Chapter 5 - The Sphere's Descent

Zayd and Nour walked through the village streets, her pace deliberately slower matching his. She nudged him lightly, breaking the silence.

"So, what do you think caused today's earthquake?"

His mind drifted back to the strange dream. To the ominous black rift in the sky. A teasing grin spread through his face before changing to a deadpan expression.

"A black hole," he answered, feigning a serious tone. 

"A... what? She blinked at him, baffled.

"You know," He kept a straight face, pleased with her reaction. "It's this massive hole in space that sucks up everything. Even light can't escape from it."

Nour narrowed her eyes, clearly skeptical. "Uh-huh. And where exactly did you learn about that, Mr. Genius?"

"I made it up," He admitted with a laugh. "Nobody knows what caused the tremors yet, but my mother told me they started in Azar—"

He froze mid-sentence, the words dying in his throat as his eyes caught on to something in the sky. 

"Why did you stop?" she turned, then followed his gaze upward.

A small black dot hurtled toward them, coming closer each second.

"What's that?" her expression shifting to alarm.

"It can't be," Zayd whispered, his heart pounding as dread tightened in his chest.

His face drained of color as the black dot plummeted toward their village with incredible speed growing larger and becoming clearer with every moment.

His doubts were dispelled when he took a closer look at its true form. It was the same black sphere he had seen in his dream.

Strange symbols similar to what he had dreamed materialized in his mind [𐀀𐀔𐀛𐀓𐀭 𐀓𐀐𐀏𐀳 𐀗𐀜𐀫𐀖𐀴𐀭] accompanied by the same otherworldly voice that haunted him. The words carried no clear meaning but resonated deep within him, running a chill in his bones.

'What the hell are these symbols and voice? I can't understand anything about them.'

The villagers began to notice as well, their faces shifted to the sky as their expressions morphed from confusion to terror. The air grew dense and heavy with an overwhelming sense of foreboding. 

Zayd noticed something strange that others seemed to miss — the shadows cast by buildings and trees twisted and stretched as if reaching toward the mysterious sphere.

As the meteoric sphere loomed closer like a star of pure darkness, an inevitable sense of doom settled over the village, panic rippled through the village. Just as it seemed that the object would crash into the square, new symbols flashed in Zayd's mind [𐀗𐀜𐀒𐀦𐀴𐀖𐀝𐀫𐀕𐀯𐀀𐀘𐀓𐀛 𐀂𐀴𐀭 𐀏𐀐𐀳𐀔𐀫𐀓𐀴𐀭] with the same voice reverberating. 

In that moment, the sphere's trajectory shifted sharply, as if pulled by some unseen force. It crashed into the village walls, digging a spherical hole in the ancient stone fortifications and leaving cracks and trails of dark purple energy lingering in the air like torn ribbons of night. 

A deafening boom echoed through the village as the sphere crashed into the fields beyond the gate. The ground sank and heaved, unleashing tremors through the region. People panicked and stumbled, falling to their knees. Luckily, the tremor wasn't as violent as yesterday and ended quickly.

"It's a curse!" an old woman Yelled, rolling her shawl around her shoulders. "The elements are punishing us!"

"It must be him." Another hag pointed to Zayd with a frightened tone. "Think about it, ever since he failed the resonance, all strange things have been happening."

'W-What? Why me?' looking at them with mixed feelings of confusion and despair. 

Parents hurriedly ushered their children inside, casting wary glances at Zayd. More whispers followed, a few denying her claim and others agreeing with her.

"No!" Nour snapped, stepping forward to shield Zayd from the accusing stares. "Stop blaming him! He didn't cause any of this!"

"You have no right to treat him like a scapegoat for your insecurities and fears!" her eyes flared and the runes on her wrists glowed as if reacting to her anger.

Chief Raed and the elders emerged from the Council hall soon after the impact. He noticed the turmoil and chaos in the village.

"Everyone calm down! " His father's voice cut through the pandemonium, steady and commanding despite the situation.

"What happened?" He asked a nearby guard.

"A black sphere object crashed beyond the gates." The nervous guard answered.

"Guards, secure the perimeter. No one approaches the crash site until we've assessed the threat."

He marched through the streets. Even in times of crisis, he had an imposing figure, tall and broad-shouldered, with a rugged face and thick beard. His presence exuded authority. His piercing gaze swept through the chaos, calm yet unyielding. The village elders gathered around him, their expressions grave reflecting the severity of the moment.

