Chapter 16 – The Sky Falls First
Location: Giza Airspace – 5:44 PM – Sunset
The desert wind howled across the ancient stones.
But above it... came thunder.
Not from clouds.
From engines.
They came in waves—hundreds of stealth aircraft from every corner of the Earth.
Egyptian Mirage 2000s.
American SR-91 Blackstar prototypes—unconfirmed until today.
Russian SU-75 Checkmate squadrons.
UAVs the public had never seen.
Drones with quantum rail weapons.
Plasma pulse cannons. EM-field warheads. AI target-locks.
Every weapon humans had kept hidden for the "next war"—was now unleashed.
And all of it pointed at the pyramids, where the sand boiled red and the twelve Immortal Priests stood motionless… daring the sky to break.
Location: Global Broadcast HQ – Cairo Command Tent
Live feeds blinked across every screen.
"Target lock confirmed on all coordinates.
Awaiting fire authorization."
The world held its breath.
One general whispered, "God forgive us."
"Fire on my mark.
Three…
Two…"
Cut to: Hollow Earth – Seconds Before Impact
Adam gasped as if he had been punched through the chest.
Mike spun around. "Adam?!"
Adam dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "They're going to fire. They're going to fire."
Mike knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders. "What are you talking about?"
Adam's eyes glowed faintly—that same scarab pulse humming under his skin.
"The sky… is coming down.
They don't know what they're about to wake up."
He wasn't just hearing it—he was inside it.
Inside the minds of the Priests. Inside the air. Inside the silence right before death.
Mike felt the floor vibrate.
Not tremble. Not quake.
Pulse.
Like a heart. A warning.
"They're baiting us," Adam whispered. "They want us to attack."
Mike froze.
"Why?"
Adam looked up, and his voice wasn't just his anymore:
"Because violence… unlocks them."
Then—
Boom.
A shockwave far above. Not from the Hollow.
From the sky.
Cut to: Giza – Milliseconds After Fire Command
Hundreds of aircraft released payloads simultaneously—missiles, energy bolts, warheads, rail slugs.
The sky turned white.
The sound—impossible.
Sand evaporated. The pyramids were consumed in dust. Every radar went blind.
And for a moment… it looked like humanity had won.
Cut to: Adam and Mike – Hollow Core
The pulse went silent.
Then reversed.
A soundless pull, like the Earth inhaling through its bones.
Adam's voice trembled.
"They're opening the seal."
From deep beneath them, a glowing tear cracked through the chamber wall.
Blood-red light poured in.
Mike turned toward it.
"…What the hell is that?"
Adam stood.
"That's not light.
That's the Gate of Judgment."
Cut to: Surface – Giza Crater
As the dust cleared…
The twelve Priests still stood.
Untouched.
No scratches.
No burns.
No weakness.
And now… they moved.
Their feet never touched the ground.
Their robes didn't flap.
They simply floated forward—
"Let this be your answer," said the High Priest's voice—
not in words, but inside every soldier's head.
Then he raised a single hand.
And the sky caught fire.