The auditorium buzzed with conversation as hundreds of freshmen settled into their seats.
Drake University's crimson and silver banners hung behind the stage, framing a large screen that displayed a simple message:
WELCOME, CLASS OF 2020
Corvin leaned back in his seat and glanced toward the empty podium.
"Wasn't the president supposed to give the welcome speech?"
Marco checked the orientation schedule on his phone.
"Yeah. Apparently."
Aisha shrugged.
"Maybe he overslept."
Priya laughed
"Imagine becoming president of a university and sleeping through the first day."
Dimitri adjusted his glasses.
"That would be remarkably irresponsible."
"Thank you, Dimitri," Aisha said. "Very helpful."
Before Dimitri could respond, the lights around the stage dimmed.
The chatter gradually died.
A man stepped onto the stage.
He was middle-aged, with salt-and-pepper hair, a charcoal suit, and a crimson tie. His broad smile made him look more like someone about to tell a joke than address several hundred nervous freshmen.
He reached the podium.
"Good morning, future legends!"
Scattered applause and a few cheers answered him.
The man grinned.
"My name is Alejandro Morales. I'm your Vice President."
He paused.
"And, for those of you wondering, yes, I am much better-looking than the President."
Laughter rolled through the auditorium.
Even Corvin smiled.
Morales waited for the laughter to fade.
"Unfortunately, your President couldn't be here today. He had to leave unexpectedly on urgent university business."
His smile remained, though something more serious briefly crossed his face.
Then he continued.
"Now, I could stand here for the next twenty minutes and tell you how wonderful Drake University is."
He leaned toward the microphone.
"But will hear that from about seventeen brochures, twelve emails, and at least three very enthusiastic tour guides."
More laughter.
Morales straightened.
"So instead, I'll tell you what I actually believe."
The auditorium quieted.
"Drake doesn't care where you came from."
He looked across the crowd.
"It doesn't matter whether you grew up in a wealthy neighborhood or a poor one. It doesn't matter what country your parents came from, what language you spoke at home, or whether your accent sounds different from mine."
He tapped the podium lightly.
"What matters is what you can do."
His voice became more serious.
"I know that personally."
He glanced down for a moment.
"I grew up in a poor Hispanic neighborhood. There were universities where I had the grades and experience to contribute, but where I was sometimes made to feel that my background—or even the way I spoke—was a problem."
The auditorium had gone completely quiet.
"Drake looked at my work instead."
He smiled.
"And today, I stand before you as Vice President."
The applause came louder this time.
Morales waited for it to settle.
"But there's something else I want you to understand."
He gestured toward the students.
"You're all studying different things. Engineering. Medicine. Psychology. Business. Science. Arts."
He paused.
"You're going to spend years becoming extremely good at one very specific thing."
A few students nodded.
"And that's wonderful."
His expression became more thoughtful.
"Until you forget that civilization was never built by one profession alone."
He pointed toward the audience.
"Engineers need doctors. Doctors need scientists. Scientists need builders. Builders need farmers. Farmers need engineers."
He spread his hands.
"We need each other."
The room fell silent.
"At Drake, if you become the best in your field, you can be a king."
A few students smiled.
"Or a queen."
More smiles.
"But don't misunderstand me."
Morales leaned closer to the microphone.
"A cruel king rules through fear. A cruel queen stands alone."
The smiles disappeared.
"If skill is the only reason people respect you, then you've failed as a leader."
He let the words sit for a moment.
"Greatness earns admiration."
A pause.
"Character earns loyalty."
Then his grin returned.
"So learn your craft. Challenge yourselves. Become exceptional."
He stepped away from the podium.
"And remember the people standing beside you."
Applause began before he had even finished.
Morales raised a hand.
"Welcome to Drake University."
He smiled.
"And I hope every one of you becomes a dragon before graduation."
The auditorium erupted.
---
The freshmen slowly filed out of the auditorium, filling the corridors with conversation.
Marco and Mei Lin walked near the back of the group.
They had barely rounded a corner when two voices reached them from a nearby hallway.
They slowed.
Neither of them could see who was speaking.
"I still can't believe the President collapsed."
Marco glanced at Mei Lin.
Another voice answered.
"Didn't he go to Indonesia to research the volcanic activity?"
"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."
A brief silence followed.
"I hope they're able to recover."
"So do I."
Footsteps approached.
Marco and Mei Lin immediately continued walking.
Neither spoke until they had put some distance between themselves and the hallway.
Mei Lin glanced back.
"What do you think?"
Marco frowned.
"I don't know."
She looked ahead.
"Neither do I."
They continued walking.
After a moment, Mei Lin spoke again.
"The timing bothers me."
Marco looked at her.
"Because of the volcano?"
"Maybe."
She folded her arms.
"Too many strange things happening at once."
Marco gave a small shrug.
"Do you believe in omens?"
"No."
A beat.
"Usually."
Marco laughed quietly.
"That sounded convincing."
"It wasn't meant to."
