"And now, to something a little more magical. Something that beautiful, that we can witness only once in our lifetimes."
The screen flickers briefly as the camera cuts to the studio. A man and a woman sat behind the news desk, both smiling with perfect smiles. Both of them were very known journalists. Not so long ago everyone talked about their break up. They were once one of the most iconic couples you could think of. The reason of the break up is unknown but there are many rumors around. It was easy to notice how uncomfortable it was for them standing next to each other. You could clearly see how the man didn't knew what he should do with his hands, so he changed the position of it every few seconds. Then the woman leaned toward the camera, her eyes ready to read her next line.
"Tonight marks the peak of what astronomers are calling the 'once-in-a-million-years meteor event,'" she said, with her perfect smile. "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 he could finally do something with his hand.
"So basically, you miss it tonight, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
"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 think about a wish you want to wish for later."
They both laughed, finally with a real laugh. Probably because they know that the show is ending shortly and they finally don't have to be next to each other.
"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 with stars flying over a model of Earth and a gentle piano track that faded as the screen switched back to ads.
I blinked at the TV for a few seconds.
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.
I already knew that in 50 years when someone will ask me what my biggest regret was, I would answer that I lost too much time on my phone. I knew it but I still didn't do anything about it. It became a habit too strong for me to defeat.
The truth is that It was the only thing that gave me an illusion that I would socialize and I really didn't want to lose that feeling. It helped me to distract myself from reality ,where I didn't have a single friend.
The phone screen dimmed and shut off. I didn't bother turning it back on.
I stood up with a stretch, 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 took a look at myself.
Damn do I look ass–
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. My eyes were grey, but their colour often changed with another lightning. I was 5′8 tall, so below average.
I was a little under wage but my jawline was very soft. This and my chubby cheeks gave me a so-called "Babyface" which made me look as if I was 13. No one believed me at first in conversations that I was 16.
I brushed my teeth without thinking much, rinsed my face, patted it dry. Fixed my hair a little more..
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.
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 Noah?"
"Yeah."
I lied.
Noah is an imaginary friend I created because my parents became very concerned that I didn't go out much with friends. So to make them less concerned I created him. Now I always go outside alone but my parents think that I go with him. I just don't want them to feel bad about me
He didn't question it.
Just nodded once.
"Aleks, don't come back late."
"Got it."
The streets still held the warmth of the day. It wasn't too cold or too warm. It was just perfect.
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 the event. 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. I normally go there to buy something to drink, soI 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.
Brad leaning against the wall near the exit. He was one of them. Them who make my life into hell. He's one of the reasons why I became how I am. Brad was tall and had an objectively handsome face. Almost every girl in my school had a crush on him. Because of that he developed a very big ego and zero empathy. He made me do every of his homeworks, or even every of his exams, and if I once said no he would punch me up. Everyone knew but no one did something against it, he had them all fooled, flashing that disgusting grin, saying just the right thing in just the right voice. But I knew better. An empty-headed narcissist.
There wasn't even a reason why he picked me. He picked me because he was bored. I spent years trying to understand what was wrong with me, what made me his favorite target. I found nothing.
His boredom fucking ruined me.
Next to him was carmen. Also one of the more popular kids, probably his new side chick. She was like 5′ 3, had dark straight hair, brown eyes which shined in this lighting, tanned skin and was from spain. I have known her since elementary school, she was one of my best childhood friends and I have developed a massive crush on her since then. She was way out of my league. I just found it sad that she fell for someone like him. I hoped that he would not hurt her.
"Hey look carmen, there is one of the freaks I told you about," brad said, voice light, a smirk already in it. "You out here solo for the big romantic sky-show?"
Carmen looked surprised to see me, but acted like she would not know who I am.
"Stop it brad, it's not that funny to laugh at weaker people "
ouch-
I didn't knew which hurted more that she called me weak or that she acted like she wouldn't know me
I didn't answer.
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.
I walked out, 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 alway go there when I tell my parents that I'm going out.
I sat.
The bench creaked beneath me, like it always did.
I popped the cap off the bottle and let it fall to the ground. Took a sip.Perfect.
The sky above had darkened 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.
I leaned back.
If this was the peak of teenage life ,sitting on a crooked bench with a bottle of sweet soda and a view of the sky .well... maybe it wasn't that bad.
Then, the first light appeared.
The first meteor started falling ,it drew a blade across the sky .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.
It looked beautiful
Then the wound widened, and the sky itself unraveled.
Not clouds parting.Not weather.A careless stitch tugged loose from the tapestry of reality.
Then something shifted inside the gap.
Thousands of small black dots fell from above .I looked closer and saw that there were shapes that slid out the sky. 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. I heard explosions everywhere.
Suddenly one of these alien-like creatures fell before me from the sky. It moved but without moving. The best phrase to explain it is that it moved like it would have a bad internet connection and would have a low ping. One second it stood over a frozen minivan. The next, the van was gone, crushed into a metal pancake. No sound.. Just gone.
"The Fuck" I took a step back and started running
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. 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. Narrow, tight, steep. Dumb move. Halfway through, I realized—
Dead End.
"Shit." Shitshitshit"
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.
Suddenly—
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.
Before me stood a shape, glowing so bright I had to shield my eyes. As it came near I saw two big wings on its bag.
Is that an angel?
-Nah I fucking totally went crazy. Was there maybe alcohol in the soda? No, alcohol doesn't work like that. This bastard seller definitely put drugs in my soda.
The shape came closer.
"Endure a little longer aleksander. You're nearly safe."
I froze. "You-how do you know my name?"
He didn't answer.
Then he vanished. 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. 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. Waiting for it to end.
Then I looked down.
A glowing circle spread beneath my feet. It looked like something people in movies would draw at rituals. In it were symbols I didn't recognize lit up one by one.
"Holy Shi–"
The ground vanished and I couldn't see anything. I just felt like I was falling somewhere infinite.
I couldn't feel my body. My thoughts scattered. Was I dying?
No. I hope not.
If this was death, it should've been darker. Quieter. I should've seen something. My parents. A memory. Anything.
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 happened?
I opened my eyes.
Blue.
The sky was blue.
Not unzipped like before. It was blue, bright and peaceful.
I blinked.
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–
"Damn"
A massive crowd.
People packed shoulder to shoulder across a wide, grass field.
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.
You know these creatures from fantasy movies and games. 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.
A voice echoed through the sky. Not from speakers. Not from anywhere physical. "You have been spared."
I froze.
"The creatures which destroyed your worlds will also 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."