Rain clouds swallowed the evening sky above Kuroyami Village.

The mountain town looked peaceful during the day — narrow stone streets, glowing paper lanterns, wooden houses lined beside quiet rivers — but once the sun began to disappear behind the dark forest, fear spread faster than the cold wind.

Every shop closed early.

Every door locked before sunset.

And every villager repeated the same warning.

“Be inside before 6 PM.”

Ren Takahashi hated that rule.

“It’s ridiculous,” Ren scoffed as he leaned against the old bridge near the marketplace. “We’re not little kids anymore.”

Haruto sighed beside him. “You say that now, but you’ve seen how people act around sunset.”

“They act crazy.”

The village bell echoed once through the streets.

5:20 PM.

Nearby, shopkeepers hurried to carry lanterns indoors. Mothers dragged children home by the wrists. Even stray dogs disappeared into alleys as if they sensed something coming.

Mika tightened her grip on her schoolbag nervously.

“I heard another person vanished last month,” she whispered. “My grandmother said the forest spirits take people who stay outside after dark.”

Ren laughed loudly.

“Forest spirits? Seriously?”

Yuna stood silently beside the group, her purple ponytail swaying gently in the wind. Unlike the others, she wasn’t smiling.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the distant mountains.

Dark.

Silent.

Waiting.

“We should go home,” Yuna said softly.

Ren noticed the fear in her voice.

“You too?” he teased. “Come on, Yuna. Don’t tell me you actually believe those stories.”

Before she could answer, thunder rumbled across the sky.

The villagers began moving faster.

One old woman stopped directly in front of the four teenagers. Her wrinkled hands trembled around a paper lantern.

“Children,” she warned shakily, “don’t stay outside tonight.”

Ren rolled his eyes. “We’ll survive.”

The old woman’s expression turned pale.

“No,” she whispered. “Not after 6.”

A freezing gust of wind swept through the street.

The lanterns flickered.

For a split second, Yuna thought she saw something moving far beyond the rooftops.

Something enormous.

Then it vanished.

5:43 PM.

Haruto checked his phone. “The storm’s getting worse. Let’s just head back.”

Ren crossed his arms stubbornly.

“No way. I’m tired of everyone acting terrified every night. Tonight we prove this whole curse thing is fake.”

Mika’s face turned white.

“You mean… stay outside after six?”

“Exactly.”

“Are you insane?!”

Ren grinned.

“A little.”

Another thunderclap exploded overhead.

Rain finally began pouring onto the village.

The four friends ran beneath the roof of an abandoned tea shop near the edge of town.

Water splashed against the stone roads as the village emptied completely.

Doors slammed shut one by one.

The streets became silent.

Too silent.

5:57 PM.

Mika stared at the old clock tower in the center of the village.

“I don’t like this…”

Yuna hugged her arms tightly. Her breathing had become uneven.

Ren noticed.

“You okay?”

Yuna slowly shook her head.

“It’s coming.”

“What’s coming?”

But she didn’t answer.

The wind suddenly stopped.

No rain.

No thunder.

Nothing.

The entire village became unnaturally still.

Then—

DONG.

The first bell rang.

6:00 PM.

DONG.

The second bell echoed across the mountains.

Mika covered her ears.

DONG.

The third bell sounded deeper than the others, almost… alive.

And then the lanterns went out.

Every single one.

Darkness swallowed the village instantly.

Haruto’s voice trembled.

“R-Ren…”

Something moved at the far end of the street.

A massive shadow.

Too tall.

Too wide.

Its glowing white eyes slowly opened in the darkness.

Mika gasped in horror.

The creature stepped forward.

Cracked skin.

Clawed hands.

A twisted skeletal grin stretching across its monstrous face.

Rain began pouring again violently as thunder illuminated the nightmare standing before them.

The Hollow Beast had awakened.

And it was staring directly at Ren.

The creature smiled.

Then someone screamed somewhere deep within the village.

A horrifying human scream.

Ren’s confidence vanished instantly.

The monster took one slow step toward them.

The ground trembled beneath its weight.

Yuna whispered with tears in her eyes—

“Run.”

And the Beast began to chase them.

Violet Ashford was the daughter of a ruthless devil king Lucifer. On her birth the Royal priest told him the prophecy that his newborn daughter would be the reason for his demise of ruling the kingdom of hell. In order to keep ruling his throne he gave orders to kill his newborn daughter to a trusted maid. But she ran away with the little newborn disappearing like she never existed, leaving a threat to Lucifer that his demise is still alive.

