Five years ago, a gigantic mirror appeared without warning in a forest outside Beijing.
It towered over the trees, standing as tall as a ten-story building.
The government immediately dispatched an elite team of soldiers and scientists to investigate the mysterious object.
Officer Zhang stood before the mirror, staring at its pitch-black surface.
It reflected absolutely nothing—not even the light around it.
He turned toward the lead scientist, his brows drawn together.
“Did it really appear here out of nowhere?
No footprints or equipment?”
The scientist shook his head, staring at the readings on his device in disbelief.
“Yes, sir.
There isn’t a single trace on the ground.
What’s even stranger is that our equipment can’t detect its presence at all.
It’s as if there’s nothing there!”
Zhang waved his hand.
“Examine it manually.”
One of the scientists cautiously stepped forward and raised a small scanning device toward the black surface.
The moment the device touched the mirror, the temperature around them plummeted.
The air grew unnaturally still, as though the entire forest had fallen silent.
The scientist immediately pulled back.
“Sir!
The equipment is shutting down!”
A thunderous crack suddenly erupted from the center of the mirror.
The ground shook violently beneath their feet.
“Fall back!
Everyone, move!” Officer Zhang shouted.
But it was already too late.
A dark creature crawled through the black crack on all fours.
It had no trace of human features.
Its eyes were completely white, and its mouth was packed with razor-sharp teeth.
Then it screamed.
The piercing shriek tore through the forest and seemed to rip straight through their eardrums.
“Open fire!” Zhang shouted, drawing his weapon.
A storm of bullets ripped through the air.
The creature vanished from where it stood.
In the blink of an eye, it lunged at the first soldier.
Its claws tore through his armor and flesh as though they were nothing.
Then the real nightmare began.
Dozens more creatures poured through the mirror behind it, flooding into the forest like a black tide.
Within minutes, the peaceful woods had become a bloody slaughterhouse.
Over the next five years, humanity learned what true terror meant.
They discovered the rules of the mirror through countless deaths.
The creatures couldn’t stand light, and they only emerged under the cover of darkness.
But their appearance wasn’t the most horrifying part.
It was the way they killed.
When a child fell into their grasp, the creatures devoured them alive.
Adults, however, met a far stranger fate.
They simply disappeared.
No blood.
No body.
Nothing.
Only a pile of cold ash remained where they had once stood.
No one understood why the creatures treated children and adults differently.
No one knew where the people who turned to ash actually went.
Humanity had no choice but to adapt.
Governments created special military units known as the Night Guards, while cities began sealing their massive steel gates as soon as the sun went down.
Every night became a fight for survival.
One evening, the residents of the city hurried to lock their doors and retreat into their homes.
Shops closed early.
Traffic vanished from the streets.
Not a single person remained outside.
Everyone knew what darkness meant.
It meant the creatures were coming.
Inside a house in one of the city’s neighborhoods, twenty-year-old Adrian sat with his mother, father, and his ten-year-old younger brother, Philip.
They were preparing for bed, completely unaware that the next few hours would change their lives forever.
A deafening crash suddenly erupted outside.
The entire house shook.
Everyone turned toward the noise, but before they could understand what was happening, part of the door shattered inward.
Several black creatures burst into the house.
“Adrian!
Take your mother and protect Philip!” Adrian’s father shouted.
More creatures poured inside, their numbers increasing with every second.
His father stepped forward and fought to keep them away from his family while Adrian rushed toward Philip and pulled him into his arms.
Adrian tried to reach his father, but when he looked back, he saw him surrounded.
There was no way through.
“Dad!
Come with us!” Adrian shouted.
“Go, Adrian!” his father yelled through the chaos.
“Protect your mother and your brother!”
Adrian hesitated.
Then he turned away.
He had no choice.
Carrying Philip in his arms, he rushed upstairs with his mother close behind.
He entered one of the rooms and slammed the door shut.
After placing Philip on the floor, Adrian crouched beside him.
“Hide under the bed.
Don’t come out, no matter what happens.”
Philip immediately crawled underneath.
Their mother remained frozen in the corner, overwhelmed by fear.
Adrian stepped toward her.
“Don’t worry, Mom.
Dad will be fine.”
Before she could answer, the door suddenly shook.
Adrian spun around.
He grabbed his baseball bat and tightened his grip.
The door exploded inward.
The creatures rushed into the room.
Adrian raised the bat and swung with all his strength.
“Stay back!”
They attacked from every direction.
Adrian kept swinging, refusing to let them get any closer.
Their claws struck him again and again, sending him crashing to the floor more than once.
But every time he fell, he forced himself back onto his feet.
He kept fighting.
He kept protecting his mother and brother.
His mother stood pressed against the corner of the room.
Then one of the creatures turned toward her.
Adrian’s eyes widened.
“Mom, run!”
She immediately rushed out of the room.
A moment later, her screams echoed from outside.
Adrian froze.
“Mom!”
Panic surged through him.
Then the security forces stormed into the house.
Gunfire erupted through the room as the soldiers opened fire on the creatures.
Several were shot down, while the remaining creatures began retreating.
One by one, they fled the house.
And for a brief moment, silence returned.
Adrian struggled to his feet, wounds covering his arms and face, but he barely felt them.
He stumbled out of the room, his eyes desperately searching for his mother.
He reached the middle of the house and suddenly stopped.
His mother was lying on the floor.
For a few seconds, Adrian simply stared at her.
Then he rushed forward and dropped to his knees.
