As the cameras rolled, the house lights flared to gold, illuminating the center stage. Applause thundered through the studio, echoing from every surface and vibrating in the bones. Yukimura Chisaki, radiant in a tailored suit with silver highlights to match her hair, stood at the heart of it all, her smile dazzling.
"Welcome to The C&T Show!" she chirped, her voice bright and commanding. "I'm your one and only beloved host, Yukimura Chisaki!"
The crowd erupted, some whistling, others waving glowing sticks. The energy was electric.
"And tonight, with another riveting episode, we bring you none other than a legendary figure known worldwide as The Conspiracy Hunter. Please welcome Mr. Rohit Mehra!"
The applause swelled as Rohit Mehra strode in from stage left. He wore a battered leather jacket, jeans, and a wry, sheepish grin. There was a certain charm to him-a mix of world-weariness and boyish mischief. He waved, a little awkwardly, before settling into the guest chair beside Yukimura.
"Well, it's a pleasure to be here," Rohit said, his voice warm and unhurried. "As the very beautiful Miss Chisaki has already told you, I am indeed a Conspiracy Hunter. I've spent over a decade digging through the shadows of history. Most folks know me for my work on the Wendigo phenomenon, which-" He sighed, "-rather unfortunately, earned me the nickname 'The Wendigo Whisperer.'" He laughed, a little self-conscious.
Yukimura's eyes twinkled. "Well, I think that sounds pretty awesome."
Rohit smirked. "Maybe, it gives me just enough edge to strike up a conversation with fine women like you, Miss Chisaki."
A collective "Oooh!" rippled through the audience, and even the crew grinned.
Yukimura tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, laughing, with a light blush on her face . "With lines like that, you might be a lady hunter, too."
"That's just part of the charm," Rohit replied, flashing a grin.
She turned to the camera, calming herself down a bit. "We'll see how charming you stay as the night goes on. For now, let's dive into some audience questions, shall we?"
Rohit nodded, folding his hands in his lap. "Very well."
A young woman in the front row stood, mic in hand. "You've been working with NASA on extraterrestrial research, right? What's that like?"
Rohit's eyes sparkled. "Grueling, to be honest. NASA's all about precision and patience-two things I'm not exactly famous for. But after the UN started funding extraterrestrial research in 2027, things got a lot more interesting. Suddenly, the world cared about what was out there. And I got to poke around in places most people only dream about."
Laughter rippled through the audience.
Yukimura leaned in. "And the Bermuda Triangle? The Wendigo? You've had some wild adventures."
He shrugged, playing it up. "Well, I wouldn't recommend the Bermuda Triangle for a honeymoon. But it's true-chasing legends sometimes means you find more questions than answers. As for the Wendigo, let's just say I learned to never camp alone in northern forests."
A young man in the second row stood, voice eager. "Do you believe aliens exist?"
Rohit didn't hesitate. "I most certainly do. In fact, my team and I at the research center are hell-bent on proving it."
"Ooh, that sounds exciting," Yukimura said, leaning forward.
"It actually is," Rohit replied, matching her enthusiasm.
Another hand shot up. "How do you go about proving something like that? Isn't there a real chance we're alone out there?"
Rohit shrugged theatrically. "Well, that's a pretty depressing thought, isn't it? If we are alone in this vast universe, that would make us gods… and I don't buy that. I prefer to believe we're just one among many."
"But we've been sending radio waves for decades," the same person pressed. "And space exploration has barely scratched the surface. We haven't even gone beyond the Moon properly."
Rohit grinned, adjusting his collar. "That's where my research comes in."
Yukimura arched an eyebrow. "How so?"
He grew thoughtful. "For years, I looked to the skies for answers. Signals, stars, anomalies-you name it. But then, something clicked. I realized I was looking the wrong way."
She blinked. "Wrong way?"
"Yes. The answer, Miss Chisaki, lies with us. It's been with us for generations, maybe forever. In fact, we're all connected to it in one way or another."
Yukimura laughed softly. "You're saying everyone is connected to aliens somehow? That's a stretch."
"Is it?" Rohit's smile was enigmatic. "Throughout human history, countless civilizations have risen and fallen. Some vanished mysteriously. Others left behind myths, legends, and scriptures. But the one thread I've found running through all of them is the concept of existence, of something more."
"Something more like… what?"
"A supreme being." His tone grew heavy.
She raised a skeptical brow. "Wait, are you saying you believe gods, the ones we humans worhsip, are aliens?"
"Not exactly. I'm not trying to defame any religion, mind you, that's not my intention, not at all," Rohit replied. "But have you ever noticed how, despite the vast differences in geography, language, and time, most ancient cultures had strikingly similar mythologies? And what was the one thing that always united people, even in chaos?"
Yukimura's voice dropped. "Faith."
"Exactly," Rohit nodded. "And I'm not saying that faith is wrong. I'm saying that maybe, just maybe, what we call gods were something else entirely."
Yukimura tilted her head, half-smiling. "This is starting to sound like a late-night show on ancient aliens."
"That's what I thought, too." He grinned. "Until I met someone who changed everything."
"Someone? Who?"
Rohit chuckled, his gaze distant. "Back before I became a full-time theorist, I worked part-time at a library. One day, I overheard this teenager talking to a girl, maybe his crush, I don't know, and he said something that stuck with me."
Yukimura grinned. "So your big theory came from high school romance?"
The crowd burst into laughter, and Rohit joined in.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. But what he said was simple and brilliant. He said: 'Don't you find it strange that civilizations separated by oceans and millennia all had similar concepts of gods and myths? Isn't it weird how they all had stories of beings descending from the sky, or giving them knowledge?'"
Yukimura leaned in, eyes bright. "And?"
"And then he said the thing that really got me: 'Each and every one of them had one thing in common.'"
"Which was?"
Rohit's eyes glinted.
"A catastrophe. An end of days. A Ragnarök."
The studio fell silent, the audience hanging on his every word.