1 Chapter 1: Glimpse of the Infinite Horizon.

It was raining for the fifth day now and it seems like it was not going to stop any day soon. The brilliance of the peoples mind has helped progress technology and civilization to reach unimaginable heights. Nevertheless, it is still as hopeless as ever, if not more when facing Mother Nature. As they say, the more you gain the more you are afraid to lose.

The rain will sometimes turn into mere drizzle, and sometimes like a mad banshee, pouring nonstop. It was not a huge surprise for the people of the earth though, to have strange weather like this once a while in some country or the other. However, it was still a huge surprise for the people to know that this particular weather phenomenon was taking place all over the world at the same time. Though the national weather researches all over the world were baffled and worried, the normal people went about there lives after discussing about it a bit.

Scores of people were filtering through the busy street going about there business as the rain could do nothing to impede them. The tenacity of the human nature is amazing, as the will to carry on never really stops, even if they maybe one second away from perishing away. Two teenagers were been seen walking on the street; they seemed to be having a heated discussion about something. Both of them looked young, probably in middle school.

'Ariel, be grateful for the fact that I am even letting you borrow MY game for the weekend, you are lucky, as you know it is a LIMITED ADDITION.' The boy said quite smugly, while putting an emphasis on "my" and "limited edition" as if to make sure who to let her know how cool it is and who it belonged too.

'You know, Ariel, I spent my two years worth of savings into it additionally to the money that mom and dad gave for my birthday and for topping my exams. It was hard you know! You cannot order this baby on-line or anything. I had to queue up for it for 8 HOURS! Moreover, in the bloody rain too! 8 HOURS, Alice! So, yeah, I would like to see you doing it and then letting me borrow the game on the same week, you prat!' He almost screamed, as if out of frustration for having to spend his saving and waiting eight long hours in the rain.

'SORRY, sorry, please calm down, forget what I said before. I get what you are saying mate, got bit greedy there for a moment. All right, I love you for letting me borrow it for the weekends. Now let just go home, alright.' Ariel quickly apologized before irking of Ed any further. She was afraid that Ed might renege his promise if she pissed him off further.

Ed frustration welled off a bit after hearing her apologize. Therefore, he decided not to say anything more and just headed home. Ariel followed close behind him, they lived on the same street just a couple of houses from each other. Ariel was going to Ed's house today first because of the game. She decided to head home straight after getting her hands on it. She had to make the hours count before school starts again after 2 days. So, she was a bit anxious and annoyed seeing ED's leisurely walk, but she didn't say anything aloud for the fear of annoying him as to have an excuse to not lend her the game. Inwardly though she was grumbling about the unfairness of the world and whatnot.

As it was still raining, they have had their transparent raincoats on to stop them from getting drenched. The weather was gloomy, and it was pouring outside affecting their vision. As they were walking on the street, they realised that there seemed to be much less people travelling on foot today. Ed quickly guessed that it maybe because of the rain. One of the strangest things that they both noticed from the day the rain came about most of the people were getting somewhat sick. Other seems to ignore it but they both realised people are getting weaker and weaker except for a few people, who seemed to be of their age.

While thinking and talking about the strange thing that has been happening around they both didn't realise that the street emptied out. Suddenly, they both felt something tugging them from the back. The tugging was so powerful that they both lurched back. They wanted to turn back and see who or what it was but they realised that they could not move their body at all. Even their eyelids froze not willing to blink. The rain got heavier and water splashed on their eyes making them sting and burn. They heard what seemed to be footsteps of someone coming closer and closer to where they were. They tried with all there might to shake or move there muscles, but the muscles didn't even so much as twitch. If fact they felt like every feeling in their body stopped.

The footstep drew closer and closer till they could tell for certain that whoever it was, it was behind them. Alice could feel the pressure around them get heavier. Her breathing was ragged and she felt a cold chill like an instinct telling her that this was someone they can't escape from. She was shivering in her mind, her thoughts in disarray, and a feeling of fear that she never felt before. Her senses heightened to the maximum and she could feel him moving. She could imagine whoever was behind them reaching out his hand and in that instance, her heart lurched forward in overdrive. Then she heard a soul shaking scream from Ed's mouth.

'AHHHH...AHHHAHHHHHHHHHH!'

'BE QUITE!' Mr. Howard shouted towards the screaming student.

'So...Sorry, Mr. Howard, but a bug just flew over me, I was startled and I hate bugs, they scare me.' Rowena quickly apologized giving her explanation while turning red from embarrassment.

The whole class snickered after hearing what she had to say. After half an hour, the bell rang signifying the end of the period and school as a whole for the week.

Rowena, like the others packed up her school bag and left the school premises with a couple of her friends. They went to a big store bought some crisp ate them on the way while discussing and sharing gossips and what went on in class today. After walking about a certain distance they bid each other goodbye while promising to hang out on Saturday.

