It began at 3:14 PM.
Above a crowded city street, the sky shimmered like glass under pressure. Then — crack.
A glowing blue line tore across the clouds, jagged and unnatural. People stopped. Phones came out. Some pointed. Some laughed. No one understood what they were seeing.
Then the light expanded.
A gate — swirling, humming, alive — hovered in the sky like a bleeding wound in reality. Energy pulsed outward, warping the air like heatwaves.
And from within... something emerged.
It stepped forward — slow, monstrous. Golden eyes gleamed through a body that rippled like oil. Its form shifted constantly, unstable and wrong.
A scream pierced the silence.
There were no defenses. No alarms. No plan.
Because this was the first gate.
And it marked the beginning of the end.
---
Three Weeks Earlier — Arin
Three weeks before the sky tore open, Arin was just a quiet, forgettable boy. He was clumsy at sports, barely scraping by in school, and more comfortable alone than with others. While classmates joked and pushed and gossiped, he sat by the window, gazing out at the distant hills.
There was something calming about them — untouched, far away, and free from expectations.
One afternoon, amid the usual classroom noise, a strange light flickered across the sky. A silent, blue flash split the clouds, vanishing behind the hills.
Not lightning. Not a plane. A meteorite?
No one else saw. But Arin did. And his chest tightened.
That evening, long after school had emptied, he took a familiar trail through the woods beyond town. The air felt thick, unnatural. No birds. No rustling leaves. Just a deep hum, as though the earth was holding its breath.
Then he found it.
A ship — torn open, floating inches above the ground. Its hull shimmered dimly, glowing with soft alien light. Inside, a single black stone hovered midair, covered in symbols that pulsed like veins beneath skin.
He stepped closer.
Drawn. Awestruck.
When his fingers touched the stone—
Something surged into him.
Not pain — but power. Infinite. Terrifying.
Visions consumed him:
A world ablaze. Cities falling into shadow. A sky filled with fire.
He screamed—
And blacked out.
---
He woke in a hospital bed, drenched in sweat.
A doctor stood beside him. "You fainted near the hills," she said. "Probably heatstroke. You're lucky someone found you."
Arin nodded slowly.
Maybe it was just a dream.
But deep down, he knew.
Something had changed.
Something had awakened.
---
Two Weeks Later
More gates appeared.
At first, they were distant anomalies — odd lights, shimmering cracks in the sky. But what came through them... wasn't fantasy.
And the people who survived close encounters?
They didn't come back the same.
Arin told no one.
Not about the stone.
Not about the visions.
Not about the power simmering under his skin.
He didn't want it.
He lived with his aunt, Mira, who ran a small restaurant tucked between old buildings. Since his parents' deaths, she had raised him with warmth and quiet strength.
"Your birthday's next week," she said, passing him a tray. "Invite some friends. I'll make your favorite curry."
He nodded.
He had no friends.
But he didn't want to disappoint her.
---
A crowd gathered outside the restaurant. A gate had appeared.
Dimly glowing. Unstable.
Police cordoned off the street. Onlookers whispered.
"Small one," someone muttered. "Shouldn't open. But... who knows anymore."
It was only a block away.
---
At school, the teacher handed out test papers.
"Arin," she said, pausing. "Perfect score."
The class turned.
Even the top student looked back. Some stared. Some whispered. A few girls exchanged glances.
At lunch, three boys cornered him behind the old gym.
"You cheated," said Jean, the leader, grabbing Arin's collar. "No way someone like you gets top marks."
"I didn't cheat," Arin replied softly.
"Liar. People like you don't just get smart."
Jean swung.
Arin dodged — instinctively.
Another swing. Another effortless step back.
Before he could think, his fist connected.
Jean staggered.
"I'll let you off," Jean muttered, retreating.
For the first time, no one looked at Arin with pity.
They looked at him with something else.
Curiosity.
And fear.
---
Sirens screamed.
The gate near the restaurant — it had flared.
Too soon.
It was never supposed to open.
A clawed hand burst through. It snatched an officer and hurled him across the road. Screams echoed. Chaos erupted.
Arin's heart stopped.
The restaurant.
His aunt.
He ran — but the main road was blocked.
Without thinking, he ducked into a narrow alley he knew well, slipping in through the restaurant's back door.
Mira was cooking. A little girl and her mother sat nearby, laughing softly.
Then—
The front door shattered.
A monster stepped in.
Black liquid dripped from its shifting frame. Golden eyes burned.
It didn't pause.
It struck.
The mother turned — too late.
A blur of motion.
A thud.
Silence.
The girl screamed.
To be continued...