MAGI
Two Years Ago – Earth
The sky over Earth was no longer blue. The world had died, slowly and painfully and yet, Zafer was still alive. He was only 17 then. And he was running for his life.His breath came in ragged gasps, legs barely holding him up as he stumbled through broken streets littered with bones and debris. Behind him, the bloodthirsty growls of monsters echoed – inhuman howls.
A sharp piece of debris had slashed across his eye during the chase his left eye bled freely, staining his cheek with red. Bites and claw marks covered his body. His shirt was shredded, soaked in blood, and the exposed skin beneath looked like it had been torn apart by wild animals. And yet Zafer ran. Because he always ran. Because it was either run or be eaten.
But today, his strength gave out. He collapsed inside the shell of a ruined building, hidden beneath the shadows of collapsed concrete and twisted steel. As the roars of the monsters faded into the distance, Zafer curled into himself, trembling.
He was crying not from the pain, but from the helplessness. He pressed his palm to his wounded eye, trying to slow the bleeding. He was starving. His stomach clenched violently, begging for food. His lips were cracked. His throat was dry like sand. That's when he saw it.
A corpse. Human. Rotting. Slumped against the wall in the far corner of the building. Zafer crawled toward it slowly, the smell making him gag. The man had been dead for weeks, his face unrecognizable. Maggots squirmed in the flesh, but Zafer didn't flinch.
There was no food left in this world. No supplies. No salvation.
And Zafer was unique… though he didn't know why.
The infection or whatever it was that turned others into monsters. It did not affect him. He had learned that the hard way. He'd been bitten, scratched, even drenched in infected blood. But he never changed.
He didn't feel lucky.
With no hesitation, he began tearing pieces of flesh from the corpse and shoving them into his mouth. The meat was rancid. It burned his throat. But he kept eating.
I will survive i will survive for her.
He looked like an animal. His long, tangled hair hung in clumps. Dirt and blood coated every inch of him. His face was gaunt and his body was a walking skeleton with scars. He looked more corpse than human. A boy who had once had a future. A name. A family. Now reduced to a savage.
That's when he heard a voice behind him.
Soft. Calm. Almost amused.
"You still have a fight left in you, human?"
Zafer froze. His heart thudded in his chest.
He spun around, expecting to see another type of monster–something evolved, maybe something worse. But what he saw… wasn't what he expected.
It was a man–or at least, something like a man. He was tall, dressed in sleek metallic armor with glowing blue veins pulsing beneath the surface. His face was partially obscured by a translucent visor. His presence was calm… and yet terrifying.
Zafer stumbled back. "Don't come near me!" he shouted. "What are you?!"
The stranger tilted his head, then tossed a small device toward Zafer's feet. He gestured silently toward his own ear. Zafer hesitated. But something in the stranger's eyes told him… this wasn't a monster. Not quite.
He picked up the device and pressed it against his ear. A soft chime echoed in his skull. "Can you understand me now?" the stranger said.
Zafer's eyes widened. "What… how?"
The figure chuckled. "Don't worry about the how, Earthling. What matters is this: I am not a monster. My name is Magi, and I come from a planet far beyond your stars. We are known as the Xelyari."
Zafer stared, breathing hard. "An alien…?"
"Correct," Magi said. "I've come here with a proposal."
Zafer narrowed his eyes. "You want to make a contract? Take my soul or something are a devil?"
Magi scoffed. "Please. Your myths are so dramatic. No, child – I want to offer you something more valuable than damnation. I'm here to give you a choice."
Zafer remained silent.
Magi continued, "A chance at new life. A path toward power. An escape from this hellhole of a world. But it comes with risk."
Zafer's eyes flickered. "What kind of risk?"
Magi's tone turned serious. "We are conducting a set of survival events across the galaxy. We call them the Trials. Only the strongest, smartest, and most determined individuals survive. There are five trials. Complete them all… and you'll be granted one wish."
Zafer blinked. "One… wish?"
"Anything within reason," Magi said. "Power. Wealth. Revenge. A new world. A new life."
Zafer clenched his fists. "And if I fail?"
