3. Signs in the Sky

Han Juho rushed out of the apartment, knowing it wouldn't be safe to stay there for much longer as he started running towards the central city of Seoul, where the area would be more expansive.

Around him, buildings started to crumble. Some were now also on the verge of collapse, making it dangerous to stay near them.

His mind spun with questions. A monster, like the one from the novel? The thought was ridiculous. Something like that shouldn't be possible in real life.

The scene around him was in total chaos as Juho tried to avoid bumping into someone. Several police officers were present, trying to calm and evacuate the civilians to a safe place, but as the crowd grew larger, their efforts became increasingly difficult.

"Kyaaa-!"

A sharp, sudden scream from nowhere snapped Juho out of his thoughts. He stopped and turned, following the onlookers' gazes. Then he spotted a young woman frozen in fear, clutching her grandmother, while a monster was heading straight... towards them?!

His heart was racing. The monster loomed large, its bloodshot eyes and twisted appearance sending shivers down his spine.

A police officer rushed forward to move the woman, while others backed up, shouting and waving their batons, but even they hesitated when the creature bared its fangs to intimidate them.

"Hey! Move!" Juho shouted, stepping forward and waving his arms to get her attention. Still, there was no response, the woman seemed completely blank, while the grandmother...

He paused. He wasn't sure why, but something about her unsettled him. Shouldn't she be panicking? Juho scratched his neck, glancing repeatedly between the woman and the monster, which was slowly getting closer.

"Ah, what should I do?" he mumbled under his breath, worried.

'Can't someone just drag them out of the way?' he thought in frustration. 'Why does it have to be so complicated?' Deep down, Juho knew he had no right to say that when he hadn't done much to help, at least not yet.

He should have just run. But... Juho nervously brought a finger to his lips, tapping against them. Something inside told him to help, even as his instincts urged him to flee. He knew stepping in might put him in danger, but he want to try.

Juho looked around, searching for anything he could use against the monster. If he found nothing, he would just stray off, seriously.

After scanning his surroundings, Juho picked up a piece of debris. He took a few deep breaths before launching it as hard as he could at the monster.

Thud

Despite the distance, he managed to land a headshot. Juho wasn't sure if the debris had any effect on the monster at all, considering its massive size. Still, a small smile tugged on his face, he'd never felt so proud of himself until now.

Then, without a word, he turned and fled the scene. Who cares? He had already done what he could. Now, the only thing that mattered was running first!

He ran in the opposite direction from the woman and her grandmother, shouting to the people around him, urging them to get away as quickly as possible. He felt a little embarrassed, but he quickly pushed the thought aside. Surely they wouldn't mind, he just wanted to warn them for their own good, that's all.

Juho had no idea which way he was running now. This was absolutely the craziest thing that had ever happened to him. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode, and his legs were shaking as he forced them to keep moving.

He couldn't help but think that years ago, back when he was still in 11th grade, he had been known as the fastest runner in every school event.

Especially this one time when he skipped school with his friends to go to an internet cafe... only to get caught by the school's disciplinary team, who apparently had a friend who worked at the cafe. (Professional only, don't try.)

But even with that past experience kicking in, he was on the verge of exhaustion. Does the monster have a grudge against him?

Juho risked a glance over his shoulder, and his heart sank even further as he saw the monster trying to push through the crowd, its bloodshot eyes locked onto him. It was probably vengeful after getting hit by the debris he had thrown.

A resigned smile crept onto his lips. Oh well, if he got caught... at least he gave it his best, and his parents would be proud of him, he knew they would. Fortunately, after what felt like an eternity, the sound of heavy footsteps slowly faded away.

Juho's breathing was shallow and rapid as he stumbled into an alleyway, leaning against the wall to steady himself. The dust in the air irritated his throat as he struggled to inhale.

"Did I really outrun it?" He mumbled to himself, relief washed over him, though his heart still pounded harshly in his chest.

Unfortunately, that relief doesn't last as long as he hoped. A sudden loud crash erupted from above, making him stiffen on the spot. He didn't even have time to enjoy the moment, trouble was following him wherever he went.

When Juho glanced upward, he was dumbfounded. A swarm of drone flew past him, slamming into buildings. Some targeted civilians, spreading chaos wherever they landed.

"...Ridiculous," he muttered as he continued to move forward, forcing himself to look away. His face turned grim as a wave of helplessness washed over him. Don't tell him zombie apocalypse are coming next.

With a shaky breath, Juho pushed himself off the wall and straightened up, preparing himself for whatever was coming next. As if the monster wasn't enough, now these drones were also causing destruction. It almost felt like some kind of coordinated attack.

A lot of debris fell to the ground as Juho continued to move, trying his best to avoid it. After a while, once he was far from the place he had just left, his body stiffened slightly every now and then whenever he was too close to a crowd of people.

