Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The newborn stars began turning black.

One after another, their golden light vanished beneath spreading shadows.

Victoria Kane stood beneath the white gateway, the Living Dawn burning within her heart.

"What is happening?"

Nox’Rath stared into the darkness.

"The Void is awakening."

The seven Judges remained motionless.

For the first time, their enormous eyes seemed uncertain.

Dr. Evelyn Brooks noticed immediately.

"The Judges are afraid."

Everyone looked at her.

"If they created the trial..."

"Then something beyond their authority must be coming."

The white gateway suddenly trembled.

A deep pulse crossed the heavens.

Then another.

With every pulse, another star disappeared.

Cole Mercer raised his rifle.

"I suppose shooting the Void is useless."

Evelyn nodded.

"Extremely."

Cole sighed.

"I had to ask."

A voice emerged from the darkness.

"Victoria Kane."

The sound was neither male nor female.

It seemed to come from every dead star at once.

"Keeper of the Living Dawn."

Victoria stepped forward.

"Show yourself."

The darkness answered with laughter.

"You restored what was forgotten."

"You awakened what was sleeping."

"You gave choice to what was bound."

The First Hunger moved closer to Victoria.

"What do you want?"

The Void replied.

"Balance."

Nox’Rath’s expression hardened.

"That word again."

"Creation has grown too bright."

"The Dawn spreads."

"The Hunger remembers."

"The old boundaries are breaking."

Seven black stars suddenly appeared behind the white gateway.

Each one contained a massive silhouette.

Evelyn opened Elias Crow’s journal.

This time, the pages turned by themselves.

Golden letters appeared.

The Seven Voids.

They existed before light, before darkness, before memory.

They do not destroy creation.

They erase the possibility of creation.

Victoria stared at the black stars.

"So they don’t kill worlds."

Nox’Rath answered quietly.

"They prevent worlds from ever existing."

A terrible silence followed.

Valerius looked toward the darkness.

"That is why the Crimson Throne was created."

Victoria turned toward him.

"You knew."

"I knew fragments."

Valerius looked ashamed.

"The Crimson Throne was never meant to rule creation."

"It was built to slow the Void."

"And every world you erased?"

"Was a sacrifice to delay it."

Victoria’s expression hardened.

"You chose who deserved to exist."

Valerius lowered his head.

"Yes."

The First Hunger stepped forward.

"Then both sides made the same mistake."

Victoria looked at it.

"How?"

The creature’s star-filled eyes remained fixed upon the darkness.

"The Dawn tried to illuminate everything."

"The Crimson Throne tried to control everything."

"I tried to consume everything."

The First Hunger looked toward Victoria.

"None of us understood freedom."

Victoria slowly raised the Dawnblade.

"Then this time, we do."

The seven successors gathered around her.

Seven virtues.

Seven hearts.

One purpose.

The white gateway suddenly began collapsing.

The Judges spoke together.

"THE VOID HAS CHOSEN ITS FIRST TARGET."

Victoria’s eyes widened.

"Which world?"

The Judges turned toward her.

"ASTERION."

A golden pathway appeared behind Victoria.

Through it, she saw the restored city.

Children were laughing.

Families gathered beneath the Heart of Harmony.

Lyra stood beside Aurelius.

Then the sky above Asterion turned black.

Victoria’s heart tightened.

"No."

She stepped toward the gateway.

The First Hunger followed.

Valerius lifted his crimson spear.

Cassian and the others prepared their weapons.

Nox’Rath spread his silver wings.

"We go together."

Victoria nodded.

"Not just to defend Asterion."

She looked toward the seven black stars.

"We’re going to show the Void why creation deserves to exist."

The gateway collapsed behind them.

Far away, above Asterion, seven black stars appeared.

The Heart of Harmony released a desperate golden pulse.

Lyra looked toward the heavens.

For the first time since awakening...

She felt afraid.

Then a voice whispered inside her heart.

"The Keeper is coming."

Lyra smiled through her tears.

"Then we will wait for her."

Above the city, the darkness descended.

And beyond it...

The Seven Voids opened their eyes.

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