4:00PM

Who I'm I

Where am I? I asked myself as I floated in a deep, endless darkness. There was no light in sight as far as my eyes could see.

"Is there anyone here?!" I screamed the same words over and over. "Anyone here?!"

There was no sense of time in this place, but it felt like I had been calling out for hours with no response.

Then I saw something strange — a dark flame burning silently, fixed at one single point in the void. I reached out to touch it.

"STOP."

A massive being emerged from the darkness. Its eyes glowed golden, and its body was enormous, far beyond anything I had seen in real life.

"Who are you?" I asked, staring up at the dark entity.

"That is the wrong question to ask, Chris," it replied. "You already know who I am, don’t you?"

Its voice alone made my body tremble. Goosebumps covered my skin and refused to leave.

"No, I don’t know you. How do I get out of here?" I asked desperately.

"You still haven’t answered me, Chris. Who am I?"

"I don’t know who you are! Just show me the way out of here, please." I dropped to both knees.

"WHO AM I, CHRIS?"

"Like I said earlier… I… don’t… know."

The dark being suddenly shrank to my size and came close.

"Now who am I?"

"Darkness," I answered, looking straight into its eyes.

"WRONG!"

A massive headache exploded inside my skull. I groaned, spit dripping from my mouth.

"I will allow you to leave now because you still have something to protect," the being said. "But the next time you appear here, you will answer my question."

The dark being vanished instantly.

"Take the flame with you. It will help you protect what is important."

Its voice echoed all around me. I quickly grabbed the dark flame. Without warning, it scattered and rushed into my veins. I screamed in agony as my mind felt like it was tearing apart.

"Brother!! Help me!!"

The voice yanked me out of the darkness.

---

I woke with a violent gasp for air. I was still lying on the ground in the parking lot. The smell of dust and demon blood filled my nostrils.

Slowly, I rose to my feet. My legs shook slightly and my vision doubled. I took deep, slow breaths to steady myself.

"Leave me alone," a familiar voice resonated in my head.

I looked out from the parking lot and saw demons dragging my family away. My sisters’ screams echoed desperately for help.

With no hesitation and no fear, my legs moved at incredible speed. The ground cracked beneath me as I charged through the rain.

The first demon that spotted me hurled hundreds of sharp stones in my direction. I dodged most of them, but two sank deep into my left arm. Ignoring the pain, I closed the distance and drove my demon sword straight into its heart.

"Brother, help us!" Jubi screamed as the demons dragged them toward the gate. I chased after them immediately, blood pouring uncontrollably from my wounded arm. The pain was intense, but family came first — even before my own survival.

I sprinted forward, cutting down every demon in my path.

Finally, I caught up. The demons had released my family and now turned their full attention to me.

The rain poured without mercy. My breathing was heavy, my legs trembling from exhaustion, not fear. Eight demons stood before me. Seven had yellow eyes, while the one in the middle had mixed yellow and black eyes.

I took a deep breath and assumed my stance. These ones were clearly stronger, faster, and smarter than the others I had faced.

The first yellow-eyed demon dashed at me with unreal speed. Its strikes were powerful and precise. I could only defend. One mistake cost me — it sent me flying with the back of its blade. I crashed into the fence, air exploding from my lungs as blood dripped from my nose. My arms trembled uncontrollably while my family called out to me.

My ears went numb. I couldn’t hear anything, but I felt their cries in my heart.

*It doesn’t matter what demon I face.*

Slowly, I got back to my feet, gripping my sword tightly. "I will not let them harm my family."

I took my stance again. My blood boiled as the rain evaporated off my body on contact. I closed my eyes.

I felt the demon approaching at the same blinding speed. This time, when it brought its blade down toward my head, I saw the attack clearly. I deflected the strike and sliced its body cleanly into two halves.

**THUD.**

It dropped dead to the ground.