The hum of the airplane engine was steady almost soothing.
Clouds stretched endlessly beyond the window, soft and white like an ocean in the sky. To most passengers, it was a peaceful sight.
To Kai, it felt heavy.
He sat still, arms crossed, eyes fixed outside. Not on the clouds but on his reflection faintly staring back at him.
Across the aisle, Rion leaned back in his seat with a sigh.
"Seriously… how long is this flight?" he muttered, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "Feels like we've been up here forever."
Kai didn't respond.
Rion clicked his tongue. "You've been quiet since we boarded."
Still nothing.
A soft voice broke the silence.
"Can you both… not argue today?"
Lira.
She sat beside Kai, her hands gently clenched in her lap. Her eyes were lowered, her expression distant.
Rion exhaled, leaning his head back. "I'm not arguing."
Kai finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. "Then stop complaining."
"That's not complaining"
"Rion."
One word. Enough.
Rion groaned and turned his head toward the window, muttering under his breath.
Silence returned but this time, it wasn't peaceful.
Lira's fingers tightened slightly.
"We're really going… aren't we?" she whispered.
Kai glanced at her.
"…Yeah."
"To see them."
He nodded once.
Rion didn't turn around, but his voice came quieter this time. "Took us long enough."
No one disagreed.
Years had passed since their parents died. Years of living with their aunt. Years of putting this trip off.
And now… they were finally going back.
Back to the town they left behind.
Back to the graves they never visited.
The cabin lights flickered slightly.
No one noticed at first.
Then
Ding.
The seatbelt sign lit up.
A flight attendant's voice echoed overhead, calm but slightly strained.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We are experiencing some turbulence."
The plane gave a small shake.
Rion smirked faintly. "Finally, something interesting"
The plane dropped.
A sudden, violent lurch.
Gasps filled the cabin.
Lira grabbed the armrest instantly. "Kai"
"I've got you," he said, already tightening his seatbelt.
The shaking grew stronger.
Not normal turbulence.
The overhead compartments rattled. A bag fell somewhere behind them. Someone screamed.
The plane jerked again harder.
"Yo… this isn't normal," Rion said, his voice losing its edge.
The lights flickered again.
Then again.
Then
Darkness for a split second.
When the lights came back, panic had spread.
The plane tilted sharply to the left.
People shouted. Oxygen masks dropped from above with a series of sharp pops.
"Put it on!" Kai snapped.
Lira fumbled, her hands shaking, as Kai reached over and secured her mask. Rion quickly followed.
The aircraft trembled violently, like it was being torn apart.
Outside the window
The clouds were gone.
Dark storm clouds surrounded them, swirling unnaturally fast.
Lightning cracked across the sky.
And then
A sound.
A deep, metallic tear.
Kai's eyes widened.
"No…"
The wing
He saw it.
Through the window.
The left wing bent then snapped.
Gone.
Ripped away into the storm.
For a moment
Everything froze.
Then the plane began to spin.
Screams erupted. The cabin tilted violently as gravity shifted. Luggage flew. People slammed into seats.
Lira cried out, grabbing Kai's arm.
"Kai!!"
"I'm here!" he shouted, gripping both her and the seat.
Rion reached across, grabbing Kai's shoulder. "What do we do?!"
Kai didn't answer.
He couldn't.
There was nothing to do.
The plane spiraled downward, faster and faster, the roar of wind drowning out everything else.
And then
Something changed.
The sound.
It faded.
The screams…
The shaking…
The chaos…
All of it
Stopped.
Silence.
Impossible, unnatural silence.
Kai's breath caught.
"…What…?"
The plane wasn't shaking anymore.
It wasn't moving.
It felt like time itself had paused.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the window.
The storm was gone.
In its place
Darkness.
Endless… black.
And within that darkness
A faint glow.
Soft.
Distant.
But watching.
Not light from the sun.
Not lightning.
Something else.
Something alive.
Lira's voice trembled. "Kai… do you see that…?"
Rion didn't speak.
For the first time
He was completely silent.
The glow pulsed once.
And for a brief moment
Kai felt it.
A presence.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Watching them.
Choosing.
Then
The world snapped back.
Sound exploded.
The plane screamed as it tore through the sky again.
Gravity slammed into them.
And everything went black.