The evening sun was slowly setting, casting a warm, fading glow over the park as the day prepared to fade into twilight.
The air was cool, carrying the scent of leaves and earth, the sound of laughter from children running about, their parents calling them back home.
The park's swing set stood slightly apart, its chains creaking softly as an 18-year-old boy sat on one of the swings, moving back and forth in slow, thoughtful motions.
This was Adam, a high school student with a brooding look that contrasted the cheerful voices filling the air around him.
Adam's appearance hinted at his reserved nature. His dark, raven-black hair fell slightly over his forehead, untamed and slightly tousled, as though it hadn't been brushed that morning.
His eyes, deep and contemplative, were a shade of dark brown, reflecting a hint of melancholy.
He wore his school uniform—an outfit of deep blue trousers, a white shirt, and a navy blazer with the school emblem on the chest—looking almost out of place, as if he belonged somewhere far removed from the vibrant life of the park.
His school bag, a plain black one with a few scuff marks from daily wear, lay abandoned beside his feet on the ground.
As Adam continued to swing back and forth, he barely noticed the other students from his school laughing and walking home in groups.
Some of them cast him brief glances, but he was no more than a passing figure in their lives.
The sight of these friends chatting and sharing their daily experiences filled him with a bittersweet ache.
He thought to himself, I never wanted this kind of life. I don't have a single friend. No family left, either.
Adam's parents had died a few years back in a tragic accident, leaving him alone in the world. Since then, he had been living with his uncle—a man who, despite his single life, cared for Adam in his own way.
His uncle was an unmarried, reserved person who respected Adam's space and didn't involve himself much in Adam's daily struggles, and Adam, in turn, didn't bother him much either.
They lived a quiet, almost detached life under the same roof.
Adam tried making friends in school, putting in the effort to connect with others, but it never seemed to work.
No one was interested in truly knowing him. It was as though an invisible wall surrounded him, making him feel like an outsider even when surrounded by others.
These thoughts weighed heavily on him as he sat alone on the swing, deep in thought. He dreaded going back to his uncle's empty, quiet home where he'd simply retreat to his room, alone with his memories and unspoken grief.
He decided he'd rather wander around for a bit than face that silence just yet.
After a while, Adam let out a soft sigh, stopping his slow swinging. He got off the swing, picked up his bag, and started walking out of the park.
His steps were slow, almost aimless, as he made his way toward the back of his school, where a low hill rose up, shadowed by the evening light.
Climbing that hill had become a sort of habit for Adam—a place where he could escape and be alone, surrounded only by the vast, open sky.
After a few minutes, Adam reached the hilltop. A large, ancient tree stood proudly at the peak, its roots tangled and strong, as if holding on to years of history.
Adam walked over to the tree, dropped his bag by its trunk, and sat down, resting his back against its rough bark.
With a sigh, he stretched out, lying on the grass with his hands behind his head, gazing up at the sky as night began to fall.
The city lay sprawled out below him, and he could see its lights beginning to flicker on in the growing darkness.
Buildings, houses, and cars—all of them shone like tiny stars in the distance, illuminating the cityscape with a soft, comforting glow.
As he watched the lights, he felt an odd sense of calm. For a while, he simply lay there, absorbed in the view, letting his thoughts drift.
The darkness slowly spread across the city, broken only by the warm glow of lights from homes and the brighter, more scattered beams of streetlights and car headlights.
Unbeknownst to Adam, something unusual was happening beneath that very hill. Hidden from the public eye, deep underground, a government project was underway.
Scientists in an underground laboratory had been working tirelessly on a highly classified particle collision experiment, aiming to collide particles at near light speed.
This experiment was part of a top-secret project, and only a select few were aware of its existence. The control room was filled with scientists, monitoring data screens as the particles accelerated in the collider.
A scientist called out, his voice filled with tension, "Particle speed has reached 70% of the speed of light."
The room was silent except for the hum of machinery and the soft beeps of computers. Then came another announcement, "Speed now at 80% of the speed of light."
Each update filled the room with a growing tension. "89% speed," came the voice again, as everyone in the lab held their breath.
The lead scientist gave a curt nod. "Initiate collision protocol," he ordered.
At his command, the technician typed rapidly on his keyboard, then hit enter.
A low rumble began as the particles, moving at nearly the speed of light, collided within the massive collider chamber.
In an instant, the lab's lights flickered, then went out, leaving the scientists in complete darkness.
Alarms blared as they scrambled to switch on the backup generator.
Up on the hill, Adam noticed something strange happening in the city below him. The entire skyline, once glowing with thousands of lights, had plunged into darkness.
Even the headlights of the cars seemed to have gone out. His contemplative thoughts shattered, replaced by surprise and confusion.
What's happening? he wondered, sitting up and looking around, feeling a sudden chill run down his spine.
Before he could process the situation, he felt a tremor beneath him. The ground started to shake violently, and the tree above him swayed.
Alarmed, Adam leapt to his feet, instinctively moving away from the tree. Just as he began to back away, a sudden, eerie phenomenon occurred—a swirling, pitch-black portal materialized right in front of him, emitting a strange, irresistible pull.
Adam tried to step back, but the portal's gravity pulled him forward, drawing him closer with an unstoppable force.
He barely had time to react before he felt himself being sucked into the dark vortex.
His mind spun as he was dragged in, feeling weightless, his surroundings dissolving into complete darkness.
And just as suddenly as it had appeared, the portal vanished from the hilltop, leaving no trace of Adam or the strange event that had occurred.
Moments later, as if in response, the lights in the city below flickered back on, returning to their usual glow, as though nothing unusual had happened.