As he entered the classroom, Tariq noticed a few students were already seated.
He felt a small sense of pride at that.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "A-are you guys here for Myth Studies?"
He winced internally. Seriously? A stutter?
A few head nods and casual grunts answered him.
Well, okay then, he thought, walking to the desk at the front of the room. He set his backpack down and pulled out his phone.
8:56 a.m.
Good. A few minutes to review his lecture notes.
He dug through his bag and pulled out the neatly printed pages just as more students started pouring in—some chatting about a previous class, others loudly debating video games, sports, and whatever else came to mind.
A typical first-day buzz.
At 9:00 sharp, he checked his phone again. Then decided to give it a few more minutes for any stragglers.
By 9:02, the room had mostly filled. Time to start.
As Tariq stood up, he felt his stomach tighten.
There it was—his anxiety.
His thoughts started to race. Do I look okay? Am I sweating? Is my hair messed up?
He glanced down at his lecture notes, pretending to review them one last time, hoping it made him look calm and collected.
Taking a slow breath, he centered himself.
He straightened up, looked out over the classroom, and began the introduction he'd practiced for weeks.
"Good morning, everyone! My name is Tariq Mathis, and I'll be your professor for Myth Studies here at UNG."
He paused for effect—just like he'd rehearsed.
"Now, I sent out the syllabus last week, and you should've already familiarized yourselves with it, so I won't waste time going over it again. I may not look it, but I'm only twenty-four, and I know how boring long-winded first-day intros can be."
Another pause.
"So instead, I'm going to start by posing a question."
He glanced across the room.
"In the context of belief… what makes a god?"
The question earned him a mix of bewildered stares and intrigued glances from the students.
After a few moments of silence, Tariq sensed they needed a little push.
"Please don't be nervous," he said, smiling. "We'll be exploring different civilizations, their gods, and their belief systems. And you'll find that some beliefs come from… let's just say, unexpected beginnings."
He grinned. "Take Pastafarianism, for example. Look that one up later—you'll get a laugh."
A few chuckles rippled through the classroom.
"I say that to make this clear: there's no ridiculous idea when it comes to defining what a god is. Everyone has their own interpretation—unless they're rooted in a specific faith tradition. So there's no wrong answer."
He gestured toward the room. "So don't be afraid to share."
Silence.
Still, no one raised a hand.
Tariq shrugged. "No worries. I'll just turn it into a discussion board assignment," he said, rubbing his hands together with mock villainy.
A few more students laughed.
He waited another beat, then continued, "Alright. So today, we're going to look at..."
Silence.
Deafening silence.
Tariq froze. He looked around the room, confused. The classroom was full of students—but not a sound. No papers rustling, no shifting chairs, no coughing or whispers.
Nothing.
A few students opened their mouths, clearly trying to speak… but no sound came out.
Tariq tried too—nothing.
A knot twisted in his stomach. Panic started to rise.
What's going on?
Then, a woman's voice cut through the silence—clear, loud, and not coming from anywhere in particular.
"Good morning, everyone!" the voice chirped, disturbingly cheerful. "Hope you had a good start to your day, because it's about to get real bad, real fast."
Tariq turned to his students, searching their faces for answers—or trying to give them some kind of comfort.
But the voice continued.
"This dimension has been kept safe by the powers that be for centuries. But that is no longer the case."
Her tone was still light, almost sing-song.
"Now, we wouldn't want to spoil the fun for you all, but know this: in two days, the Earth will undergo massive changes. Many of you will die. But hey—that's just how things go."
A ripple of fear spread across the classroom. Students' faces paled. Eyes darted.
Tariq raised his hands, trying to calm them down—though his own heart was racing.
"And lastly," the voice added, "in a few moments, you will ALL go through changes yourselves. Very painful changes, I might add."
She paused.
"That is all for now. May you attempt… to reach the realm of the divine."
In an instant, sound rushed back into the room.
Tariq gasped, breathing hard.
Who was that? "Realm of the divine"? "Changes"?
His mind scrambled for answers, but there were none.
A student timidly raised her hand. "What was that?"
Tariq stared at her, completely bewildered. He shook his head. "I—I have no idea."
He took a deep breath and turned back to the class.
"Okay, everyone, let's just calm d—"
Agony ripped through him.
Tariq doubled over, barely catching himself on the edge of his desk. It felt like his insides were being shredded.
Screams echoed around the classroom.
He looked up, horrified.
Some students were writhing on the floor, having collapsed from their chairs. Others were hunched over their desks, faces twisted in pain.
The burning inside him intensified. It had started in his stomach, but now it was everywhere—his chest, his limbs, his head. Every movement made it worse.
Through the haze of pain, the cries of his students cut through.
I have to try and help them.
He pushed off the desk and staggered forward—
And then the world went white.
Then black.