"Come on, Raka! We're going to be late for my competition!" Sarah yelled from several feet ahead of him.
"We're already an hour early!"
Quickly jogging to catch up to her, Raka sighed as they finally slowed their pace. The embassy had set up another community event for the month.
This time, it was more geared toward children, but plenty of grownups (most likely parents) still showed up. It was an art competition in which they had to draw something incorporating aspects of Arche and Earth.
With Sarah being the only one in the family who loved art, it was no surprise that she signed up.
Everyone else couldn't come early; Mom and Dad had to sort things out with the administrator, and Melody was still asleep. That left Raka to watch over Sarah, at least for the first part of the event.
But he didn't mind.
Finally, the two siblings arrived at the park where the event was held. Surprisingly, many people were already gathered there. 'Looks like we're not the only ones early.'
The participants were mostly young kids, with their families watching over them. A large mat was spread out on the ground, and small tables with art supplies were next to it.
Looking around, Raka noticed something odd. Specifically, the lack of guards. Usually, at every event, there are at least 10 to 20 guards on hand to ensure everything goes smoothly. But right now he couldn't see any at all.
'That's a little strange.'
Finally, after an hour, the event organizers arrived, and the competition began. Sarah quickly adjusted the strap on her small bag. She waved goodbye as she ran towards her table, carrying her art supplies.
"Wish me luck!"
Raka settled comfortably into one of the spectator chairs set up around the competition area, enjoying the sun's gentle warmth on his face.
Most people around him were parents, their eyes intently fixed on their children as they softly chatted among themselves.
Scanning the area, Raka quickly spotted Sarah among the bustling crowd.
Her small figure was hunched intently over her drawing, her pencil moving swiftly across the page. She seemed wholly absorbed in her art, tuning out the world around her completely.
"They're so serious about this, aren't they?" one woman sitting near him chuckled softly to her friend, shaking her head in amusement. "I've never seen my son focus on anything else like this. Especially not schoolwork."
"Tell me about it," the man beside her laughed in agreement, "But it is pretty funny seeing them so focused."
Raka couldn't help but smile at their exchange, nodding in agreement. Sarah was exactly the same.
Usually, she was energetic and easily distracted, bouncing from one activity to another. But when she had a pencil and paper in her hands, nothing else seemed to matter to her.
It was almost as if the world around her faded away. She had this intense, practically laser-like focus that only emerged when she was drawing.
He sighed as he leaned back comfortably in his chair, lifting his gaze lazily to the sky above.
The sky was filled with fluffy white clouds, two bright suns casting a comforting warmth throughout the park, and a floating white ball in the sky.
…
'Wait a what now?'
Blinking rapidly, Raka suddenly straightened up in his chair, squinting hard to try and make out the strange object more clearly.
It was difficult to see, as its pale color blended with the clouds surrounding it, almost making it invisible.
Confused and slightly unsettled, he rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, scanning the skies carefully this time, the white ball had disappeared.
'That was weird. Maybe I'm just tired or seeing things,'
Despite telling himself that, a slight unease lingered in his chest.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Raka turned his attention back towards Sarah and the other contestants, pushing the strange sighting to the back of his mind.
Beep!
"Pens down, everyone! It's break time. Please come back after 30 minutes." The event organizer yelled through the speakers, prompting every contestant to quickly put down their tools.
Raka stood up after hearing the announcement. Watching people draw for over an hour had made him quite thirsty.
Hearing footsteps getting closer, he saw Sarah running towards him. "Raka, I'm hungry."
He chuckled, "Alright, the snacks are over to the side. Come on, let's get some." After nodding in approval, she quickly followed him to the snack bar.
It was nothing special, just some packaged bread and a decently sized juice box. They had to wait in line though, as there were tons of people who also wanted to get some.
The two waited in line side by side. He could tell Sarah was impatient as she tapped her foot on the ground.
'It's like an angry hamster.' He smiled to himself as he imagined a small hamster with their arms crossed in irritation.
