On February 3rd, 2004. 45% of the human population got destroyed by a 15 mile high, 5 mile wide tower that fell from space, while an additional 20% lost their lives to constant Angreifer attacks. Most of mankind were forced to retreat to underground cities and live there for the rest of their lives. The blast was heard from all over the world. It was known to be the worst disaster in history as it drove mankind to near extinction. 4,199,753,602 people had lost their lives in what was known as the First Reign of the Angreifers.
My name is Tokuda Kaori, and my story is not for the faint of heart.
FEBRUARY 3, 2004 // 10:12:27 AM // 6 HOURS BEFORE THE IMPACT
THE TOKUDA RESIDENCE
I survived a fatal car accident 2 years ago, and fell into a coma. Recently I've woken up, currently realizing how much the world has changed. Newfound technology and improved society... Well, that's what I wanted to believe.
Ever since I've woken up, stuff feels unreal. It's like my soul separated from my body and cannot find it's way back. All the stimuli that I once felt now feels like some kind of matter separates my hand from them. Is this how it feels to wake up from a long, long sleep?
I extend my hand in front of the shining yellow ball we call the Sun, and take a deep breath. I try my hardest to feel any sense of ecstasy, while air flows around my body.
As hopeful as I was, I knew I wouldn't feel anything.
"Kaori-chan? Are you okay?"
I look at the source of the voice. My friend, Kaede. He looks exactly the same as he did when I last saw him before the accident. His black hair, obscured by the hoodie, and he wears a pair of jogging pants, inspired by some skateboarding fashion. But, there's something different about him. He seems more... gloomy, every time he sees me. Is there something I've done that I can't remember?
"Yeah... Yeah, I am." I respond with reluctance, while staring at the light of the sun, mostly obscured by my hand in front of it.
Kaede walks towards me. His legs are covered by the dark grey cloth of his jogging pants, and he looks down at me with concern.
"Listen, I know we haven't talked much lately... But... You can tell me if there's something wrong... I'm your friend."
I wish his words resonated with me, but there's nothing completely wrong with me. I just can't feel... I wish I could, but I can't. I hear a faint call coming from inside the house. Kaede runs over to the entrance of the backyard garden of our house and yells back.
"YES?!" He yells, waiting impatiently for a response. I walk over to where Kaede stood, and awkwardly waited for a response alongside him.
"Get your school bags, it's time!"
The one shouting from the inside of the house was my mother - Megumi Tokuda. She is 45 years old and a business analyst. She has been keeping a close eye on me ever since I've woken up. I understand her concern. Nobody sane enough would want their children to relive another traumatizing accident.
"Come on! Hurry up!" My mother shouts from the kitchen, through the open back door. Kaede and I grab our bags for school and walk out of the backyard garden, before saying bye.
"Bye bye, Mother Tokuda!" Kaede yelled as he closed the backyard door. His smile turned into a frown, unbeknownst to me. I almost forgot about school. School has been a part of my life ever since I was five. So, this is normal. But school has changed, for sure. My 2 year long coma has accounted for 2 years of not doing school, along with 2 years of forgotten subjects, new subjects, 2 years of missed, leftover exams. Whatever I do, I will never be at the same level as my former classmates. I miss them.
I make my way to the bus stop, checking the timetable for when the bus will arrive. Sighing, I sit on the bench.
"Tokuda-san!" I hear a familiar voice behind me. Turning around, I see another friend, Shizuki Hisada. She has amazingly beautiful brown hair, and she is in school uniform.
Shocked by the sudden calling, my introverted side takes over. "Y-you don't... have to be so formal, Shizuki-"
"Woaaa! Shizuki Hisada, what a surprise!" Kaede yells, surprised from the sudden greeting. Kaede and Shizuki are best friends from kindergarten, and I've always only spoken to Shizuki during class. We were never really close, but now, she seems closer. Is it because she feels bad about my accident?
"Are you also excited for mock exams? I haven't prepared myself but y'know... I always find a way to cheese my way through it! Haha!" Kaede is always overconfident when he talks to Shizuki. His charisma's the reason that he's popular in school. I wonder if I'm popular too now.
"Last year's mock exams you scored a F and got put in the worst class, shut up." Shizuki bantered with Kaede as she played with her hair. "You even cheated during that test and you still failed."
Kaede grumbled as he got humbled by the ever so tsundere. "I was placed 95th in the list and you were 92nd! You can't degrade me for getting a F when you scored a little above me! Hehe..." Kaede grinned, knowing how to get on Shizuki's nerves. "Knowing how much dumber you'll become over the years, I'll score higher than you this time, dumbass!"
"I'm not going to let you get away with that, you cheating little shit!" Shizuki was fuming. "You should be in the bottom class where the losers are! I'm going to make sure you fail and I'll be the one to put you in the bottom class!"
Blegh, challenging another student? What's so fun about school and high grades anyways? You don't get taught to how to do taxes, or anything. It doesn't prepare you for real life. It's a memory evaluation thing, and you will forget 80% of the things you've learned anyways.
