"Finally, another week of hell is over!" Raka said as he twisted his body, a satisfying crack echoing from his spine. "Sitting at a desk all day does not do my back any favors."
"Don't be so dramatic. You just turned eighteen, stop acting like you're forty," Melody, his stepsister, said from his side, fiddling with her hair tie. She finally got it off, letting her hair fall loose and free.
"I can handle sitting all day, but the worst thing about this school is that the rules are so dumb! I mean, needing to tie your hair into a ponytail? Such a pain."
They were walking along the sidewalk, heading home after a long day. His two stepsisters, Melody and Sarah, were with him. Melody was the same age as him, while Sarah was four years younger, a noticeable gap.
Oh, he hasn't introduced himself yet, has he?
Hello there. Our protagonist here is Raka Wright, an Indonesian-American high school senior. Like Melody said, he just turned eighteen today, and as if the universe decided to cut him some slack, his birthday landed on a Friday. That meant total freedom once he got home.
'I'm so going to play BlockMine until morning.'
At the crosswalk, Raka grabbed Sarah by the end of her school bag and yanked her back just before she stepped into traffic.
"Really? Playing on your phone while walking? If I didn't stop you, you'd be roadkill."
She looked up from her screen and gave him a sheepish smile. "Then it's a good thing I have you to watch over me?"
He gave her a deadpan stare. Sigh… the things he did for this little brat.
Ding!
The pedestrian signal beeped. They checked both ways before crossing the street.
"Don't get used to it, Sarah. I'm leaving for college soon. I don't want to hear you got hit by a car the moment I'm gone—which, considering you, is pretty likely."
In response, she pinched his shoulder.
"Ow!"
She gave him an angry look and huffed. "Then don't leave! You can just go to a college that's close!"
Being the youngest of the three, watching her siblings grow up and get ready to move away made Sarah feel like she was being left behind.
Melody patted her head. Sarah tried to brush her hand off, but it was clear she wasn't really trying.
"Hey, come on. It's only for three years, probably. And besides, you'll be in college too by the time we finish undergrad! If you go to the same university, we could still see each other."
It helped cheer Sarah up a little, but "university talk" was still a sensitive topic for her.
There was a loud pop as they walked past an electronics store, and all the screens in the window flickered violently. The glitch affected more than just the store. Nearby streetlights and traffic signals jittered like they were on the verge of a blackout before snapping back to normal.
"That's still going on? What the heck is even causing these weird… uh, what's the word—anomalies?" Raka muttered.
For the past five months, electronics around the world have been acting strangely. Well, it wasn't just the electronics per se that were awry; climate, animal behavior, and even Earth's geological patterns were also awry.
Just last month, they had rain that lasted for five days straight, causing catastrophic floods. Thankfully, he lived in an area that could handle massive floods, but less fortunate places? Yeah, they had it rough.
The government launched an investigation into the phenomenon but came up with nothing—or at least that's what they said. You never really knew with the government.
"Oh, oh! Maybe it's like that one movie," Melody said, tapping a finger to her chin. "You know, where the sun's rays get so intense that computers start dying?"
"Don't say things like that, Mel!" Sarah shot back, visibly unnerved.
Seeing his little sister spooked, Raka knew what had to be done.
"You have to hope it isn't true, Sarah. If it is, then everything could suddenly burst into flames—OW! Don't kick me!"
Sarah huffed again and stormed past them. "That stupid monotone voice is exactly why you don't get any girls!"
He shook his head, only to hear a chuckle from beside him.
"She's right, you know," Melody teased. "You need to put some emotion into that voice of yours."
"I don't need to hear that from someone who had six breakups in five months."
She wrapped an arm around the back of his neck and squeezed.
"Not. Another. Word."
"Okay! Okay, I'll stop… But I do have a point *punch!*ugh, worth it."
...
The walk home wasn't long, but Sarah, being the certified weakling of the group, had already started complaining halfway there.
"My legs are dying. Can't we get a hoverboard or something?"
"We don't have hoverboards, Sarah. That's not real," Raka replied flatly before taking another sip of his chocolate milkshake.
"Yet," Melody added, stretching her arms behind her head. "You never know what kind of tech they're cooking up these days. Maybe something that lets you ride your laziness to school."
