The alarm screamed.
Israel shot upright in bed.
"I'm late again…" he muttered. "If I miss the school bus, I'm dead."
"Israel, get down here right now!" his mother screamed from downstairs.
"I'm coming, Mom!" he yelled, already running.
He burst into the bathroom and turned on the shower, cold water splashing over his skin.
As the water poured over him, a sudden memory flashed.
For a moment, Israel saw the world burning
buildings collapsing, the sky bleeding red.
His breath caught.
Then it was gone.
He frowned, confused, but shook his head.
"I really need to stop playing too many games at night," he muttered.
He stepped out of the bathroom, dried himself, and put on his school uniform.
Israel walked down the stairs.
His mom crossed her arms.
"You were up all night playing that game again, weren't you? What's it called… Call of War? Call of—"
"Call of Duty, honey," his dad said calmly, sipping his tea.
Israel sighed. "I wasn't up all night…"
"Just get down here and eat your breakfast! The bus is already here!" his mom called.
"Good morning, Pops. Morning, Mom," Israel said, grabbing his lunch and shoving a piece of bread into his mouth.
"Israel—slow down!" his mom shouted after him.
Israel arrived at school, backpack slung over one shoulder. By the gate, his best friend was already waiting, waving energetically.
"Sup, bro!" Ben called out, grinning like he'd just won a battle.
"What's up, Ben?" Israel replied, adjusting his bag.
"You actually went to sleep early last night?" Ben laughed. "Me and the squad stayed up all night destroying other squads in Call of Duty!"
Israel chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, you guys never rest, huh?"
While Ben rambled on, Israel's eyes wandered elsewhere.
"Do you even hear me?" Ben asked, turning to follow his gaze.
A girl with long black hair stood across the courtyard, sunlight catching in her strands.
"Yo, bro… is that your crush?" Ben teased, nudging him playfully.
Israel felt his face heat up. "She… she's beautiful," he whispered.
"Go talk to her!" Ben grinned, giving him a push.
Israel stumbled, nearly dropping his bag. "I-I can't, bro…"
"Hey, dummies!" shouted Abdul, Israel's second friend, running toward them.
"When did you get to school?" Ben asked.
"Some hours ago," Abdul replied casually.
"I bet you're the first to get here," Israel teased.
"I take my studies seriously—not like you dummies," Abdul said.
"Bookworm," Ben muttered, making Israel laugh.
"Stop calling me that, you dummies!" Abdul snapped, though a small smile crept across his face.
"Anyway, no class today," Abdul added. "We're going on a field trip."
"Hell yeah!" Ben and Israel cheered.
"Dummies," Abdul muttered under his breath, shaking his head as they all laughed.
The school's speaker crackled through the halls:
"Gather up SS2 students and move to the field trip bus—one by one, in an orderly line."
"It's time!" Abdul shouted.
Israel and his friends sprinted toward the bus, backpacks bouncing, laughter filling the air.
Ben shoved Israel lightly. "Last one there's a rotten egg!"
Israel stumbled but regained his balance, grinning.
The field trip bus rumbled to life, its engine vibrating beneath their feet. Israel, Ben, and Abdul scrambled to the back seats, laughing and jostling each other playfully.
"Man, this is going to be the best field trip ever," Ben said, slinging his backpack over the seat beside him.
"Yeah, as long as we don't get caught sleeping by the teachers," Abdul added, smirking.
Israel let out a quiet laugh and glanced forward.
Across the aisle, sitting near the front, was Tari, the girl who had captured his attention since school. She stared out the window, sunlight catching strands of her long black hair, making them shine like silk.
"Bro… you're staring again," Ben whispered, nudging him.
"I'm not!" Israel muttered, though his cheeks betrayed him with a faint blush.
"You so are," Abdul chimed in, grinning. "Just go say hi!"
"Yeah, right," Israel muttered under his breath, lowering his gaze and trying to look casual.
Ben leaned back, stretching his arms across the seats.
"Hey, let's make a bet. If anyone dares to say something to her first, the others owe lunch tomorrow."
"Deal," Abdul said immediately, smirking.
Israel groaned. "You guys are impossible…"
The bus jolted over a small bump, laughter echoing from the back as the three friends steadied themselves, still stealing glances at their quiet, mysterious classmate.
The bus came to a stop.
"We're here to learn more about nature," one of the teachers announced.
"Stay close to each other," the other teacher added as they all began to walk.
"You two better not run off somewhere," Abdul warned, pointing at Israel and Ben.
"Yeah, yeah," Israel and Ben replied in unison.
A few minutes later, as they walked deeper along the path, Israel suddenly slowed down.
He heard a voice calling him—from somewhere in the distance.
"Did you guys hear that?" Israel asked.
"Hear what?" Ben said, looking around.
"I didn't hear anything," Abdul added. "You must be hearing things."
Israel laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… maybe."
They all laughed and continued walking.
Then—
For a brief moment, Israel saw it again.
The world burning.
Buildings collapsing.
The sky stained red.
His steps faltered.
And this time, he heard it clearly.
A whisper, low and cold, calling out to him
calling his name.
Then Israel slowly began to walk away from the group, his steps drawn forward as if pulled by an unseen force.
He followed the voice, deeper into the trees.
"Hey—where are you going?" Abdul called out.
Israel didn't answer. He kept walking.
"Israel!" Ben shouted, then ran after him.
"You two, stop!" Abdul yelled, running after them.
The forest grew quiet as Israel reached the place where the voice was coming from.
He looked around.
No one was there.
Only a sword, thrust deep into the earth, its blade dark and worn—as if it had been waiting for centuries.
A cold whisper curled through the air.
"Pull me."
Israel stepped closer, his heart pounding.
"Israel… don't touch that," Abdul said, fear creeping into his voice as he and Ben slowly stepped back.
Ben swallowed hard. "Something's wrong…"
The sword trembled—just slightly.
The moment Israel's fingers touched the sword—
A violent gust of wind exploded outward.
Trees bent. Leaves tore free.
Lightning cracked across the sky, striking again and again as thunder roared.
Israel's eyes widened.
A vision flooded his mind—
the beginning of all living things…
and the end.
Worlds rising.
Worlds burning.
Life screaming into silence.
His body trembled, yet his grip tightened.
With a sharp breath, Israel pulled the sword free from the earth.
The ground shook.
Black smoke poured into the sky, spreading like a curse, swallowing the clouds.
The sun above slowly darkened
turning a deep, crimson red, as if the world itself was bleeding.
Ben and Abdul staggered back, frozen in terror.
The whisper returned—no longer soft.
It laughed.
The laughter grew louder.
Deeper.
No longer human.
"We're free…" it said, echoing across the sky.
The black smoke twisted violently, shooting upward to the heavens from the hole like spears, tearing through the air.
The crimson sun pulsed.
The voice laughed again—
slow, cruel, and evil,
as if it had been waiting thousands of years for this moment.
The world trembled in response.