The End Foretold

I stepped inside the alien ship. The air inside was way colder compared to the outside. The interior of the ship was massive, and its scale was even more imposing from the inside. I could see soft, pulsating lights running along the walls, tracing elegant, intricate patterns that seemed alive, almost as if the ship itself were breathing. The glow shifted between hues of blue, red, and violet, casting strange shadows that danced across the metallic floor…

"Hello?!" I called out, my voice echoing into the eerie silence. "Is somebody here? Anyone at all?!" My words were swallowed by the vast emptiness. No response came. The only sounds were my own footsteps clanging softly on the alien metal and a faint hum that seemed to come from the very walls themselves…

The walls. They weren't like anything I had ever seen in my life; smooth, reflective surfaces laced with patterns of light that flickered and twisted as if reacting to my presence. I ran my fingers along them as I walked deeper inside. The material was cool. I could also tell by touching it that the metal was at least 100 times harder than the titanium…

"What the hell kind of tech is this?!" I muttered to myself.

I stopped for a moment and glanced back at the opening I had made earlier with my heat vision. That's when it happened…

A strange sound echoed through the ship, like metal creaking and bending. I turned back just in time to see the molten edges of the opening knitting themselves back together, the torn metal pulling itself inward like a wound healing at superhuman speed. The glow of the repair process reflected in my eyes as the opening sealed itself completely, leaving behind a flawless wall as though the opening had never been there…

"What the… what the hell?! No way!" I yelled, taking a step toward the now-sealed hull. My hand slapped against the smooth surface where the opening had been, feeling nothing but seamless, cold metal. "You've got to be kidding me. It's… alive?!! Or maybe automated?! Or an alien technology?!" I took a step back, running a hand through my hair. "Alright, Shin, stay calm. No big deal. It's just a self-healing alien spaceship… great…"

The hum of the ship grew louder for a moment after the opening knitted back together. I let out a frustrated sigh and turned back toward the interior. "Fine, I'll play along…" I muttered, shaking my head. "But if this place tries to eat me or something, I'm not going down quietly..."

I started walking deeper into the ship, the glowing patterns on the walls growing more intricate with each step. "Hello?!" I called again, louder this time. My voice bounced off the walls, the echoes overlapping into an eerie symphony. "Anyone here?!!"

Still nothing. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the faint hum of the ship's systems and the occasional subtle shift of light patterns along the walls. It felt like the ship was watching me, studying me. The thought sent a chill down my spine, but I pushed it aside…

As I walked deeper, the layout of the ship became more confusing. Hallways branched off in every direction, their walls curving in ways that defied conventional architecture. It was like being inside a labyrinth designed by someone who'd never heard of straight lines. The floor, walls, and ceiling all seemed to blur together at times, the glowing patterns offering the only sense of orientation…

After what felt like several minutes of wandering, I stopped in front of what appeared to be a dead end—a massive, smooth wall with no visible doors or panels. The glowing patterns in this section were more intense, pulsating with a strange rhythm that almost resembled a heartbeat…

"Great!!! Just great!!!" I muttered, placing my hand on the wall. "And now we've got a wall. Fantastic. Just what I needed…"

The moment my palm touched the surface, a voice boomed out of nowhere. It was deep, resonant, and completely alien. The words were a series of harsh, guttural sounds mixed with melodic tones that I couldn't understand….

In alien language, "ACCESS RESTRICTED. STATE PASSCODE."

"What the hell?!!" I said, pulling my hand back and taking a step away from the wall. The voice repeated the same phrase, the tones shifting slightly but still utterly unintelligible…

I frowned, crossing my arms. "Yeah, that's great and all, but I have no idea what you're saying. Try again, buddy…"

The voice repeated the phrase a third time, sounding almost irritated now, though I couldn't be sure if that were just my imagination. I groaned in frustration and pressed both hands against the wall. "What are you saying? Password? Command? Sing-along? I don't speak alien, alright!!!"

The voice stopped. Silence. I stood there, staring at the glowing wall, half-expecting it to do something—anything. But it didn't. I sighed, leaning forward and resting my forehead against the cool surface…

"Think, Shin!!!" I muttered to myself. "What's the move here? Do I just walk away? No… no, I didn't come this far just to get stopped by some fancy talking wall..."

I pulled back, shaking my head. "Alright, if you won't let me in, I'll make my own damn door…"

Taking a step back, I clenched my fist and focused my energy. With a surge of power, I drove my fist into the wall. The impact reverberated through the ship, a deafening crack splitting the air. The wall crumbled under the force of my punch, and pieces of the strange material flew in every direction as I created my own path forward…

I lowered my fist and stared at the gaping hole I'd just made. The flickering lights from inside cast eerie shadows across my face. "Yeah…" I said, brushing dust off my hand. "Guess that's one way to knock."

