The gate roared open, its voice echoing like grinding chains tearing through the void. A surge of crimson light spilled into the abyss of night, flooding the air with a pulse that felt almost alive. On the other side, the atmosphere was heavy and cold, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth. At a small house nearby, a young boy stirred awake, rubbing his sleepy eyes. A faint red glow leaked through his window, painting his room in eerie light. He blinked, shuffled to the window, and froze when he saw it—a gate of blood and bone standing in the distance, its light pulsing like a heartbeat. Figures began to step out of it. The boy's breath hitched as he ducked, peering from behind the curtain. At the gate, Cain emerged first, his hand stretching forward as his eyes scanned the horizon—sharp, cautious, ready. Behind him came Hulk, massive and silent. Lyra floated gracefully, lying lazily atop her levitating bedsheets, her expression bored as if none of this impressed her. Lexi adjusted her glasses, eyes glimmering in the crimson glow as she muttered softly, "So… this is the world of the living." Fredrick, Shot, and Jack followed, their silhouettes framed against the dying light of the gate. Then came Laisa—her figure smooth and confident, every movement deliberate. Her eyes drank in the mortal world with a smile that was half awe, half arrogance. Moments later, Aria stumbled out, bumping straight into Laisa. "Sorry," she said quickly. Laisa smirked, brushing invisible dust from her arm. "It's fine. Being that small has its disadvantages—you never see those above you." Aria glared, folding her arms. "Thanks for the notice… Lulu." Laisa's smirk twitched, her eyes narrowing. And then came Azreal. The moment he stepped through, the entire gate screamed like bending metal. Its skeletal frame splintered, collapsing in on itself before bursting into a storm of sparks that scattered across the ground. Within seconds, the crimson gate was gone—swallowed by the night. The world grew quiet. Above them stretched a vast ocean of black sky, the moon veiled by clouds. Only faint silver starlight broke through, painting their forms in pale glow. Far off in the distance, the dim lights of a city flickered like dying embers. Aria took a deep breath, her hand clutching her chest. "I'm… back in the mortal world," she whispered, her voice trembling with awe. "Finally, a place that's not Hell." She tilted her head up, letting the night wind brush against her face, her silver hair dancing with the breeze. "It's just… like I remember it." Azreal's eyes were sharp, cold. He scanned the shadows before speaking. "We're here," he said, his tone low and steady. "So we blend in with the others. Luckily, it's night—so for now, we're free to move." The group nodded in silent agreement. Meanwhile, inside the small house, the boy who had been watching them crawled away from the window, trembling. He shook his brother awake. "Hey," he whispered urgently, "wake up." His brother groaned, half-asleep. "What is it? Go away and let me sleep." "Caden, wake up! You have to see this—it's urgent." Caden rolled over with a grunt. "If you don't let me sleep, I'm telling Mom you're disturbing me again, Carl." Carl frowned, tugging on his brother's blanket. "Trust me. There's something outside you need to see." Caden sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What is it now?" Carl's face was pale. "I think aliens have come to Earth to make us their slaves." Caden blinked. "Stop it, Carl. There's no such thing as aliens. Go to sleep." Carl crossed his arms. "You don't believe me, huh? Then come and look for yourself." He gestured toward the window. "Fine," Caden grumbled, "but if I don't see anything, I'm telling Mom." The two boys tiptoed to the window. Carl peeked first, then moved aside. Caden leaned in—and froze. Outside, in the distance, stood Azreal and his team, their figures half-shadow, half-starlight. Caden's voice trembled. "Who… are they?" Carl whispered, "I told you." "I get that," Caden replied, "but who are they?" Carl's eyes widened. "Isn't it obvious? They're aliens. They've come from another planet." Caden shook his head slowly. "We're not thinking straight. Maybe they're just normal people." "Then how do you explain that one floating in the air?" Carl said, pointing at Lyra. Caden swallowed hard. "That's… true." "I'm telling you," Carl whispered, eyes wide, "these people are aliens." The boys peeped again— Outside, the night was silent except for the soft hum of street lamps and the rustle of wind sweeping through the empty road. Cain looked around, the crimson light of the gate still fading behind them. His voice broke the stillness. "Now that