At seven o'clock in the morning, the alarm rang, signaling the start of a new day.
The alarm buzzed annoyingly, as if trying to wake the entire world from a deep sleep.
A young man with thick black hair and dark eyes slowly opened his eyelids. He pressed the stop button on the alarm, groaning, his face marked with signs of irritation and fatigue.
He muttered under his breath, eyes briefly closing again:
"Damn work… and going to work."
He stretched his body sluggishly on the bed, then placed his foot on the ground and stood up.
⸻
Zephyr's room resembled a constant storm of clutter; clothes were scattered everywhere—some on the floor, others draped over a chair or the edge of the bed. Comic magazines and half-open books were piled up on the desk, as if they lived his chaotic life with him.
He headed to the bathroom, opening the door with sluggish motion.
Upon entering, he looked at his face in the mirror, ran his hand through his hair, and sarcastically said:
"Damn… I'm so handsome. Women are lucky to witness this beauty every day."
He smirked at himself mockingly, then washed his face, dried his hair with a towel, and returned to his room to look for a shirt.
He wandered around for several minutes before finally finding one… under the bed.
He put it on hastily, then started digging through a heap of clothes until he found a pair of pants and wore them too—without caring whether they were clean or not.
⸻
He left his room and headed to the lower floor.
He could hear the sound of frying from the kitchen, accompanied by the slightly loud sound of the television.
A middle-aged woman stood at the stove, preparing breakfast, while a man sat at the dining table holding a remote control, watching the news with mild disinterest.
In the corner, sat a little girl no older than seven.
Her skin was pale white, her long black hair reached her waist, and her jet-black eyes sparkled with innocence. She held two small dolls, playing with them in deep concentration.
Zephyr sat beside her and smiled as he ruffled her hair, saying:
"Good morning, Rini."
The little girl replied without lifting her eyes from the dolls:
"Good morning, big brother."
Zephyr smiled warmly as he watched her play, and at that moment, his mother placed a plate in front of him containing fried eggs and sausage slices, along with a cup of hot tea.
He asked while lifting the fork to his mouth:
"Where's Jeff, Mom?"
Jeff was his older brother, studying medicine and spending most of his time between lectures and textbooks.
Zephyr, on the other hand, had failed academically. He dropped out during the early stages of university and decided to open a small shop in his neighborhood, hoping to one day achieve wealth.
He had grown up in a middle-class family, but he always longed for what his parents could never give him… wealth and status.
His mother replied calmly:
"He left early. Said he wanted to review before his exam."
His father cut in sarcastically from behind the newspaper, still watching TV:
"At least he's not chasing ridiculous dreams like someone else."
His mother looked at him with annoyance, while Zephyr ignored the comment and replied with a grin:
"When I get rich, I'll spoil you, Dad. Don't worry! Hahaha."
His father shook his head, indifferent, as he continued watching the news broadcast.
Zephyr then quickly devoured his breakfast.
⸻
Once finished, he stood up, slipped on his shoes near the door, and said:
"I'm off."
He opened the door and stepped outside, closing it behind him.
He began walking down the street, whistling a soft tune, then murmured loudly to himself, almost as if making a promise:
"Today… I'll make a fortune! It's going to be a day full of luck and happy events!"
Little did he know, those very words… were like a curse.
⸻
Zephyr arrived at his small shop, located on the edge of the neighborhood across from a quiet main road.
He opened the door, turned on the lights, switched on the TV, and sat on his wooden chair behind the counter, waiting for customers.
On the screen appeared a news anchor reading local headlines. Then the camera shifted to a female anchor beside him, who said in a serious tone:
"We now turn to the latest update from the International Space Agency.
Astronomers have reported strange cosmic phenomena occurring recently on the outskirts of our solar system.
High-temperature stellar explosions of unknown origin have begun moving steadily toward Mars, and scientists so far have been unable to explain their nature or cause."
The male anchor continued:
"Social media has been buzzing with the news, and many people have expressed fear, speculating that these events could be the beginning of the end of the world."
Zephyr chuckled sarcastically and said:
"Nonsense…"
He pressed the remote and began flipping through channels, eventually landing on a sports channel.
But suddenly, the TV screen started glitching—broken lines and odd noises: "Shhhh… shhh…"
Confused, Zephyr stood to adjust the cable, hoping to fix the problem.
Then, without warning, a sharp cracking noise echoed through the air, followed by a violent tremor beneath his feet.
His heartbeat quickened, and he looked around in shock.
The shelves were shaking, the ceiling lights flickered above him.
"Damn! An earthquake?!"
He bolted outside the shop, scanning the area. People around him were panicking, staring up at the sky in confusion.
And then…
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the air.
Zephyr lost his balance, his ears ringing as if submerged in water.
He slowly looked up, his eyes widening in terror.
He stumbled backward, then fell to the ground in utter shock.
The sky above had transformed…
It looked like shattered glass, a massive piece missing from the center.
A void of darkness spread, as if a hole was devouring the heavens.
Another explosion sounded. He turned toward it just in time to see a distant skyscraper split in half—its upper section crashing violently to the ground.
His legs trembled, and he screamed:
"What the hell is happening?!"
People were running, and he ran with them, trying to get back to his home.
"That's the safest place," he thought.
But fate had other plans.
A nearby explosion rocked the area again, and a building beside him started collapsing.
Zephyr stumbled and fell.
Lying on his back, he looked up and saw the debris raining down from above—chunks of concrete and steel hurling toward him.
He tried to crawl away, but…
"AAAHHH!!"
A scream of unimaginable pain escaped him.
A massive slab of concrete landed on his left arm, crushing it from the elbow down.
He writhed in agony, tears streaming from his eyes.
He screamed for help. A few nearby people rushed toward him.
They pushed the stone with all their strength, while one of them pulled Zephyr's body away.
They succeeded in freeing him, but the sight was horrifying…
His arm was essentially gone.
Zephyr let out another scream—his arm had been completely crushed and severed by the weight.
The people tried to support him so he could walk, but another explosion echoed through the city, and they scattered in fear of more falling debris.
At that moment…
A calm but powerful voice rang out:
"You've caused enough chaos… Stop."
A wild, cruel voice replied:
"Hahaha… I'm not done yet!"
The explosions intensified.
Then the calm voice returned once more:
"Spatial Rift!"
Suddenly, rifts opened in the air—ripping reality apart—and began swallowing the explosions, as if absorbing the chaos itself.
But… Zephyr, by a cruel twist of fate, was swallowed by one of those rifts.
⸻
Was this the beginning of Zephyr's story?
Or its end?