Nerez woke up with a slight headache as he saw two familiar faces.
Mom and Dad , both aged, with white strands in their hair , were looking at him with care and compassion. Nerez felt lucky… and overwhelmed.
"Your brother told us about the accident," his mother said with a gentle smile as she placed her hand on Nerez's face.
"Ouch," Nerez groaned in pain as his mother removed her hand with a sad smile.
"Another reckless accident... I have to talk to the police. I can't stand this anymore," his father said, standing up in frustration. He had wanted to go earlier, but stayed to ensure his son was okay. Now that he was, he could finally let out his anger.
"Dad…" Nerez called softly, but his father was already gone.
"Dear, it's fine. It's about time he did. The rate of accidents lately is too much. What if you two had broken a bone… or worse, died?" his mother said gently, full of care.
"Accident… really?" Nerez muttered angrily as he stared at the door. Leaning beside it was Seran ..silent, not daring to meet his gaze.
*********
The evening soon gave way to darkness, and Nerez was already up and walking.
"Seran. Let's talk," he said at the dining table, right after they finished eating.
Their mother raised an eyebrow, then smiled.
"Seran, answer your brother. Don't worry, I have some cleaning to do before your dad returns," she said, walking off as Seran sighed.
*Looks like I can't hide from this,* Seran thought and sighed again.
"Alright. Let's talk outside, Nerez," he said, leading the way.
As soon as they stepped outside, Nerez began.
"Car accident? Seriously?" he asked, clearly angry.
"Yeah, I couldn't come up with anything else to explain that much injury," Seran replied, shrugging.
"Man, shut up. It's not about that! Didn't we promise to tell Mom and Dad if we got beaten again? How long do you think we can keep lying? They threatened to come after our parents, you idiot!" Nerez snapped.
"What, I should just tell them? You saw how Dad acted. Imagine what they'll do when they find out we've been getting beat up all this time, giving away our lunch money, and now we owe 15k… all because one of those bastards got interested in our childhood friend, and we didn't drug and sell her to them!" Seran burst out, his voice filled with frustration.
"At least Mom and Dad would do something! I can't keep living like this ,beaten at school, owing 15k! Mom and Dad don't even make that much when you combine both their salaries," Nerez said, his voice trembling.
"Have you stopped to think how old they are? Or what will happen if you tell them? We're already poor. Lucas' dad is filthy rich that's why those three idiots follow him around. If we push too hard, we'll lose everything… not like we have much to lose," Seran said bitterly.
"So… we're not going to do anything?" Nerez asked, his voice low.
"Nothing can be done. Some battles are lost before they even start. Some things aren't worth fighting for. Besides… they're just bullies. Everyone goes through this. That doesn't define us, brother. I got you. They're just kids. They'll learn… someday," Seran said, placing a hand on Nerez's hair.
Pa!
Nerez slapped Seran's hand away.
"Kids?! Seran, we're kids too! Don't act like an adult when we're just fifteen! And you think just because his dad is rich, that gives him power over us?! The power to make our miserable lives even worse?! Lucas demanded 15k just to justify tormenting us. And if he likes Aelira so much, he should go talk to her himself! Don't you see?! It's all bullshit! I hate it… I HATE IT!" Nerez screamed as he turned and ran into the nearby bushes.
"Nerez…!" Seran called out, but his brother had already vanished.
*******
Nerez ran until he reached a small hill, then finally stopped.
It wasn't far from home. Their house was near this hill, and from the top, you could see the entire city. It was a special place where he and Seran used to hang out. Even their parents knew about it.
Now, it was silent.
Nerez collapsed to the ground and cried bitterly.
"Why… why… why can't I do anything about this? Because I have no power? No strength? Damn it all…" he wept in misery.
"I want power… I want strength… I don't want to be bullied or beaten anymore… I want to protect Mom and Dad… I want to protect Seran… I want to… I WANT TO BE STRONG!!!" Nerez screamed into the night.
He stayed like that for several minutes, crying and trembling.
Eventually, he stood at the edge of the hill, looking over the quiet city.
*Maybe Seran's right… we can't do anything. No strength, no connections, no money. We don't even own phones, haha… This is our life, huh?*... he thought with a faint, bitter smile.
Then… the ground trembled.
"Wait… what?" Nerez froze as the shaking grew more intense. Rocks broke loose from nearby hills and began tumbling down.
*Mom… Seran… are they okay?*.. he thought, panic surging through him as he prepared to run home.
Pawnt!!!
It was like the sky was torn open — a giant burning rock fell from above, casting an enormous shadow across the city.
Nerez looked up, stunned. This was insane.
Then, he looked again… and his eyes widened.
It was the city… specifically, the area where the police station stood.
"Dad…?" he whispered, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant.
"Dad!!!" he screamed, and without hesitation, Nerez leapt from the hill, running toward the burning city below.
But it was too late. The rock struck the ground.
BOOOOMMMMMMMM...
A terrifying shockwave, laced with intense wind pressure, surged through the area, slamming into the airborne Nerez.
He lost consciousness instantly.
**********
The rock didn't just hit where Nerez had been , it struck nearly every corner of the Earth.
In the country's military command center...
"What do you mean you didn't detect a massive cluster of meteors heading toward Earth?!" barked a heavily bearded man, fury in his voice.
"It… it was like they appeared out of nowhere," the soldier replied with a nervous gulp.
"Goddamn it. Contact the President. Now!" the man shouted, slamming his fist on the table.
"Sir… after the first meteor hit Earth… we noticed something horrible," the soldier said, pausing.
"Spit it out! Don't keep me in suspense!" the man snapped.
"General… technology has failed."
Just those few words made the bearded man collapse into his chair, stunned.
Technology....fail ?
**********
At the Twin's house...
"I heard a shout! What happened?" their mother asked, stepping out, startled.
"It's just Nerez. He'll be fine, Mom. He got excited about something," Seran replied with a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure? Excited? Where is he?" she asked, concerned.
"Yes, Mom. Who knows where that kid ran off to," Seran said, chuckling lightly.
"Seran… I'm serious," his mother said with a sharper tone.
"Don't worry, Mom. Nothing will happen to my brother. He's probably at our chill spot," Seran said, still smiling.
"Okay… I believe you," she said with a soft sigh.
"Love you, Mom," Seran said as he hugged her.
"I love you and your brother too," she replied warmly, hugging him back.
Just then, the ground trembled violently.
A deafening boom echoed through the air, followed by a shockwave that swept across the house.
Both Seran and his mother were knocked out cold.
****************†*******************†**************