Chapter 1:The End Before the Beginning

"And now, to something a little more magical—something that might just make you believe in wishes again."

The screen flickered briefly as the camera cut to the studio. A man and a woman sat behind the news desk, both smiling a little too wide under perfect lighting. The woman leaned toward the camera, her eyes sparkling like she'd waited her whole life for this segment.

"Tonight marks the peak of what astronomers are calling the 'once-in-a-million-years meteor event,'" she said, practically glowing. "Thousands of meteors—visible across nearly every part of the world. Scientists say we won't get another chance like this until long after humanity's gone extinct."

The man chuckled, adjusting his tie.

"So basically, you miss it tonight, and you'll be reincarnated as a squirrel before you ever get to see it again."

"Exactly," she grinned. "Cities everywhere are holding public viewings. Parks are packed. Rooftops. Beaches. Everyone's coming together. If you've got someone special, bring them. If you don't—"

"Bring a blanket and some snacks and pretend the sky is flirting with you."

They both laughed.

"No matter where you are," she continued, her voice softening slightly, "look up tonight. Even just for a minute. The universe doesn't usually make appointments like this."

The segment ended with a slow zoom of sparkling simulation footage—cascading stars over a model Earth—and a gentle piano track that faded as the screen switched back to news headlines.

I blinked at the TV for a few seconds longer than I meant to, the colors still dancing faintly in the dim light of my room.

Alright.That kind of convinced me.

My phone rested in my hand, unlocked. I'd been scrolling through nothing—just swiping out of habit, not even looking. Some meme. An ad. A blurred selfie someone had posted with the caption "ready for tonight ✨". I had no idea who they were.

The phone screen dimmed and shut off. I didn't bother turning it back on.

I stood up with a stretch, the floor cool under my socks. My room was quiet, not in a peaceful way—just… stale. Like the air had given up moving.

Light from the TV still flickered on the wall behind me as I made my way to the bathroom down the hall.

The mirror lit up as I stepped in front of it.I didn't look great. Not bad. Just... there.

Dark blond hair—messy from the way I'd been lying on my bed. I ran a hand through it to flatten it down a bit.Gray eyes that always looked a little tired, even when I wasn't.Not tall. Not short. Kind of that annoying in-between where no one remembers your height.

My jawline was too soft to be sharp, but not soft enough to look young. I had one of those faces that made people say, "You look familiar" even if they'd never seen me before.

I brushed my teeth without thinking much, rinsed my face, patted it dry. Fixed my hair a little more. A shirt that didn't look too worn. Sneakers that still had some white on them.

Done.

I walked back to grab my keys and wallet. The hallway lights were off, but a faint yellow glow came from the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" my dad's voice called out, flat and tired.

I leaned around the corner just enough for him to see me.

"Out. Meteor thing."

He glanced up from his chair, one hand on a mug, the other holding his phone.

"With Jakub?"

"Yeah."

He didn't question it.

Just nodded once.

"Aleks, don't come back before midnight. The dog gets anxious with the door."

"Got it."

The streets still held the warmth of the day. Not the kind that made you sweat, just that soft cling to the pavement, like the heat hadn't decided whether it wanted to leave or not.

Shadows stretched long across the sidewalk as the sun slid lower behind the rooftops. Streetlamps hadn't flickered on yet, but the sky had already started shifting—colors bleeding from blue to purple, soft hints of gold melting into the clouds.

I passed by people heading toward parks, carrying foldable chairs and bags of snacks. A couple laughed as they juggled a rolled-up picnic blanket between them. Kids ran ahead, yelling about catching shooting stars. A group of teenagers in matching hoodies was taking selfies near a fountain.

The whole city was preparing to look up.

I kept walking.

The corner shop was open, warm light spilling through the doorway like it was trying to chase away the coming dusk. I pushed the door open, the little bell above it giving a tired jingle.

Inside, the air smelled faintly of old candy and cleaning spray. Shelves lined with snacks, energy drinks, and a fridge humming quietly in the back.

I made my way straight to it and opened the cooler. The cold air hit me in the face, crisp and sharp. My hand hesitated for a moment before I grabbed the familiar glass bottle—dark red, a faint cherry-vanilla tint swirling behind the label.

I closed the door, bottle in hand, and made my way to the counter.

That's when I heard them.

Two guys, maybe seventeen, leaning against the wall near the exit. Loud enough to be noticed. Not loud enough to be confronted.

"Hey man," one of them said, voice light, a smirk already in it. "You out here solo for the big romantic sky-show?"

His friend snorted, elbowing him.

"Don't be mean. Maybe he's meeting his girlfriend. Right, bro? You look like the type that pulls meteor-chasers."

I didn't answer.

