Everyone who witnessed the approaching fireball was stunned and struggling to make a quick decision. After all, it was descending from the sky. Suddenly, a voice from the crowd screamed:
"Prepare for battle... defend the village!"
However, when looking at the villagers, a sense of hopelessness and fear of death was evident on their faces.
"How can we defend against something falling from the sky? Even if we want to, what do we have to defend ourselves with? Bows and arrows won't do anything, absolutely nothing... we are doomed."
At this moment, the gigantic fireball was still far away from the atmosphere of Migi. It would take at least 10 minutes or more to reach the atmosphere, but its increasing size instilled terror in the villagers. They watched it grow larger every second.
The fireball was nearly a quarter of the size of their home planet, Migi, and it burned like a blazing sun. However, in the eyes of the villagers, it seemed motionless and only grew larger. It was hurtling straight toward them.
After a few more minutes, it grew large enough to block the view of the black hole. Night felt like day to the villagers, and they could actually feel the heat emanating from it.
At this time, Kai and his friend ran to join the villagers, and they, too, gazed at the fireball approaching them.
Upon arriving in the village where everyone had gathered, Kai's first instinct was to search for his mother. He eventually found her, but to his surprise, she didn't seem afraid. She was simply observing the spectacle unfolding before her.
Instead of approaching her, Kai began searching for the next person. That person happened to be standing in the center of the crowd near the fire, looking at him. It was Lilly.
She gazed gently at him, not at the fireball. This surprised Kai, and suddenly her eyes started to glow. Some sort of intense energy surrounded her, causing her veins to slowly illuminate. Eventually, a marking resembling a creeper design appeared on her neck. Additionally, her hair defied gravity, floating in the air.
The most astonishing part was that only Kai seemed aware of Lilly's actions. Everyone else was fixated on the sky, confronting impending doom. And the moment was nearly upon them—the fireball was about to hit Migi's atmosphere.
The fire near Lilly started to change color, turning into a mix of blue and black. An ice spear began to form atop the fire, and it was launched towards the incoming fireball.
This time, it wasn't just Kai who witnessed the spectacle; many villagers saw it too. Those who hadn't witnessed it were overcome by despair, confessing their sins and expressing their love to one another in a torrent of sadness.
In the sky, mere seconds before the fireball struck Migi's atmosphere, the ice spear hit its target but had no effect. Those who had witnessed the event regained a glimmer of hope, only for it to fade as the spear proved ineffective.
However, the moment the fireball touched the atmosphere, it shattered into five large pieces and thousands of smaller fragments due to extreme heat. The pieces started falling in different directions, their size rapidly diminishing at an unbelievable speed.
Suddenly, an umbrella-like barrier materialized above the villagers. Everyone watched with a mix of drama and relief, as though they were witnessing a spectacle of light and hope.
The five pieces eventually reduced in size to that of houses and almost stopped shrinking. Only one piece was heading towards them, while the others fell elsewhere, possibly on different continents.
Lilly was responsible for creating the barrier, but it was challenging for her to control. Her veins bulged, and she manipulated the air with her hands, blood dripping from her nose and eyes. However, the barrier still had gaps and imperfections. As the one piece aimed for the barrier, it ricocheted and landed deep within the forbidden forest. Simultaneously, the barrier dissipated, and Lilly collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The remaining smaller fragments began raining down all over the place.
Someone from the crowd screamed, "Take cover!" Startled, people snapped out of their daze and began running for shelter. Within a few minutes, all the fragments had fallen to the ground, leaving the air filled with white ash and an eerie sense of desolation.
Eventually, Kai ventured outside to assess the situation. But the sight before him shattered his heart. It felt as if he were in a trance, where everything moved in slow motion. The once vibrant and beautiful village now appeared dull and lifeless, covered in ash. People ran frantically, blood stained the ground, and he noticed a small child, about one or two years old, near a tree. The child had one blue eye and one red eye, with a blood-covered face, holding a severed hand and crying. Bodies lay strewn on the ground, some on the verge of death, while others had already perished. Little Kai's fear overwhelmed him, and he cried out for his mother.
He ran around, searching for his friends, his mother, Uncle Tommy, and others. Initially, he sprinted towards his home, assuming his mother would be waiting for him there. However, before reaching his house, he spotted his mother with Lilly by her side. Lilly remained unconscious, and Kai hurried closer to them. His mother looked at him, and with a stern voice, she said, "Stop right there."
Kai froze, merely 7 to 15 meters away from them, but he could still see them clearly. His mother sat on the ground, bleeding in various places, although nothing appeared serious or critical. However, in her lap lay Lilly, unrecognizable to anyone. Kai could identify her only by her dress from the distant view, but her face now resembled that of an old lady, adorned with countless wrinkles. Overwhelmed by the events of the day, Kai began losing his composure.
Suddenly, his mother raised her head, and a ray of blue light emitted from her hand. In an instant, the beam struck Kai, causing him to faint on the spot.