"Elder Sara, go shore up the damaged wall," Raed continued his orders, precise and measured.

"You there. Go inform my wife to prepare the infirmary for potential casualties." Pointing to his neighbor's son.

"The rest of you," Raed's piercing gaze swept over the crowd, "Return to your homes. Stay there until further notice." 

The villagers hesitated but eventually retreated, their trust in the chief apparent despite the fear in their eyes. 

Zayd lingered near the square, his heart racing. Something stopped him from joining the dispersing crowd. His thoughts were a chaotic swirl. 

The strange symbols and voice resounded in his mind again, even clearer than before [𐀯𐀀𐀗 𐀺𐀍 𐀍𐀂𐀒 𐀂𐀏𐀛 𐀅𐀓𐀈𐀔𐀭].

'What does this thing want from me?'

As the guards moved to escort civilians away from the Gate, Zayd felt an inexplicable pull toward the crater. 

 He patted Nour shoulder with a thankful expression and whispered.

"Thanks for standing up to me."

"You don't need to thank me." She gave him a determined look, her voice steady.

"You deserve better than their nonsense, Zayd. Don't let them get to you." 

For a moment, Zayd held her gaze, the warmth of her words cutting through the weight in his chest. But the pull toward the crater—the same pull that had haunted his dreams—grew stronger, demanding his attention. He glanced past her, his expression shifting to one of determination. 

"I'm gonna take a look," already eyeing the path to the watchtower. "You should go home."

"Are you insane?" Nour grabbed his sleeve, her eyes flashing with concern.

"That thing just fell from the sky! And your father specifically said—"

"Shhh!" He pressed a finger to his lips, glancing at the guards. "Keep your voice down."

"That's a terrible idea," she muttered, though her worry couldn't quite mask her curiosity.

"Don't worry—I'm only going to the watchtower," he explained, his grin equal parts reassurance and mischief. "Just for a quick look from above."

Nour released his sleeve with a resigned sigh. "Don't get caught by the guards. And you better tell me everything later, got it?"

"Since when have I ever been caught by anyone? except you." He winked and sneaked into the shadows, leaving her shaking her head behind him.

The watchtower loomed ahead, its dark silhouette offering a vantage point over the crash site. Zayd moved carefully, keeping to the shadows to avoid the guards patrolling the area. He scaled the tower's stairs slowly, each step straining his already sore muscles. 

'A terrible idea indeed.' He thought, gritting his teeth.

The guard in the watchtower was busy combing the impact area. Zayd leaned his back against the cold stone wall, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he cautiously crept toward the side ladder while keeping his eyes on the guard.

He accidentally stepped on a twig echoing a snapping sound. The guard in front of him turned with a frown. Zed froze, holding his breath and willing himself to blend into the shadows as the guard scanned the dark area he was standing at.

For a tense moment, he thought he'd been caught.

"Did I imagine it?" The guard turned back to his post with puzzled expression.

Only then did Zayd dare to exhale. He moved carefully and climbed the ladder leading to the roof. 

The tower roof offered an unobstructed view of the crash site which was still obscured by a cloud of dust. It gradually cleared by the time his father gathered a group of elders and some experienced guards to investigate.

The crater was smaller than he anticipated, around fifteen meters in diameter. At the center of the smoking crater lay a sphere of impossible perfection, its surface a pitch-black crystal that seemed to devour the light surrounding it. Flowing patterns rippled across its obsidian shell like liquid shadows, while a circular window of dark glass wrapped around its front face, throwing back twisted reflections of the world.

What drew Zayd's eye, however, was a mark branded into its side — a crimson mark that pulsed with sickly light, its patterns writhing like dying snakes. The mark looked wrong somehow as if it had been carved into the sphere's pristine surface by a cruel hand, defiling whatever this object truly was.

'What the hell is that red mark?' Zayd frowned, squinting at the distant sphere. 

'Something like that wasn't in my dream...' An inexplicable sense of danger crept over him as he watched the faint crimson dot pulse against the black surface. 

He watched as his father's group passed through the gate and marched toward the crater. Their approach was cautious and measured, with the guards forming a protective circle around him and the elders.

As they were getting closer to the crater. Zayd noticed movement in shadows and clouds of debris coming from the forest in front of them. His eyes widened in horror as he saw a group of monsters charging toward the crater in a murderous frenzy.

"Monsters approaching from the south!" The voice of the guard below him in the watchtower rang out, tense and urgent. "A wave is heading this way! More emerging from the forest!"