The auditorium buzzed with conversation as hundreds of freshmen settled into their seats. The stage was decorated with Drake University's crimson and silver banners, while a large screen behind the podium displayed a single line:
WELCOME, CLASS OF 20XX
Corvin glanced toward the stage before leaning toward Marco.
"I thought the university President was supposed to give the welcome speech."
Marco nodded. "That's what the schedule said."
Aisha shrugged. "Maybe he overslept."
Priya stifled a laugh while Dimitri adjusted his glasses, unconvinced.
The lights dimmed.
A middle-aged Hispanic man strode confidently onto the stage, his polished shoes echoing across the silent auditorium. He wore a charcoal-gray suit with a crimson tie, his neatly combed salt-and-pepper hair contrasting with his warm tan complexion. A broad smile spread across his face before he even reached the podium.
He didn't wait for complete silence.
"Good morning, future legends!"
His booming voice immediately earned scattered laughter.
"My name is Vice President Alejandro Morales.
Before any of you ask, yes..." he spread his arms dramatically, "...I'm aware I'm much better-looking than the President."
The room erupted into laughter.
"Unfortunately for all of you, our president had to leave unexpectedly on urgent university business, so you'll have to settle for me instead."
He rested both hands on the podium.
"Now, before you spend the next four years worrying about grades, internships, and surviving engineering calculus, let me tell you something far more important."
His expression became serious.
"Look around this room."
Students instinctively glanced around.
"I don't see Americans."
"I don't see Indians."
"I don't see Chinese."
"I don't see Russians."
"I don't see Africans."
"I don't see Europeans."
"I see talent."
He paused, allowing the words to settle.
"Drake University has never cared where you were born, what language you first spoke, or what surname appears on your passport. We care about one thing."
He raised a finger.
"Can you earn your place?"
"My own story proves that."
"I grew up in a poor Hispanic neighborhood. There were universities that wouldn't even have considered me for a faculty position, no matter how qualified I was. Some would've seen my accent before my achievements."
He smiled.
"But Drake didn't."
"They looked at my work."
"They looked at my results."
"And today, I stand before you as Vice President."
The applause came naturally.
"Civilizations do not rise because everyone is the same."
"They rise because different minds solve different problems."
"A brilliant engineer without a doctor is helpless."
"A doctor without scientists cannot innovate."
"A scientist without economists cannot build a nation."
"A nation without artists loses its soul."
"The greatest civilizations in history weren't built by identical people."
"They were built by specialists who trusted one another."
He pointed toward the students.
"That's what you'll find here."
"You will compete."
"You will fail."
"You will succeed."
"And if you truly become the best in your field..."
He smiled confidently.
"...then here, you are king."
"...or queen."
A ripple of excitement spread through the auditorium.
"But remember this."
His voice became firm.
"A cruel king rules through fear."
"A cruel queen stands alone."
"If your skill is the only reason people respect you, then you've already failed as a leader."
"Greatness earns admiration."
"Character earns loyalty."
He stepped away from the podium, his smile returning.
"So challenge yourselves."
"Learn from people unlike yourselves."
"And leave this university stronger than when you entered."
He spread his arms wide.
"Welcome to Drake University."
"I hope every one of you becomes a dragon before graduation."
The auditorium exploded into thunderous applause.
The thunderous applause lingered even after Vice President Morales stepped away from the podium.
Freshmen slowly rose from their seats, conversations erupting throughout the auditorium as they filed toward the exits.
Some discussed the speech, others compared schedules, while a few enthusiastically debated which clubs they planned to join.
Corvin walked beside Aisha, still turning the vice president's words over in his mind. Priya and Chase had already started joking with one another, while Astrid quietly admired the banners decorating the hall. Dimitri remained unusually thoughtful.
At the back of the group, Marco and Mei Lin walked in silence.
Neither of them felt the need to fill every quiet moment with conversation.
As they passed a side corridor, a pair of faculty members stepped out of a nearby office, unaware that students were close enough to overhear them.
"...I still can't believe the president collapsed."
Marco instinctively slowed his pace.
The second faculty member lowered his voice.
"Didn't he go to Indonesia to research the volcanic activity?"
The first nodded grimly.
"Yes. Apparently several members of the scientific teams there were affected as well."
