The Day the Sky Fell

The year was 2189.

Three hundred and twelve years had passed since humanity first made contact with intelligent life beyond Earth.

History books called it First Contact.

The people who survived called it the Beginning of the Endless War.

No one remembered what peace felt like anymore.

Cities no longer stood without walls. Every nation was protected by colossal energy barriers capable of withstanding orbital bombardments. Military aircraft constantly patrolled the skies while satellites watched every corner of the planet.

Children learned how to identify alien races before they learned advanced mathematics.

War had become ordinary.

The Twelve Sacred Artifacts were humanity's greatest hope.

Every citizen knew their purpose.

On their twentieth birthday, they would stand before one of the Twelve Sacred Artifacts in the Awakening Ceremony. The artifact would determine whether they possessed compatibility.

Those accepted became Awakened.

Those rejected lived as ordinary citizens.

There was no appeal.

There was no second chance.

The artifacts never made mistakes.

At least, that was what everyone believed.

...

Helios City.

The capital of the Eastern Continental Union.

Unlike most cities, Helios had never fallen to an alien invasion.

Towering buildings stretched toward the clouds while military drones quietly patrolled above the streets.

Students poured out of Helios Academy after the final bell.

Some discussed upcoming examinations.

Others talked excitedly about the Awakening Ceremony that awaited them in two years.

"I wonder which artifact will choose me."

"I'll probably get Lightning."

"My brother awakened Wind last year. He's already stationed on Mars."

"I just don't want to stay ordinary."

The conversations echoed through the campus.

One student walked past them without showing the slightest interest.

Asmo Deuz.

Eighteen years old.

Nearly two meters tall.

His black school uniform fit perfectly despite his broad frame.

Long black hair reached the middle of his back, drawing occasional glances from passing students.

His hands rested inside his pockets.

His expression remained calm.

A girl accidentally bumped into him while running.

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Asmo didn't answer.

He simply continued walking.

The girl stared at his back before sighing.

"He's as cold as ever."

"He ignores everyone," her friend whispered.

"I heard he turned down three confession letters last month."

"Maybe he doesn't like girls."

"Or maybe he just thinks he's better than everyone."

They laughed quietly.

Asmo heard every word.

He simply didn't care.

People were exhausting.

Always seeking approval.

Always comparing themselves to others.

Always desperate to be noticed.

He preferred silence.

As he reached the front gate, someone called his name.

"Asmo."

He stopped.

A middle-aged teacher approached with several papers in hand.

"You forgot your examination results."

Asmo accepted the envelope.

"Thank you."

The teacher smiled.

"As expected. First place again."

"I expected nothing less."

The teacher laughed awkwardly.

"You really are confident."

"No."

Asmo glanced at the paper before placing it inside his bag.

"I simply know my own ability."

Without waiting for another response, he walked away.

The teacher watched him disappear into the crowd.

"That boy..."

"He has talent."

"But no friends."

...

The streets were busy as usual.

Restaurants filled with workers ending their shifts.

Military convoys traveled toward the outer defense walls.

Large digital billboards displayed the latest war reports.

VICTORY AT THE ATLANTIC FRONT.

THREE ALIEN DESTROYERS ELIMINATED.

SEVENTEEN AWAKENED LOST IN ACTION.

No one stopped to read.

Deaths had become numbers.

Another ordinary day.

Asmo crossed an empty bridge overlooking the river.

The city noise slowly faded behind him.

He enjoyed this route.

Quiet.

Peaceful.

For the first time all day, he looked toward the sky.

The afternoon sun shone brightly.

Not a single cloud drifted overhead.

Then...

Something appeared.

A tiny black dot.

At first it looked like a distant bird.

Within seconds...

It became larger.

Much larger.

People nearby noticed it as well.

"What is that?"

"It isn't one of ours."

A businessman stopped walking.

A child pointed upward.

"It looks weird."

The object continued falling.

No flames.

No smoke.

No sound.

Just a perfectly black sphere descending from the heavens.

Warning sirens suddenly echoed across the city.

An artificial voice filled every street.

"Emergency Alert."

"Unknown object entering Helios airspace."

"Citizens are instructed to evacuate immediately."

Military aircraft rushed overhead.

Missiles launched from hidden batteries surrounding the city.

One after another they struck the object.