Rowena noticed her friends seemed a little less lackluster, in fact not only her friends but also most people around her, from the kids to the old. All except a few people from different classes but of the same grade and age. She was getting worried, and the damn rain just wouldn't stop. She kept musing about these strange things till she found herself knocking head up against a wall of a dead end alleyway. She sighed, it was on of her bad habits. She heard a snicker when she was turning, she frowned a little as she saw no one there. She closed her eyes and stood there for 30 seconds then opened them and released a huge breath. She continued to stand there as she felt a huge presence that she knew she wouldn't be able to run from. After waiting for another 30 seconds she heard clear footsteps approaching her from the head of the ally. Whether it was because of the pouring rain or for something else entirely she could only see a vague, hazy silhouette of someone or something, no matter how she looked she couldn't make out or see the full form of the approaching silhouette. The footsteps stopped exactly five meters away from her. Rowena unclenched her hand which subconsciously clenched in a vice grip on her school bags handle. She looked at what she believed to be the face of the silhouette and released another shaky breath.

She opened her mouth and asked in a shaky voice. 'Tell me why?'

'You very well know why, don't do this to me now. Hurry up, get ready we are going to leave in 10 minutes. Mom will drive us there because of the rain since it seems impossible to cycle our way there in this weather.' Qin ji said in annoyed and exasperated voice.

'But, I don't want to go. Please can we not go, please?' Qin Fang pleaded and begged with twin brother.

Alas, destiny was not on Qin Fang's side. They boarded the car 10 minutes later and it took about 10 minutes to arrive at there destination. Qin Fang looked sullen as one could be. Qin Ji unlike his brother was excited and had a beaming smile in his face. There mom bided them goodbye from the car while telling them not to go anywhere as she will come pick them up.

Just as they were about to go inside, they froze. For 10 seconds they didn't realise what was happening. Moreover, when they did they couldn't move a single muscle. Both of the twins back where drenched with cold sweat and their heart lurched with fear. They both looked at each other's eyes and could see the fear, panic and helplessness. They felt shaken to the core as there ragged breathing filled the air. And, for the first time, miraculously their thoughts were in sync with each other. As they, both thought at the exact same time. 'Is this how we are going to die?'

'You are going to die if you don't look where you're going. Dad, I am sorry but this game is not for you.' Maliha discouraged her overexcited dad.

'I just need practice. I am sure you were worse then me young lady, when you first played this game. At least I have 20++ years of driving experience. Sports cars are just faster that's all.' Her dad chided her while trying to get the hang of the controls

Maliha rolled her eyes while listening to him give his lame excuses.

'I am going to look around the arcade while you play, ok dad?' Maliha asked her dad while looking at him trying to pull of a simple fast turn.

'Hmm… Ok, just don't wonder off and keep your cell phone on you.' Her dad replied distractedly.

'Ok. Cool. Thanks dad, see you later.' Maliha replied to her father then walked away looking here and there.

Maliha went about trying and looking at a lot of different things for the next half an hour. She was starting to get hungry, so she decided to buy something from the shop she saw a couple of buildings away.

She walked in a classic little shop (which seemed surprisingly big once you stepped inside) and went on browsing the aisles. She saw some vending machine inside the back of the shop (apparently, vending machines are everywhere in Japan). She read through the food offered and tapped some thing and bought it. While she was walking back to the entrance to go outside to eat her food, she failed to notice the store was eerily quite. She was just about 2 meters away from the door when she felt she wasn't able to move even though she was clearly indicating her muscles to move. Her first thought was, was she having a paralytic attack. But then quickly realised that she probably was not because she could still feel the warmth flowing from her food through her hand.

Her mind was working on overdrive as to what could be the reason of her entire muscles freezing in place while her organ and heart muscles were perfectly normal and she was able to stand still with her muscles all frozen up. She was so engrossed in her musing that she didn't realize that someone was currently behind her. In flash she was gone before she could even realise what had happened.

Sun was setting in some part of the earth and even the pouring rain could do nothing to dampen the natural phenomenon. A 14 or 15 year-old girl was seen standing by the raging ocean in a jagged rock and watching the sun set like always. But this time she didn't see what she saw countless times before but saw that the horizon didn't seem to end or there something beyond it, something endless and vast. A dim green light flashed through just when the sun sat, a green flash so dim and pale that if one was not sure what one was searching for they couldn't even hope of finding it. Her luck was rather good as the gloomy gray skies helped her scenario.

'Do you see it?' a voice suddenly asked.

'Yes, I see it.' The girl replied serenely.

'I guess, this would be the last time I enjoyed the sunset from this place.' The girl said casually as to supply a sentence, but did not get anything in reply. She looked serene as ever as if she didn't expect any form of reply.

'What are you called?' The blacked clocked figure asked

Her voice serene as ever replied, 'Mirak.'

'What is it called?' she looked at the black cloaked figure and asked.

'Infinite Horizon!' The voice of a whisper came from the black clocked figure.

However, no one was there to notice that in a second, everyone was gone and the once lonely jagged rock looked lonely as ever like no one had ever stepped on it in the first place.