The jagged edges of the wall I had just punched through still crackled faintly, glowing as if the ship's material was fighting to knit itself back together again. I stepped through the opening cautiously. What lay beyond made me freeze in my tracks…

The room was massive, an enormous chamber that stretched out in every direction. At first glance, it was unlike anything I'd seen before—alien technology on full display. Pulsating lights ran along the curved walls, forming intricate patterns that seemed to shift and move as if alive. The floor beneath me was smooth, dark, and reflective, giving the illusion that I was standing on a liquid glass surface...

Directly in front of me was a massive glass window, though calling it just "glass" didn't do it justice. It wasn't clear like ordinary glass—it shimmered with faint, glowing circuits and alien symbols that flickered and rearranged themselves in a rhythmic, almost hypnotic dance. Beyond the glass, I could see the barren landscape of outside…

The room was eerily empty—no chairs, consoles, or control panels. Nothing. Just the hum of the ship's energy and the soft glow of the walls...

I muttered to myself, "This place looks like a command centre… but why is there nothing here? No seats, no controls? How is this massive ship even being operated?!" I paused, squinting at the strange lights rippling across the walls. "AI, maybe? Or something even more advanced? Damn, this tech is lightyears ahead of anything we've got..."

I stepped further in, my footsteps echoing faintly in the command room. I looked up and saw a massive floating holographic display hovering in the centre of the room...

The projection was breathtaking, a hologram of the Milky Way galaxy spinning slowly, its arms coiled in dazzling swirls of light. I stared at the display, captivated by the beauty of it, until the hologram began to shift…

The galaxy began to zoom inward, the stars and spiralling arms shrinking until a single blue-green planet came into focus. My breath caught in my throat. "That's… Earth."

I took a shaky step forward, my voice rising with urgency. "It's my world… That's my home!!!" My hand instinctively reached out toward the display, even though I knew I couldn't touch it. My heart pounded as I stared at the familiar continents, the swirling clouds. But my relief turned to horror as the hologram shifted once again…

The display changed, showing the seven alien ships—the same ones I'd seen earlier—hovering ominously over seven different points on Earth. Each one loomed like a predator stalking its prey, their forms casting long, dark shadows over the cities below…

"What the hell is this?!" I whispered, my voice trembling. "What are they doing?!"

The hologram answered in terrifying detail. The ships began to glow, their energy cannons charging with an intensity that made the entire display pulse with crimson light. I watched in stunned silence as the first beam fired, slamming into the surface of the Earth. The impact was catastrophic—a flash of light followed by a sea of fire. Cities crumbled instantly, high-rises toppling like dominoes, their remains engulfed in flames...

"No… no, no, no!!!" I yelled, taking a step back as if I could physically distance myself from what I was seeing. The destruction continued. One by one, the ships fired, their beams cutting swaths of devastation across the planet. Oceans boiled, forests burned, and entire continents were turned into lifeless, charred wastelands…

I clenched my fists, my knuckles white as my mind raced to process the horror before me. "How… how is this even possible?!" My voice cracked as I yelled at the empty room, "Why the hell are they doing this?! What did Earth ever do to you?!"

I stood there, trembling with rage, staring at the holographic display showing Earth's annihilation over and over again like some cruel simulation. I could feel the heat rising within me, almost begging for release. And here I was, stuck inside this alien ship, powerless to stop it…

The hologram continued its merciless display, showing Earth reduced to a nightmarish vision of fire and ash. The image of my planet—my home—was unrecognizable. My thoughts spiralled into chaos. Maki. My friends. My world. Everything I cared about was being destroyed… Were they gone? Was I too late? No… I couldn't let this happen. Not while I was still standing…

I turned my gaze toward the glowing patterns on the walls, my jaw tightening with determination. "How do I activate this ship? There's got to be a way to stop this… to save everyone!" My voice echoed in the empty room, but there was no response. The ship remained silent...

I looked back at the hologram, at the devastation unfolding before my eyes. My hands trembled, not with fear, but with resolve and rage. "I don't care what it takes…" I muttered under my breath. "I'll figure it out. I'll find a way to stop them. You're not taking my world. Not on my watch..."

I started looking around, searching for a way to activate this ship…

I whipped around, looking at the strange patterns on the walls and the floating hologram, searching desperately for some kind of clue. Nothing. No buttons, no switches, just alien tech that seemed completely indifferent to me…

I started frantically pacing around the room, muttering under my breath. "Think, Shin, think. There has to be something. Anything. A lever? A goddamn button? This thing is massive—it can't just sit here doing nothing!!!" I slammed my hand against the flat surface of what I assumed was the command table. No reaction…

With no other options, I started pressing random sections of the table, dragging my palms across its surface like a madman. But nothing happened. The ship remained silent, the hologram continuing its haunting display of Earth's annihilation…

After looking for half an hour, I still couldn't find any way to activate this ship…

"Damn it!!!" I roared as I slammed my fist into the edge of the window in a rage. The alien material didn't even flinch. "I don't have time for this! How the hell do I activate this damn thing?!"

TO BE CONTINUED