The classroom buzzed with excitement.
No one was paying attention to the lesson anymore.
"Did you see the news last night?" someone said from the back.
"They said it might be the biggest aurora event ever recorded!"
"Yeah! The Great Aurora Event!"
Laughter and chatter filled the room.
Even the teacher had given up trying to calm the students.
Ishaan Rathore sat by the window, quietly listening.
Outside, the winter sky was pale and clear.
Tonight was New Year's Eve.
And everyone in the world was waiting for midnight.
For weeks, scientists had been talking about it.
A rare atmospheric phenomenon predicted to appear across the entire planet.
A massive aurora storm.
Cities were preparing countdown festivals.
Families were planning rooftop gatherings.
Everyone wanted to witness the sky when midnight arrived.
"Ishaan."
Kabir leaned over from the desk beside him with a wide grin.
"You're coming tonight, right?"
"To watch the aurora."
Ishaan blinked.
Kabir continued excitedly, "Anaya said we should all meet on her building rooftop. The view from there is amazing."
From the front row, Aisha turned around slightly in her chair.
"You better not be late," she said with a sharp look.
"I'm not waiting for slow people."
Kabir laughed.
"You hear that, Ishaan?"
Anaya added softly,
"It'll be fun if everyone comes."
All three of them looked at him.
Ishaan hesitated for a moment.
Then he scratched the back of his head.
"Actually… I think I'll watch it somewhere else."
Kabir frowned.
"Somewhere else?"
"Yeah," Ishaan said. "That hill outside the city."
"The one near the forest?"
Ishaan nodded.
Kabir looked confused.
"Why there? We're all watching it together."
Ishaan gave a small shrug.
"It's quieter there."
He glanced back out the window at the sky.
"And the view is better."
Aisha rolled her eyes.
"Of course you'd go somewhere boring."
Kabir shook his head with a laugh.
"Well, don't miss the aurora then."
By evening, the entire city felt different.
Excitement filled the air.
Restaurants were crowded.
People gathered on rooftops and balconies.
Children ran around with sparklers while fireworks occasionally cracked in the distance.
Everyone was counting down the final hours of the year.
Meanwhile, Ishaan stood alone on a quiet hill a few kilometers outside the city.
Cold wind brushed against his jacket.
The city lights glittered far below like a sea of stars.
Up here, the sky stretched endlessly.
He checked his phone.
11:58 PM
Two minutes left.
Ishaan exhaled slowly, watching his breath fade in the cold air.
"Two minutes…"
Then—
The sky changed.
A thin ribbon of green light appeared across the darkness.
Soft.
Beautiful.
Then another followed.
And another.
Within moments, the entire sky filled with waves of glowing color.
Green.
Blue.
Purple.
Golden streaks flowing like rivers across the heavens.
The Aurora.
Ishaan stared upward, speechless.
"Whoa…"
The lights danced across the sky like living energy.
The entire world seemed to glow.
Then suddenly—
The aurora began to move.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
The lights rushed downward.
Toward the earth.
Toward him.
Ishaan froze.
"What…?"
Before he could react—
A beam of radiant light shot from the sky.
And struck him.
The world exploded into color.
Light swallowed everything.
Sound vanished.
The ground disappeared beneath his feet.
For a moment…
It felt like he was floating inside an endless sky of aurora.
Energy surged through his body.
Burning.
Freezing.
Overwhelming.
Then—
Darkness.
Ishaan collapsed onto the frozen ground.
Above him, the aurora continued to dance across the sky.
Beautiful.
Silent.
Unaware that everything had just changed.
And that the world would never be the same again.