That night, the village was wrapped in a calm, familiar quiet. The wind drifted across the rice fields, carrying the fresh scent of damp soil after the evening rain. Inside their small house, under the warm glow of a hanging light, Van Thien sat at the dinner table with his parents. The meal was simple but comforting: fried fish, braised fish, and a bowl of bitter melon soup. His father ate quickly, as always, before breaking the silence.
"Make sure to head to bed early, son. We have work in the fields tomorrow."
He said. Van Thien nodded simply
"Yes, Dad."
Life was peaceful and unchanging. Until—
BOOM!!
A thunderous explosion tore through the night, followed by the wild barking of dogs across the village. The ground trembled violently, causing water in the canals to ripple and sending bowls and chopsticks clattering onto the floor.
"What was that?!"
His mother gasped.
Van Thien was already on his feet, rushing outside. Neighbors were pouring into the street, their faces pale as they stared at the sky. A massive streak of light was tearing through the darkness, falling straight toward the rice fields beyond the village. Another explosion rocked the earth, and the sky flashed a haunting red.
"Was that a meteor?!"
Someone shouted.
"No… wait—look! That thing is burning, but it's not falling like a rock!"
Van Thien stared at the light, his heart tightening. For some reason, the sight felt… familiar.
The next morning, the entire village was buzzing. At the small morning market, rumors spread faster than the wind. People whispered about aliens and meteors, laughing nervously while the police set up a perimeter near the impact site.
Van Thien pushed through the crowd, step by step, until he finally saw it. It wasn't a meteor. It was a machine—blackened, broken, and made of twisted metal in unnatural shapes. Strange symbols, unlike any recognized language, covered its charred surface. The surrounding rice field was gone, replaced by a scorched crater.
"What the hell is that…?" "It looks like something from a sci-fi movie,"
People whispered, raising their phones to record everything.
As Van Thien stepped closer, a faint electronic beep echoed. Suddenly, the noise of the crowd faded. The voices blurred, the wind died down, and an unnatural, heavy silence took over. His heartbeat echoed in his ears. The broken screen on the object flickered with a glitching, dim light.
Then, a mechanical, weak voice spoke: "Biological signal… confirmed. Compatible energy detected."
Van Thien froze. The world around him vanished, leaving only him and the machine. The screen struggled to stay active, flickering one last time.
"Welcome back… Captain."
His pupils shrank. "…What?"
A crest appeared on the screen—an ancient, powerful insignia that he shouldn't have recognized, but did. A sharp pain shot through his head, bringing flashes of stars, massive fleets, thousands of warships, and a planet exploding into nothingness. A voice cried out "Captain!"
Then, sound rushed back. The crowd, the wind, the voices—everything returned. Van Thien staggered, looking around in a daze. No one else had reacted. No one else had heard it. The screen was dark and dead once more, as if nothing had happened. But his heart was racing. A cold, uneasy feeling rose inside him. Something had just begun, and it couldn't be stopped.
Watching From Above
Far beyond Earth's atmosphere, a massive warship drifted silently in orbit. Inside, a man stood before a holographic display, watching a pulsing signal.
Location: Vietnam.
His eyes glowed a faint, predatory red. A slow, satisfied smile formed on his lips.
"…So we finally found you."