———

“You killed my mother,” I said, holding onto my mother's dead body. I knew that she wasn't my biological mother but she taught me everything I needed to know. She told me every truth about my father’s cruel plan to kill me and my mother's tears for not seeing her daughter.

“She is not your mother, she's just a royal servant to the King Lucifer who betrayed him,” the man standing in front of me said as if nothing mattered to him.

“She is not just a servant, she is my mother who brought me up and keep me safe from your bloody son of a bitch King” I said, spatting at him.

“Mind your language Violet, he's your father” he said, raising a finger towards me.

“Princess Violet Ashford, I'm not a servant whom you can call by name, I'm the fucking Heiress of your filthy King” I said and swung my sword through his neck leaving his dead body.

“Let's begin this war father, you've gone too far now, I'll take control of everything and you were scared of the only one thing and I'll be that one thing. Your demise is coming to your doorstep Devil king Lucifer”

The sound of pounding footsteps echoed through the flooded streets.

Ren ran faster than he ever had in his life.

Cold rain slashed against his face while the monstrous roar behind them shook the entire village.

“DON’T LOOK BACK!” Haruto shouted.

Mika was crying as she struggled to keep up, her glasses fogged with rain. Yuna grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her forward.

Behind them—

CRASH!

Wood shattered.

The Hollow Beast smashed through the abandoned tea shop they had been hiding beneath as if it were paper.

Ren glanced back for half a second.

Big mistake.

The creature’s glowing eyes locked onto him instantly.

Its grin widened.

“Oh God…” Ren whispered.

The Beast lunged forward unnaturally fast.

The ground cracked beneath its claws.

“MOVE!” Haruto yelled.

He shoved Ren aside just as the monster’s claws tore through the street where Ren had been standing moments earlier.

Stone exploded everywhere.

Mika screamed.

The four teenagers sprinted through Lantern Street, one of the oldest roads in Kuroyami Village. The paper lanterns hanging outside the homes swung violently in the storm despite having no flames inside them.

It felt like the village itself was alive.

Watching.

Waiting.

Another scream echoed through the darkness.

Closer this time.

Then suddenly—

Silence.

Ren’s chest tightened.

“That scream…” Mika whispered shakily. “It stopped…”

Nobody answered.

Deep down, all of them understood what that meant.

Something terrible had happened.

The Hollow Beast slowed behind them.

Not because it was tired.

Because it was enjoying the chase.

Rainwater dripped from its massive claws as it walked slowly through the street, its glowing eyes never leaving Ren.

Yuna suddenly froze.

“Wait.”

Haruto grabbed her arm. “Are you crazy?! Keep moving!”

But Yuna stared toward a narrow alley beside an old ramen shop.

“There’s someone there.”

A small figure crouched near the wall.

A child.

A little boy no older than seven covered his mouth to stop himself from crying.

Ren’s eyes widened.

“What is he doing outside?!”

The boy looked up fearfully.

“P-please help me…”

The Hollow Beast growled.

Low.

Hungry.

The sound alone made the air vibrate.

Haruto clenched his fists. “We don’t have time—”

Ren ignored him and ran toward the child.

“Ren!” Mika screamed.

The Beast instantly reacted.

Its massive body slammed into the rooftops above them, leaping across the buildings like a giant predator.

Wood cracked under its weight.

Ren grabbed the terrified child and pulled him close.

“It’s okay,” he said breathlessly. “Just run when I say run.”

The monster landed directly in front of the alley.

BOOM.

The impact shook the entire street.

The child burst into tears.

Up close, the Hollow Beast was even worse.

Its gray skin looked stitched together like rotten flesh. Black veins pulsed across its arms. Its jaw opened too wide for any human creature, revealing rows of broken needle-like teeth.

And its eyes—

Empty.

Like there was no soul left inside it.

Rain poured harder.

The Beast tilted its head strangely while staring at Ren.

Almost curious.

Then it spoke.

One horrifying whisper escaped its mouth.

“…found…you…”

Everyone froze.

Mika’s face turned pale with terror.

“It can talk…”

The creature slowly raised one claw toward Ren.

Yuna suddenly stepped forward.

“STOP!”

The Beast froze instantly.

Its glowing eyes shifted toward her.

For the first time since appearing—

The monster hesitated.

