CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50 – ETERNAL NIGHT (PART 7)

Chapter 50 – Eternal Night (Part 7)

Exhaling his last breath, the man’s body went limp, collapsing into complete stillness. He was gone.

Jack slowly pulled his sword free, and to his grim surprise, the blade came out clean—no trace of blood.

’He’d already been sucked dry,’ Jack thought, staring at the weapon with a dark expression. The vines had hollowed him out, draining him from the inside until nothing was left. Death was one thing, but this kind of prolonged torture—being consumed alive—was something beyond imagination.

With a quiet exhale, Jack swung the sword to his side to clear the last of the air from its edge, then turned his attention toward Evelyn.

"Let’s go. This place is empty." His voice was steady, calm.

But Evelyn didn’t move. She remained rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on the corpse. The moment of death—the sword piercing flesh, the man’s fleeting gasp, the sudden stillness—was etched vividly in her mind.

She had seen corpses before. The invasion had scattered them across every street, every broken alley. She had even seen monsters devour the living. Yet this... this was different. She had just watched life extinguish in front of her eyes. She had just seen a person die in the hands of another person.

The image lingered, the sharp edge of reality slicing deeper than she’d expected.

Jack noticed the distant look on her face, the way her eyes unfocused. His tone sharpened.

"Evelyn."

She flinched, her body stiffening as she snapped back to reality.

"We’re leaving." His words were firm, leaving no room for hesitation.

"Ah—right." She tore her gaze away from the corpse. "Yeah, let’s go." Her voice was quiet, fragile. She gave the body one last glance, the weight of it pressing into her chest, before she turned and followed Jack down the ruined stairs.

"The entire district is covered in these vines." Jack’s voice echoed in the stairwell as they descended. "It’s safe to assume nothing alive is left here."

Evelyn nodded faintly.

"Yeah... it’s all just gone."

Jack continued, his steps deliberate against the creaking concrete. "We’ll head to the college next. If anywhere has survivors, it’s there. The walls, the gates—they could’ve held off monsters for longer than this place."

"The college..." Evelyn’s voice trailed with thought. "If we do find survivors there, what then? Should we help them get to the bunkers? Or just... leave them?"

Jack’s expression didn’t change.

"The streets are getting cleared of monsters now. Survivors could make it to the bunkers on their own." His tone was pragmatic, detached. "But if you’re asking whether I’ll lead them there myself... it depends. If I don’t find my parents, I’m moving on to the next destination. If I do, then they can follow."

His priorities were clear, sharp as steel: his parents first, then his growth. Strangers—survivors—weren’t his responsibility.

Evelyn heard it in his tone and didn’t argue. She didn’t even know if survivors existed there anymore. Hope was scarce, and the silence of the world pressed heavily on her thoughts.

"There will be some things we need to do befo—"

Jack’s words cut short.

Swish

A sudden wave of energy swept through the air. It hit them like a violent tide, crashing without warning. The sheer overwhelming power of it rattling his entire body as if it was made out of air.

The stairwell groaned as if the air itself had weight and the entire building shook visibly.

Both Jack and Evelyn were thrown off balance, tumbling violently down the steps.

BANG

"Agh!!" Jack’s back slammed against the landing. His body convulsed, eyes widening as an overwhelming surge of Essence crashed into him from every direction. It was suffocating, pressing into his very bones, as if he were being crushed alive. He couldn’t even resist it as the intense enegry tried to seep into his body and wreck him from the inside.

Beside him, Evelyn hit the ground hard. She curled in on herself, gasping as her face twisted with pain. The energy crawled across her skin like burning needles, stabbing her from the inside out.

"W-what... is this?!" she gasped, her voice trembling through clenched teeth.

"Jack!"

Lune darted to her master in a flash of panic—then froze midair. Her golden eyes narrowed sharply, her expression shifting as her senses caught something vast, something unnatural.

"..."

It was subtle at first—barely noticeable. The light dimmed, shadows stretching unnaturally across the cracked walls. Then it grew.

The sunlight vanished, swallowed one ray at a time. The warmth of day dissipated, replaced by a chilling cold that sank deep into their bones.

Jack’s body spasmed as he tried to move. Through gritted teeth, his gaze lifted, straining against the waves of Essence until he glimpsed it—

Darkness.

Not just the absence of light, but an all-consuming void that swallowed the sky.

’What... is happening?! Where is this energy coming from?!’ His thoughts clawed against the pain. His hand slammed against the cracked floor as he forced his body upright, every movement a battle against invisible chains. His muscles screamed, his nerves alight like fire.

He staggered to his feet, his back pressed against the wall for support.

"Lune..." His voice was strained, his breathing harsh. "What’s going on? What the hell is this?"

But Lune didn’t answer. She hovered toward a shattered window, her face set in a rare expression of sharp focus.

And then she saw it.

Her crimson eyes widened. "My lord..." she breathed, almost in disbelief.

"J-Jack..." Evelyn’s voice quivered as she forced herself up, leaning against the railing for balance. Her whole body shook from the Essence’s pressure. "Are you—are you okay?"

"Somewhat..." His voice was hoarse. He stumbled toward the same window, driven by the same unshakable dread.

What greeted him stole his words.

"...Night?" His voice cracked softly.

The world outside was no longer day. Above stretched a vast, endless night sky—black and bottomless, scattered with countless stars. It was beautiful in its own way, but unnatural, horrifying in its suddenness.

And at the center of that sky hung a moon, eclipsed in shadow. Its surface was pitch black, encircled by a blood-red glow. The air seemed to pulse with its presence, the aura seeping into the bones of the world.

The entire city was wrapped in night.

"How...?" Jack whispered, his mind spiraling. None of it made sense. None of it should be possible.

"What an interesting way to discover they can do this," Lune murmured, her tone more serious than usual, her face carved from stone.

Jack’s eyes snapped to her. "What? Discover what? What are you talking about?"

Lune blinked once, slowly, before she turned back to him.

"This sky... It’s unique. You can only find it in one place in Aevum—the Eternal Night region. Nowhere else in the world."

Jack froze, his stomach sinking.

"Wait—" He lifted a hand, trying to piece the fragments together. "Eternal Night? What is that doing he—"

The realization struck him hard, his breath catching. His eyes widened, horror dawning.

"Are you saying...?"

"Yes." Lune’s voice was calm, but there was weight to it. "It seems Eternal Night clan has gained the ability to alter the sky itself. Perhaps more than that. The wave of Essence was not something any normal atmosphere could produce. This is on another level entirely."

Her tone was clinical, but Jack could see even she was unsettled.

’This is what he meant...’ Jack’s mind spun. ’When he said to make it part of the domain... it wasn’t just that. It wasn’t just territory. He literally meant to change reality itself. To reshape this city into his own. To turn it into Eternal Night.’

The name wasn’t just symbolic—it was literal. Born in the night. Thriving in the night. Dominating through the night. That was what Eternal Night clan was about and only at that moment did Jack start to realize what the name meant.

Now, their domain wasn’t just land. It was darkness.

An endless, unyielding night.

"Jack... What is going on?" Evelyn’s voice broke, strained with fear and exhaustion. She looked at him desperately, searching for an answer. "What the hell is happening?!"

Jack stared back at her, but words didn’t come. His throat was dry, his thoughts a storm of confusion.

Then—

Thump.

A wet, sickening noise broke the silence.

Thump. Thump.

Jack turned sharply, his eyes falling on the vines.

All around, the crimson tendrils pulsed violently, twitching with unnatural speed.

Then, in perfect unison, they began to move.

No longer sluggish. No longer creeping.

They surged.

And their target was clear.

Jack and Evelyn.