CANADA — Year 3054
The dawn wind whistled through the pines as Noah opened the window of his small apartment in the town of Yellowknife. It was early winter, yet the cold felt different from usual. He watched the sun rise and stretched his arm outside; the wind brushed against his skin as if it recognized his blood.
"Easy," he murmured, extending his hand as though trying to grasp something invisible.
Tiny particles of frost formed on his palm, swirling into silver patterns that hovered just above his skin. It was a simple trick—basic for anyone from the ÓBroin family. But Noah was the only one living in Canada… and the only one who had never wanted to inherit his family's responsibilities.
He exhaled slowly and let the ice fade away.
His phone vibrated on the table. His Aunt Maeve was calling from Ireland, where the rest of the family lived.
He answered."Hello, Aunt. How have you been? Did you feel the disturbance this morning?"
"If you felt it, don't ignore it," his aunt said sharply. "I believe the seal is weakening."
Noah frowned. He had felt something—a pressure in the air, like a distant shockwave—but he had assumed it came from an explosion at the mine near the workers' housing complex.
"Not again," he muttered, reaching for his jacket.
He had tried to live a normal life. He worked at the mine, attended night classes, and kept his distance from his family—the same family tasked with protecting the truth that connected the modern world to the ancient one, ensuring that the catastrophic war fought millennia ago would never be revealed, and bearing a burden far greater than any ordinary existence.
After a moment of hesitation, he replied,"—Are you sure?"
"—Yes," his aunt answered gravely. "It has been twelve years since they sacrificed themselves to reactivate the seal."
"—I just want to live like a normal young man."
"—You know that isn't possible," she said. "You should return to Ireland. If you are with us, we can protect you—and if the worst happens, help you escape."
Noah swallowed."—I'll think about it. I have to go now. I'm late for work."
They said goodbye, and the call ended.
Noah put on his jacket, grabbed his thermos—already filled with coffee—and left his apartment. As he walked toward the station to catch the bus that transported the workers to the mine, a familiar thought echoed in his mind:
Why must descendants carry the weight of their ancestors?So many lives are ruined by bloodlines and surnames.I never asked for this.
The office and parking lot where the workers boarded the buses were only ten minutes away. Noah made that walk every day.
But today, something felt wrong.
His coworkers walked casually, unaware of anything unusual, yet Noah felt a strange vibration beneath the ground—a rhythmic pulse, like a distant echo. It was the same sensation he had felt on that terrible day.
Then he saw it.
A gray figure stood before him, staring directly into his eyes. Its presence was overwhelming. It had a humanoid shape, but its eyes were completely white, lacking pupils. The moment Noah met its gaze, his body froze. Every muscle locked in place as sharp pain pierced his chest, and a chill ran down his spine.
The creature smiled sinisterly, and the air around them grew colder. A dark crack opened behind it.
This can't be happening, Noah thought. Someone tried to break the seal again.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears as the creature stepped forward. It was not human—something writhed beneath its skin. Two tentacle-like appendages erupted from its back.
Noah stumbled backward and raised his right hand. A beam of ice burst forth, crackling like electricity. It struck the ground between them, carving a glowing line so bright the creature was forced to close its eyes. In a split second, the line rose upward, forming a towering wall of ice that separated them.
The creature opened its eyes, stared at the frozen barrier, and spoke in a distorted voice,"Found."
A deep growl followed, strong enough to make Noah's ears ache.
The people around him noticed nothing.
To them, Noah was simply a terrified young man staring at empty space. They saw no ice, heard no growls, and perceived no tentacled shadows or eyeless face. Then, without warning, a sound like thousands of glass shards shattering filled the air, and a violent wind—strong as a tornado—lashed everything around them.
"This can't be happening," Noah whispered in horror.
The barrier separating this world from the dimension where those creatures were imprisoned had been destroyed.
The moment the ice wall formed, Noah ran.
He sprinted with all his strength, his breath burning in his lungs, his heart racing. His life was in immediate danger. If that creature had found him, it meant only one thing: the seal had broken, and the Kartnod family had been released from their confinement.
As he ran toward his apartment, his phone rang again. With trembling hands, he answered—it was his aunt.
"Noah, listen carefully. You are no longer safe. The seal is broken, and the Kartnod family is being released."
"I know!" he shouted while running. "I'm being chased by a Claimoor!"
"You must escape at any cost," his aunt cried. "You have to reach that place, no matter how you do it. And remember—no matter what or who you must sacrifice, they must never capture you. You are our last hope."
"Our entire family is under attack."
Noah yelled back,"Then this means the world as we know it will cease to exist!"
"You must survive—no matter what," his aunt said again, but the call abruptly cut off.