Not angry. Not embarrassed.

Just… done.

I placed the drink on the counter, slid a coin across the surface. The cashier barely looked up, just nodded and tapped a button.

"Enjoy the show," he muttered, handing me the bottle.

"Oh, he will," one of the teens added with a grin, "all the stars to himself."

I walked out before they could say more, the cool glass bottle sweating slightly in my hand.

A few minutes later, I turned onto the quieter path. The sounds of chatter, music, and cars faded behind me, replaced by the crunch of gravel under my shoes and the soft rustle of wind through trees.

The path wound gently uphill, flanked by overgrown hedges and an old metal fence on one side. Faint outlines of distant apartment windows blinked in the growing dusk like lazy fireflies.

My spot came into view—a half-buried bench sitting slightly crooked under a lone streetlight in a mostly forgotten corner of the park. The light flickered once, then held steady, casting pale gold across the worn wood and cracked pavement.

I sat.

The bench creaked beneath me, familiar.

I popped the cap off the bottle and let it fall to the ground. Took a sip. Too sweet. Perfect.

The sky above had opened just enough to show the first stars, tiny white dots blinking into existence one by one. The clouds were still pulling apart slowly, streaks of purple and orange slicing across the horizon.

Somewhere nearby, a cicada buzzed. A car door slammed. Laughter echoed distantly and disappeared again.

I leaned back.

No one called. No one messaged.

Not surprising.

But for once… that didn't feel like a bad thing.

If this was the peak of teenage life—sitting on a crooked bench with a bottle of too-sweet soda and a view of the sky—well... maybe it wasn't that bad.

Then, the first light appeared.

The meteor didn't fall—it drew a blade.A searing line tore left‑to‑right across the heavens, so precise it felt intentional, as though someone had unzipped the night with a molten scalpel. White‑hot brilliance followed in its wake, scorching the air; every hair on my arms stood at rigid attention. Time hiccupped, the world holding its breath—then the wound widened, and the sky itself unraveled.

Not clouds parting.Not weather.A careless stitch tugged loose from the tapestry of reality.

Behind the tear yawned a void so absolute it turned the surrounding darkness to ash‑grey. For one impossible heartbeat I prayed it was a trick of refraction, an undiscovered miracle of physics.

Then something shifted inside the gap.

Shapes slid out—no, they unspooled, like shadows refusing to stay sewn together. Some were spear‑long and angular, others broad and skittering, their outlines glitching as if existence were missing frames. Limbs bloomed where limbs had no right to be. I didn't breathe. The soda bottle slipped from my fingers, hissed across the pavement, and that fizz was the last familiar sound.

 The first one hit the mall parking lot across the street. No wings, no eyes, just this sick mess of limbs and jagged shapes, like someone had tried to build a spider out of glass shards and nightmares. It moved without moving. Blinked forward, frame by frame, glitching like bad internet. One second it stood over a frozen minivan. The next, the van was gone, crushed into a metal pancake. No sound. No scream. Just gone.

"What the fuck...?" I took a step back.

A shadow stretched across the asphalt in front of me. Something was above me.

I didn't look up.

I ran.

Faster than I ever had before. Down the street, past shuttered shops, past the corner bakery with its glass already shattered. My feet hit the pavement like drumbeats. My chest burned. My legs screamed. I didn't stop.

I couldn't.

Screams erupted behind me—real ones now. People were dying. Buildings collapsed. A man sprinted past me with blood on his hands, shouting something about his daughter. I didn't stop to ask. Another blur dashed across the sidewalk, chasing him.

No. Not chasing.

Hunting.

And then it saw me.

I turned down the alley behind the gym. My shortcut home. Narrow, tight, steep. Dumb move. Halfway through, I realized—

Dead end.

"Shit. Shitshitshit—"

My back hit the wall. Brick. Cold. No ladder, no windows. Just garbage bins and walls and one way out. But I didn't hear footsteps.

No, it didn't walk. It drifted.

A shape slithered into view, limbs twitching in wrong directions. Its whole body shimmered, like it wasn't really here. Like it couldn't decide which world it belonged in.

I raised my hands like that would help. My voice barely came out.

"Please—don't—"

The creature lunged.

Then—

A blinding light.

Something pierced the air with a sharp crack, and a golden spear slammed into the creature's torso, pinning it to the wall beside me. It didn't bleed. It just convulsed—glitching even harder—then disintegrated into smoke and sparks.

I dropped to the ground, gasping.

A figure descended through the sky, glowing so bright I had to shield my eyes. Not a superhero. Not a cosplayer. Not a god.

An angel.

Like, straight-up wings-of-light, too-bright-to-look-at, radiant-being-of-divine-justice-TM kind of angel.

