*Warning! This chapter is for 18+ only! *
PART I
Let's rewind time to the 5th of July, the year 1990.
Chiba, Tokyo, Japan
The sky was dark with thick clouds covering the entire city. It was completely silent, and people had long gone to bed, sleeping peacefully and comfortably in their beds.
Outside a house stood Hideaki, a police detective who had solved many major cases worldwide. He was a small, trained man with a sturdy body and a short black beard. On this evening, he wore a light brown cowboy hat with a very thin beige trench coat that covered him all the way down to his ankles, making it resemble a dress.
Hideaki pulled out a golden Zippo lighter that gleamed when the streetlight hit it. He took out a cigarette, lit it, inhaled, and exhaled slowly. He looked around the neighborhood where an eerie silence hung in the air.
He furrowed his brow. "The young woman found yesterday had leather wings on her back, and she was wearing only a short black dress. Why on earth would someone operate wings on themselves? It's pure torture. What has become of the youth these days?" He shook his head, followed by a sigh.
Suddenly, a police officer came running towards him at full speed, sweat dripping down his forehead. He stopped in front of Hideaki to catch his breath.
Hideaki closed his left eye and couldn't help but make a remark. "Yuki-chan, are you already training for your marathon?"
Yuki coughed, held his chest, and his face slowly turned red. "I've told you not to call me chan, Detective Hideaki,"
"There's a black crack in the air by the water." he reported with a serious face.
Hideaki furrowed his brow. "Are you still hungover from yesterday's gathering? I told you to go home early so you could get the alcohol out of your system."
Yuki shook his head, straightened up, and stared him in the eyes. "I'm completely clear-headed. The Samurai Squad is waiting for you."
Hideaki nodded, took one last inhale, tossed his cigarette, and crushed it with his foot.
Seeing this, Yuki's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but make a comment. "Your ancestors wouldn't approve of that, and smoking ruins your future."
Hideaki shot him a sharp sidelong glance. "They're dead, so what the hell can I use it for? If I die, I'll come back and haunt you." followed by a loud laugh.
Yuki furrowed his brow, coughed lightly, and commented. "You come from a spiritual family that has hunted ghosts and the supernatural for many generations. Beware not to curse your family from their graves."
"All they can do is turn in their graves in anger," commented Hideaki, followed by a chuckle.
He turned around. "let's not waste any more time on chit-chat."
Quantum Science Lab, D.C Washington, USA
In the heart of the research complex, Quantum Science Lab buzzed with activity. The quantum resonance chamber, a glowing sphere suspended in a magnetic field, dominated the space. Scientists in white lab coats worked at clusters of terminals, monitoring data streams, while nearby, the particle accelerator hummed with energy, propelling particles through winding paths. Quantum computers lined the walls, processing complex algorithms and simulations.
At a dark, round table, a young guy was diligently taking notes from a book, wearing safety glasses. Occasionally, he adjusted them, massaged his temples, appearing deeply concentrated. People bustled around, tinkering with various things.
*Clang*
The test tubes clinked together several times, causing him to look up, furrowing his brow.
"Can't you do that in silence? I can't concentrate. The report needs to be sent before midnight. There's only half an hour left."
"Sorry, Elias, we're trying to be quiet. We'll be done soon." commented a man with a nervous voice.
Elias ran his hand through his hair and quickly finished writing.
*Slap*
The thick book closed, and he hurriedly packed everything along with the others, taking the last empty test tube. The door was closed gently and securely locked.
He looked through the glass, a smile spreading on his lips. "I hope I don't have to come back here."
*Vroom*
A loud hum echoed, rumbling through the area, and the ground shook violently.
Elias lost his balance, falling to the floor, and the test tube shattered. "What on earth?"
Others panicked.
"What's happening?"
"It didn't come from our lab. Could it be from Lab 2?"
"We're the main laboratory."
Elias quickly got up, helped the others, and rushed out of the building to the courtyard, greeted by a blood-red sky. All the employees gathered as they looked up at the strange phenomenon, furrowing their brows. There was no moon present, the sky was clear, but there were no stars, and it was completely calm.
"The sun has set. What's going on?"
"Is it the moon?"
"No, it can't be the moon because it's not even there."
Elias spotted a short brown-haired woman with large round glasses and plenty of freckles on her face.
He quickly approached her, asking the crucial question. "Have the sensors picked up anything, Karen?"
Karen nodded, pointing to a large square black box securely tied to a thick oak tree.
Above the treetops hung a large black dish. The box blinked red and beeped constantly.
Elias furrowed his brow. "It's the alarm for something foreign from outside."
He looked up at the sky again. "What on earth is happening?"
The ground shook even more violently.
*Crack*
In the red sky above them, a black crack opened, widening, and forming a large black hole surrounded by swirling black smoke.
"A portal or a black hole?" commented Elias.
"Portals don't exist, so it can only be a black hole, but it would have crushed us before we could get close." remarked Karen, furrowing her brow.
People began to discuss loudly.
"What type of black hole is it then?"
"Didn't you hear, Karen? It's not a black hole."
"I play video games. It looks like a portal."
"That's fantasy and made up. Portals to another world don't exist. It's nonsense."
The shaking stopped, and suddenly, a pale hand emerged from the crack, silencing everyone as they held their breath. Slowly, another hand followed, then the face of a young man, and finally, the entire body emerged. A man in a black cloak with thick black horns on his forehead and glowing purple eyes stared down at them. He hovered in the air, and his cloak fluttered even though there was no wind.
"A monster!" shouted a man who couldn't stay silent any longer.
"An alien!" nervously exclaimed another man.
The stranger squinted his eyes and spoke with a deep, resonant voice that could be heard throughout the area.
"Lithien, is this it?"
Another young man suddenly flew out of the crack, wearing a black hooded cloak. His eyes were glowing purple, with pale skin like the man. He looked around, examining the area, and suddenly, his eyes fell on a person standing in the courtyard looking up at them.
"It's him." He pointed at the man, sending him a sharp gaze.
Elias furrowed his brow. "What are they saying? I don't understand them. They look like us. Are they really aliens?"
"It's traced to him, but strangely, the connection ends here," Lithien replied.
With a swift movement, he flew down and hovered over the man in the courtyard.
"You, human. Where have you hidden it?"
The man, named Christian, was a middle-aged man. He nervously looked up at Lithien, biting his lip as beads of sweat rolled down his temples.
"I'm not a scientist but an engineer. I'm here only on a business trip and have nothing to do with this. Can you spare me?"
His last sentence made everyone turn towards him, sending him hostile looks. They quickly stepped away from him, creating a significant distance.
Lithien glanced up at his leader, who shook his head. He made a quick nod and looked back at Christian.
"If you tell me where you've hidden it, we can consider it."
"Hidden what?" Christian asked with an even more nervous voice.
Lithien closed his left eye. "Are you playing dumb to buy time?"
With a swift motion, Christian floated up towards him in the air. Lithien extended his right hand and grabbed Christian by the throat, squeezing tightly.
Christian clutched his throat, attempting to resist while his face turned redder.
"I... I'm not lying." He forced the words out, struggling to breathe and kicking his legs in the air.
"Unfortunately, I don't play the same game." said Lithien, squeezing harder.
*Crack*
The neck broke loudly, and Christian hung lifeless in the air, triggering a chain of panic among the onlookers who had witnessed the entire scene. They started to flee from the site in horror.
