The television set of the national channel was under harsh lighting, accentuating the tense features of the guests gathered around the circular table. The cameras were rolling, capturing every movement and word. At the center of attention was Park Yunji, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a man in his forties with a well-built physique. His tailored jacket and impeccably polished shoes reflected his professionalism, but his distant gaze betrayed a disturbing emptiness, as if he were nothing more than an empty shell.
The topic of the day had dominated the airwaves for weeks: the mysterious appearance of the monoliths. These towering stones, engraved with unknown inscriptions, had appeared in isolated regions around the world, sparking both fascination and fear. Around the table, journalists, archaeologists, religious leaders, and political analysts were fervently debating.
An archaeologist spoke first:
— "These monoliths are unlike anything we know. They emit an energy… palpable. Geophysical surveys show inexplicable anomalies nearby."
An older religious man intervened, his hands clasped in prayer:
— "They are a message, a divine warning. We must heed them before it's too late."
Park Yunji, who had remained silent until then, adjusted his tie and spoke in a calm voice:
— "The monoliths are being closely monitored by the government. We are investigating their origin and nature. However, I want to reassure our citizens: there is no reason to panic."
An Unexpected Alert
Suddenly, the host raised a hand to his earpiece, his face paling live on air.
— "Ladies and gentlemen, we have just received an alert. A meteor shower, thirty in total, is currently heading towards Earth. They are expected to enter our atmosphere in two weeks."
A heavy silence fell over the set. The faces, once animated, were frozen in a stunned expression.
— "Is this a real threat?" asked a journalist, breaking the silence.
Park Yunji, unflappable, responded confidently:
— "Such events are rare but not unprecedented. Our defense systems are ready to handle any threat."
But the murmurs in the room betrayed growing anxiety.
In the days that followed, the planet seemed to slip off the rails of normalcy. In Namjong, a small town near the valleys where one of the monoliths had been discovered, unsettling accounts began to multiply.
— "I saw a shadow… it was moving, but there was no one!" murmured a farmer to his neighbor, his eyes wide with terror.
Unexplainable phenomena were occurring. Lights flickered for no reason. Domestic animals became aggressive. And then, there were the dreams. Dreams so vivid they felt real, transporting the dreamers into visions of chaos.
In a crowded café in the town, two students nervously discussed.
— "I dreamed I was being chased by a huge creature," one of them explained.
— "Me too… but it wasn't just a dream. I felt it, in my chest, in my head."
One week before the anticipated impact, the first physical manifestations of human changes appeared. In a port area on the Zaharan continent, a man in rags, his eyes glowing bright red, attacked a group of soldiers. Gunshots were fired, but they seemed ineffective. In one fluid motion, he disarmed and knocked down an entire squad.
Videos of the incident quickly circulated on social media, fueling fear and conspiracy theories.
One evening in Namjong, a young man screamed in the street:
— "The meteors are going to destroy us! We must flee!"
No one listened to him, except an old woman who murmured:
— "It's not the end. It's the beginning."
Meanwhile, the government remained surprisingly silent. Evacuation plans were discussed but never implemented. Political analysts speculated on a possible conspiracy:
— "They know something we don't," said an expert on a news channel.
But Park Yunji, at a press conference, categorically denied:
— "Our priority is to maintain order. We are closely monitoring the situation."
His words rang hollow.
As the meteors approached, an unbearable tension enveloped the planet. The dreams became more frequent, more precise. Some saw cities reduced to ashes. Others saw themselves endowed with abilities they never could have imagined.
A young woman in a psychiatric hospital kept murmuring the same phrase:
— "They're coming to change us."
And in the meantime, in the sky, the thirty meteors were getting closer, their danger intensifying with each passing night.