In Beijing, traffic remained heavy in the late afternoon on the third ring road. Horns blared when the sky tore open in its turn.
The rain of fire began shortly after. A meteor struck the Yellow River upstream of the city. The shockwave caused the banks to overflow. Water flooded the inhabited plains and covered villages and fields. Entire houses were ripped away and carried off with their occupants.
In South Korea, another incandescent rock crashed into the wealthy district. The explosion razed several office buildings. Windows shattered for kilometers and lacerated passersby in the streets. Fire spread to immobilized cars, turning avenues into corridors of flames.
In Tokyo, in Paris, in Cape Town, South Africa, in London, in Havana, Cuba...
Everywhere on the planet, tens of thousands of angels had appeared simultaneously above cities, villages, and countryside. Their announcements had reached billions of people. Many had believed they were seeing the divine messengers from their sacred texts and had knelt to pray.
But no prayer stopped the rain of fire. The meteors kept falling. Some into the oceans caused waves that swallowed coasts. Others struck land directly and razed everything in their path. The last broadcast images showed the same scenes: fissures in the sky, the angels, then fire and water erasing everything.
What many had taken for the long-awaited coming of God was only the beginning of their nightmare.
...
At the top of one of the tallest buildings in New York.
He stood there, back turned, gazing at the full moon. His long white, almost silver hair cascaded down to his shoulders, stirred by a cold breeze that also lifted the flaps of his black coat, heavy and slightly worn at the hems. Under the bluish light, the golden embroidered patterns on the collar and sleeves of his tunic shone faintly. A wide belt adorned with motifs cinched his waist, holding in place a spear on his back, carved and reflecting the distant flashes of meteors crossing the sky.
His black gloves rose to mid-forearm, revealing leather laces wrapped around his forearms. Fingers slightly clenched, he took a deep breath, the icy air charged with Ether filling his lungs.
Then, slowly, his milky white sclera turned ink black, while his irises blazed with intense gold.
"I am finally back," he murmured, and then his aura unfurled.
***
Kylian and Mei ran through the broken corridors of the university. The floor was covered with debris, thick dust, and chunks of collapsed ceiling. Iron bars protruded from cracked concrete, some still hanging, creaking with every new tremor.
Several times, small meteors crashed through walls or the ceiling with a roar, exploding on the ground and hurling burning shards. The remaining intact windows shattered on impact, covering the corridor with broken glass.
"Fuck… look at the ceiling…" Mei breathed, narrowly avoiding a beam that had fallen across the path.
With each meteor fall, dark smoke rose slowly, invading the air. The smell was immediately aggressive and nauseating.
Mei brought a hand to her face.
"This smoke… it stinks. It burns the throat."
"Try to breathe as little as possible," Kylian replied without slowing down. "Hold your breath when you can."
Distant screams grew more and more numerous. Some came from upper floors, others seemed muffled, cut off abruptly. Each howl increased the pressure in Kylian's chest.
Mei ran with difficulty in high heels. The ground shook suddenly and a crack spread under her feet. She stumbled, letting out a stifled cry.
"Mei!"
Kylian stopped dead. For a fraction of a second, his body refused to move.
In this apocalypse, we have to be selfish. Fuck!
He clenched his teeth, swore inwardly, then went back and grabbed her arm to help her up.
"Are you hurt?" he asked quickly, voice tense.
"No," she replied immediately. "Just a bit shaken."
She had seen his hesitation. But she said nothing after all this wasn't the time.
Around them, several students and staff members ran in every direction. Some cried, others screamed in fear. The building had already been severely damaged by the earthquake, and with the meteors, everyone desperately searched for a safer place.
"The gym! We need to go to the gym!" someone shouted while passing them.
"It has no floors!" added another panicked voice.
But Kylian didn't change direction.
Mei noticed.
"Kylian… we're not going toward the gym?"
"No," he replied curtly.
"Why?"
"I'll explain later. Trust me."
'In this apocalypse gathering in places with lots of people without having overwhelming power to deter them from doing stupid shit. We're just going to die stupidly.'
They reached the staircase leading to the ground floor. Barely had they set foot on the first step when a much larger meteor crashed into the center of the staircase. The floor literally exploded. The students in front were pulverized on the spot. Blood spurted against the walls and railings, splashing their clothes and faces.
Mei stifled a cry.
"Shit…" Kylian muttered, instinctively stepping back.
They froze. In front of them, a gaping hole now split the staircase in two. It was the only way to reach the ground floor.
Mei stared into the void for a few seconds, then turned to him, her gaze surprisingly calm.
"No choice. We jump."
Without waiting for his response, she removed her heels and let them fall behind her.
"Mei, wait--"
"We don't have time," she cut him off. "The building won't hold."
Kylian quickly scanned the surroundings. No object to improvise a crossing. The concrete continued to crack under their feet.
"Fuck…"
He stepped back, took a deep breath, and got a running start.
"I hope it works out, damn it!!"
He jumped. The distance was greater than he had thought. His hands caught the edge by a hair. His feet dangled in the void.
"Hold on!" Mei shouted.
He grunted with effort, pulled himself up, and stood immediately.
'Good thing I'm athletic... Not like Jonathan... Hope he's in a safer place.'
"Come on, your turn, Mei."
She approached the edge, looked at the void, then at him.
"I… I don't know if I'll make it. Even you almost fell."
"Look at me," he said firmly. "Jump. I'll catch you."
She hesitated again.
"Hurry, Mei!" he insisted.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, and jumped.
Her feet touched the other side, but the floor cracked immediately.
"KYLIAN!"