[Black screen. The soft hum of morning birds. Distant school bells. A news voiceover fades in, calming and routine.]
NEWS ANCHOR (V.O.)
"...and in other news, the Education Bureau confirms that the academic year is proceeding as normal, despite isolated reports of unexplained power surges in several provinces..."
[Scene opens to a slow-motion shot of students walking through campus gates. Shad walks with his bag slung, headphones on, quiet but alert. Mel tosses a smile over her shoulder to him. Ven teleports briefly just to grab a snack. Typical day—light, real, grounded.]
TEXT ON SCREEN: Aurelia — Alternate Earth, Present Day
[Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched hum begins. A ripple in the air. Students freeze. One by one, they try to leave the campus gates—but bounce off invisible walls. Panic erupts. Teachers scream. Phone signals die. News broadcasts cut to static.]
[Camera zooms out across the planet. All schools—elementary, high school, college—glow faintly, encased in shimmering domes.]
[Then, silence. Until the sky splits open with light.]
SERAPHIM VOICE (V.O.)
"Children of Aurelia... You have been chosen."
[From clouds, divine silhouettes descend—massive beings of light and energy. Each different in design: some like angels, others like machines, some robed in starfire. They speak in unison, their voices inside every mind.]
SERAPHIM VOICE (V.O.)
"This world is ending... not in fire, but in transformation. Your planet will awaken—becoming the Mana Nexus of the galaxy. Its size will grow, its heart will pulse with mana. And all life... must evolve, or perish."
[Quick montage of scenes: cities crumbling under shifting tectonic plates, animals glowing, forests breathing, new creatures emerging from lakes and shadows. The students? Still trapped.]
SERAPHIM VOICE (V.O.)
"You—students—will be the first. Your schools are keys, and you... are trials. You will be sent through the Crucible Realms, forged in chaos. Survive—and inherit the future. Fail—and your race may fall."
[Portals open beneath every school. Students scream as they fall into spirals of light.]
[Last image: Shad reaches for Mel's hand, but they're pulled into different directions.]