Darkness swallowed Lantern Street one lantern at a time.
Flick.
Flick.
Flick.
The glowing red lights vanished deeper into the road until only a few remained near the terrified group.
Nobody moved.
Nobody even breathed.
Far ahead in the darkness, the giant shadow stood motionless.
Watching.
Rain no longer touched Lantern Street.
The storm stopped completely at the entrance as though an invisible barrier surrounded the place.
Mika stared behind them nervously.
“The Hollow Walkers won’t come here…”
Haruto tightened his grip on the rifle. “That doesn’t mean we’re safe.”
Another lantern went out.
Then another.
The shadow moved closer.
Slow.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the silent street.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Ren’s heartbeat pounded louder with each step.
Yuna suddenly grabbed his wrist tightly.
“Don’t let it see your fear.”
Ren looked at her. “How do you know that?”
Before she could answer—
A soft voice echoed nearby.
“Over here.”
Everyone spun around instantly.
An old man stood beneath one of the remaining lanterns.
Long white hair.
Dark robes.
A wooden lantern hanging from his hand.
Ren nearly jumped. “What the hell?!”
The old man looked strangely calm despite the nightmare surrounding them.
“You shouldn’t have entered this street,” he said quietly.
Haruto raised the rifle cautiously. “Who are you?”
“The keeper of the forgotten road.”
“That explains absolutely nothing.”
The old man ignored him and looked toward the approaching darkness.
“Hurry. It won’t stay away for long.”
Another massive footstep echoed closer.
The lantern above them flickered violently.
For some reason, Ren trusted the old man immediately.
Maybe because the fear in his eyes was real.
The group followed him quickly through the endless street while darkness swallowed the lanterns behind them one after another.
The deeper they walked, the stranger the road became.
The buildings looked frozen in time.
Old shops.
Ancient posters.
Broken bicycles covered in dust.
It felt less like a street…
…and more like a memory.
Mika noticed something horrifying.
“There are no footprints.”
Everyone stopped.
She pointed toward the dusty road beneath them.
Only the four teenagers had footprints.
Not the old man.
Haruto slowly lowered the rifle.
“…What are you?”
The old man finally stopped walking.
Ahead stood a massive clock tower hidden in darkness.
Its giant clock face was cracked down the middle.
The hands were frozen permanently at exactly—
6:00.
A freezing chill swept through Ren’s body.
“This is the old village clock tower…” Haruto whispered. “But it was destroyed years ago.”
The old man turned toward them slowly.
“Not destroyed,” he corrected.
“Buried.”
Lightning flashed far away beyond Lantern Street.
For a brief second, Ren saw dozens of shadowy figures standing silently on the rooftops around them.
Watching.
The old man lifted his lantern toward the clock tower.
“The Beast was sealed here long ago. Every night after six, the seal weakens.”
Mika stepped closer to the broken clock.
“Who sealed it?”
The old man’s face darkened.
“The villagers.”
“Why?”
Silence filled the air.
Then the old man whispered—
“Because it used to be human.”
Everyone froze.
Ren frowned. “That’s impossible.”
The old man looked directly at him.
“The Hollow Beast was once a boy abandoned by this village centuries ago. Betrayed. Sacrificed.”
Yuna’s breathing suddenly became uneven.
“And now,” the old man continued, “it searches for the ones connected to the original sin.”
His eyes shifted toward Ren.
The lantern in his hand flickered violently.
“The marked one.”
Ren stepped back instinctively.
“What are you talking about?”
Before the old man could answer—
CRACK.
The giant clock above them moved.
Everyone looked up instantly.
The frozen minute hand slowly twitched forward.
Once.
Then again.
The tower began shaking violently.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Haruto raised the rifle. “Something’s inside!”
A horrifying roar exploded from beneath the tower.
The ground split open.
Black smoke poured from the cracks like living shadows.
And deep below them—
Two glowing white eyes opened in the darkness.
The Hollow Beast had found them again.
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