Few hours earlier:
"Good evening folks, I'm Amber with a breaking news. Multiple reports are coming in from across the country about a series of mysterious sightings of an unidentified flying object hovering about the Athens district. This UFO is still yet to be identified by scientists and other federal agents. However, eyewitnesses from various parts of the district have described a certain glowing cube with pulsating lights moving silently through the atmosphere." The news anchor reports.
"That's right, some of the residents from this district has gone into hiding in fear that this may be some sort of alien invasion, while some insist that it could be some sort of top-secret military project undergoing testing." The reporter shines in.
"These sightings have sparked wave of speculations and theories amongst the locals and some claim to have had contact. While this is still undergoing further investigations, authorities have yet to release an official statement regarding the sightings, but local law enforcement agencies have reported receiving numerous calls from concerned citizens as they claimed that this object is a box capable of communication. However, they say the box is searching for someone as it only manages to utter one statement; 'Candidate not suitable, system is now searching for a suitable vessel." The news anchor added.
"Until more becomes available, locals are left to speculate and draw their own conclusions about what exactly is happening in our country. We'll continue to monitor this situation closely and provide updates as they become available. Stay tuned to CHAT news channel for the latest developments on this unfolding event. Thank you for joining us." The news anchor concludes.
The camera zoomed out as we find ourselves in what appeared to be an hospital setting.
Several patient could be seen seated at the waiting bench, some with a calm facial expression others tense.
The news had only just finished when Aunt Amma rushed into the hospital, her heart hammering in her chest.
She pushed through the glass doors, barely noticing the sterile scent of antiseptic or the hum of morning activity around her. Nurses moved briskly through the halls, and the faint murmur of conversations filled the air, but Amma's focus was singular. She hurried to the receptionist's desk, gripping the counter as if it were the only thing keeping her upright.
"I need to see a patient." She said breathlessly.
"Damian Basil. Please, tell me where he is." She added in haste and worry.
The receptionist, a woman in her mid-thirties with tired eyes and a composed demeanor, glanced up from her screen. "Are you a relative?" She simply inquire.
"I'm his aunt. The school called—they said he passed out during an exam. Please, tell me he's okay." She managed to reply.
The receptionist's fingers tapped swiftly on the keyboard, the clicking sound filling the tense silence between them.
"Damian Basil?" The receptionist repeated softly as she found the file. Then her expression shifted, as she let's out a little smile.
"Room one-o-two." The receptionist replied, pointing to the left.
"Thank you." Aunt Amma replied to which the receptionist respond with a light nod.
Aunt Amma hurried down the hospital corridor, her footsteps echoing in the sterile hallway. Amma's pulse raced, and her mind swirled with anxious thoughts. She deeply exhaled as she arrived at Room 102, she pushing open the door with urgency. But the moment she stepped inside, she froze. The hospital room was in complete disarray.
The IV stand lay twisted on the floor, the heart monitor was overturned, its screen flickering erratically. Papers and medical charts were scattered across the room, fluttering from the light draft coming through the shattered window. The curtains billowed gently, revealing faint embers in the air, as if something had burned—but there was no fire.
Amma's breath caught in her throat. The white walls of the room were marred by something unnatural.
A runic symbol written on the wall. But the worst part wasn't the mess.
It was the emptiness. Damian was nowhere to be found.
Back at present:
There I was, in the heart of the ancient ruins, the mysterious box hovering in the air, surrounded by an aura of foreboding energy. Two massive statues holding me captive, kneeling and helpless before the box.
I gazed around, my eyes widening in horror at the massacre before me. The familiar surroundings were now a scene of utter devastation. Lifeless bodies lay scattered, their eyes frozen in a permanent stare. I struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the situation and my own fate, now kneeling helpless before the mysterious box.
In desperation, I turned around looking over my shoulder for aid only to see Chloe who hastily made her way towards me. Seeing her, I pleaded for help as she approached. Her once hasten footsteps turned to that of an eerie slowness, a devious smirk spreading across her face.
"Chloe, what's going on?" I asked, my voice laced with a mix of fear and confusion.
