An ominous new year.

" On the 31st of January, 2023. At the center of solitude square, New Burton city. More than a thousand citizens had gathered around to watch fireworks in celebration of another new year, it was an annual tradition. So for everyone there, it was going to be the same as every other. Except it wasn't."

"When the clock struck 11:59:55, the fireworks had been set in place and all the new year resolutions had been made. So the countdown to a new year started, 5.....4.....3.....2.....1.....0..*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*. The sounds of fireworks exploding in the atmosphere rang across the square, but strangely the crowd stayed silent."

"There were no cheers or sounds of people screaming " happy new year" as one would expect. Rather, a deafening silence had settled within the crowd."

"As for the cause of this silence?"

" It was a subtle yet very unsettling sensation that had slowly crept its way into everyone's minds. It was the kind of feeling a person would get if they lived alone but kept on hearing the sounds of doors or stairs creaking and moaning by themselves. It was a primal sensation that seemed to announce the presence and gaze of an ominous entity."

"Such feelings were usually quite easy to shrug off, but for some odd reason, this feeling settled itself firmly into the hearts and minds of the people in the crowd. And not a single person in the crowd understood why they felt that way."

"So in the end what was meant to be a regular new year festival, ended with a crowd of highly confused and unsettled people trudging silently back to their abodes." "Strangely, this experience was not exclusive to the folk of New Burton city."

"Rather, every living being on Terra felt it. This phenomenon would go on to be recorded as the largest case of mass hysteria in the planet's history."

" With a bizarre case of mass hysteria as its opening, it was already clear that this year wasn't going to be the best for the people of Terra."

" The next morning, Satellites detected record-breaking levels of a previously unknown type of radiation at different points around the globe. When research teams were sent to investigate the source of the radiation, They felt utter shock at what they uncovered."

" The source of the radiation was something of indescribable dimensions. According to the reports sent back by the research team, It was a black mass that seemed to be able to morph its shape endlessly. The very principle of dimensions seemed inapplicable to it, As it could stay in 1d, 2d, and 3d at the same time. The very existence of such an object seemed like a mistake of the universe."

"For all the scientists present in the team, it looked like a very interesting research subject."

" But before the scientists could set up any equipment, the radiation coming from the thing surged and the video feeds coming from the cameras were cut off. The research teams were never heard from again."

" Since that day, the black masses kept on spawning at random locations, releasing toxic radiation, and creatures that could only be described as abominations on planet Terra."

"Most modern weapons were ineffective against such beasts, leading to large swaths of civilization being buried under the never-ending tide of abominations."

" As governments got more desperate, they started utilizing nuclear weapons to take care of the abominations. Although this method seemed effective at first, they were only quenching their thirst with poison."

"The abominations kept on marching over the bodies of their dead brethren, encroaching mankind's territory to the point where the use of nuclear weapons was merely self-destructive."

" In the end, the use of nuclear weapons only served to shatter the planet's already fragile ecosystem. Turning the world into a wasteland"

" The fate of mankind would have been sealed if not for the rise of.."

*snore**snore*snore*

The middle-aged woman narrating sighed, as she was interrupted by the class of students that had started dozing off in the middle of her lecture.

"WAKE UP DELINQUENTS!!"

She yelled as she slammed her palm on the desk in front of her.

The students in front of her were violently startled as they woke up from their naps. They immediately looked at their fellow students as they tried to communicate silently.

' Damn! Did we all sleep?'

' I think so.'

'Shit!'

All the students looked at their now furious teacher, silently dreading what was to come.

" Can you guys at least pretend you're interested in my lecture?"

The teacher said while scratching her hair in frustration.

" Our beautiful, lovely, smart..."

A boy stood up from his seat.

"Get to the point Alvin." The teacher interrupted the boy who had started talking, he was obviously trying to flatter her into forgiving them.

" Ahem, yes mam. we never said your lectures were uninteresting. It's just that you've repeated this topic so many times that we've practically memorized it. We could probably recite it in our sleep."

Said the blond boy wearing glasses.

" Is that so, Mr. Alvin."

"Then I assume you bunch will have no problem writing a pop quiz on it right now."

Mrs. Smith replied, with her lips twitching.

" tsk.. nice going, Alvin."

" Yeah, real smooth."

Sarcastic remarks were hurled at the poor boy named Alvin.

" Now everyone set your holo screens to te..."

*ring**ring**ring*.

Mrs. Smith was interrupted by the ringing of the bell that signaled the end of school.

' Ahh saved by the bell.'

The students of the class wiped some imaginary sweat off their foreheads. Some had already carried their bags, reaching for the door.

" WAIT!"

Mrs. Smith called out.

All the students stopped in their tracks.

Her face slowly turned solemn.

" Remember if you feel anything strange or your body is doing something it shouldn't, Call the CP. It's neither for my nor the government's sake but for the safety of you and your loved ones. "

" You're all around the age where the curse starts awakening within humans. Never, for a moment believe that you are safe from the curse. It's almost impossible to predict the method the curse selects its targets. So the only way to protect yourself is to stay vigilant."

" Alright, you may go now." Mrs. Smith said placing a smile back on her face.

The energy that the students had before seemed to have been sucked away by the words of Mrs. Smith as a heavy atmosphere settled within the classroom.

The students that rushed to leave the classroom before, now slowly trudged to the door as everyone seemed to be severely affected by the words of Mrs. Smith.

When the class was finally empty, Mrs. Smith slumped down on her chair.

"hehe, Works every time."

She said, smiling while recalling the grim faces of the students that had just left her class.