Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday

A sharp crack tore through the silent streets as space twisted violently, distorting the air above the ruined cityscape.

Dark energy rippled through it before swirling into a vortex of shadow and violet light. The barrier between realms weakened just enough for seven figures to step through before the portal snapped shut behind them, leaving behind only the faintest trace of lingering magic.

The moment their boots touched the snow covered ground, an overwhelming stench assaulted their senses - it was of decay, rot, and death.

The streets were littered with the corpses of the infected. Some were motionless, while others were twitching as they crawled mindlessly through the ruins.

Dilapidated buildings were looming all around them, with their glass windows shattered and their structures barely standing. Vehicles, rusted and abandoned, were scattered along the roads, some overturned while others covered in dried blood and snow.

A certain man from the group, a tall man with silver streaks running through his dark hair, inhaled deeply. His sharp gray eyes narrowing as he surveyed the scene. "So, this is what became of Earth." @@novelbin@@

The woman beside him, wrapped in flowing red robes, curled her lips in disgust. "Humans are truly pathetic. They let their own world crumble to this."

At that very moment, a sharp growl echoed through the air, followed by the eerie chorus of snarls and shuffling feet.

It seemed like the city still had infected lurking around, and they had noticed them.

A horde of undead emerged from the shadows, drawn to the fresh presence of something alive. Their lifeless, clouded eyes were gleaming, and their bodies were twitching unnaturally as they staggered toward the group.

Some were dragging their broken limbs slong, while others were moving disturbingly fast, their decayed muscles were still functional enough to propel them forward.

The youngest of the seven, a broad-shouldered man with dark markings trailing down his arms, rolled his neck, unimpressed. "Hmph. Pathetic." His hand twitched, and tendrils of dark energy crackled at his fingertips. "Shall we?"

Without waiting for a response, he lifted his hand.

The first wave of infected barely had time to take another step before they were incinerated.

A pulse of shadow erupted from the man’s palm, spiraling outward in jagged arcs. Every undead caught in its path shrieked in agony as their bodies twisted violently, turning to ash before they even hit the ground. Stay updated through NovelBin.Côm

Another man raised his hand and summoned a web of electric energy. Blue lightning crackled to life, spearing through the remaining creatures, leaving behind only the faint scent of burning flesh.

The woman in red sighed as she adjusted the cuff of her sleeve. "Hardly a challenge."

With a flick of her wrist, the air shimmered and dozens of invisible blades sliced through the remaining infected, making their heads roll across the pavement as their bodies collapsed in heaps of decayed flesh.

The battle - if it could even be called that - was over in mere seconds.

The leader of the group, the man with gray eyes, watched dispassionately as the last of the creatures crumbled into dust. "A waste of time," he muttered. Then, turning to the woman in red, he commanded, "Nerissa, find them."

She nodded and reached into her robes to pull out a dark crystal orb. As she cradled it in her palms, the orb pulsed with an eerie glow, the swirling darkness within shifting and twisting as if alive. Murmuring an incantation under her breath, her eyes briefly flashed red as she connected her consciousness to the artifact.

The rest of the group remained silent and watched as she worked.

A moment passed.

Then another.

The orb flickered as the energy inside it trembled violently.

But then... nothing.

The swirling darkness settled, leaving behind an empty void.

Nerissa’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Damn it."

The man with the scarred face stepped forward, frowning. "What happened?"

"Their signatures..." Nerissa exhaled sharply and her hold on the orb tightened. "... they are gone."

The younger man furrowed his brows. "Gone? What do you mean gone? That’s impossible."

Nerissa’s hands curled into fists. "There should at least be traces of them. Even if they were killed, their energy should linger. But there’s nothing. It’s like they vanished completely."

Silence fell over the group.

The leader’s gaze darkened. "Try again," he ordered.

This time, the man in the high-collared coat pulled out his own enchanted relic - a golden disc engraved with ancient runes. He ran his fingers over its surface, whispering a string of incantations. The runes pulsed faintly before releasing a thin, golden thread of energy into the air, stretching outward like a seeking tendril.

Seconds passed and the golden thread flickered. Wavered slightly. But then, like a candle being snuffed out, it disappeared.

His expression turned grim. "It’s no use. There’s nothing."

The scarred man scowled. "That’s not possible. The first scout group undoubtedly came here. We should at least be able to sense their remains."

"Unless..." Nerissa’s voice was quiet, her gaze dark with realization. "... someone took them down and erased their presence completely from this world."

Her words hung heavily in the air.

For a long moment, no one spoke. Then, the youngest among them scoffed. "Tch. Weaklings. If they couldn’t survive this pathetic world, they deserved to die."

Nerissa shot him a sharp look. "Don’t be a fool. They were some of our strongest scouts. They wouldn’t have fallen to mere humans or these pathetic creatures."

The leader’s gray eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Then something else killed them."

A heavier silence settled over the group at that thought.

After a pause, the scarred man crossed his arms. "What now? We still need the jade ring. And Rune."

The leader was quiet for a moment before his lips curled into a slow, calculating smile.

"We keep looking," he said, his voice smooth, assured. "For Rune. For the ring. And for our missing people."

His gaze flickered toward the ruined skyline, his smirk deepening.

"And if we don’t find them... we’ll simply tear this world apart until we do."

Because they didn’t have the option of failing in this mission. If they wanted to stay alive, they needed to find their lost people.

With that, the group disappeared into the shadows of the city, their hunt far from over.