The young man, having run his gaze over the interior of the restaurant and seeing it completely vacant, cautiously began to move from the spot where he had been crouching, clutching his burnt eyelid in pain as he did so…

-F***!!! This f*cking hurts, motherf*cker!!! Seriously, why didn’t I just kill those little...ugh!!!

He internally cursed at himself, questioning why, after what they had tried to do him, he had spared them, but he could think of no answer, instead of turning his attention back to the empty restaurant. The main area of the building consisted of a carpeted space, with an open-window counter behind which the entrance to the kitchen and bathrooms were located.

The decorations could not be said to be anything one might regard as especially fancy. Not to mention that it currently did not look as it ought to, with tables flipped over, silverware dumped on the floor haphazardly, cabinets having been broken into, and the stairs on the far side of the room is covered in strange glowing footprints…

Jack: “...w...ugh!...W-what the hell…?”

The young man was baffled by the strange events that had occurred in just one night: the moon had enlarged and bathed the world in a massive explosion of light, most people had vanished into thin air, he was being hunted by a group of masked strangers...some of which he knew, and they all seemed to be demented.

Jack: “...G-goddess...or whatever the hell cult figure these jags are screaming for...whatever it is, I just need to book it the f*ck...ugh!...away from here…”

He quickly hastened his pace but attempted to remain as quiet as he could, stepping over fallen wine glasses, silverware, and other objects to reach the door on the other side of the room, with two large windows on both sides of it.

It took a few minutes of careful maneuvering before he was able to make it across, with his heart pounding at every step of the way as his mind wandered between the stairs and the door, between an ominous feeling of dream and his escape, as his heart seemed to long for the desolate world that he saw through the windows...

[Giggle…]

Suddenly, he heard a short laugh, sweet yet startling! Caught off guard by the noise and fearing for the worst, he desperately attempted to run away, however…!

[Crack!]

The sound of shattering glass sprang out from behind the young man, reverberating throughout the entire restaurant! He quickly looked down at his feet, eyeing several, completely intact wine glasses on the floor, before turning his gaze and his body to the back.
The scene was truly jaw-dropping. Behind him, every single fallen glass had been shattered into pools of broken glass and the silverware had been bent and knotted, while a faint indigo mist hung in their air, with two swirls hovering above the ground resembling eyes!

The young man was frozen, terrified at this new development as the mist now seemed to slowly flow towards him…

[Giggle…]

???: “It’s him, he was here!!!”

The two swirls of mist, along with the strange chill in the air instantly vanished, though the world had only seen fit to trade the young man’s terror for another. The young man slowly turned his gaze upward, tracing the footsteps up the stairs, eventually reaching the shoes of the group above, but before he could look for the now expected crescent masks…

[Bang!]

A bullet dug into the window behind him, as a bloody line appeared on the right side of his neck…

Jack: “F...f-f*ck!!!”

The young man, in pain, fatigued, and with his heart racing, instantly spun around, charging out the door without looking back! He felt the cold air enter his lungs, invigorating him as he began to sprint away from the restaurant, while simultaneously keeping in line with the brick wall that was parallel to the window, hoping that it would take longer for his assailants to get a good shot!

From behind him, he heard the windows of the restaurant shatter, but feeling nothing wrong with his body, he continued to expend all of his energy running as an insane, yet energetic smile came over his face!

???: “He’s getting away, come on you f*cks!!!”

The young man felt his smile getting wider, as the pain from his neck, arm, and eye seemed to vanish in another burst of adrenaline! He lowered the hand that was covering the burnt eyelid, stretching out both of his arms as he slowly fell into a trance…

However, he was suddenly interrupted by a solid blow to the side of his head. His smile began to fade as he fell to the ground, his vision almost instantly having gone blurry, leaving him unable to determine who had attacked him. Yet, with his last burst of energy wasted, his desperate desire to escape stomped out, and his mind slowing to a crawl, he could only pray that his death would be quick…

The young man reached the ground, crashing down before seemingly passing out, while a shadowed figure stood over him with a smile on their face and a pair of piercing blue eyes that matched the moon above…

???: “Even though I planned all of this for you, you have ungratefully attempted to flee from your destiny as a sacrifice!!!~”

The figure raised a knife in the air, its blade gleaming as the moonlight ran over its metallic edge…

However, the figure’s other arm caught the knife, forcefully tearing its counterpart from the air, as the figure began to chuckle.

???: “I must restrain myself...it will be much more...fun when he wakes up...and when my wonderful new children gather to meet him, once more...what kind of face will he make?!~ This pathetic mortal!”

The figure reached down, taking a hold of the young man’s hood, dragging him through the moonlit streets, toward his fate...the path towards rebirth...for all involved…
...