Sarah groaned dramatically. "Ugh, you guys are the worst."
"You're the one who wanted to stop for bubble tea. Don't blame us if your sugar crash hits halfway home." Raka said, shifting his backpack.
"You also bought a drink!" She countered.
"Yeah, but I didn't gobble it all down like someone who had had nothing to drink for a week," Sarah grumbled again, but didn't have a comeback to that.
They went around the last corner of their neighborhood. Their house was one of those cozy two-story types with a porch swing no one used and garden lights that didn't work half the time. It was definitely not the stereotypical perfect American home, but it was nice.
As they walked up the stairs to the house, they realized it was completely dark inside. Not a single light was on, not even the TV, which confused Raka because their father would usually be up watching the news.
Melody raised an eyebrow. "That's weird. Dad usually has the kitchen light on by now."
Raka instinctively stepped ahead of his sisters. "Maybe a blackout?"
Sarah peered through the front window. "Can't see anything."
He put his bag on the ground and stood before the door. "Alright, if there's an intruder, we all ambush him."
He reached for the door handle, twisted it, and heard a click. The moment he pushed it open—
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"
The lights flashed on all at once, and a pair of voices screamed from both sides. Raka blinked just in time to get hit square in the face by two bursts of confetti.
"Ah—!" he stumbled back, arms flailing.
Both of his stepsisters burst into laughter, Melody with her hands still inside her hoodie pocket and Sarah clutching a tiny confetti popper with a victorious grin.
"What the hell—" Raka wiped sparkly paper off his shirt, "—I thought you two were gonna trip me or something. The classic surprise birthday was NOT what I expected."
"That's what makes it work," Melody said, smug. "Considering the last thing we did for your birthday, something predictable was sure to catch you off guard. The perfect tactic."
Their mom popped out from behind the hallway corner, phone still recording, and smiled. "You'll appreciate it when you're older."
"Maybe," Raka mumbled, cheeks a little red. "Still think glitter is a war crime."
Their stepdad walked in from the kitchen with a lit cake balanced carefully on a ceramic plate. "Alright everyone, kitchen table. We're doing this proper."
The cake was small but homemade. It was covered in white frosting and lined with little chocolate squares. Two wax candles—shaped like bright yellow "1" and "8"—flickered on top.
'Did they actually make homemade candles for me?' Raka was trying his best not to show his smile, but it didn't work.
"Make a wish, birthday boy!" Sarah beamed, bouncing in place.
Raka gave her a sideways look. "You know I don't do that superstitious stuff."
"Come on~ Do it for the fun of it," their mom said from behind her phone camera.
"Come on, don't ruin the mood," Melody added, nudging him.
Raka sighed but cracked a smile. "Fine, fine."
He stared at the flame for a second—he didn't wish for anything, really—and then leaned in.
And blew out the candles.
"Happy birthday Raka!" His family cheered together. His mother came close and hugged him while his father patted his back. He had to use all of his strength not to die from embarrassment on the spot.
'Got to admit, this is nice...'
Sarah quickly came up to him. "So what did you wish for?"
Just as he was about to answer, he noticed the cake was slightly shaking. He was about to brush it off until-
RUMBLE.
"Is it just me, or is the ground shaking?"
RUMBLE.
The floor shifted beneath their feet. Plates rattled. The cake nearly slid off the table.
"What the—" his dad shouted.
Raka barely had time to move before the ground literally heaved, sending them all crashing to the floor. Sarah screamed. Melody grabbed the table leg. Their mom dropped the phone.
The walls were shaking. Glasses shattered in the kitchen.
It was an earthquake—a big one.
Raka's arms automatically wrapped around his sisters as he pulled them under the table. His dad dove for their mom, shielding her with his body as the world above them trembled harder.
And it just kept going.
RUMBLE.
RUMBLE.
RUMBLE.
Until everything finally settled down
…
…
…
Nobody moved for another solid minute, just in case a follow-up quake rolled through. Dust floated in the air. It was so quiet and eerie that the family almost preferred the chaos before.
Raka's heart was pounding in his ears, but his head was already calming down. Their dad was the first to speak, his voice urgent.
"Everyone outside. Now."