Suddenly, he felt the hairs on his neck stand up, goosebumps appearing all over his body. He didn't know why, but his gaze shifted to the sky.
He saw it again.
The white ball.
But this time, it was moving.
He watched it fly away quickly to another part of the embassy. Glancing around, he realized no one else seemed to notice it.
Looking back up at the sky, he squinted his eyes in an attempt to spot the ball again.
"-Ka"
'I don't like this.'
"-Aka"
'Maybe I should find a guard and ask them—'
"Raka!"
"Huh? What!" Flinching in surprise, he looked down to see the annoyed look on his sister's face, realizing he'd spaced out, not hearing whatever she'd been saying.
"Were you even listening?!"
"Ehe..."
"What do you mean 'Ehe'?!"
He was about to respond, but goosebumps rose again. He quickly glanced back up at the sky, startling Sarah.
Another white ball flew past the park, disappearing quickly into the distance.
"Raka, what are you looking at?"
"I-it's nothing… I think I need to go to the bathroom now. Wait in line for me, please."
He walked away, tuning out his sister's protests.
'Sorry, Sarah, but I need to find out what the heck is going on.'
Walking past the crowd, he noticed there were still no guards around—none in the park or nearby.
'Maybe there's a guard assembly I wasn't aware of? No, nothing was scheduled. Did they get sent out on an urgent mission? But then, why wasn't anyone informed?'
Stopping for a moment, he took a few steadying breaths, feeling his pulse slow just slightly. Panic wouldn't help now.
Quickly, he exited the park, eyes scanning for any guards. The neighborhood streets, usually lively with patrols, were strangely empty and eerily quiet.
He jogged lightly down the sidewalk, glancing nervously down side streets and alleyways, each empty sight heightening his unease.
He reached the nearby guard post, hoping for answers, but his heart sank further.
It was abandoned.
The most unsettling thing was that everything was orderly, as if no one had even been there.
Checking further, he jogged toward the small community square, usually watched by guards.
But the square was empty too.
He quickly looked inside a few nearby buildings, hoping someone had seen or heard something.
Nothing.
Feeling his nerves fraying, he quickly returned to the competition grounds, eyes scanning the area.
Finally, he spotted the event organizer—a tall, sturdy orc speaking with another organizer near the microphone stand.
'Maybe he knows something.'
"Excuse me, sir!" Raka called, quickly approaching him.
The orc turned, raising a curious eyebrow. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Raka hesitated briefly, then spoke, "Do you have any idea why there aren't any guards around?"
The orc's eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing across his face. "I noticed that too. I figured you all would know. There wasn't any announcement or something?"
Raka shook his head, and the orc's expression shifted to match his growing worry.
Changing the subject quickly, Raka asked, "Did you see any white balls floating around the sky?"
"White balls?" the orc echoed, confusion evident.
Raka squinted at the sky again.
'Where are you—found it!'
He spotted one hovering right above the competition grounds. "There! Like that one—do you know what it is?"
The orc narrowed his eyes, finally spotting the small, pale shape drifting gently. "Huh, you're right. There's something there."
"From your reaction, I assume you don't know what it is either?"
The orc shook his head, about to reply, when the white ball suddenly glowed brighter. Mana radiated strongly from it, causing Raka to shiver involuntarily. The orc's eyes widened sharply with recognition.
"Shit, it's one of those!"
"One of what? What's happening?" Raka yelled, startled by the orc's sudden outburst.
Ignoring him, the orc sprinted toward the microphone stand. Raka hurried after him, anxiety sharply rising.
"Hey! You gonna tell me what's going on?!" Raka shouted.
"You need to get as far away from those things as you can!" the orc shouted back, voice strained.
Grabbing the mic, the orc hastily switched it on. The abrupt static crackle immediately silenced everyone in the competition area.
"Everyone, get to the evacuation point now! We are under attac—"
Before he could finish, a sudden blinding flash swallowed everything, freezing Raka in place.
All sound vanished, replaced by a ringing silence that screamed in his ears as the world dissolved into white.