The heavy rain that had been battering the city until just a moment ago had stopped, leaving behind only a heavy, stagnant night air.

White steam rising from the surface of the wet asphalt blurred the back alleys like a fog. The old concrete, unable to release the rainwater it had soaked up, exhaled a sticky humidity that clung to the skin.

This street corner, fallen through the cracks of development, was like an air pocket forgotten by the city's memory.

The only things evoking past bustle were the signs of old cafes where time had stopped years ago, and rusted shutters that would never open again, covered in layers of yellowed flyers.

Streetlights spaced at regular intervals dyed the wet road a dull amber.

I passed in front of a deserted park lurking in the back. The darkness created by the tips of the tree branches was illuminated by a faint light, sinking into the smoky night mist, and the gaze of a cold creature reflected light sharply from the depths of the hedge.

A realm of shadows where light intersects. Such a thought flickered through the back of my mind.

I walked on, splashing water and crushing the remains of neon signs reflected in the puddles. In this town, silenced as if the daytime bustle were a lie, it wouldn't be strange for anything to be lurking inside the damp darkness.

In a corner of the city pregnant with such an unsettling atmosphere, the target multi-tenant building stood quietly—