North x Northwest - Chapter 11

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

In the city of Graheel, a small antique shop sits quietly mixed in with all the other shops. Its unassuming appearance is easily overlooked by many. However, this store and its owner has a terrible secret. A devil lives in that building. The owner of the store, John Li, an enigmatic figure whose origins and intentions are unknown. The desperate from around the world, often unknowingly, come to him in search of salvation.A red witch thinks the owner is an ancient creature, a white fox calls him a wizard of eld, a warrior believes him to be a spirit, and a holy woman declares him a god. This mysterious individual and his customers would stand at the center of a strange series of events. From the store owner John's perspective, he has no idea what's going on. He really was just an unlucky dude that got caught up in some crazy stuff.

A college student was returning home after studying abroad for several years when the end of the world happened. A dragon appeared out of nowhere and attacked the plane he was in, thanks to an incredible amount of luck and his quick-thinking, he managed to survive the plane crash only to get stuck on a tropical island. A weird system took over the world and brought monsters to Earth. While nations collapsed and the world as a whole was being destroyed by ridiculous monsters, Leon was stuck on a godforsaken island with no chances of being rescued. What will happen to him? How will the world change while he is away? Will he even manage to return? The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Dilan, 21-years-old, was anything but ordinary. He sought adrenaline wherever he could.

Life didn’t feel worth living on the small blue planet he was born on.

However, it was a seemingly ordinary night on new year’s eve that everything changed!

A raging storm manifested on the mountainside he had climbed on to feel free, to escape the ordinary world that bored him to death.

And death was what awaited him eagerly as he was flung through the air, just to be pricked by an old, seemingly ancient tree trunk.

Not even a miracle would be enough to save him anymore.

But it was just at this moment that something much bigger than a miracle happened.

Every single existence on the blue planet got connected to the Log of the Ancient, something most would label as “Status”.

The ordinary and mundane world changed forever, turning into a bloody and merciless battlefield as the Primordial Ascension unsealed the shackles that weighed on the planet for millions of years.

Mythical mana was unleashed, animals began to mutate, zombies emerged, and monsters known from fairy tales appeared out of Gates.

Follow the journey of a man, who seeks adrenaline, who embraces pain, who overcomes death itself …a man, who will become an Undying existence!