That night, the village was swallowed by silence.
A cool night breeze drifted across the rice fields, carrying the scent of damp earth following the afternoon rain. Inside their small house, under the warm glow of a yellow light, Van Thien sat at the dinner table with his parents.
The meal was simple: fried fish, braised fish, and bitter melon soup. His father spoke between mouthfuls:
"Wake up early for the fields tomorrow, son."
"Yes, Dad. I know."
Life was peaceful, just like any other day—
Until—
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion tore through the night sky. Dogs barked wildly across the neighborhood. The ground shuddered. Water in the irrigation canals rippled violently, and bowls and chopsticks clattered onto the floor.
His mother gasped in terror, "What was that?!"
Van Thien was already bolting out the door. Neighbors poured into the street, everyone's eyes locked onto the heavens. A massive streak of light was carving through the darkness. It was falling—straight toward the center of the rice fields.
BOOM!!!
A second explosion erupted. The horizon flashed a violent crimson.
"A meteor?!"
"No… wait—look! That thing… it's burning, but it doesn't look like a rock!"
Van Thien stared intensely. Within his chest, a strange sensation surged. It wasn't fear. It was—familiarity.
The next morning, the local market was buzzing with rumors.
"Did you hear? A meteor crashed into the fields last night!"
"For real? No wonder the sky lit up like day!"
"Heavens… what if it's aliens?!"
"I heard the crash site is completely scorched!"
Before long, a crowd had gathered at the fields like a festival. The perimeter was cordoned off with yellow tape, guarded by local police. At the center of the impact crater lay a blackened metallic object half-buried in the mud.
It wasn't a rock. It wasn't a meteor.
It was—something like a ship.
Strange symbols pulsed with a dim, ghostly light across its hull.
"That's no meteor…"
"Looks like a spaceship, man…"
A young man held up his phone, livestreaming to his followers: "Everyone, look! A real spaceship, right here!"
The crowd erupted in hushed whispers. But Van Thien heard none of it. He pushed through the onlookers, stepping closer. Closer.
At that exact moment—
Beep…
An electronic pulse echoed. Everything slowed down. The ambient noise of the crowd faded away. Then—it vanished entirely. No voices. No wind. Only the thumping of his own heart.
And then—a deep, mechanical hum.
The shattered screen on the vessel flickered to life. Strange characters raced across the surface. A distorted, weak voice emerged:
"Biological signal… confirmed."
"Compatible energy detected…"
Van Thien stood frozen. The world around him was paralyzed in time. The voice spoke again—clearer this time.
"Welcome back… Captain."
Ping!
A translucent blue screen manifested before his eyes.
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZING... ]
Subject: Van Thien
Designation: ??? [ENCRYPTED]
Bio-Signature: Stable (98% Matc)
Combat Output: 5% [SEALED - ENERGY DAMPENING DETECTED]
Memory Core: [LOCKED / CORRUPTED]
Synchronization: 1%D]D]h)D]
The letters glitched, jumping across the screen. A fleet emblem flickered into view—a symbol of a forgotten empire, foreign yet hauntingly familiar. Van Thien reached out, but his hand passed through the cold, flickering light. The machine was dying, its last spark of life spent just to recognize him.
Van Thien whispered, "…What is this?"
Beep!
The screen vanished. Sound rushed back in. The crowd returned to their noisy chatter as if nothing had happened. No one looked at him. No one saw the screen. No one heard the voice.
Van Thien stood still, his heart racing. In his mind, a vision flashed:
A sky choked with stars. Thousands of warships. A planet—exploding into nothingness. And a distant cry:
"Captain!"
It all disappeared. He looked down at the wrecked vessel. A chill ran down his spine.
"Something… is about to begin."
Far out in the cold vacuum of space, a massive warship drifted silently in Earth's orbit. Inside, a figure with glowing red eyes stared down at the blue planet.
He smiled.
"Finally… we found you."