Yuna trembled violently, but she didn’t move.

The wind howled around them.

The creature stared at her silently for several long seconds before letting out a furious roar that shook every window nearby.

Then—

It vanished.

Not ran.

Not jumped.

Vanished into darkness.

The street became silent except for the rain.

Ren stared blankly at the empty road.

“What… was that thing?”

Nobody answered.

The little boy tugged weakly on Ren’s sleeve.

“T-They took my sister…”

Ren looked down at him.

“What?”

The child pointed toward the dark end of the village.

“There were two screams…”

Lightning flashed across the sky.

And far away near the mountains…

A giant silhouette stood watching them from the storm.

The storm refused to end.

Rain hammered against the rooftops of Kuroyami Village as the four teenagers escorted the little boy through the empty streets.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody dared to.

The image of the Hollow Beast still burned inside their minds.

Especially Ren’s.

“…found you…”

The monster’s whisper replayed over and over in his head.

What did it mean?

Why had it looked at him like that?

And why did it stop when Yuna spoke?

The little boy walked between them silently, clutching Ren’s sleeve tightly as though letting go would kill him.

“What’s your name?” Mika asked softly.

“Kaito.”

“Where are your parents?”

Kaito lowered his head.

“They went looking for my sister.”

Haruto exchanged a worried glance with Ren.

That meant they were still outside.

After six.

A death sentence.

The group finally reached Kaito’s home near the center of the village. Unlike the rest of the houses, the front door was wide open.

The lantern outside flickered weakly.

Haruto stepped forward carefully.

“Stay behind me.”

The inside of the house was freezing cold.

Water dripped from the ceiling.

Furniture had been overturned as though someone had searched the entire place in panic.

“Kaito?” a woman’s voice cried suddenly.

A pale woman rushed from another room and pulled the little boy into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

“You’re alive… thank God…”

Behind her stood an older man gripping a hunting rifle with shaking hands.

His terrified eyes locked onto the teenagers.

“You saw it, didn’t you?”

Nobody answered.

The man looked like he already knew.

He slowly shut the front door and locked it with three different chains.

Then he turned toward them.

“The Hollow Beast never leaves witnesses.”

The room became silent.

Mika swallowed nervously. “What… exactly is that thing?”

The man’s expression darkened.

“My grandfather called it a punishment.”

Lightning flashed outside.

“He said the Beast comes from beneath the mountain. Long ago, this village tried sealing it away.” His voice trembled. “But every few years… it wakes up hungry.”

Ren crossed his arms.

“That doesn’t explain what it is.”

The man looked directly at him.

“Maybe because nobody who gets close enough survives long enough to learn.”

Yuna suddenly stiffened near the window.

Someone was outside.

Watching.

Ren noticed her expression instantly. “What is it?”

She slowly pointed toward the rain-covered street.

At first, there was nothing.

Then lightning flashed again.

A figure stood at the far end of the road.

Tall.

Unmoving.

Its glowing eyes pierced through the storm.

The Hollow Beast.

Mika gasped in horror.

“It followed us…”

But something felt different this time.

The creature wasn’t attacking.

It simply stood there staring at the house.

At Ren.

The monster slowly raised one clawed hand and dragged it across the wooden wall beside it.

SCREEEECH.

The sound made everyone shiver.

Then it disappeared back into the darkness.

Haruto immediately shut the curtains.

“What does it want from us?!”

No one had an answer.

Ren walked toward the window cautiously.

His heart pounded violently.

The rain outside looked darker somehow.

Almost black.

Then he noticed something scratched into the fogged glass.

Three symbols.

Fresh.

Like claws had carved them seconds ago.

Mika’s face turned pale when she saw them.

“I’ve seen those before…”

Everyone turned toward her.

She adjusted her glasses nervously.

“In my grandmother’s books.”

“What do they mean?” Haruto asked.

Mika hesitated.

Then whispered—

“Marked by the Hollow.”

The room fell silent.

Ren frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mika looked directly at him.

“It means the Beast chooses certain people.”

A cold chill ran down Ren’s spine.

Outside, thunder exploded across the mountains again.

Then—

DONG.

The village bell rang unexpectedly.

Everyone froze.

Haruto looked toward the clock on the wall.

12:00 AM.

The bell should not ring at midnight.

DONG.

The second bell echoed louder.

And far away in the storm…

A horrifying roar answered it.