1 A Tragic Descent

In a tranquil evening within an unknown rural village perched atop a mountain, the inhabitants wound down after a weary day's labor. A mother, having completed her work, made her way home. Upon arrival, her son and daughter rushed to greet her, eagerly inquiring about the evening meal.

"Oh mom, what are we having tonight?" the son asked excitedly.

"Of course it's your two favorite dishes," the mother replied with a smile.

"Hooray! I can't wait!" the daughter exclaimed.

"Before that, do you two want to help me prepare the food together?"

"Yeah! We would like to!" they both replied eagerly.

The mother and her children began preparing the food in the kitchen. Suddenly, a deafening explosion reverberated through the village, plunging it into chaos. The tolling of a bell resonated, serving as an urgent warning to all in the town.

A man running on the street shouted, "Armed soldiers and tanks are advancing toward here!"

The man kept repeating his words and later on screamed, "No, please don't…"

"Mom, what just happened outside?"

"Not… Nothing! No worry about it..."

Another explosion could be heard from the house. 

"Hmm? Mom, what's that sound?"

"Just come over here!"

The footsteps of the soldiers grew closer as the mother and children could hear them marching outside their house. In a desperate attempt to shield her children from the impending danger, the mother gathered them close, soothing their fears with her embrace.

"It's fine! Don't leave my arms, we shall be fine," she reassured them, trying to remain composed.

But despite her efforts, her children trembled in apprehension as the cacophony of fear and agony outside intensified. Despite her own anguish, the mother offered silent prayers, her lips moving in fervent supplication.

Suddenly, a nearby house was struck by a tank shell, causing a violent tremor that reverberated through their own dwelling. A cupboard toppled, striking the mother's leg, rendering it broken. The mother fell to the ground and her expression looked very painful while her children tried to help her.

"Hang on mom! We're going to pull you out! This is so heavy..." the son said, struggling with the heavy cupboard.

"I can't move this at all..." The daughter said. 

The children's attempts to move the cupboard proved futile, and the mother, in excruciating pain, suppressed her cries, determined to protect her children. The children, gripped by panic and confusion, found themselves at a loss for what to do.

Suddenly, an eerie silence descended upon the village, broken only by the silhouette of a man looming at their doorstep. Desperate to save her mother, the daughter rushed to open the door and looked for help from stranger. The mother tried to stop her immediately.

"No! Don't open the door..." the mother's voice trailed off as she lost consciousness.

Regrettably, it was too late. The man at the door was not an ordinary stranger, but one of the soldiers.

"Who are you?" the daughter asked the stranger man who was holding a rifle.

"You don't have to know who I am. You just need to know that I'm going to..." the soldier replied ominously.

He gained entry and mercilessly snuffed out the lives of the two children, under the false assumption that their mother had already perished. The soldiers continued their assault on the village until all signs of life were extinguished. Night descended upon the devastated village, shrouding it in debris and the lifeless bodies of its former inhabitants.

"Sir! we have wiped out the entire village!" one of the soldiers reported to their commander.

"Very well! Now, conduct another thorough search of the village! We must ensure that every villager has met their fate!"

"Yes Sir!"

"And, of course! Don't forget the 'thing' we're searching for!" The commander ordered his men to keep searching for something in the village.

"We will search for it!"

"We have been searching for this for years, we have taken so many lives and sacrificed everything we have... there is no way back, we must find it!" The 'thing' must have been kept in this village! Find it out at all costs!" he commanded.

The mother, who had regained consciousness, slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurred by tears. She was met with a scene of unimaginable horror. The remnants of her once-vibrant home were now reduced to a haunting tableau of destruction and death. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled to catch her breath, her voice choked with despair.

With trembling lips, she called out their names in a desperate plea, her voice filled with anguish.

"Venn...Veena... please, answer me…" she pleaded.

Her children never responded despite she kept calling their names.

"How could it be... How could it be…" she sobbed, but the silence that followed was deafening, shattered only by the sound of her own cries echoing through the desolate house. Her children, her beloved little ones, could no longer respond to her pleas.

Tears streamed down her face as she gazed up at the star-filled sky and many little meteors flying over, visible through the ruptured roof. Uttering fragmented words, her voice choked with sorrow, she offered a final prayer. Drained of blood and weakened by her injuries, she succumbed to the darkness, her tear-stained eyes closing for the last time.

Suddenly, a small meteor surrounded by aurora-colored flames started falling quickly toward the village.

The commander noticed the meteor and shouted, "What the hell?! Everyone, retreat at once! The meteor is falling toward us!" The soldiers panicked and started running, but there was nowhere to hide.

The meteor crashed onto the village, its impact wiping out all of the soldiers. The village showed no sign of life after the meteor fell. The meteor shattered, revealing an aurora-colored soul-like object, it hovered above the desolate village. It emitted a soft, ethereal glow, casting an otherworldly ambiance upon the wreckage. The object seemed to possess a strange consciousness.