They caught up with the others. For several minutes, Marco said nothing. He opened his mouth once, then closed it.
A few steps later, he tried again.
Nothing.
Finally—
"Guys?"
Everyone turned.
Marco rubbed the back of his neck.
"So... um... I don't know if I should even mention this."
Aisha raised an eyebrow.
"That usually means you definitely should."
Marco sighed.
"Okay. But don't take this as fact."
Corvin's attention sharpened.
"What happened?"
"Mei Lin and I accidentally overheard a couple of faculty members talking."
Marco glanced at Mei Lin.
"They were talking about the President. Apparently he collapsed."
Astrid's expression changed.
"What?"
"Yeah. And... apparently he was in Indonesia researching volcanic activity."
Dimitri straightened slightly.
Marco continued.
"They said some scientists over there were affected too. Something about a sudden spike in dangerous chemicals."
He lifted his hands.
"But that's all we heard. We didn't hear the whole conversation, so there could be context we're missing."
Mei Lin nodded.
"We only heard a few sentences."
Aisha looked around.
"So we don't actually know what's happening."
"Exactly," Marco said.
Corvin frowned.
"What chemicals?"
"We don't know."
"Where in Indonesia?"
"We don't know."
"And the President's condition?"
Marco shook his head.
"Don't know that either."
Corvin was quiet for a moment.
"Then there's not enough information to draw a conclusion."
"That's what I figured."
Astrid hugged her arms.
"But what if it's serious?"
Aisha looked at her.
"Professionals are already dealing with it."
"But—"
"There isn't anything we can do from here," Aisha said gently. "So don't torture yourself worrying about something completely outside our control."
Astrid hesitated.
Then nodded.
Dimitri remained thoughtful.
"Volcanic gases can be extremely dangerous," he said. "Sulfur dioxide. Hydrogen sulfide. Carbon dioxide."
Priya frowned.
"Could those make people collapse?"
"Under the right circumstances."
Dimitri adjusted his glasses.
"But I don't remember hearing about scientists suddenly being incapacitated during monitoring operations."
Chase leaned against the wall.
"Well, good thing I'm Australian."
Everyone looked at him.
He grinned.
"I'd have just walked into the wilderness, built a shelter, and avoided all those chemicals."
Aisha stared at him.
"You think camping solves everything?"
"Most things."
Corvin looked at him.
"That's not how toxic gases work."
"Details."
Priya laughed.
Even Dimitri's mouth twitched.
For a few seconds, the strange conversation they'd overheard seemed less important.
Then the orientation group moved on.
---
INDONESIA
Several thousand kilometers away, near Mount Kerinci, military vehicles filled a temporary research camp surrounded by dense jungle.
Soldiers moved between trucks while helicopters circled overhead.
General Gatot Baskoro stood on a rocky overlook, watching the volcano.
Something was wrong.
The tremors had been increasing for hours.
A soldier approached.
"General. The scientists are looking for you."
Gatot turned.
"Take me to them."
He followed the soldier into a large military tent that had been converted into a temporary laboratory.
Monitors covered several tables.
Seismic readings.
Gas concentrations.
Satellite imagery.
Numbers constantly changed across the screens.
A scientist hurried toward him.
"General."
"What do you have?"
The scientist swallowed.
"The eruption parameters are continuing to rise."
"How far?"
"We originally classified the event around VEI-5."
Gatot's expression remained steady.
"And now?"
"We've already exceeded those projections."
Another scientist turned from a monitor.
"And it's still climbing."
Gatot looked at the screens.
"What does that mean?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Finally, the first scientist spoke.
"If it continues accelerating... this could become an international disaster."
Gatot stared toward the volcano through the open tent flap.
"What happened to the scientists earlier?"
The scientist's expression tightened.
"A sudden increase in sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide."
He pointed toward one of the monitors.
"The concentrations rose much faster than expected. Their protective suits and filters began failing."
"Were they exposed?"
"Some exposure, yes. But our monitoring systems detected the increase early enough for us to pull them back."
Gatot nodded once.
"And if we hadn't?"
The scientist fell silent.
A deep vibration passed through the ground.
The equipment rattled.
Everyone froze.
Another tremor struck.
Stronger.
Water bottles rolled across a table.
Dust drifted from the tent ceiling.
Outside, the jungle had gone strangely quiet.
Gatot stepped toward the entrance.
"What is that?"
A scientist stared at the seismic monitor.
"It's increasing."
The rumble grew deeper. Not simply louder.
Deeper.
It seemed to come from beneath the entire mountain. Then the summit moved.
For one impossible second, nothing happened. Then the mountain exploded.
A massive column of ash and volcanic material surged upward as the shockwave raced across the landscape.
The ground lurched beneath the scientists' feet.
The tent shook violently.
"MOVE!"
Gatot's command cut through the panic.
Soldiers rushed toward the research team.
Above them, the eruption column continued upward, swallowing the clouds as it climbed.
The scientists stared.
One of them whispered:
"My God..."
