Year 1980 The 9X9 Earth-Mars mission was three weeks from its destination when the asteroid came.
Inside the ship, four astronauts moved through their routines.
Two piloted the craft, their hands steady on the controls.
The other two sat nearby, sharing a packet of nuts.
The cabin was filled with the quiet crunch of chewing and the soft, nostalgic melody from the CD player.
“Last time I watched a movie was with my ex-wife,” Commander Ray said quietly, his eyes distant and unfocused.
“But forget about her,” Marcus replied, leaning forward and placing a reassuring hand on Ray’s knee.
“She didn’t deserve you.” Ray didn’t answer.
He simply stared ahead as the song continued playing.
Suddenly, the proximity alarm screamed.
Four heads snapped toward the console.
Four bodies tensed instantly.
“Evasive maneuvers!” Ray ordered, his voice calm but firm, sweat already forming on his forehead.
The pilots worked the controls frantically.
The ship groaned in protest as it turned sharply.
“Contact Earth.
Request emergency speed authorization,” Ray said.
Static.
“No response, Commander,” one pilot replied, tension creeping into his voice.
“Try again.” More static.
Ray leaned closer to the external camera feed.
His face was drained of all color.
“Captain—” he whispered.
The asteroid struck.
Metal shrieked violently against metal.
The hull split open like paper.
Glass exploded into a million glittering fragments that scattered into the void.
The ship tore apart, spilling debris and bodies into the endless darkness.
In the back compartment, one astronaut’s eyes widened in terror as he saw something through the ruptured wall — a shape that did not belong to the blackness of space.
Something watching.
Then the flames took him.
The others screamed in panic.
The fire spread rapidly.
For one brief, silent moment, the ship burned like a dying sun.
Then… nothing.
Earth-Space Research Center, Washington DC The room was dark and still.
Bruce Miller lay beneath a blanket, breathing slowly.
A sharp knock echoed.
Then another, harder this time.
Bruce stirred and sat up, rubbing his face.
The door opened to reveal an officer standing rigidly, his jaw tight and eyes heavy with bad news.
“Sir.
It’s an emergency,” the officer said.
Bruce stood quickly, his weathered face tense.
“How long?” he asked, gripping his wrist.
“Two hours, sir.
No contact.” Technicians worked frantically around them.
Voices overlapped.
Keyboards clattered desperately.
The air felt thick with panic.
Bruce stared at the wall of gray static, his expression grim.
Somewhere in that noise, a ship had died.
9 December 1980 Monovi, Nebraska A boy standing under the shade name Blinc stood motionless under the faded town sign, a bag hanging from his shoulder.
The cold December wind swept across the dead brown fields.
Footsteps approached quickly from the left — heavy and angry.
“What happened?” Blinc asked flatly, without turning around.
“Nothing.
Let’s go.
We’re getting late,” Zander replied, breathing hard.
Blinc pushed off the sign and fell into step beside him.
Their shoes crunched on the cracked asphalt.
“Your mom is going to London for Christmas?” Zander asked, trying to sound casual.
“Yes.
And yours?” Zander’s jaw tightened visibly.
“Yes.
But they gave me the usual lecture — don’t sleep late, don’t read novels at night.” He kicked a loose stone hard.
“So that’s why you’re angry?” “No.” “Then what?” Zander stopped walking.
His voice turned raw.
“For the first time, I actually did the homework myself… to impress Milli.” “Mrs Milli?
Our science teacher?” Blinc asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Love doesn’t see age.” Blinc’s face hardened.
“Yes.
Because love is bullshit.” Sunshine High School The corridors were loud and chaotic.
Blinc moved through the crowd quietly.
He saw Amili before she noticed him.
His heart beat faster, but his face remained blank.
He looked away first and kept walking.
In school hall medical camp in long student line “What did you do now?” Lomro asked from behind, a teasing smile on his face.
Blinc turned.
“What?” “Amili looked at you.
You looked at Amili,” Lomro said, nudging him.
“You have to say something, man.
Wave.
Anything.” They started walking toward the school hall .
“Why do you care so much?” Blinc asked, slightly annoyed.
“Because I know you like her,” Lomro replied with a grin.
“I don’t.” “I’m just saying… you need to get into a relationship.” “You talk like you’ve dated a thousand girls,” Blinc muttered.
School Health Camp A long line of students waited for the health check-up.
When Blinc’s turn came, he stepped onto the scale.
“Age 17, height 5 ‘6″, weight 49 kg, normal physique,” the doctor noted.
“You can go inside.” Lomro went next.
The doctor looked at the report.
“Age 17, height 5’6″, weight 43 kg, thin physique.