"Do they know what caused it?"
"They're saying a sudden spike of dangerous chemicals. That's all anyone knows."
"I hope they're able to recover."
"So do I."
The two faculty members disappeared down another hallway.
Marco exchanged a glance with Mei Lin.
She stared silently at the floor.
"What do you think?" Marco asked quietly.
Mei Lin remained silent for several seconds.
"I don't know."
Her soft voice barely rose above the surrounding chatter.
"But What ever it is..."
She looked toward a nearby window where gray clouds drifted lazily across the sky.
She paused.
"It feels like a bad omen."
Marco frowned.
"You really think so?"
"I don't know if I believe in omens."
They continue walking.
After several more steps, Marco let out a quiet sigh.
"...Guys?"
The others slowed and turned toward him.
Marco rubbed the back of his neck, looking unsure of himself.
"So... um..."
"I... I don't know if I should even mention this."
Aisha tilted her head.
"Now you have to."
A nervous laugh escaped him.
"Right... okay."
He glanced briefly at Mei Lin before looking back at the group.
"Mei Lin and I accidentally overheard a couple of faculty members talking."
"They didn't know we were there."
He paused.
"I... don't know if what they were saying is true, so... maybe don't take it as fact."
Corvin's expression sharpened.
"What did they say?"
Marco hesitated again.
"They mentioned... the president."
"They were wondering why he wasn't here today."
"...One of them said he'd gone to Indonesia because of the volcanic activity."
"And..."
Marco frowned, trying to remember the exact words.
"They also said... apparently... several people from the scientific teams there had been affected by... something."
"I think they mentioned something about a sudden spike in chemicals."
He quickly raised a hand.
"But that's all we heard."
"We didn't hear the whole conversation."
"So... it could be missing context."
Mei Lin gave a small nod.
"We only overheard a few sentences."
"We don't actually know what happened."
Silence settled over the group.
Corvin's expression hardened.
"Dangerous chemicals..."
He quietly repeated the words to himself.
If multiple scientists had been affected...
Could the volcanic gases really be that severe?
Or was there something they hadn't identified yet?
His thoughts spiraled into possibilities, each less comforting than the last.
Beside him, Astrid clasped her hands together.
"Do you think..."
"...they'll be alright?"
"Could something like that have lasting effects?"
Before anyone else answered, Aisha casually shrugged.
"They're professionals."
"If anyone knows how to deal with dangerous chemicals, it'd be scientists and doctors."
She smiled reassuringly.
"There's nothing we can do from here."
"So don't torture yourself worrying about something completely out of our control."
Astrid let out a small breath.
"I suppose you're right..."
Dimitri adjusted his glasses.
"I remember reading something..."
Everyone looked toward him.
"There have been volcanic eruptions where gases became extremely dangerous."
He frowned.
"But..."
"I don't remember scientists collapsing from simply studying one."
His brow furrowed as he searched his memory.
"I swear I've seen something similar before..."
"But I can't place it."
Priya folded her hands behind her back.
"I just hope they all recover soon."
"They've probably worked really hard to get where they are."
"That would be awful."
The group nodded quietly.
The somber mood lasted only a few moments before Chase stretched his arms over his head.
"Well..."
He grinned.
"Good thing I'm Australian."
Everyone stared at him.
"If I'd been there, I'd have just walked into the wilderness, built a shelter, and avoided all those chemicals."
Aisha laughed.
"You think camping solves everything?"
"It solves most things."
"It definitely would've solved this."
Corvin raised an eyebrow.
"That's not how toxic gases work."
"Details."
The group laughed, the tension easing almost instantly.
"Come on," Chase said with a grin. "You lot worry too much."
By the time they reached the university's main entrance, several senior student volunteers were already waiting beside large campus maps.
"Alright, freshmen!" one called enthusiastically.
"We're going to show you everywhere you'll probably spend the next four years."
The tour began with the campus library before continuing past the lecture halls, laboratories, bookstore, student gymnasium, auditorium, cafeteria, supermarket, hardware store, health center, recreation fields, and dozens of other facilities spread throughout Drake University's expansive grounds.
The earlier conversation gradually faded into the background as the orientation continued, the students once again becoming absorbed in the excitement of beginning a new chapter of their lives.