Inside the vehicles, satellite feeds began updating.
Numbers changed.
Models recalculated.
Projected plume heights climbed.
Gatot didn't wait.
"Everyone move! Get them to the vehicles!"
Soldiers guided the scientists toward the waiting trucks. Ash began spreading across the mountainside behind them.
The convoy started moving. Inside the lead vehicle, Gatot grabbed the radio.
"This is Forward Research Camp Alpha."
Static answered him.
He tried again.
"The eruption has exceeded projected magnitude."
He looked through the window.
The mountain was almost impossible to see now.
"Immediate nationwide emergency response recommended."
---
Drake University
The orientation tour continued.
"...and over there is the Innovation Center," the student guide said, gesturing toward a modern building. "The library is just beyond—"
Every phone in the courtyard vibrated.
Once.
Then again.
Hundreds of students reached for their devices.
Corvin looked down.
A national security alert filled his screen.
His expression changed.
Someone nearby shouted.
"EVERYONE!"
Heads turned.
"CHECK THE NEWS!"
Another voice rose above the crowd. By
"There's been a MASSIVE ERUPTION!"
The courtyard erupted into movement. Students opened news applications. Videos appeared.
A towering ash column.
A mountain disappearing beneath a vast cloud.
Emergency vehicles.
Nobody seemed to know exactly what they were looking at.
"Look at that ash cloud!"
"How is it that big?!"
"Is that actually real?"
"Where did this happen?"
"Is... is all that ash going to blot out the sky?"
"Everyone, please remain calm!"
A faculty member raised both hands.
"We don't have confirmation of any immediate danger to campus!"
The announcement barely reached the crowd. Phones rang. Parents called. Students called friends.
Others repeatedly refreshed their news feeds.
"What are we supposed to do?"
"Does anyone know where it happened?"
"Should we leave?"
"I don't know!"
The orderly orientation group began breaking apart.
A suitcase was abandoned in the middle of the walkway.
A student tried to push toward an exit while another group came the opposite way.
Faculty members attempted to direct people, but the crowd was already moving on instinct.
"Guys!"
Corvin turned.
"Aisha! Priya! Stay together!"
He caught Marco by the shoulder and pulled him away from the densest part of the crowd.
"Over here!"
They followed.
Chase caught Astrid's hand and guided her after them.
Within moments, the eight had escaped the worst of the crowd.
They stopped beside a campus café.
Everyone was breathing heavily.
Marco looked back at the courtyard.
"What the hell is happening?"
Corvin stared at his phone.
"I don't know."
"That's comforting."
"I wasn't attempting to comfort you."
"Of course you weren't."
They pushed through the café doors.
The difference was immediate. It was quiet and warm.
Almost ordinary.
A few tables sat empty, chairs pushed back as though their owners had left in a hurry.
Behind the counter, a man polished a mug.
He looked up.
His eyes landed on Chase.
"Well."
A grin spread across his face.
"Didn't expect to see you here."
Chase stopped.
"Noah?"
"Hey, man."
Chase smiled.
The others looked between them.
Marco raised an eyebrow.
"You know him?"
"Yeah."
Chase gestured toward Noah.
"We're from the same neighborhood."
Noah nodded.
"Been watching this idiot get into trouble since he was a kid."
"I'm not a kid."
"No?"
Noah laughed.
"You're still younger than me."
"By five years."
"Exactly."
Chase shook his head.
"You make me sound twelve."
"You'll survive."
Aisha smiled.
"So you two go way back?"
"Sort of," Chase said. "He was always around the neighborhood."
Noah set the mug down.
"And now I'm a full-time service member here."
Corvin glanced at his uniform.
"You work for the university?"
"Yep. Full-time."
He gestured around the empty café.
"Campus services. Keeps me busy."
A siren wailed somewhere outside. The smile on Noah's face faded slightly.
Chase glanced toward the windows.
"I didn't expect to see you making coffee while the world is apparently losing its mind."
Noah looked outside and laughs a little.
Marco approached the counter.
"Why aren't you leaving?"
Noah shrugged.
"Same reason you're not."
He gestured toward the entrance, where students continued rushing past.
"I'd rather not get caught in that."
Noah picked up the mug again.
"I don't have anyone waiting for me right now, either. So I'm in no particular hurry."
Nobody immediately answered.
Another siren sounded outside.
Inside, the coffee machine hissed.
Someone's phone buzzed.
Noah looked at the group.
"Well..."
He lifted his mug.
"To future survival."
Chase raised an eyebrow.
"That's optimistic."
"No."
Noah took a sip.
"That's coffee."
For a moment, nobody laughed.
Then Priya did.
Aisha followed.
Soon, the others were smiling too.
Outside, the sirens continued.
Inside, eight freshmen sat together around a café table, staring at their phones and trying to understand what they had just seen.
They didn't know what the eruption meant.
They didn't know how far its consequences would reach.
But for the moment, they were together.
They still had coffee.
And somehow, that was enough.