He took her hand between both of his and gently shook it.
“Mom…
Mom, open your eyes.”
She didn’t move.
He shook her hand again.
“Mom, I’m here…
Please, open your eyes.”
Nothing.
His voice trembled.
“Mom…”
Still no response.
Adrian suddenly raised his head, as though he had just remembered something.
His eyes swept across the house.
“Dad?”
He couldn’t find him.
Ignoring the pain, Adrian forced himself to his feet and searched the room.
Then he saw it.
A pile of ash lay on the floor.
Adrian stopped.
He stared at it for a long moment before taking one slow step forward.
Then another.
His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.
He reached toward the ash, but stopped just before his fingers touched it.
His entire body began to shake.
“No…”
He clenched his teeth, desperately trying to hold back his tears.
It didn’t work.
“No…
Dad…”
Adrian bent forward and buried his face in his hands.
The tears came pouring out.
He no longer cared about the soldiers moving around him.
He didn’t care about the blood covering his body or the creatures that had escaped the house.
All he could see was his mother lying lifeless on the floor.
And the pile of ash where his father had once stood.
“There are survivors!” one of the soldiers shouted as he searched through the house.
Another soldier approached Adrian and crouched beside him.
“Are you okay, kid?”
Adrian looked up at him.
No words came out.
A few moments later, another soldier appeared, carrying Philip in his arms.
The moment Philip saw his brother, he rushed toward him.
“Adrian…”
Adrian didn’t answer.
He simply pulled Philip into a tight embrace and closed his eyes as tears continued running down his face.
The soldier watched the two brothers for a moment.
“Come on.
Let’s get you out of here.”
Adrian kept his arms wrapped around Philip.
Before standing, however, he turned his head one last time.
His eyes fell on his mother.
Then on the pile of ash left behind by his father.
He said nothing.
He simply stared.
Several days had passed since the attack, but Adrian still couldn’t escape the memory of that night.
After losing their parents, he and Philip moved in with their grandfather, their mother’s father, who became their guardian.
That night, the house was quiet.
Philip sat on the couch watching TV while Adrian stood by the window, staring at the empty streets outside.
One shop after another was closing for the night.
Soon, Night Guard patrols appeared throughout the streets, preparing for another night.
Adrian placed his hand against the glass and watched them in silence.
His grandfather noticed him standing there and walked over.
“Adrian, what are you looking at?”
“The guards,” Adrian replied without taking his eyes off the street.
His grandfather looked outside.
“What about them?”
Adrian finally turned toward him.
“I want to join them.”
His grandfather’s expression changed immediately.
“What did you say?”
“I want to become a Night Guard,” Adrian said firmly.
His grandfather stepped closer, his expression growing serious.
“Adrian, you know how dangerous that job is.
Those creatures killed your parents right in front of you.”
Adrian clenched his fist.
“That’s exactly why I want to join.”
He fell silent for a moment, then glanced toward Philip sitting on the couch.
“I don’t want what happened to us to happen to someone else.”
He turned back to his grandfather.
“If there had been someone there who could protect my parents that night, maybe things would’ve been different.”
His grandfather opened his mouth to respond, but Adrian continued.
“I can’t change what happened, but I can stop it from happening again.”
His grandfather lowered his gaze for a moment.
“And what about Philip?”
Adrian looked at his brother.
Then he walked over and placed a hand on his head.
“I’ll protect him.”
Philip looked up at him, worry filling his eyes.
“Big brother…
Are you really going to fight those monsters?”
Adrian gave him a small smile.
“I won’t let them get anywhere near you.”
His grandfather continued staring at him.
He already knew the decision had been made.
“If you’re determined to do this,” he said quietly, “then you need to understand that the road ahead won’t be easy.”
Adrian raised his eyes.
“I’m ready.”
Outside, sirens began blaring, signaling the start of the nightly curfew.
The lights of the Night Guards moved through the streets as the city prepared for another night.
Adrian watched them in silence.
Then, deep inside, he made himself a promise.
“I won’t let another night like that happen.”
The next morning, Adrian sat alone in the yard, tying his shoes as he prepared to leave.
His decision had already been made.
He had no intention of backing down.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
“So you really made up your mind.”
Adrian turned around.
Dan stood by the gate.
Adrian smiled.
“Dan?
What are you doing here?”
Dan walked over.
“I heard you want to join the Night Guards.”
Adrian looked at him in surprise.
“Who told you?”
Dan sat down beside him and looked at him seriously.
“Adrian, are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” Adrian answered without hesitation.
“Even after what happened to your parents?”
Adrian fell silent for a moment.
Then he answered,
“Because of what happened to them.”
Dan stared at him without saying a word.
Adrian continued,
“I know I might not be able to protect everyone, but I’m not going to stand by and watch those creatures kill more people.”
A faint smile appeared on Dan’s face.
“I knew you’d say something like that.”
Adrian looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
Dan stood up and held out his hand.
“If you’re going to become a Night Guard, then I’m joining too.”
Adrian stared at his hand in surprise.
“You?”
Dan laughed.
“Don’t look at me like that.
You really think I’m going to let you go off alone and fight those things?”
For the first time since the attack, Adrian smiled.
He grabbed Dan’s hand and pulled himself to his feet.
“Fine…
But don’t regret it once the training starts.”
Dan grinned confidently.
“Me?
Regret it?
You’re the one who’s going to regret this when you realize you’ll have to compete with me.”
Adrian laughed.
“We’ll see.”
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