"Hey, you don't have to get all bent out of shape about it!" Kaede said, putting on a pouty face. "You're just being mean to me because you're jealous of my amazing popularity even if my grades are shit!"
Shizuki stomps the ground once, and shifts her entire focus on Kaede, leaning forward and starts mouthing off at Kaede. "Huhh?! Atleast I care about school and my future! I won't ever turn out to be a anime-protagonist wannabe loli-addict like you!"
"Hey, it's not nice to judge someone of their impeccable taste! Besides, even if I had a low-paying job, I will still earn more money than you!" Kaede laughed at the fact that there is no equal pay in this country, and used it to his advantage to anger Shizuki.
I see the bus making it's way through the main street. I get off the bench and grab my school bag. I chuckle at Kaede and Shizuki's usual banter. The bus stops at our bus stop. I beckon Kaede and Shizuki over to the bus.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
FEBRUARY 3, 2004 // 4:18:28 PM // 2 HOURS BEFORE THE IMPACT.
SCHOOL CAFETERIA
I stare at my bento. I haven't touched my food. My friends are conversing with each other while I stare at the table with nothing to say. Everything feels so surreal and so empty at the same time. Am I going crazy, or am I just recovering badly? I start to feel nauseous.
"Kaori, are you okay?" A worrywart known as Amehiko Nishibayashi looks at me with pure, glowing eyes.
"Huh? Yeah... I'm just not hungry." I couldn't think of a better excuse. I am hungry. I just can't eat. Nothing has flavour like before. What has this brain damage done to me? Will everything be so bland?
"Sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. Keep an eye on my bag, please." I utter, quickly getting off the chair and making my way to the girls bathroom. Kaede and Amehiko looked at me walking away with extreme concern.
I walk inside the girls bathroom and quickly find myself a lavatory. I kneel before the toilet and vomit uncontrollably. What has gotten into me? What's causing me to act up and get sick so often? I need to go to the doctor and get my brain damage checked up. Am I always going to be like this? Or is something making it worse?
I wash my mouth out with water, and dry my lips with a paper towel. I take a final moment to look at my pathetic self in the mirror. Tsk, talk about miracles. What would've happened if I died? Would anyone mourn me?
Nauseous, I leave the lavatory and return to the cafeteria. I see Kaede and Amehiko still conversing with each other. I sit on my chair, unwrapping my sandwich and finally eating it.
"Hey, Kaori-chan... Kaori-chan! Look!" Kaede nudged me before pointing at one of the plasma TV's on the wall behind me. I turn around, realizing it was the latest news about a UFO closing in on Earth's orbit. People in the cafeteria were checking the news in awe, some stating that aliens were finally coming to invade us. I laugh in disbelief. It's got to be some asteroid that they haven't been able to confirm yet.
"This is literally the same news that was announced a few years ago. NASA has a bad reputation when it comes to detecting and confirming asteroids. Hah, a multi-billion dollar space company, and they can't even do their job right." Kaede's little rant made me angry. Space is unpredictable, that's why confirming whatever object it is is hard.
"Chuyoshi-san... It's space." Amehiko responsed to Kaede's rant. Exactly what I wanted to say.
"Agh, fair. But still." Kaede added with a sigh.
The news then shifted to the possibility of an asteroid impact. Everybody was glued to the screen as NASA showed us a clip of the asteroid entering NEO. (Near-Earth Orbit).
"Guys! I don't want to repeat myself but this is literally the same event that was on the news 4 years ago! Do you guys even remember what happened? Nothing! Nothing happened! Come on guys..." Kaede tried to break our focus on the screen.
"There's no proof of that, Chuyoshi-san. It's space after all." Amehiko replied quickly. "I sincerely hope that it's a small asteroid, should it hit us."
I watched the news in silence. They keep talking about how the asteroid was heading toward Earth, and that it was likely to enter the atmosphere within the next hour. Asteroids impact the earth always, but sometimes NASA can't confirm how big an asteroid is.
"Let's just hope it doesn't hit us at all." I said, to lighten up the mood and fix the atmosphere. Maybe with a little optimism it'll all be okay.
FEBRUARY 3, 2004 // 5:51:38 PM // 8 MINUTES AND 22 SECONDS BEFORE THE IMPACT.
BACKYARD GARDEN OF THE TOKUDA RESIDENCE.
Kaede lined up the ball and took a deep breath. "Get ready, Kaori-chan!" Ever since I woke up from my comatose state, We would play football every day in my backyard garden. Today's challenge was to score as many goals as possible against each other. He challenged me since he knows that he's better than me, and likes to boast about it.
Kaede grunts as he shoots the ball into the back of the net. I failed to catch it. He's the topscorer of his school football club. He has amazing kick power and that's what I like about him.
