"LEGACY OF THE GREAT ONES: AN EPIC LEGEND"

Five years ago, a gigantic mirror suddenly appeared in a forest outside Beijing. It was massive, standing as tall as a ten-story building. The government immediately sent an elite team of soldiers and scientists to investigate the strange object. Officer Zhang stood in front of the mirror, staring at its black surface. It reflected no light at all. He turned to the lead scientist and frowned. “Did it really appear here out of nowhere? No footprints? No equipment?” The scientist shook his head while staring at the screen of his device in disbelief. “Yes, sir. There are no traces on the ground. Even stranger, our equipment can’t detect the mirror at all. It’s like there’s nothing there!” Officer Zhang pointed at the mirror. “Examine it manually.” One of the scientists slowly stepped forward and raised a small scanning device toward the black surface. The moment the device touched the mirror, the temperature around them suddenly dropped. The air itself seemed to freeze. The scientist quickly pulled back and shouted, “Sir! The equipment is shutting down!” BOOM! A c***k suddenly appeared in the center of the mirror with a thunderous sound. The ground shook violently. “Fall back! Everyone, move back!” Officer Zhang shouted. But it was already too late. A dark creature crawled out through the c***k on all fours. It had no human face. Its eyes were completely white, and its mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth. The creature let out a high-pitched screech that pierced their ears. “Open fire!” Officer Zhang shouted as he drew his weapon. A barrage of bullets filled the air. In the blink of an eye, the creature moved like lightning and pounced on the first soldier, tearing through his armor and flesh. Then the real nightmare began. Dozens of other creatures started pouring out of the mirror like a flood. Within minutes, the peaceful forest had turned into a b****y slaughterhouse. Over the next five years, humanity learned the true meaning of fear and discovered the rules of the mirror the hard way. They learned that these monsters could not tolerate light and only emerged in the darkness of night. But their method of killing was even more terrifying. When they caught a child, they devoured them alive. Adults suffered a completely different fate. They disappeared without leaving behind a single drop of blood, leaving nothing but a pile of cold ash. No one understood why the creatures treated children and adults differently, or where the people who turned to ash actually went. But humanity had to survive. Governments created special military units known as the “Night Guards,” and cities began closing their massive steel gates as soon as the sun went down. One night, the people of the city began preparing for the usual lockdown. Shops closed their doors, the streets emptied of cars, and no one remained outside. Everyone knew that night was when the creatures appeared. Inside a house in one of the neighborhoods, twenty-year-old Adrian sat with his mother, father, and his ten-year-old younger brother, Philip. They were getting ready for bed. None of them expected that the next few hours would change their lives forever. Suddenly, a loud crash came from outside. The entire house shook violently. Everyone turned toward the sound. Before they could figure out what was happening, part of the door shattered, and several black creatures rushed inside. “Adrian! Take your mother and protect Philip!” his father shouted. More creatures poured into the house. Adrian’s father tried to keep them away from his family while Adrian rushed toward Philip and pulled him into his arms. Adrian tried to go back for his father, but when he reached him, he found his father surrounded by the creatures.“Dad, come with us!” Adrian shouted. His father shouted back through the chaos, “Go, Adrian! Protect your mother and brother!” Adrian hesitated for a moment, but he had no choice. He left his father behind and rushed upstairs with Philip in his arms, while his mother followed close behind. Adrian entered one of the rooms and closed the door behind them. He put Philip down and said, “Hide under the bed. Don’t come out, no matter what happens.” Philip quickly crawled under the bed while his mother stood in the room, overwhelmed with fear. Adrian walked over to her and tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Mom. Dad will be fine.” Before his mother could finish speaking, the door suddenly shook violently. Adrian turned toward it, grabbed his bowling stick, and prepared to defend them. The door was smashed open, and the creatures rushed into the room. Adrian raised the bowling stick and swung it at them. “Stay away!” The creatures attacked from all directions, but Adrian kept swinging the stick, trying to stop them from getting