The campus of FUTA (Federal University of Technology, Akure) was alive with celebration. Music from distant speakers thumped in the background, blending with laughter and chatter. The streets outside the gate overflowed with cars, vendors selling snacks, and families dressed in their best clothes. It was graduation day, and for thousands of students, it marked both an ending and a beginning.
The sun blazed above, painting the rows of white graduation gowns with a warm glow. Proud parents hurried alongside their children, snapping pictures, holding hands, and fussing over gowns that refused to stay neat. Everywhere Adam looked, there was life, joy, and hope.
But not for him.
Adam Collins stood just outside the gate, black t-shirt and green jeans making him stand apart from the sea of formal wear. His curly hair shimmered under the sun, but his face carried none of the same brightness. Instead, he frowned at his phone.
Still unreachable.
For the third time, the call didn't go through. His parents knew this day was important. He had reminded them again and again. They should have been here already, cheering him on like everyone else's families.
A sigh escaped him. He shoved the phone back into his pocket, only to pull it out again. Maybe the network was just bad.
"HAH!!"
The shout came right behind him.
Most people would have jumped. Adam didn't even blink. He turned slowly, gaze flat.
Behind him, his best friend grinned widely in his graduation gown. James. Mischief radiated from him as always.
"Seriously?" Adam muttered.
"Tch… common, at least pretend to be scared."
Adam's lips twitched. "After the twentieth time, it's no longer surprising."
"You're impossible." James pressed a hand to his chest in mock pain. "Do you realize how boring you are? Sometimes I wonder why I'm still your best friend."
Adam arched an eyebrow. "Because no one else can tolerate you?"
James clicked his tongue but couldn't argue. He folded his arms, tilting his head. "Still waiting for your parents?"
"Yes." Adam glanced back at his phone. "They should've arrived by now."
James snorted. "Looks like you're in the same boat as me. Our parents ditching us on our big day. You know what that means?"
Adam frowned. "What?"
"It means…" James leaned in with a sly smile. "We're free. No awkward family hugs. No aunties asking why we don't have girlfriends yet. Just pure, unfiltered..."
Adam cut him off. "Nonsense."
James groaned dramatically. "Of course you'd say that. Honestly, except for reading books, scribbling your notes, or worrying about your parents, do you ever think about anything else?"
"Why should I?" Adam's voice was calm, unshaken. "If it doesn't interest me, it's not worth my time."
"That means you don't think about me, your so-called best friend?" James widened his eyes, his voice lowering like a wounded lover.
Adam rolled his eyes. "Fine. I think about you."
James blinked, then quickly shuffled a few steps away. "Whoa, easy there. We're friends, sure, but keep it that way. I'm straight."
Adam froze, then his lips twitched into a smile. He kicked James's backside without warning. James yelped, stumbling forward before bursting into laughter.
"Don't let me catch you!" Adam shouted, chasing after him. Despite his bookish nature, moments like these reminded him he wasn't entirely dull.
Their laughter mixed with the crowd's cheer, until everything changed.
The light dimmed.
The vibrant blue of the sky darkened unnaturally. Thunder rolled across the horizon, shaking windows and rattling the earth. Bolts of lightning danced across the clouds, and every head tilted upward.
Students clutched their gowns. Parents shielded their children. Some whispered prayers, others cursed.
Rain never came.
It wasn't only Akure. Across the globe, the same unnatural phenomenon struck. New York. Lagos. Tokyo. Entire nations froze under a sky that had turned alien. Meteorologists scrambled on live broadcasts, unable to explain what they saw.
Minutes dragged into half an hour. Fear thickened the air.
And then
The heavens tore open.
Brilliant light poured through the cracks, blinding and beautiful. Colors rippled like curtains of fire, blue, gold, crimson, and emerald. The world watched in awe and terror.
Whispers erupted.
"Is this… rapture?"
"No! I'm not ready, I haven't repented!"
"I even cheated on my best friend's girlfriend…"
Some screamed in despair, others wept openly. Yet many rejoiced.
"Praise Jesus! Heaven calls us!"
"Finally, freedom from this cursed flesh!"
Parents clutched their children. Men and women dropped to their knees, hands raised high as tears streamed down their cheeks. Some danced, others wailed, the line between joy and terror vanishing.
And then, silence.
From the vast dome above, three angels descended. Each bore two pairs of radiant wings, their forms shining with holy brilliance. Their arrival struck humanity dumb. For many, it was confirmation, the end of the world, the judgment of heaven.
But only one detail shattered the illusion.
The angel in the middle smiled. Not kindly. Not warmly. But with cold cunning.
His voice rumbled across the earth, impossible yet understood by all. "You lowly creatures. From this day forward, your pitiful lives exist only to entertain the gods."
Mouths fell open. The angels' brilliance flickered into menace.
"What you witnessed," the central angel continued, "was the rewriting of your world's laws. The gods demand stories. Struggle. Blood. In thirty minutes, everything you know will change. You are no longer masters of your fate."
The crowd's cheers curdled into horror. Those who had prayed for rapture collapsed in despair. Even the sinners who had dreaded judgment found no relief, only chains.
The angel's grin widened. "Farewell, insects. Do your best to amuse the gods, lowly creatures."
And in an instant, the three were gone.
Chaos exploded.
Screams tore through the graduation grounds. People scattered, shoving one another aside. Families clung together, desperate for safety where none existed. The once-proud celebration had transformed into a nightmare.
Adam's hands shook as he dialed again. Still nothing. His parents were unreachable. His chest tightened. "Dammit!"
Beside him, James shoved his family toward safety. "Get home and lock the doors! Go!" His curses rang loud.
Adam's mind swirled. His parents, where were they? Were they safe?
Everywhere, disorder reigned. People clawed for cover, ducking under roofs, pressing into corners as though walls could shield them from gods.
James grabbed Adam's arm. His face was pale but determined. "Forget this. Graduation's over. We can't stay here. Let's head back to the dorms."
Adam hesitated, torn between duty to his parents and the reality before him. There was nothing he could do. Not now.
"…Alright." His voice was low. "Let's go."
Together, they ran through the chaos, the air thick with screams and panic. Above them, the sky pulsed like a living wound, each flicker of color a countdown to humanity's new nightmare.
And deep down, Adam felt it.
The world he knew had already ended.