Wait outside.” Zander stepped up confidently.
“Age 17, height 5’9″, normal physique,” the doctor said.
“Do you work out?” “No,” Zander replied with a casual shrug.
“Just a lot of work at home.” For Cult: “Height 5 ‘2″, weight 46 kg… your age isn’t mentioned here.” “Sixteen,” Cult said quietly, looking nervous.
On the girls’ side, the doctor called out: “Inose-kun — Age 17, height 5 ‘2″, weight 46 kg, normal physique, wears spectacles.” “Amili — Age 17, height 5 ‘4″, weight 47 kg, normal physique.” Inside the room, the doctor looked at Blinc.
“Are you taking any medication?” the doctor asked.
“Yes… I take hallucination pills sometimes,” Blinc replied, shifting uncomfortably in the chair.
“Since when?” “After my father’s death… when I was seven,” Blinc said, his voice low.
“Alright, you may go.” Lomro get in “Hi!i know you your sister Annie is my student”Doctor said to Lomro After checkup They enter in class Amili and blinc stop in front of each other.
“Oh.
Amili.
Hi,” he said, trying to sound casual, though his heart raced.
“Hi.” She smiled softly, her eyes warm.
“Are you going somewhere?
Mrs.
Milli is coming,” Blinc said.
“She’s late today.
Class starts late.” “Shit,” Lomro muttered under his breath.
Amili tilted her head slightly.
“Are you free after school this evening?” Blinc’s heart skipped a beat blushing.
“Why?” “Cult wants to see the meteoroid,” she said gently.
“He was too scared to ask you himself.” Lomro’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Where is he?”Lomro ask “Behind you,” Amili replied with a small smile.
They turned.
Lomro crooked a finger and said playfully, “Cult.
Come here, my child.” Cult stepped forward hesitantly, looking nervous and hopeful.
“Please.
Come with me.
One last time.” “Wait.” Blinc held up a hand, his expression serious.
“What are you all talking about?” “You didn’t see the news?” Cult asked, his eyes widening.
Blinc shook his head.
Amili spoke from behind him, her voice calm and clear.
“Last night.
Ten kilometers from Monovi.
A meteoroid crashed on the highway.” “Then there’s no way we can see it,” Blinc said firmly.
“Yes, we can,” Cult insisted, his voice full of determination.
“Remember the police station?
What we did to see the knife” “And remember what happened?” Lomro said, frowning.
“We almost got caught.” “But we didn’t,” Cult shot back stubbornly.
Zander appeared suddenly from nowhere, throwing his hands up dramatically.
“Our English teacher caught me again.
I wrote a Bhojpuri song in the test…” He looked around, confused.
“What’s going on?” “Cult wants to see the meteoroid,” Amili said.
“I’m in,” Zander replied instantly, grinning.
“It’s a military restricted area now,” Lomro said, crossing his arms.
“We can’t.” “We can,” Cult insisted.
“We’ve done worse.” “There’s a difference between a police station and a military base,” Amili said seriously.taking her hands back Lomro nodded.
“She’s right.” ” something goes wrong—” Zander stopped mid-sentence.
He had drifted toward a nearby bench where a girl in glasses was reading quietly.
He placed a hand on her desk and flashed a charming grin.
“We’ll just say it was Inose’s plan.” “What happened?” Inose asked.
Her accent was soft and musical as she looked up, blinking in surprise.
“You want to see a meteoroid?” Zander asked, still smiling confidently.
“Meteoroid?” Inose repeated, confused.
“Don’t overthink it.
Just say yes.
And Japanese people don’t scare of anything,” Zander said playfully.
“But… it’s dangerous,” Inose said, looking worried.
“It’s nothing.
We’ll all be there,” Zander reassured her.
Inose blushed deeply and looked down at her book.
“Okay.” Amili leaned closer to Blinc and whispered curiously, “Why are they blushing?” “He’s dropping lines,” Blinc replied quietly, keeping his face calm.
“You think he likes her?” Amili asked, glancing at them.
“He likes every girl who exist in this world,” Blinc said, his eyes shifting toward Zander and Inose.
“What about you?” Amili asked softly.
“What do you think about other girls?” Blinc’s face closed off completely.
“I don’t have interest in girls.” Cult and Lomro heard this.
They exchanged a quick, amused look, then slowly and deliberately backed away.
Blinc glared quite after them.
“Fuck you both.” After this decision, our whole life got destroyed.
The voice was Blinc’s — but different.
Emptier.
He stood in the shell of an abandoned house.
Snow fell gently through the broken roof, dusting his shoulders.
Blood traced a thin line from his forehead down his cheek.
His body felt tired, broken, and helpless.
A shadow rose.