closer. Their claws struck him several times, knocking him down more than once. But every time he fell, he got back up and continued protecting his mother and brother. His mother stood in the corner of the room. The moment one of the creatures turned toward her, Adrian shouted, “Mom, run!” His mother ran out of the room. A few moments later, her screams echoed from outside. Adrian froze for a moment before shouting in panic, “Mom!” At that moment, security forces stormed into the house and the soldiers opened fire on the creatures. Several of them fell, while the rest began retreating until they finally fled the house. Adrian struggled to his feet. His arms and face were covered in wounds, but he didn't feel them. He stumbled out of the room, desperately searching for his mother. He reached the middle of the house and suddenly stopped. His mother was lying on the floor. Adrian stood there for a moment before rushing toward her and dropping to his knees beside her. He grabbed her hand with both of his and gently shook it. “Mom... Mom, open your eyes.” She didn't move. He shook her hand again, but there was still no response. His voice began to tremble. “Mom, I'm here... Please, open your eyes.” She didn't answer. Adrian suddenly raised his head, as if he had just remembered something. His eyes quicklHe couldn't find his father. Adrian quickly forced himself to stand despite the pain and looked around the house. Then he saw a pile of ash on the floor. He stopped in front of it and stared at it for a long moment. He took one step closer, then another, before dropping to his knees again. He reached toward the ash, but stopped before touching it. His body began to tremble. “No...” He clenched his teeth, trying to hold back his tears, but he couldn't. “No... Dad...” Adrian lowered his head and covered it with both hands as he broke down crying. He no longer cared about the soldiers around him, the blood covering his body, or the creatures that had escaped the house. All he could see was his mother, whom he had lost, and the ashes that were all that remained of his father. “There are survivors!” one of the soldiers shouted as he searched the house. Another soldier approached Adrian and asked, “Are you okay, kid?” Adrian looked up at him, but he couldn't speak. A few moments later, another soldier appeared carrying Philip. The moment Philip saw his brother, he rushed toward him and hugged him tightly. “Adrian...” Adrian didn't answer. He simply wrapped his arms around his brother as tightly as he could and closed his eyes while continuing to cry. The soldier looked at them and said, “Come on. Let's get you two out of here.” Adrian kept holding Philip, but before standing up, he turned toward his mother one last time. Then he looked at the pile of ash left behind by his father. He didn't say a word. He simply stood there, staring at them. Several days passed after the attack, but Adrian couldn't get that night out of his head. After losing his parents, he and Philip moved in with their grandfather, their mother's father, who became their guardian. The house was quiet that night. Philip sat on the couch watching TV while Adrian stood by the window, staring at the empty streets. One shop after another began closing its doors, while Night Guard patrols appeared throughout the streets, preparing for another night. Adrian placed his hand against the glass and silently watched them. His grandfather noticed him standing there and walked over. “Adrian, what are you looking at?” “The guards,” Adrian answered without taking his eyes off the street. His grandfather looked outside. “What about them?” Adrian turned toward him. “I want to join them.” His grandfather's expression immediately changed. “What did you say?” Adrian spoke firmly. “I want to become a Night Guard.” His grandfather stepped closer and said seriously, “Adrian, you know how dangerous this job is. Those creatures killed your parents right in front of you.” Adrian clenched his fist. “That’s exactly why I want to join.” He went silent for a moment before looking at Philip on the couch. “I don't want someone else to go through what we did.” He turned back to his grandfather. “If there had been someone who could protect my parents that night, maybe everything would have been different.” His grandfather tried to respond, but Adrian continued. “I can't change what happened, but I can stop it from happening again.” His grandfather lowered his eyes for a moment. “And what about Philip?” Adrian looked at his brother, then walked over and placed a hand on his head. “I'll protect him.” Philip looked up at him with concern. “Brother... are you really going to fight those monsters?” Adrian gave him a small smile. “I won't let them get anywhere near you.”y searched the house. “Dad?” There was no way for Adrian to reach him.