on his hand.

"Ew, what is that—" Ozai started, then stopped as his eyes locked on something behind Zero. They widened.

Zero noticed his expression and turned around to see what he was looking at.

On the wall behind him, drawn in thick black ink, was a massive ouroboros symbol.

"What's Orpheum's logo doing here...?" Zero muttered.

Ozai stepped closer, placing a hand on Zero's shoulder.

"Oh no... Zero, I really think we should go. That's a sigil."

"A sigil?" Zero asked, still staring at the wall.

"Yes. A really well-known one at that. It's used by an infamous group of corrupt cultists known as the Children of Lilith."

"If they were here then your friend is most likely..." Ozai trailed off, looking at Zero with concern.

Zero's eyes widened. He stared at Ozai---waiting for him to finish that sentence.

"No. No, no, no no no..." Zero shook his head. "We--We'll find her," he said, trying to steady his voice. The air grew heavier with tension.

"We—we have to... she can't be..." He covered his mouth. "Please... no..."

Ozai tightened his grip on Zero's shoulder. "Zero, please... If the Children of Lilith are in this world too—then things here are only going to get worse. We have to leave..."

Zero tried to gather himself, but the flashes from the night before kept playing in his mind on repeat. Her voice, her laugh...

Her smile.

Tears welled in his eyes as Ozai gently nudged him toward the door. Zero moved slowly, casting one last look at the empty room.

The scattered books, stuffed animals, and the telescope from the night before, all lying on the floor. Ozai closed the door behind them as they stepped out.

The sky had turned to dusk. The drizzle from earlier had turned into a steadier rainfall as they walked silently back into the street.

"Zero..." Ozai said softly, his orange eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the air.

Ozai froze.

From the shadows, a Ragnar lunged forward, its claws extended, jaws open. Ozai shoved Zero out of the way just in time, the two of them hitting the ground hard.

Zero lay still, expression blank, while Ozai scrambled up and pulled him to his feet.

In front of them stood the Ragnar—pitch black, a void of a creature that seemed to absorb light itself. Its size was hard to gauge in the darkness.

Only its gleaming white claws and jagged teeth stood out.

Ozai braced himself to fight—

But then, a sharp whine split the air. The creature shrieked.

Another whine. Then another. And another.

The Ragnar collapsed to the ground without much of a fight.

A flashlight beam flicked through the rain, landing on the two of them.

"You two," a soldier said, standing still, rain running down his visor with a rifle in hand.

Ozai flinched, instincts flaring—his hand began to glow slightly—but Zero grabbed his arm.

"Huh—" Ozai blinked as he looked at Zero, who simply shook his head.

"Follow me," the soldier said. "There's a safehouse not far from here. I'll guide you there."

"Uhm, t-thank you, sir..." Ozai said cautiously, glancing between Zero and the soldier. Zero had already begun walking. Ozai sighed and followed, the three of them disappearing into the darkness.

In silence.

But behind them...

The Ragnar's body twitched.

Rain slid down its charred black skin. Purple lightning suddenly danced across its form. Its limbs stretched, muscles rippling unnaturally.

Crackling electricity surged through its claws. Its mouth hummed with the sound of charged air.

Its glowing purple eyes flickered open.

It hissed.

And vanished into the dark.

Following after them.