Nine feet tall.
Thin.
Wrong.
A low growl vibrated through the frozen air.
The shadow jumped.
After Class – The Cafeteria They sat around the table.
The cafeteria was alive with laughter, clattering trays, and scraping chairs.
But at their table, silence hung heavily.
All eyes were on Blinc.
“What?” he asked, his face showing quite expiration.
“The plan?” Zander leaned forward, palms flat on the table, “How would I know?” Blinc replied flatly.
“We need a plan,” Cult said, his fingers tapping the tabletop nervously.
Lomro pointed at Blinc.
“You make the plan.
Every time.” “Every time, I know the place,” Blinc said, his voice calm and steady.
“This time, we don’t even know the location.” “So what now?” Cult asked.
Amili spoke clearly.
“First, we find the location.” Zander grinned widely.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded paper with a dramatic flourish.
“Don’t worry.
This is the map.” Cult stared.
“Where did you get that?” “We’re not the only ones planning to go.
Carla and Zendaya from Class 3-A.
I heard them in the washroom talking about how they found it,” Zander explained.
Inose tilted her head.
“What were they doing in the boys’ washroom?” Zander blinked.
“Boys’ washroom?
They were in the girls’ washroom.” Lomro’s mouth fell open.
“What were you doing in the girls’ washroom?” Zander waved a hand, closing his eyes with a playful smile.
“Forget that.” Blinc took the map and unfolded it slowly, his eyes moving carefully across the lines.
“Ten kilometers from Monovi.
Then seven kilometres from the abandoned amusement park.
We get there first.
Then we plan according to the location.” Night.
The Crash Site.
The cold bit sharply through their clothes as they lay flat on the frozen sandy ground, their breath misting in the darkness.
The military structure loomed ahead — temporary walls, flickering lights, and guards patrolling in slow, steady patterns.
Zander whispered, “Good news and bad news.” “Bad first,” Blinc said quietly.
“They built a structure to hide it.” “And the good?” Lomro asked.
Zander’s lips curled into a smirk.
“They did an excellent job.” Amili turned to Blinc, her face tight with worry.
“What do we do?” “Guards.
Cameras.
We can’t get in,” Blinc replied, scanning the area carefully.
A mosquito buzzed near Amili’s face.
She swatted at it quickly.
Her finger caught a sharp stone, and a thin line of blood welled up.
She winced in pain but remained silent.
Zander’s head snapped up suddenly.
“Look.
Both guards are asleep.” Lomro was already on his feet.
“Let’s go.” He sprinted forward.
“Fuck you, Lomro,” Zander hissed, shaking his head in frustration.
The others followed — silent and fast — slipping past the sleeping guards and into the structure.
Inose glanced upward.
A guard on the upper floor was walking normally, then suddenly collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Her throat tightened with fear.
They reached a good vantage point.
The meteoroid sat below them — dark, massive, and humming with an eerie, unnatural energy they couldn’t name.
Cult raised his camera with slightly trembling hands.
Click.
Click.
Then Blinc froze.
“Hi…” A whisper.
Soft.
Wrong.
No one else heard it.
He turned slowly.
His feet moved as if they had a will of their own.
The sound pulled him away from the group, drawing him toward the stairs.
He descended step by step.
The air grew colder.
The low hum grew louder.
At the bottom, near the meteoroid, his foot struck something.
A blue glass case.
Inside lay a CD.
He picked it up.
The whispering sound stopped instantly.
Just my imagination, he thought.
He turned to leave.
Suddenly, the world changed.
Violet water stretched endlessly to every horizon.
Black clouds churned violently overhead, split by crackling violet lightning.
The air felt thick, hot, and deeply wrong.
Blinc couldn’t move.
His heart hammered wildly in his chest.
Far away, a shadowy figure sat on a throne — long hair flowing, glowing violet eyes, and a slow, knowing smile.
“Blinc!
Blinc!” Zander’s voice called from far away.voice echo “Blinc!
Blinc!” Blinc snapped back to reality with a jolt.
Sweat soaked his shirt.
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
Zander stood right in front of him, gripping his shoulders tightly.
“What happened?
Why are you sweating so much?” “Nothing,” Blinc replied, his voice hollow and distant.
Footsteps echoed loudly in the corridor, growing closer.
They ran.
But Blinc suddenly stopped.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he turned back, quickly picked up the CD, and sprinted into the night with the others.
To be continued…
Author’s Note Dear Reader, Thank you for picking up this book.
This chapter marks the turning point — the discovery that sets everything in motion.
Blinc and the others don’t know it yet, but their lives have just changed forever.
Every review matters.
Turn the page.
The mystery is just beginning.