None of them realized that the uneasy feeling lingering in the back of Mei Lin's mind would soon become a reality far beyond anything they could imagine.
----
A few thousand kilometers away, beneath the darkening skies of Indonesia, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
Mount Kerinci loomed over the jungle like a sleeping giant. Thick columns of ash poured from its crater, climbing higher into the atmosphere with every passing minute. The ground rumbled beneath heavy military trucks parked along a secured perimeter several kilometers from the volcano. Helicopters circled overhead while soldiers in protective gear patrolled the temporary encampment.
Standing on a rocky overlook with his hands clasped behind his back was General Gatot Baskoro, commander of the Indonesian military operation overseeing the evacuation and scientific expedition.
His weathered face remained expressionless as he watched another pulse of smoke erupt from the crater.
"Still getting stronger..." he murmured.
The distant roar of the volcano echoed through the valley like rolling thunder.
General."
A young soldier jogged to his side before snapping into a salute.
"The scientific team is requesting your presence, sir."
Gatot shifted his gaze from the volcano.
"Lead the way."
"Yes, sir."
The soldier escorted him through the camp toward one of the larger reinforced tents that had been converted into a temporary laboratory.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense.
Computer monitors displayed streams of seismic data, gas measurements, and satellite imagery. Maps covered folding tables while scientists from several countries hurried between workstations, speaking in urgent voices.
As soon as the general entered, the conversations quieted.
A middle-aged volcanologist stepped forward.
"General Baskoro."
"What is it?" Gatot asked.
The scientist took a slow breath.
"We've confirmed something concerning."
He pointed toward a monitor displaying graphs that continued rising.
"When this eruption began, every model indicated it would most likely reach VEI 5."
The general nodded.
"So I've been told."
"The problem..." the scientist continued, "...is that the parameters we expected for a VEI 5 eruption were exceeded hours ago."
He pressed another key.
Several graphs climbed even higher.
"And they're still increasing."
Another scientist stepped in.
"We don't know where they'll stop."
Silence filled the tent.
"If this trend continues..." she said quietly, "...this may no longer be a national disaster."
She looked directly at the general.
"It could become an international one."
Gatot's expression hardened, but he remained composed.
Years of military service had taught him never to panic before his soldiers.
After several moments, he spoke.
"...What about the scientists from earlier?"
"The ones who collapsed."
The room grew quieter.
A young environmental chemist answered.
"We've identified the cause."
"There was a sudden surge in volcanic gases."
She looked down at her notes.
"Primarily sulfur dioxide... and hydrogen sulfide."
"Our protective suits weren't designed for concentrations that high."
"The filters began to fail."
Several scientists exchanged uneasy glances.
"Fortunately," she continued, "the monitoring equipment detected the abnormal readings before exposure became fatal."
"They evacuated immediately."
She paused.
"If they had realized even a few minutes later..."
"...it's very likely everyone in that survey team would have died."
The laboratory fell into an uneasy silence after that.
Only the quiet hum of computers and the rhythmic beeping of monitoring equipment broke the stillness.
Every scientist's eyes remained fixed on the live feeds displayed across dozens of monitors. Graphs that should have begun leveling off continued climbing at an alarming rate.
No one spoke.
No one wanted to be the first to say what everyone was thinking.
Outside, the volcano towered over the landscape like a mountain of living stone. Its slopes trembled intermittently, sending small avalanches of ash and rock tumbling downward. The thick gray plume rising from its summit had already swallowed much of the afternoon sky, staining it a sickly charcoal.
The ground gave another faint vibration.
Then another.
The scientists exchanged uneasy glances.
A seismologist stared at his monitor.
"The harmonic tremor..."
His voice faltered.
"...it's increasing."
Another scientist shook her head.
"That's impossible."
The trembling beneath their feet intensified.
Plastic water bottles on a nearby table began to rattle. Dust drifted from the ceiling supports.
Far away, a deep rumble rolled across the landscape.
It wasn't loud. Very low infact.
But it felt ancient like the mountain itself had taken a slow, deliberate breath.
General Gatot slowly turned toward the volcano.
The summit bulged outward.
For a heartbeat...
Everything became eerily still.
Even the birds that had circled overhead throughout the morning had vanished.
The silence was suffocating.