we've arrived… where do we stay? And where the hell is Eric? He's running late on his errands." Fredrick crossed his arms, scanning the shadows. "Yeah, Eric should've been back by now." Just then, a flicker of orange light erupted in the air. Flames coiled together and burst open like a fiery blossom—and from within, Eric stepped out, his boots crunching against the wet ground. Smoke curled from the cigarette in his mouth as he bowed his head. "Lord Azreal," he said, his voice calm and steady. Azreal's crimson eyes gleamed faintly beneath the night sky. "You're back, Eric. How far have you gone with the arrangements?" Eric lifted his head, drawing in one long drag before exhaling smoke through his nostrils like a dragon. "Everything's ready, Lord Azreal." Laisa folded her arms with a doubtful smirk. "Everything's ready? I don't see anything ready yet. Where do we live?" Eric turned, gesturing behind them with his thumb. "Our house is right behind you." Laisa blinked. "It is?" The group turned around—and there it was, across the dimly lit street. A small two-story building stood quietly at the other side of the road. Its faded sign read "Moonlight Brew", though half the letters were chipped away. The front window glowed faintly, the warm yellow light flickering from within. Old wooden boards patched the front porch, and a single wind chime danced softly in the breeze. The street between them was cracked and wet, reflecting the moon's pale shimmer. It divided the quiet neighborhood like a thin river of glass. Fredrick tilted his head. "So… this is it?" Laisa squinted at the building, unimpressed. "But this doesn't even look like a house. What kind of place did you get us, Eric?" Lyra floated lazily above the ground, her hair and sheets drifting like smoke in the air. "Can we just get inside already? I'm tired…" Hulk stretched his arms with a groan. "Yeah, let's go." Eric smirked. "Laisa, if you don't like the house, take it up with Lord Azreal. He's the one who insisted on keeping it small." Azreal's gaze remained fixed on the flickering sign. "Yes, Laisa. Let's not draw attention to ourselves. We're here to blend in, not announce our arrival. Besides, this is only temporary. Once our mission is complete, we return." Laisa sighed, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. "Fine. If you say so." "Good," Azreal replied. "Then it's decided. Let's enter our new home." As they began to cross the road, a sharp bark split the quiet air. A black dog from a nearby alley stood with its fur raised, growling at them as if sensing something unnatural. Its eyes glowed faintly red under the streetlight. From the small house across the street, two pairs of eyes watched in terror. Carl and Caden ducked beneath the window, clutching their breath. Caden whispered harshly, "Do you think they saw us?" Carl's eyes darted toward the curtains. "I don't know… You check." Caden frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean? I was sleeping just fine until you woke me up and dragged me into this! You check it out." Carl puffed up his chest. "Fine, I will. You scaredy cat." He slowly raised his head, peeking over the curtain. His eyes widened. "Caden… they're gone." Caden shot up. "What do you mean, gone? Where did they go?" Carl's voice trembled. "How should I know? Maybe they returned to their spaceship!" Caden frowned, lowering the curtain. "We didn't see them vanish. Maybe we misunderstood something." Carl dropped the curtain completely and crossed his arms. "There's no misunderstanding, Caden. You saw what I saw! That man just appeared out of nowhere—bowed his head like a servant—and then vanished. I'm telling you, those were aliens." Caden hesitated. "Or… maybe they're controlling that man. It could be possible." Carl nodded quickly, his face full of conviction. "You're right. Either way, we need to do something about this. This is our planet. We're not letting aliens take over." Caden gulped. "Yeah, but… they're aliens. What if they eat us?" Carl smirked confidently. "Don't worry, I've got a plan." Caden gave a small nod. "Okay…" Carl whispered with determination, "Tomorrow morning, we tell everyone. We organize a search party and hunt those aliens down." Caden grinned nervously. "Yeah…" Carl raised his hand like a hero making an oath. "Those aliens won't know what hit them!" Caden lifted his hand too. "Yeah!" Follow current novels on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 Then Carl yawned and stretched. "But… right after we take a quick nap." Caden smiled. "Right." And with that, both brothers crawled back to bed, the night still humming outside—unaware that the so-called aliens were the least of what was coming for their world.