CHAPTER 1

The Thing Outside My Window

The first thing I heard was my grandmother screaming my name.
“DESUMO!”
I woke up.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
My room was dark.
The wind was pushing against the windows, and somewhere downstairs, something was making a slow scraping sound.
Scrrrrch.
Then Grandma screamed again.
“DESUMO! DON'T COME DOWN!”
That was when I knew something was very wrong.
Because my grandmother never screamed.
She could chase a fox out of our garden with a broom.
She once broke a man's nose for trying to steal from her.
She wasn't afraid of anything.
At least, that's what I thought.
I jumped out of bed.
“Grandma?”
No answer.
I reached for the bedroom door.
Another sound came from downstairs.
THUD.
The entire house shook.
I froze.
Then came a growl.
Not a dog.
Not a wolf.
Something deeper.
Something that sounded almost human.
I slowly opened the door.
“Grandma?”
The hallway was empty.
The lights were flickering.
I walked downstairs.
One step.
Then another.
The smell hit me first.
Smoke.
Blood.
And something rotten.
I reached the final step.
The kitchen was destroyed.
The table had been smashed.
The windows were broken.
Our front door was hanging from one hinge.
And on the floor...
There was blood.
Too much blood.
“Grandma?”
My voice cracked.
I searched the kitchen.
Nothing.
Living room.
Nothing.
Back door.
Nothing.
Then I saw something scratched into the wooden wall.
Three symbols.
I didn't recognize them.
But somehow...
I knew they were important.
A loud crash came from outside.
I ran to the window.
At first, I saw nothing but fog.
Then two pale eyes appeared between the trees.
I stopped breathing.
The eyes disappeared.
I stepped backward.
“No.”
Something moved behind me.
I turned.
Nothing.
Then a voice whispered beside my ear.
“Ayo.”
I screamed.
The window exploded.
I hit the floor.
Something huge crawled through the broken frame.
Black skin.
Long claws.
A mouth full of teeth.
And eyes that weren't looking at the room.
They were looking directly at me.
The creature smiled.
I couldn't move.
It stepped toward me.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Then it stopped.
Its expression changed.
It looked...
Afraid.
I didn't understand.
I didn't even know what I had done.
Then I heard Grandma's voice.
Not from downstairs.
Not from outside.
From behind me.
“Desumo.”
I turned.
She was standing in the doorway.
Blood covered her clothes.
But she was still holding her sword.
A sword I had never known she owned.
“Grandma?”
She looked at the creature.
Then at me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“It's time.”
“What?”
“You need to run.”
The creature roared.
Grandma charged.
Their weapons collided.
BOOM!
The floor shook.
I stumbled backward.
“GRANDMA!”
She didn't look at me.
“RUN!”
The creature knocked her across the room.
She hit the wall.
I ran toward her.
She grabbed my wrist.
Hard.
“Listen to me.”
“You're hurt!”
“Listen!”
Her voice frightened me more than the monster.
She pushed a small golden pendant into my hand.
An unfamiliar symbol was carved into it.
“Ayo.”
I stared at it.
“What does that mean?”
Her lips trembled.
“It means they will come for you.”
“Who?”
She looked toward the creature.
Then back at me.
“The ones who have been waiting for you.”
The creature slowly stood.
Its eyes locked onto the pendant.
And for the first time...
It looked terrified.
Grandma whispered:
“Never let them make you believe their lies.”
Then the creature attacked.
I screamed.
Something inside me broke open.
Heat rushed through my chest.
Blue light exploded from my hand.
The creature stopped.
I stared at my palm.
A glowing blade was forming there.
Not metal.
Not fire.
Something impossible.
A blade made of light.
Grandma stared at it.
Her face went completely pale.
“No…”
“What?”
She whispered the words like she had just seen a ghost.
“The Truth Blade.”
The creature backed away.
I looked at it.
And suddenly...
I could see something that shouldn't have been visible.
A truth.
A weakness.
A lie holding the creature together.
The creature snarled.
“Don't speak it.”
I didn't know why.
But I suddenly knew exactly what to say.
“You're afraid.”
The creature screamed.
The Truth Blade became brighter.
And somewhere far away, something ancient opened its eyes.
Because after twelve years of waiting...
the last Ayo had finally awakened.