James was riding as fast as he could. The acrid scent of burning metal clawed at his throat as he pedaled harder, weaving through the chaos of Victoria Island. Sirens screamed in the distance, blending with the panicked shouts of thousands. Smoke billowed from shattered buildings, and the distant roar of collapsing structures sent tremors through the ground. Cars were overturned, some still ablaze, their metal frames twisting in the heat. Within just five minutes of the sky ripping open, the city had descended into total chaos.

  People ran in every direction, eyes wild with terror, some pushing past others in desperation. But James kept going—faster, harder. He had one focus: getting home. His mind clung desperately to hope, searching for ways to calm himself. Maybe his home hadn’t been caught in the explosions. Maybe the people running were just panicking over the sky. Maybe—just maybe—his family had already made it out.

  But his gut twisted with fear.

  Memories crashed into his mind like waves, vivid and relentless.

  Sarah giggling as she climbed onto his back, her tiny arms wrapping around his shoulders.

  “James, you’re my horse now!” she had declared, her voice bright with mischief.

  Amara rolling her eyes from the doorway. “You spoil her too much. She’s already six.”

  His mother’s warm hands smoothing down his collar before school. “Be back home early, okay? We’re making your favorite—Jollof rice for dinner.”

  His father’s firm voice. “No matter what happens, take care of them when I’m not around. That is your job as their big brother.”

  James never said much in those moments. When Sarah clung to his back, he slowed down to make the ride last longer. When his sisters argued over who got to sit next to him at dinner, he pretended not to care but always let them win. When his mother scolded him for staying out late, he simply nodded, mumbled an apology, and promised to do better.

  He had never been good at saying how much he cared.

  But now, he was about to lose them all.

  Meanwhile…

  The United Nations was assembling in a frenzy, their emergency channels buzzing across the globe. Paris, Washington D.C., Cairo, New Delhi, Abuja—every major city with a UN branch was pulling together its top officials. The urgency was undeniable. The balance of the world was shifting, and no one knew what side it would fall on.

  Inside the main UN headquarters, the largest emergency conference in history was beginning.

  Satellite images flickered on massive screens, showing the impossible—tears in the sky, monstrous figures emerging, entire cities in ruins. Reports flooded in, some claiming the anomalies were attacks, others insisting they were natural phenomena beyond human comprehension.

  Tensions flared as leaders clashed.

  “We need immediate military action,” a U.S. representative barked, slamming a fist onto the table. “If this is an invasion, hesitation will cost us everything.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “This is bigger than warfare,” a scientist from Geneva countered. “We don’t even understand what we’re dealing with yet!”

  The Secretary-General raised a hand, his face grim. “This is not just a crisis. This is the moment that will define the future of humanity. We are not just fighting for survival—we are deciding how the world will be rebuilt.”

  The debate would shape the fate of the world. The question was—would they make the right choice?

  As James turned the final corner, he froze at the sight before him—houses lay in ruins, reduced to rubble. His heart pounded as his gaze fell upon his home. Unlike the others, it had only been partially damaged. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, his tension easing slightly. But as he stepped through the front door, that relief shattered.

  Inside, devastation awaited him. Furniture was broken beyond repair, the walls bore deep scratches, and blood was splattered across the room. His breath hitched. It wasn’t just a little blood—it was far too much for minor injuries.

  Panic surged through him as he called out, his voice trembling.

  "Mom? Sarah? Dad? Amara? Is anyone home? It’s me, James! Please, answer me! I’m getting really worried—there’s blood everywhere! Mom? Sarah—!"

  His frantic calls carried him to his parents’ bedroom. A pool of blood seeped from under the door. Dread settled deep in his gut as he pushed it open. The scene before him broke him.

  His mother lay lifeless on the floor, her once vibrant black skin pale, her Ankara dress drenched in blood. His sisters, Sarah and Amara, lay beside her, their hands still clasped tightly in death, as if they had left this world together.

  "Mom—Mom!" James dropped to his knees, shaking her gently. "Wake up… Please, wake up!"

  His hands trembled as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded letter.

  "Mom, look! I got a Rhodes Scholarship. It was really hard to get in, but I did it—just like I promised you. So, wake up, please."

  He turned to his sisters. "Sarah… Amara… Mom isn’t waking up. I think something’s wrong with her. Don’t worry, I’ll get help. Just—just don’t move, okay? I’ll be right back."

  James sprinted outside, his lungs burning as he screamed for help. A police car came into view. Desperation surged in him as he waved frantically.

  "Help! My family—they're injured, they need a medic!"

  But the car sped past, ignoring the lone, panicked boy. Reality sank in. The world was in chaos. No one cared about a kid crying on the street.

  As he turned back toward his house, a looming presence behind him sent shivers down his spine. His body stiffened. Every instinct screamed at him—not to look. But he did.

  Standing there was a wolf-like creature, towering at twice his height. It stood on two legs, its bloodstained fur matted with fresh wounds. It growled, its unstable stance betraying an injured yet deadly predator. James' breath hitched, unable to process what he was seeing. Death stared him in the face.

  Then, from behind him, a voice rang out.

  "Kelechi, move!"

  Location – Beijing, China

  Gunfire echoed through the city as monstrous creatures poured from rifts in the sky. The skyline was fractured, a massive crack looming overhead, but the real horror was on the ground—humanoid wolf-like beasts rampaging through the streets.

  Zi Chen, a military commander, barked orders as his unit fought desperately to hold their ground. "Maintain formation! Keep them back!"

  The creatures were relentless, swarming through the gaping tears in space. Despite the chaos, the soldiers executed a steady retreat, conserving their ammunition.

  "I need a reload!" Zi Chen shouted.

  But as he reached for more ammo, he suddenly stopped. His unit thought he had run out of bullets—but that wasn’t the case. A strange force surged through him, unseen yet palpable. The air around him grew heavy, an overwhelming pressure suffocating those nearby.

  It was the kind of feeling a child would experience standing in the ring against the world’s greatest boxer—absolute, crushing dominance.

  Zi Chen dropped his rifle. He raised his hand toward an approaching beast. In an instant, a gaping, doughnut-shaped hole appeared in the creature’s chest. It collapsed, lifeless.

  His unit stood frozen. No one could comprehend what had just happened.

  All across the world, similar events unfolded. Individuals—ordinary men and women—were awakening to god-like abilities.

  It was the dawn of a new era for human civilization.