My alarm goes off at 6:13 am.  

I’ve timed it to the exact minute I can sleep and still get to school on time.  

I rub my eyes, brushing away the remnants of sleep, and stretch as I sit up.

The air smells like pork dumplings and ramen from the market downstairs. I both love it, and hate it at the same time.  Can’t Mister Hiro ever spice it up a little? Maybe get some fish? Or bake a cake?  

I don’t think I’ve ever even smelled a cake being baked?  

Wait…I’m getting distracted…

I can hear the city outside my window.  People are talking, someone on a scooter is banging on their horn, and a stray dog is barking at something in the trash cans out back.

I go through the morning routine like any other day. 

Brush teeth. Get dressed. Eat toast. 

I rush down the stairs, wave at Mr. Hiro, and run out the front of the shop, being sure to say hello to Mrs. Witmore who owns the shop next to ours. 

“Good morning, Yuri!” she says with a smile that reveals her three remaining teeth. I smile back. She’s a nice lady, even if she is a bit…strange.

I make my way down the street, earbuds in, head low, avoiding eye contact. No need to invite anyone into my personal bubble. I’ve already socialized more for the day than I want to, and I’m two waves in.

The plan is simple: survive another day. 

Get to class, stay awake, and wait for the clock to hit 3:15 pm.  

Walk home, and maybe, maybe, treat myself to a can of soda if I’m feeling wild. 

Rinse and repeat until I’m 18.

It’s a system. 

Nothing fancy, but it works.

“Survive another day” should be easy - but today? No, today the universe decided we’re all going to be playing on hard mode. 

It starts with a sound. It’s something I’ve never heard before. 

Low at first, like the rumble of a heavy bass. But this isn’t coming from an amp. 

It’s too steady, too deep. 

It’s the kind of sound you feel in your bones.  Like it’s all around you, and you can’t escape it no matter what you do.

The pressure gets heavier, I can feel it in my face. 

I stop mid-step, pulling out my earbuds. People around me do the same, craning their necks toward the sky.  Dropping their phones, some even passing out from the ever growing intensity of the sound..  

The rumble grows louder, heavier, until the windows of nearby buildings start to tremble.

And then I see it.

The sky is dark, and swirling.  It’s like a tornado trying to tear its way into reality. 

The first ship appears, massive and jagged, its silhouette blotting out the sun. 

Then another. 

And another.

Panic spreads through the crowd like a virus. 

People scream, grab their kids, and bolt in every direction. 

I should run. 

That’s what everyone else is doing. But I can’t move. 

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

My legs refuse to cooperate, and my eyes stay locked on the scene unfolding above me.

And then it appears.

A monster. 

No, not just A monster. 

The monster. 

This thing is a towering, cybernetic nightmare that looks like it was built to destroy and given a personal grudge against Earth. 

It stands as tall as Yamauchi Tower, with shoulders that could each carry a battleship like armor.  

It is the largest creature I have ever seen - and the most terrifying thing I’ve ever encountered. 

It’s face is covered with glowing lights - or are they eyes? 

It’s mouth seems to be made of keitarium or steel - the jaws look like they could shred a tank.

On its chest is a large cybernetically enhanced plate with a screen covering its upper torso.  

Just as I think things cannot possibly become anymore bizarre – the screen lights up, and the face of a large alien man appear, looking down on us all.

His body is humanoid, but his skin is a shade of light blue.  His eyes are yellow, with pupils that look more like the eyes of a cat than a man.  His face is recognizable as human shaped, but there are subtle differences, like his sharp teeth, and rigid nose.  

The clothing he wears implies he is a general or a king.

Then his voice…no, not his voice, his thoughts…begin to invade our minds.

“I am the Hyper Space God Ultrilotus. I am ruler of the Kurr Empire, and the bringer of death.  Your world is weak. Prepare for conquest.”

Conquest? 

Who even says that? 

What is this, a bad sci-fi movie?

Before I can wrap my head around how completely and utterly doomed we are, there’s a blinding flash of light.  It’s warm, and there’s a hum that feels calming.  In this chaos, it helps me ground myself, and focus. Which can be a challenge for me.

When it fades, there’s... something floating in the air. 

It’s small, maybe the size of a basketball, some kind of metal, with glowing panels and a weird hum that makes my teeth ache. It hovers closer, and I swear it’s looking right at me.  I don’t know what it wants - it could be trying to help me…or it could be about to send me straight into that kaiju’s open jaws. 

The plan today is “Survive another day”.  Stick to the plan.

“Whoa…whoa…back off, my dude.  You have the wrong guy…”

It doesn’t listen. Of course it doesn’t. 

Instead, it moves closer and a light (beam?) scans me from top to bottom.  It doesn’t hurt.

Then it starts to spin slightly, and the seams of two doors begin to slide onto the surface.  

They open, revealing a blue, glowing, jewel - or something that looks like a jewel, anyway - that seems to be held in place by a mechanical claw inside the floating orb/bot/thing in front of me.  It’s cut like a diamond, with the point facing out towards me. That part concerns me.

What the hell is happening? How is this my life?

I can hear people around me screaming and running. I can hear buildings being destroyed. Cars crashing. The world is turning to chaos - but all I can do is stare at this glowing rock. It’s like I’m in a trance. 

Then I hear whispers. They sound like words, but in a language I don’t understand. 

It doesn’t sound like any language I’ve ever heard before, but somehow I know they are words of encouragement.  

Words of hope.

Then there’s another word. 

It doesn’t sound so hopeful.  It sounds like it might be more like “brace” or “prepare”.

For a second, the world around me slows to a crawl.  The claw from inside the orb slams outward and plunges the blue diamond into my chest.

I’m stunned.  I feel nothing at first…then…

Pain. Blinding, searing PAIN!!! 

It’s like my entire body is being ripped apart and put back together in fast-forward. 

I collapse to my knees, gasping for air, my chest burning like it’s about to explode.

And then it stops.

The pain fades, replaced by something else. 

Power. 

Raw, electric power coursing through me like I’ve been plugged into the sun. I feel my body grow and morph info and almost beast-like form.  My shoulders broaden, my biceps bulge with new found strength, and I feel like a walking mountain of phenomenal cosmic power.

My hands glow, my skin shimmers with swirling lights, and when I catch my reflection in the shattered window of a nearby storefront, I don’t even recognize myself.

I’m taller, broader, glowing like a walking galaxy. My eyes blaze like twin stars, and my hair - like a lion’s mane - crackles with energy.

I’m not me anymore. I’m... something else. 

Something UNSTOPPABLE.

Before I can even process what’s happening - the world suddenly comes back into focus.

The giant kaiju stops its rampage. All of its energy - and all of Its glowing eyes - focus on me.

 Its entire - massive - body shifts, turning in my direction.

I feel its focus…and its fury. 

“Oh, great,” I mutter, clenching my fists as the power inside me surges. “Now I’ve got his attention. Perfect.”

The creature roars, shaking the ground beneath my feet, and I realize one thing: 

Whatever just happened to me…I’m not ready for what comes next.

TO BE CONTINUED…