Wherever he went, he saw small fires burning, caused by the drones hitting the buildings with a boom and scraping against the surface structures.

Juho was lost in thought, even as the situation around him grew more dire. His body continued to move on instinct, but his mind wandered. Where did these drones come from? They couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, someone had to be behind this. But how could he be sure?

The air was thick with dust, and the sound of siren echoes everywhere. People shoved past each other as some fell and tripped, crying for help.

He couldn't stop running, at least not yet. With every step he took, his expression became more solemn, fear creeping at the edge of his mind as he wondered if his family was safe or not.

-Half an hour later-

The chaos had disoriented his head so badly, he didn't even realize he'd arrived near the center of Seoul. Suddenly, dizziness hit him, accompanied by a strange pressure that seemed to appear out of nowhere, making it harder to breathe.

Juho stumble forward, his knees nearly buckling as his vision blurred. He coughed, one hand supporting against his knee to steady himself.

For a brief moment, everything stopped. The drones in the sky, which had been attacking relentlessly just moments ago, abruptly came to a stop. Then slowly, they began to withdraw, moving toward another part of the city.

Juho watched in bewilderment as he followed their movement until the drones disappeared from view. Were they... retreating? That didn't make any sense.

He stood still for a moment, catching his breath. Then he slowly straightened up after steadying himself, brushing the dust off his clothes with a quick pat.

With a sigh, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly. To him, moments like this always meant one thing:

Something worse was coming.

Nearby, a man's panicked voice broke the silence. "What the hell is happening?!"

His friend stepped in, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "You need to calm down, people are looking at us," he said, trying to reason with him.

But the man shoved his friend away. "Get off me!" he snapped, his eyes darting around in panic.

The sharp tone caught Juho's attention. Curious, he cast a glance at their interaction. The man looks like he was too shaken to register help, and honestly, who could blame him?

For some reason, the sun shone brighter than usual, casting an almost unnatural light over the burning city. Juho shielded his eyes and squinted against the sunlight. But despite the brightness, he noticed that the atmosphere seemed to grow heavier.

A faint murmuring brought him back to his senses. He looked around and saw several people whispering and pointing nervously to the sky.

"Look! Up there!" One of them shouted.

Juho followed their gaze, trying to see through the thin fog as well, adjusting his glasses. At first he thought it was a drone or some kind of monster. But then he froze.

It wasn't like what he thought about. It was... a person?

No wings, no wires that are usually used in a movie, and no machine to hold it up. Just a figure floating in the sky, dressed in a flowing white robe with intricate patterns on it, untouched by the chaos below.

Suddenly, a rich laugh reverberated across Seoul, and people who were shocked by it turned their heads toward the source of the sound.

A haunting smile spread across their lips as they examined the chaotic world like a twisted stage created especially for them. Their skin was pale, almost glowing, contrasting with the black hair that framed a captivating-like face.

Out of sudden, the nearby billboards flickered without warning.

Bzzt-bzzt-zzrrt.

The sound of the disturbance was like a surge of electricity before it finally stabilized. And there it was, that same face, now displayed on every glowing screen, on every panel that still survived the flames and havoc.

Hundreds of identical faces flashed across the city's screens, each of their smiles are all the same. Mocking.

Juho's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't out of admiration, but fear. Though something about the sight kept him from looking away.

The figure above tilted their head slightly, surveying the chaos with what looked like amusement. Even from this distance, their presence was magnetic and... otherworldly.

The figure clapped their hands to catch everyone's attention and spread their arms wide. "Welcome, my dear guests," he hummed, his voice sounding strangely pleasant in one's ears. "Before we begin today's... activities, it would be rude of me not to introduce myself."

He paused, letting the silence make everyone hold their breath. With a graceful motion, he placed a hand over his chest, savoring the moment. "Lucian Caelum," he finally said, smiling with his eyes. "A pleasure to be your host in this delightful pandemonium."

Juho froze. Hold on a second... He looked up at the man once more. Lucian Caelum? He gulped and instinctively took a step back. Something about that name felt eerily familiar to his ears

Isn't he the main antagonist of Villain Overkill?!

The sound of birds flapping their wings passed through the sky. With that, Lucian chuckled, a low, sinister one. A lazy smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his gaze swept across the crowd. "I trust the journey has been... thrilling."

"But this," he said, gesturing to the confusion around them, his head tilted ever so slightly in amusement. "Is only the beginning. Shall we dive deeper into this beautiful nightmare together?" His chest rumbled with a dark laugh, relishing the fear he was causing.

It is him. Juho clenched his fists, frowning. A sense of dread churned in his stomach. He had a really bad feeling about this.

Lucian's dramatic entrance, the chilling aura. It was all too familiar, like what he'd read in Villain Overkill. Especially that unforgettable entrance that had captivated both the characters and the readers.

And now, Juho realized that he wasn't just a reader anymore, but part of the story he had once read on his phone.

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