Nocturne is a city where monsters hide in the shadows. But what happens when the daylight itself turns hostile?
The sun rose over Nocturne.And for the first time… people flinched.
Asher Blackwood stood at the corner of Midtown's cracked plaza, trench coat weighed down by dust and dread. His eyes narrowed against the thin daylight streaming down, but something was wrong with it. The sunlight was… anemic. It dripped through the air like syrup, tinged faintly with crimson, as if the sky bled while pretending to smile.
Buildings shimmered, their edges flickering like mirages over desert heat.The power lines above them crackled, each spark laced with an unnatural whine, a noise that set his teeth on edge.
It should have felt like just another weird day in Nocturne. But in his gut — that detective's instinct honed by far too many cursed cases — Asher knew this was different.
It was wrong.
The kind of wrong that didn't hide in the shadows anymore.The kind that dragged the city into daylight and fed.
Detective Precinct HQ
Asher leaned stiffly against the window of the precinct's battered HQ. His coat hung loosely around his shoulders, still damp from the dawn mist, and his revolver sat heavy at his side. He watched the morning unfold with a frown that deepened with every flicker of the strange, watery light outside.
Behind him, the precinct was a mess—phones ringing off the hook, officers barking into radios, the low hum of dread vibrating through every desk and hallway.
Captain Elaine stormed in, face pale and sleepless. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her badge swung wildly as she slapped a folder onto his desk. The papers inside were streaked with red marker, circles and arrows pointing to locations across Midtown.
"Blackwood." Her voice was steel wrapped in exhaustion. "Four disappearances. In broad daylight."
She jabbed her finger at the map."Sunspots. Glowing sinkholes. Power grid failures. I've got eyewitnesses saying the damn sun swallowed a man whole." Her eyes met his, fierce and desperate. "Tell me you've got something."
Asher sighed, eyes still on the strange red sunlight outside."Best I've got? The Serpent's not hiding anymore. It's bleeding through. Whatever we slammed shut down below? It's punching up now." He shook his head, a grimace tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It's feeding, Captain. And it's hungry."
Midtown Streets — Horror Meets Slice of Life
The city was trying to pretend everything was fine. Nocturne's survival tactic: denial mixed with dark humor.
A wild-eyed street preacher stood at a busy corner, waving a sign that read: "THE SUN IS CURSED — REPENT!" His voice cracked as he shouted, "BUY MY BLESSED SUNGLASSES! ONLY 9.99! Protect your soul and your eyeballs!"
Down the block, a noodle cart vendor, unbothered by the glowing sinkhole forming beside his stand, banged his pot lid and yelled,"DISASTER DISCOUNT! Extra tentacles in every bowl! First come, first cursed!"
A young couple posed for a selfie, grinning with perfect teeth, oblivious to the flickering portal warping the alleyway behind them.Caption: #NocturneVibes #HauntedButHot
She bounced into view, hoodie rumpled, eyes rimmed with dark circles like she'd wrestled sleep and lost. One hand clutched a cursed churro — purple sugar glinting ominously — and she munched away as if the end of the world was just another Tuesday.
"Mornin', boss!" she chirped around a mouthful of cursed pastry. "Sooo… the sun's trying to eat people now. That's new."
She blinked, looking down at her half-eaten churro."Also, this thing keeps whispering stuff like 'Consume and be consumed,' but man, it's so good."
Asher gave her a long, deadpan look."Stop eating cursed food. We're on an active case."
Rosa shrugged, taking another defiant bite."No promises."
Detective Brain Engaged:
Asher's eyes traced the street, his thoughts running faster than the chaos around him. Patterns. Always patterns.
And then he saw it.The cracks — the spots where people vanished, where sunspots flared and shadows moved wrong — they weren't random. They lined up with something old.
Leyline maps.Sacrificial sites from back when Nocturne was just a patchwork of dirt and fear. The same networks that had fed ancient blood-rituals.
"The cracks underground," Asher muttered, more to himself than anyone, "they're connecting. Feeding into each other. And now… bleeding upward."
He stared at the red-tinged sun, heart hammering in his chest."That's not just sunlight. That's a side effect. The Serpent's Eye—" his voice dropped, "it's trying to breach daylight. It's succeeding."
Captain Elaine's voice snarled through his earpiece."Blackwood! Containment. Now. Before this city panics itself into martial law. Get your little nightmare squad and FIX THIS."
Asher exhaled sharply."Yeah. Sure. But when this city cracks open like an egg, I'm billing overtime."
Rosa, gleefully pocketing a handful of random relics from a toppled stall, chimed in:"Oooh, overtime! That means I can finally afford that haunted goldfish I've been eyeing. You know, the one that predicts your death date?"
Asher didn't even look at her this time."Focus, Rosa."
"Focused." She munched. "Mostly."
New Mission:
Track down the nexus point.The bleeding heart where the Serpent's influence was punching through.
Seal it.Or risk Nocturne becoming a ghost town by sundown.
As they turned down a side street, a sharp, inhuman shriek split the air. A woman — mid-30s, briefcase in hand, dressed for a perfectly normal day — was yanked backward, her scream echoing as her own shadow twisted, stretched, and wrapped around her like a noose. It pulled her into the concrete itself, leaving behind only a smear of darkness and a dropped high heel.
Rosa froze, eyes wide, churro forgotten."Uhhh, boss? I think daylight's officially broken."
Asher pulled his revolver, staring at the twisted sunlight overhead, and muttered:"Yeah. Time to shoot the sun, I guess."
[End of Chapter 59]
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Preview of Next Chapter (60) — "The Serpent's Noon"The cracks widen, and daylight turns predatory. Asher and Rosa race into Midtown's bleeding heart to seal the breach. Expect chaos: cursed shadows, relic smugglers trying to profit mid-crisis, and the nightmare reveal of a new Serpent cult faction. Nocturne's survival depends on a desperate gamble — and time is running out before the city's daylight becomes its deadliest hour.