He carefully helped Sarah to her feet, brushing off some dust and checking her knees. She was trembling but didn't cry, just clung to his sleeve tightly. He rubbed her back a little to calm her down. He looked over at Melody, who wasn't doing any better. She still sat frozen, wide-eyed, until Raka knelt beside her.
"Hey. You good?"
She blinked a few times and nodded, slowly getting up with his help.
Their dad had already put one arm around their mom by the time they reached the front door, and she had picked up her phone and was gripping it tightly, even though the screen was cracked. They shuffled out as a group, stepping carefully onto the porch.
And stopped.
The moment they stepped outside, it was like walking into a war zone.
Cracks zigzagged across the street like lightning scars. The storm completely uprooted the old oak tree across from their house, leaning it sideways into the neighbor's garage. Chimneys had collapsed, windows shattered. Some houses looked like they'd barely survived at all, with their roofs slanted and walls crumbling.
A distant car alarm wailed, and somewhere far off, a dog barked.
Raka's had always been the levelheaded one in the family, so he quickly got to thinking. An earthquake this strong, here? In this part of the country? This kind of thing didn't happen in their area, let alone with this much damage. No warnings, no alerts. Just… boom. Out of nowhere.
Something was up. There was a feeling in his stomach that he'd never felt before, like there was something electric in the air that made his body activate its fight-or-flight response.
Nobody spoke for a while.
Then, like always, Melody broke the silence.
"Damn, Raka. Didn't know your birthday wish was to destroy the neighborhood."
He shot her a look. "Hilarious, Mel. But NOT the time."
"Hey, I'm just trying to keep morale up."
Their mom gave her a mild glare that said, Not helping. Melody held up her hands defensively.
Noticing that everyone was calmer now, their dad had to decide what to do. " Okay, now, with that over, I think we should be safe just staying here. As long as we're not too close to the house, debris shouldn't be a problem." Then he turned to Raka.
"Raka, can you look up any news about the earthquake… Raka, you there?"
But Raka wasn't listening anymore. He was staring at the sky.
"Uh… guys. Please tell me I'm crazy."
Everyone followed his gaze upward.
And froze.
There were two suns in the sky.
Not reflections. Not flares. Not tricks of the light.
One sun blazed its usual yellow-white high above, casting familiar warmth. The other hung slightly lower, massive and faintly reddish-gold. Its size was slightly bigger than their original one.
"What the hell…" his dad murmured.
Then came the sound—a heavy, beating sound, like massive wings pushing air in a slow, terrifying rhythm.
They turned towards the sound.
From behind the row of houses at the edge of their neighborhood, something massive rose into view. It had gleaming blue scales, wings wide enough to cast a shadow over the street. A long, spiked tail, horns curled like jagged blades, and eyes like glowing lanterns.
It opened its mouth and roared—a sound so loud that it made the ground shake again and caused Sarah to cover her ears.
"Is that a fucking dragon?!" He yelled, but that was probably not a smart move since the dragon's head quickly darted in their direction. Even after seeing this, Melody could still glare at him.
"My bad..."
"Back inside! Back inside!" their dad yelled, but it was too late.
The dragon had seen them.
Its wings shifted. Its body tilted.
It was coming straight for them.
Raka's feet wouldn't move. His brain screamed to run, but his body just stood there locked in place, staring at a monster ripped straight from a fantasy game flying toward their front yard.
Then-
A flash of green light streaked across the sky.
An electric buzzing sound was heard that was hard to describe. A giant, glowing arrow, easily the size of a car, pierced through the dragon's skull. It barely even screamed as it dropped from the sky like a meteor.
Its massive body slammed into the street and skidded across the asphalt, straight toward them.
'We have to move!' He quickly pushed his siblings to the side, just as his dad ran to the side with Mom. But it seemed like they were going to be too slow—
BOOM.
Something, no, someone, landed in front of them.
A pulse of energy spread out from the impact, slowing the dragon's momentum like it had hit a wall of wind.
The body stopped just a few feet from his family.
He looked up.
Standing between them and the monster was a tall figure wrapped in a dark green cloak that shimmered with symbols. A glowing bow was strapped across their back, humming softly with what looked to be magic.
Blonde hair fell around pointed ears. Sharp and elegant. Eyes like emeralds turned to look at them.
Raka's heart stopped.
That's an elf.
A real elf.
'What the actual fuck is going on?!'