Then—
The mountain exploded.
There was no gradual eruption. No slow release of pressure.
The summit seemed to tear itself apart in an instant.
A blinding wall of incandescent rock, ash, and superheated gas burst upward with unimaginable force.
The sound arrived a fraction of a second later.
It was not a boom.
It was a violent, all-consuming roar that drowned out every other sound in existence.
The shockwave struck the camp like an invisible hammer. Windows shuddered. Metal equipment clattered across tables.
Several scientists instinctively covered their ears despite knowing it would do nothing.
The earth lurched violently beneath their boots.
Outside, the eruption column did not merely rise. It punched upward.
The immense pillar of ash shot into the sky with terrifying speed, smashing through layers of cloud as though they did not exist. Towering higher and higher, it climbed beyond anything the watching scientists had ever witnessed.
The clouds vanished into the expanding column. The plume continued upward.
Higher and higher until it breached the stratosphere.
For several long seconds, nobody moved.
Dozens of scientists simply stared.
One volcanologist slowly lowered the binoculars from his eyes.
"...No..."
Another whispered almost breathlessly.
"It... reached the stratosphere..."
Someone else muttered,
"I've studied volcanoes for thirty years..."
"...I've never seen anything like this."
A young researcher took an unconscious step backward.
"This..."
"...this can't be happening."
Satellite feeds updated across multiple monitors simultaneously. Every estimate recalculated. Every prediction failed.
Several scientists stood frozen, their faces drained of color.
Some looked terrified.
Others looked almost mesmerized.
They were witnessing something that would rewrite textbooks around the world.
General Gatot watched the towering column for only another second.
Then instinct replaced astonishment.
His voice thundered through the laboratory.
"EVERYONE MOVE!"
The spell was broken instantly.
"Retreat from the danger zone!"
"Immediately!"
Soldiers outside reacted without hesitation.
"Move!"
"Let's go!"
"Leave the equipment!"
Several scientists remained rooted to the floor, unable to tear their eyes away from the impossible sight unfolding outside.
One military officer grabbed an elderly geologist firmly by the shoulder.
"Sir!"
"We have to leave!"
Another pair of soldiers practically lifted a young researcher who continued staring blankly at the eruption.
"My laptop—"
"Forget the laptop!"
A loud crack echoed across the valley as another explosion ripped through the volcano.
The ash column continued growing.
Darkness spread unnaturally across the afternoon sky.
A soldier glanced over his shoulder.
The leading edge of a dense gray cloud was racing across the mountainside, swallowing forests and rocky ridges beneath an ocean of ash and volcanic gases.
"Gas cloud!"
"Hurry!"
The camp erupted into controlled chaos.
Scientists stumbled toward waiting military trucks while soldiers counted personnel and checked protective masks.
General Gatot remained near the rear, ensuring no one was left behind.
Only after the final scientist had been forced aboard a transport did he climb into the last vehicle himself.
As engines roared to life and the convoy sped away from the mountain, the volcano continued to unleash its fury behind them.
No one inside the vehicles spoke.
Some watched through the rear windows.
Others simply stared at the floor.
Every person present understood the same terrifying truth.
They had not just witnessed a volcanic eruption.
They had witnessed the beginning of a catastrophe unlike anything in recorded human history.
General Gatot Baskoro started transmitting frantic reports to Jakarta.
"This is Forward Research Camp Alpha!"
"The eruption has exceeded projected magnitude!"
"Immediate nationwide emergency response recommended!"
One after another, identical messages spread across military frequencies.
Far beyond the evacuation zone, journalists and news crews watched from distant observation points.
Cameras zoomed in on the towering eruption.
Helicopters broadcast live footage.
Satellites captured the colossal ash plume from orbit.
Within minutes, television screens flickered to emergency coverage.
Smartphones buzzed across continents.
News alerts interrupted broadcasts.
The entire world watched as a mountain tore open the sky.
The campus tour was drawing to a close.
The senior guide led the massive group of freshmen through Drake University's final stop, pointing toward the sprawling academic district.
"...and over there is the Innovation Center. Engineering, robotics, and computer science students will spend plenty of sleepless nights in that building."
A few students chuckled.
The atmosphere had become noticeably more relaxed after the orientation. Conversations drifted through the crowd as students admired the picturesque campus.
