Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm
The midday sun cast long shadows across the green expanse of Northwood University. It caressed the fresh leaves of the trees and bathed the old buildings in its glow. The air was thick with a mix of youthful optimism, laughter, lively discussions, and the distant chime of bells announcing the end or beginning of lectures. It was an ordinary day, like any other Thursday in the middle of the semester, holding the promise of the upcoming weekend.
Inside the crowded lecture hall, where a history professor droned on about ancient dynasties, Kaelen sat near the window, gazing outside. His mind wasn't occupied with the historical events the professor tried to bring to life; he was, as usual, lost in thought. His interest truly lay not in the dull points about extinct kingdoms, but in the subtle pulse of the world around him.
Suddenly, Kaelen felt a faint prick, a strange sensation he couldn't pinpoint, as if something had shifted in the air around him, yet it was intangible. The other students were busy taking notes or browsing on their tablets, completely oblivious to anything unusual. The professor didn't stop his lecture, nor did the light outside flicker.
"Just fatigue," Kaelen muttered to himself, rubbing his temple. "Perhaps I spent too much time studying those ancient engravings last night."
He tried to refocus on the lecture, but that strange feeling of pressure, as if something immense and colossal was approaching, never left him. It was like an eerie silence before a storm, or a scent only he could perceive. He glanced at his watch; five minutes until the end of the lecture. Five more ordinary minutes in an ordinary day, before he returned to his own world, where he knew the apparent calm hid layers yet to be revealed.
The bell signaling the end of the lecture rang loudly, announcing the students' liberation from the confines of the hall. Young crowds streamed into the corridors, exchanging jokes and weekend plans. Kaelen joined them, walking with steady steps, trying to shake off the heavy feeling that clung to him. The air outside was refreshing, and the sun was still shining brightly, but something drew his attention to the sky.
These weren't ordinary clouds. Their colors began to change unnaturally; it wasn't a sunset, but the sky was painted in deep violet and dark blue he had never seen before. It wasn't just colors; it was more like smoke rising from a massive, invisible fire. Muffled murmurs reached his ears from around him. Students began to look up, taking photos with their phones, thinking it was just a strange natural phenomenon or a light effect.
Then it happened.
With a sound that was neither screams nor an explosion, but more like the tearing of the very fabric of the world. A deep tremor, resonating in the bones more than heard by the ear. The sky tore open.
These weren't cracks like lightning; they were glowing fissures, as if invisible hands were ripping apart the fabric of reality. Luminous lines of neon blue began to widen and writhe, like windows opening into a cold, unknown void. And from within these fissures, colors unknown to humans began to eman emanate, and a strange light that did not belong to this world.
The absolute silence that followed the tearing sound did not last long. The scene turned into utter chaos in an instant. Screams of horror rose from the terrified crowds. Students who had been joking moments before were now pushing and shouting in fear, running aimlessly. The towering buildings of Northwood University's massive clock tower began to shake violently, walls cracking, and pieces of concrete falling.
Kaelen felt a strange force rush through his legs, pulling him to the ground. He wasn't afraid like the others; instead, there was an odd sense of connection, as if this colossal event had awakened something dormant deep within him. This was the Cosmic Affinity beginning to react to the tearing of reality. His eyes instinctively rose to the largest fissure in the sky, which was expanding non-stop. And in his mind, whispers began to intertwine—not comprehensible words, but vague sensations of colliding worlds and unraveling realities. He didn't understand their meaning, but they weren't entirely alien to him; they were like a distant echo of forgotten knowledge, or a hidden wisdom awakened by this destruction.
And as the first of these entities prepared to fully cross the threshold, an invisible shockwave emanated from one of the smaller fissures nearby. It wasn't an airwave, but a sudden sensation of deep cold and freezing that permeated the air for a moment, followed by the sound of massive glass shattering. This caused one of the massive pillars at the university entrance to collapse, creating a wide gap in the ground.
Kaelen clearly realized that what was happening transcended natural disasters or any familiar human conflict. This was something coming from a place humanity had never imagined existed. And as others screamed and ran, he remained still, observing what was happening with a clear mind. His mind, even amidst this chaos, analyzed and recorded every detail, driven by a deep survival instinct, and a hidden glimmer of hope connecting him to a past he hadn't yet left behind.