He didn't land. He hovered a few meters off the ground, staring at me with this... unreadable expression. His voice wasn't loud, but it hit like thunder.

"You don't have much time, Aleksander."

I froze. "You—how do you know my name?"

He didn't answer.

"Endure a little longer. You're nearly safe."

Then he vanished. Just—gone. No flash, no noise. Nothing.

I sat there for a second, heart pounding. "What the fuck just happened?"

My hands were shaking. My legs barely worked. But somehow, I stood up.

Everything hurt. The city was dying. The sky was bleeding. And I was still here.

No more running.

I walked. Through the empty streets. Through the smoke. Through the shattered remains of my town.

The buildings were hollow. The air was thick with ash. Somewhere, a phone kept ringing. No one answered.

A woman lay motionless under a broken streetlight. Her eyes were open. Her mouth, too. No sound came out.

I stepped over her.

One block later, a car burned in silence. Another creature crawled across the ruins like a drunk centipede made of glass and teeth. It didn't see me.

I kept walking.

My mind had stopped trying to make sense of anything. I was just... moving. Existing. Waiting for it to end.

Then I looked down.

A glowing circle spread beneath my feet—etched into the concrete, pulsing softly. Symbols I didn't recognize lit up one by one.

"What the fu—"

The ground vanished.

I didn't fall like in movies.

No flailing arms. No dramatic screaming. Just the sudden realization that there was nothing beneath me anymore—and then the world turned white.

Everything around me blurred into light. Not warm. Not cold. Just blinding, soundless, endless.

I couldn't feel my body. My thoughts scattered. Was I dying?

No.

If this was death, it should've been darker. Quieter. I should've seen something. My parents. A memory. Anything.

But there was only light. Like I'd been swallowed by a fucking LED nightmare.

Then—impact.

Hard stone beneath my back. Cold air in my lungs. I gasped, twisted onto my side, and coughed like I hadn't breathed in years.

What the hell just—?

I opened my eyes.

Blue.

The sky was blue.

Not red, not cracked, not bleeding—just a perfect, cloudless blue. Bright. Peaceful.

I blinked.

The air smelled different. Not like smoke. Not like exhaust or city pollution. Clean. Too clean.

I sat up slowly, my whole body trembling. My shirt clung to my chest, damp with sweat and dust. I wasn't dead.

I was somewhere else.

And I wasn't alone.

Voices surrounded me—hundreds of them, maybe thousands. I turned my head and—

"What the f—?"

A crowd. A massive crowd.

People packed shoulder to shoulder across a wide, white-stoned plaza that looked like something out of a fantasy video game. Towering marble arches. Floating crystal lamps. Giant steps carved into a mountainside behind us.

Some people were crying. Others were screaming. Most were just... frozen.

Everyone looked just as lost as I felt.

Men in office suits. Women in hospital gowns. Teenagers with school bags. Toddlers. Seniors. Everyone.

And mixed in with them...

"What the hell am I looking at?"

Elves. Freaking elves.

Tall, elegant people with long ears, glowing eyes, and clothes that shimmered like magic had barfed all over them. A group of dwarves huddled near a fountain, yelling in some guttural language I didn't understand.

And I just stood there.

My legs wanted to collapse.

This isn't Earth.

"Is this a dream?" My voice cracked. "Did I finally go crazy?"

No one answered.

The ground beneath us pulsed.

Then everything stopped.

Even the wind.

A voice echoed through the sky. Not from speakers. Not from anywhere physical. Just there—inside our bones, our heads, the very air.

"You have been spared."

I froze.

"The creatures you saw are not of your world. And soon, they will come for this one."

My stomach twisted.

"You have six months."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Someone shouted, "Six months for what?!"

The voice ignored him.

"Unite. Learn. Survive. Or perish, like your world did."

Then silence.

No explanation. No guidance. Just... that.

And the voice was gone.

The crowd exploded into chaos.

People screamed. Some collapsed. A few tried to run, but there was nowhere to go—giant marble walls surrounded us on all sides. Dozens sobbed on the ground. A girl next to me threw up. A guy near the edge started punching the wall with his bare fists until his knuckles split open.

I couldn't move.

My heart pounded. My hands shook. My mouth was dry.

Six months?

Unite?

Was that some kind of god? An AI? A fucking prank?

Was Earth... gone?

"No no no no no—this can't be real."

I grabbed my arm. Slapped myself. Nothing changed. Still here. Still surrounded by people—and non-people—who looked just as terrified as I felt.

I looked up again. The blue sky didn't help.

I thought of my parents.

Are they here?

Are they even alive?

I scanned the crowd, pushing through bodies. No familiar faces. Just strangers. Hundreds of them.

I stopped walking.

This wasn't a dream.