"YEAAH!" Kaede yells, as he laughs off to the side and celebrates hyperactively. He then gets up and walks towards me with a grin on his face. "You know, you could be more competitive." He says, tapping my chest. Is he trying to annoy me or something?
"Sorry, you know I'm not a competitive person." I chuckle, feeling a little embarrassed but not really caring.
"Well, you should at least try to beat me." Kaede adds, wanting to bring the beast out of me. I'm not even into sports. I just like playing with my friends.
"Alright, fine... I'll take a shot." I submit to his words and stand up. I feel pretty fired up to take this shot, to be honest. His words are so stupid yet so motivating. I make my way to our self-drawn penalty dot. "If I score this, you lick my feet!" I yell, pressurizing Kaede.
"What the hell?! No! That's disgusting." Kaede chuckles while cringing as he imagines.
I laugh as I line up the ball on the penalty dot. I shoot with all my power. The ball hits him straight on the head, sending him flying backwards. Kaede falls down onto the grass, holding his forehead in pain. "Owww..." Kaede writhes in pain.
Oh no. What did I do? I cover my mouth with my hands and run to him. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?"
"Haha! I got you!" Kaede was just joking around. He boops me on the nose. I could punch him right now, he scared the shit out of me!
"I told you to be more competitive, not more aggressive, Kaori-chan." He smirks as he stands up and brushes the dirt off his clothes. I laugh nervously. "I know... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you."
"It's alright. Just kidding around." Kaede replies to me, laughing along with me. "Come on, let's play again." We get back on track and continue to play football.
*Boom* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* Kaede scores back-to-back, and I'm left with nothing. My heart beats fast and I start to sweat profusely as I watch him celebrate his win.
"Okay, this is just cheating at this point! How are you winning 11-3 when you're more tired than I am?" I yell in annoyance, expecting a boasting answer from Kaede.
"I'm just better than you." Kaede responds calmly, as if he's not bragging about it. I know he's better than me, but the way he's bragging about it every 20 seconds makes my skin boil somehow. Kaede extends his hand to my view, expecting a fair-play handshake.
"You don't need to rub it in, you idiot." I say as I inhale and exhale, frustrated by the fact that I got done in extremely. I shake his hand and slap his face, laughing. "Gotcha!" I laugh hysterically.
"Oh, you did not-" Kaede tackles me and pins me to the ground, tickling me everywhere.
"Stop! Stop! Hahah! AHAHA! Please!" I scream out of laughter. I can't breathe anymore. My body feels like it's going to explode. Kaede stops tickling me and pulls me up.
"You're such a sore loser, Kaori-chan." Shut up, you boasting little idiot! You stop bragging about your skills every 10 seconds and I'll stop being a sore loser... But... I'm happy when he's happy. There's someone in the world I can depend on if everything turns upside down.
"Alright, let's go inside. It's getting dark out there." Kaede says as he walks towards the house.
Just before he opened the door, I hear a wooshing sound coming from everywhere. It sounds like air became denser in a split second. I feel scared, what is happening? I look outside and see what was meant to be a 'asteroid' entering the atmosphere and blocking the light of the Sun. I run to the window and look out of the window, seeing the sky turning black. I can't believe my eyes.
"Kaede... Kaede! What the hell is happening?!" I run over to Kaede, shocked by the sky changing colour. As soon as Kaede stopped fiddling with the door and looked up, his eyes widened, unbelievably wide.
"What is that!?" He yells in shock. I can barely see anything. The sun is gone, the moon is also invisible. I feel scared... I feel scared, I feel scared, I'm scared, I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared!
"Is this what they meant by asteroid impact?" Kaede said, looking at me. "But how can an asteroid obstruct the Sun entirely? Something is happening..."
"We should go inside!" I say as I grab Kaede's arm and force him into the house. Kaede looks at the sky one more time before I shut the door behind me, facepalming in fear.
"Is it that asteroid?" He asks me, still in shock. "Yes! Whatever you didn't believe in is actually happening, Kaede!" I utter the obvious as the apparently looking 'asteroid' makes it's way to the Earth's surface.
I check the TV hanging on the wall, seeing the news being reported right now. It was told that this wasn't an asteroid, but rather something uncanny that they cannot confirm. Like they previously mentioned, it was an unidentified flying object... It hit me.
"Unidentified flying object... If this isn't an asteroid... then..." I tried to tie up any loose ends to make it make sense. "Oh my god..." I mutter.
Suddenly my house started wobbling really hard. Whatever landed on Earth, it did, and it was very strong. Am I going to die? This tremor is stronger than a magnitude 9.0 earthquake!
My house door opened, and I went back outside to see what was happening. Kaede held my arm and tried to force me back into the house. "Kaori-chan, what the fuck are you doing?!"
The streets were dusty and most houses were destroyed... The roads were destroyed and there were cracks under the earth below me... If it was an earthquake... would it have been worse?
I look at the very thing that caused this to happen... over there... a ginormous tower... enveloping my gaze. It has happened...
The impact... it happened.