Chloe's smirk grew wider as she approached, it was as if she was expecting this to happen or rather, she wanted it to happen.
"I never intended for things to go this far, but my goal has finally been achieved. The box has been awakened, and its power, now within my reach." She tells, looking forward to the now hovering box.
My mind raced as I grasped the extent of her betrayal.
"You used me." I accused, my voice trembling with anger.
"But, why?" I could only help but ask, my voice tuning down from sadness.
Chloe's expression turned cold.
"And for that, I sincerely apologize. Its just for some reason only members of your family can awaken that artifact."
"Why are you doing this, what do you hope to achieve?" I helpless inquire.
"The second evolution of humanity." She bluntly replies.
"Let me ask you something." She began.
"How much of the first evolution of humans do you know?" She asked, her voice now calm but still cold as it could be.
"The first evolution? What does this have to do with that?" I asked trying to comprehend her intensions.
"Would you believe If I told you this artifact before you brought humanity from the Stone Age to the technological era?" She questioned.
"If that's what the first evolution was, then imagine what the second evolution could bring – perhaps humans evolving into gods or something better?" She added, her mind and believe all delusional.
"No, you're wrong." I struggle to say, haven't remembered my visions from earlier.
"You don't know what you're dealing with." I warned, trying to reason with her.
"That box already showed me visions of what fate it holds for this world, it holds nothing but chaos and destruction." I exclaimed, trying to inform her of the danger of the artifact.
"Shut up!" She demanded, her voice ranging with anger.
"You're just like your naive parents, my father saw the potential this box could have granted humanity. He pleaded with your parents to share the discovery with the world, and what did your parents do? Like fools they declined trying to lock away the power of that box." She informed.
Her words reminded me of the warnings about the box's destructive potential written in my parent's journal.
My eyes locked onto hers, a sense of dread settling in. I knew I had to stop her, but the odds seemed insurmountable. The fate of humanity hung in the balance, and I was the only one who could prevent the impending catastrophe. But what really could I do?
After all I'm still held captive by these massive statues under the command of the mysterious box artifact.
My heart raced as I realized the true extent of Chloe's ambition.
"You're wrong, Chloe. My parents weren't naive, they saw what was coming and you as well are about to." I replied summering enough courage as I tried to stand on my feet, but the massive statue effortlessly pinned me down on my knees.
"I was right about it, this box has no intent on killing me, because if it does it'll probably just shut down like before so…" I thought aloud to myself, trying to move forward but with the statue holding me back it was impossible, at least not without losing an arm or two.
I pulled with all my might, but it wouldn't budge. My determination to stop what comes next was unyielding. With a surge of adrenaline, I tried to force my way free, but the statue's hold was too strong. My hand began to stretch, the skin pulling taut. I felt a searing pain as my hand was ripped from my body, leaving me with a bloody stump.
"Ahhh!" I screamed in agony, my vision blurring. The statue still held my severed hand, its grip unrelenting. I stumbled backward, my mind reeling in shock. Chloe's eyes widened in a mix of horror and fascination.
"No, don't!" She yelled as if trying to stop someone or something.
And then there was a Bang! The sound of a gun shot echoed through the monastery.
I didn't know what had happened, or even how it happened. All I knew was the sudden, searing pain in my chest as blood poured from the wound. A metallic taste filled my mouth, and with each ragged cough, more blood spilled past my lips.
Weakened I feel to my knees, struggling to turn my head to look past my shoulder when I saw two more federal agents walking into the scene. The male had a gun in his hand. At that moment I understood what had happened, I had been shot to the chest.
I let out a chuckle as I fell face first to the ground.
The two federal agents who had just walked in are no stranger it was Agent Reynolds and Agent Carter.
"Sorry kid I can't risk the safety of eight billion people just for you." He said as he walked past me headed for Chole.
The statue finally released my hand, and it fell to the ground with a sickening thud.
My vision was fading, my hearing dulled. The last thing I saw was The New federal agent guy quarrelling with Chloe who's face gleaming with an uncertainty and sorrow.
The world around me slowly began to lose colour until...
— it went dark.