You will die But compared to this hell, what do you really have to lose?
Zafer's heart pounded. He thought of the monsters. The corpses. The cries of the dying. The night his mother left him. The years he spent alone in the shadows. Starving. Fighting. Screaming. And then… Zafer stood up. Bleeding. Filthy. Starving. But his eyes… his eyes burned with something new.
Resolve.
I will do it, I will take your damn Trials and survive and get stronger. No matter what it takes.
Magi smiled.
Without another word, he pulled out a small, sleek device. On it was a single button, glowing faintly. He handed it to Zafer and said with a calm voice, "Press this tomorrow when you see a large ship in the sky."
Then just like that Magi vanished into the wind. His body disintegrated into fine black dust, scattering through the air as if he had never been there.
Zafer stood frozen, staring at the place where the stranger had disappeared. The silence that followed felt heavy. Confusion filled his mind, but under that confusion was a deeper, stronger force resolve. He clenched the device in his hand.
Suddenly, a feral growl echoed from the distance.
Snapping back to reality, Zafer turned his head sharply toward the sound. He tensed. The stench of decay surrounded him, thick in the air. Not wasting a second, he picked up the rotten body he had found earlier half-burned but still edible by his standards. He threw it over his shoulders and began sprinting through the ruined streets.
Oh no I'm not sleeping hungry tonight boy. I've got work to do tomorrow
The Next Day – 7:00 AM
Zafer stood atop the tallest building he could climb, eyes narrowed against the morning wind. The sky above was gray, smeared with clouds and dust. He had been waiting for hours. The world below looked dead, but his pulse throbbed with anticipation.
Then without warning it happened. A deafening, thunderous sound tore through the sky. It wasn't just loud—it was bone-shaking. Zafer dropped to one knee, covering his ears. The wind howled around him as if the sky itself was splitting apart.
And then he saw it. A colossal spacecraft broke through the clouds, descending with immense power. Its sheer size made even the Myronx warships look like toys. Its surface glowed with blue neon lines, and strange symbols were etched across its body symbols Zafer couldn't yet read.
What the F**K is that. Without hesitation, he pulled out the device Magi had given him and pressed the button.
A beam of bright blue light shot down from the underbelly of the ship, covering Zafer. His body lifted from the rooftop, floating mid-air. The wind roared past him as the world below shrank. He closed his eyes. The next thing he knew, he was aboard the ship.
He stood at the center of a large, circular chamber. Around him were dozens maybe hundreds of other humans. Some looked terrified, others filled with rage or confusion. But to Zafer, they were all the same.
Enemies.
In this trials only one truth existed: to survive, others must fall.
As he scanned the room, an alien approached him. It was humanoid in shape but tall and slender, with silver-blue skin and dark, glowing eyes. The alien held a black suit, a badge with a number on it, and a pair of shimmering contact lenses. Its voice was precise but mechanical.
You already have the auditory translator implanted, These contact lenses will let you read our language as well. This badge is—
"Wait," Zafer interrupted, holding up a hand. "Let me attach this to my ear first… I can't understand a word you're saying." He clipped the translator into place. "Okay… now, speak."
The alien let out a short sigh. "As I was saying idiot wear the lenses and the suit. You'll understand everything after that. And try not to get yourself killed."
Zafer smirked slightly and took the items. He walked into the changing chamber. A mirror awaited him inside.
Black trouser and black jacket It felt light but firm like a second skin. He placed the contact lenses on his eyes. The moment they settled, strange symbols across the room instantly transformed into readable text. He looked down at his badge.
[152]
That was his number now. Zafer stepped out of the chamber, his heart pounding. He could feel the pressure in the air the sense that something enormous was about to begin. He walked toward a large window and looked outside.
The stars shimmered in the void. Far off in the distance, his new home planet Xelyarius hung like a jewel in the endless darkness of space. Blue and silver clouds swirled over its surface.
He stared at it in silence, then clenched his fist. "This is it…" he whispered. "Let's do it."
He turned back toward the crowd of strangers, his jaw tight, his eyes unwavering.
To be continued…