Then—
BZZZT!
Every phone on the tour vibrated at the same time.
A chorus of notification sounds echoed across the courtyard.
The conversations died instantly.
Students pulled out their phones almost in unison.
Corvin frowned as a bright red notification covered his screen.
NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT
Around him, dozens of confused voices rose at once.
"What the..."
"Did everyone get this?"
"What happened?"
Then, from somewhere near the back of the crowd.
A student shouted at the top of his lungs.
"EVERYONE!"
"CHECK THE NEWS!"
His voice cracked with panic.
"There's been a MASSIVE ERUPTION!"
Before anyone could ask another question, another student cried out from somewhere deeper in the crowd.
"Look at that ash cloud...!"
"How is it that big?!"
Another student's frightened voice rang out.
"Is... is all that ash going to blot out the sky?!"
Silence followed by immediate cchaos.
"What?!"
"No way!"
"My parents live overseas!"
"I have to get home!"
The senior guide immediately raised both hands.
"Everyone, please stay calm!"
"There is no immediate danger to the campus!"
"Please don't panic!"
But it was already too late.
Fear spread through the crowd faster than any announcement could contain it.
Students began calling parents.
Others started crying.
Someone pushed toward the front.
That single shove became ten.
Then twenty.
The orderly tour dissolved into a frantic stampede as hundreds of freshmen surged toward the dormitories and parking lots.
Corvin's eyes narrowed.
He had seen crowds behave like this before.
Once panic took hold...
People stopped thinking.
They simply followed everyone else.
He lowered his voice.
"Move."
The others looked at him.
"Out of the crowd."
"Now."
There wasn't even time to ask why.
They immediately followed him, slipping sideways between a flower bed and a stone planter just as the mass of students rushed past.
Within seconds the pathway became a river of bodies.
People shoved each other without meaning to.
Some stumbled.
Others barely avoided falling beneath the crowd.
Aisha watched with wide eyes.
"...Good call."
Corvin nodded quietly.
"A panicked crowd is more dangerous than most people realize."
The eight of them remained safely beside the wall of a nearby campus café, letting the human tide flow past.
Minutes later...
The courtyard was almost empty.
Only scattered faculty members remained, desperately trying to organize whoever was left.
Across the courtyard, Priya suddenly pointed.
"Look."
Standing beneath the opposite walkway was another small group of students.
Like them, they had chosen not to join the stampede.
For a brief moment, both groups simply observed one another across the now quiet campus before continuing on their own way.
Astrid blinked.
"...Um..."
Everyone turned toward her.
"The café..."
She pointed toward the large glass windows.
"...it's still open."
Sure enough, warm lights glowed inside.
The espresso machine hissed peacefully.
As though the world outside wasn't descending into panic.
Corvin looked through the window.
"...Let's go inside."
No one objected.
The bell above the door chimed softly as they entered.
Inside, everything felt strangely normal.
Soft music played overhead.
Fresh coffee filled the air.
Behind the counter stood a man who looked to be in his early thirties, wearing a black apron and lazily polishing a ceramic mug as though this were just another afternoon.
He looked up.
"Well..."
A relaxed smile crossed his face.
"You lot look like you've seen a ghost."
Before anyone could answer—
Chase's eyes lit up.
"Oi, Noah!"
The barista looked over.
"Well, I'll be..."
A grin spread across his face.
"Didn't expect to see you here, mate."
Chase laughed.
"Didn't expect to see you still making coffee while the world's losing its mind."
The Australian slang between them flowed so naturally that the others immediately realized they already knew each other.
Marco looked around the empty café before asking,
"Why aren't you leaving like everyone else?"
Noah chuckled.
"For the same reason you aren't."
He nodded toward the window, where the last few panicked students were still running.
"I'd rather not get trampled."
He reached for a paper cup before adding casually,
"Besides..."
"No family waiting for me so need to rush back."
He filled the cup with freshly brewed coffee before leaning against the counter.
Raising it with a crooked smile, he gave the group a playful toast.
"To future survival."
For a moment, no one responded.
Outside, sirens wailed across campus.
Inside, only the quiet aroma of coffee lingered in the air, as if the café existed in a world untouched by the panic just beyond its windows.