Direct hits.

Massive explosions filled the sky.

When the smoke disappeared...

The black sphere continued falling.

Untouched.

Someone screamed.

"It's another invasion."

Panic spread instantly.

Vehicles crashed into one another.

People abandoned their belongings.

Parents carried children while soldiers forced civilians toward underground shelters.

Only one person remained standing on the bridge.

Asmo.

His golden-brown eyes followed the descending object without emotion.

"It survived anti-orbital missiles."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Interesting."

The sphere suddenly changed direction.

Instead of falling toward the military district...

It descended directly toward him.

The ground shook.

A deafening impact shattered the bridge windows.

Dust exploded into the air.

The shockwave knocked dozens of people off their feet.

When the dust finally settled...

A crater nearly sixty meters wide had appeared in the middle of the riverside park.

Military forces surrounded it within minutes.

Armed soldiers formed defensive lines.

Scientists wearing protective suits rushed forward.

Drones hovered above the crater.

Asmo quietly walked closer.

No one paid attention to him.

Everyone stared at the center.

Resting there...

Wasn't a meteor.

It was a crystal.

Perfectly smooth.

Completely black.

Floating several centimeters above the ground.

"It doesn't match any known artifact," one scientist whispered.

"No radiation."

"No heat."

"No biological activity."

Another scientist adjusted his scanner.

"Impossible..."

"It isn't made from any material we've discovered."

A military commander stepped forward.

"Send in a drone."

A small machine approached the crystal.

The mechanical arm slowly reached forward.

The instant it touched the surface...

The drone disappeared.

Not exploded.

Not destroyed.

It simply ceased to exist.

Every record.

Every signal.

Gone.

Silence filled the crater.

Even experienced soldiers instinctively stepped backward.

The commander frowned.

"No one approaches it."

Before another order could be given...

The crystal moved.

It slowly turned.

Not toward the commander.

Not toward the scientists.

Toward Asmo.

Everyone noticed.

"Who's that student?"

"Stop him."

"Get him out of here."

Several soldiers ran toward Asmo.

Before they reached him...

The crystal shot forward.

It stopped less than a meter from his face.

The world became strangely quiet.

The wind disappeared.

The distant sirens faded.

Even the sounds of frightened civilians vanished.

Only silence remained.

Asmo looked directly into the crystal.

For the first time in his life...

He felt something looking back.

Then a voice echoed inside his mind.

Compatibility confirmed.

Initiating succession.

Asmo frowned.

"What are you?"

The crystal answered.

The last Crown has found its bearer.

A crack appeared across its surface.

Then another.

And another.

Golden light burst from within the darkness.

The crystal shattered into thousands of glowing fragments.

Every piece rushed toward Asmo.

They entered his chest without resistance.

Pain unlike anything imaginable spread throughout his body.

He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't move.

Countless unfamiliar memories flooded his mind.

Alien languages.

Galaxies.

Ancient civilizations.

Wars fought before humanity existed.

Technology beyond imagination.

Knowledge.

Endless knowledge.

Millions of years poured into his consciousness in a single instant.

The soldiers watched helplessly.

Asmo's body slowly rose from the ground.

Ten centimeters.

Half a meter.

One meter.

His black hair grew longer.

Each strand transformed into radiant gold.

His eyes opened.

Brilliant golden irises reflected the sky itself.

An invisible pressure erupted from his body.

Every soldier dropped to one knee.

Weapons slipped from trembling hands.

Scientists collapsed.

Military drones fell lifeless from the sky.

The commander struggled just to breathe.

"What..."

"What is happening?"

Above Helios City...

The clouds split apart.

Every satellite orbiting Earth simultaneously transmitted the same unidentified signal.

Across every continent...

The Twelve Sacred Artifacts began to resonate.

For the first time in over three hundred years...

They reacted in fear.

High above the crater, Asmo slowly opened his eyes.

He looked at his hands.

Then at the frightened people below.

He could hear every heartbeat in the city.

Every radio transmission.

Every satellite.

Every voice across the planet.

The knowledge inside his mind felt endless.

And yet...

It felt as though it had always belonged to him.

A calm voice echoed one final time.

The Crown has awakened.

The Omniarch has been born.

Asmo looked toward the endless sky.

His expression remained unchanged.

"So..."

"This is power."

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