The Dark Age of Blood

Chapter Two: The First Contact

Chapter Two: The First Contact

Noah remained standing in front of the window for a long time.

The city outside continued moving.

People walked through the streets.

Cars passed through intersections.

Restaurants remained open.

From a distance, Seattle looked exactly the same as it had yesterday.

But Noah knew better.

Human civilization had always depended on one simple belief.

That tomorrow would be the same as today.

That belief was gone.

Even if nobody realized it yet.

At 9:30 p.m., Noah received his first phone call.

It was from Daniel, one of his oldest friends.

Three months ago, Daniel had laughed when he saw Noah filling his apartment with emergency supplies.

He still remembered his friend's words.

"Are you seriously preparing for the end of the world?"

Noah had only smiled.

Now, Daniel's voice sounded different.

" Noah..."

There was hesitation in his voice.

"Tell me you know what's happening."

Noah looked at the notebook on his desk.

The glowing words had disappeared.

The page had returned to normal.

As if nothing had ever happened.

"I don't know everything," Noah replied.

That was the truth.

He didn't know what was coming.

He only knew that something had started.

Daniel became silent.

Then he asked:

"Should I prepare something?"

Noah closed his eyes.

Three months ago, he wanted people to believe him.

He wanted to warn everyone.

But nobody listened.

Now they were finally asking.

And somehow, it felt worse.

"Buy food," Noah said.

"Water. Medicine. Anything important."

"How long?"

Noah looked toward the dark sky outside.

The question was simple.

But he had no answer.

"I don't know."

After that call, more messages started arriving.

People who had once called him paranoid were suddenly asking for advice.

A coworker asked where to buy emergency supplies.

A neighbor asked if he should leave the city.

A former classmate sent him a message at midnight.

"Noah, I remember what you said three months ago."

"Were you serious?"

Noah stared at the screen.

Then he typed one sentence.

"Yes."

The next morning, the world woke up believing everything was normal.

News channels continued their coverage.

Scientists gave interviews.

Government officials repeated the same statement.

The solar event was unusual.

But there was no threat.

Life should continue.

But behind the cameras...

Something was changing.

At 6:00 a.m., the temperature in Seattle dropped by 4 degrees Celsius.

Nobody cared.

Weather changed all the time.

A cold morning in summer was unusual, but not impossible.

By noon, the temperature dropped another two degrees.

Meteorologists became confused.

By evening, several research stations around the world reported the same thing.

The Earth's average temperature was falling.

Slowly.

But continuously.

Noah sat in front of his computer, watching the latest data.

His fingers moved quickly across the keyboard.

The numbers on the screen were impossible.

The solar radiation reaching Earth had changed.

Not decreased.

Changed.

It was as if something had altered the sunlight itself.

Noah remembered the sentence from the notebook.

"When the light falls silent, the world will enter the age of darkness."

For the first time, he understood.

The darkness was not the ten minutes when the sun disappeared.

That was only the moment humanity noticed.

The real darkness...

had already begun.

At midnight, Noah opened the notebook again.

The same page that had shown the first message was glowing.

This time, only one sentence appeared.

A sentence that made his blood run cold.

"Day Seven."

"The temperature will begin to fall."

Noah stared at the words.

Outside his window, rain began falling.

But something was wrong.

The sound was different.

He walked closer to the glass.

And slowly...

his expression changed.

Because the rain hitting the streets of Seattle...

was turning white.

Snow.

In July.

Noah stepped back.

For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.

The world outside was still alive.

People were still sleeping.

People were still believing tomorrow would be normal.

But Noah knew.

The first sign had arrived.

The countdown had begun.

And humanity had no idea what it was counting down to.

Noah spent the entire night trying to understand what had happened.

The message from the notebook was clear.

Something had changed.

Something inside the Earth’s environment.

But knowing that something existed did not mean he understood it.

That was the most frustrating part.

For three months, Noah had believed that finding the notebook's secret would give him answers.

But now he realized the opposite.

The more he learned...

the more questions appeared.

According to his grandfather's notes, humans had once been able to perceive certain forms of energy that modern science could not detect.

Not magic.

Not supernatural power.

A natural phenomenon that humanity had lost the ability to observe.

The notebook described it as a "connection."

A bridge between human consciousness and the unknown energy surrounding the planet.

Noah didn't fully understand the theory.

He wasn't even sure if the explanation was scientifically possible.

But after witnessing the disappearance of the sun...

he was no longer confident that his previous understanding of reality was complete.

The notebook described several methods to establish this connection.

Unfortunately, Noah had none of the required equipment.

The records mentioned a device that could amplify human perception.

A tool created by an unknown civilization.

Something that could help the user detect the invisible energy around them.

But Noah had nothing like that.

The only thing he possessed was the notebook itself.

And even the notebook seemed limited.

It could reveal information.

It could react to certain events.

But it could not simply give him all the answers.

So Noah chose the simplest method.

The method described as the foundation of everything.

Training his own mind.

According to the notes, human consciousness was not just a passive observer.

The brain was capable of adapting.

Of expanding its perception.

But the process required two things.

A sufficient amount of external energy.

And the right level of mental compatibility.

Noah already knew his chances were not good.

He was not a genius.

He was not some extraordinary person chosen by fate.

He was just an engineer.

An ordinary person who happened to discover something extraordinary.

The notebook explained that some people were naturally more sensitive to this unknown energy.

Others would spend years without achieving anything.

Noah calculated his own possibility.

The result was disappointing.

His compatibility was average.

Maybe even below average.

For a moment, he felt frustrated.

But then he looked at the notebook beside him.

Three months ago, he had been an ordinary man.

Now he was one of the few people on Earth who knew the truth.

Compared with that...

he was already lucky.

Noah sat on the floor of his apartment.

The notebook rested in front of him.

He closed his eyes and followed the instructions.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Trying to adjust his breathing.

His thoughts.

His awareness.

At first, he expected something dramatic.

A sudden change.

A strange sensation.

Something impossible.

But nothing happened.

One hour passed.

Two hours.

Four hours.

Six hours.

Nothing.

When the sun began rising, Noah opened his eyes.

His body felt exhausted.

His mind felt empty.

The first attempt had failed completely.

No miracle.

No hidden ability.

No sudden transformation.

Only exhaustion.

Noah looked at the notebook and laughed quietly.

For some reason, he remembered all the science fiction stories he had read when he was younger.

In those stories, people always awakened their abilities instantly.

Reality was different.

Reality was slow.

Painfully slow.

He closed the notebook.

"Looks like I'm not special after all."

Noah whispered.

Then he lay down on the floor and fell asleep.

Several hours later...

A phone call woke him.

Noah opened his eyes.

His phone screen showed the name.

Ethan Miller.

One of his coworkers.

A person who had laughed at Noah's preparations three months ago.

Noah answered.

Before he could speak, Ethan's voice exploded through the phone.

"Noah!"

"You need to turn on the news!"

"It's happening again!"

Noah immediately sat up.

"What happened?"

There was panic in Ethan's voice.

"The sun."

"It disappeared again."

A pause.

Then Ethan continued.

"But this time..."

"Not for ten minutes."

"Almost thirty."

Noah became silent.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he slowly looked toward the window.

Outside, the city was already changing.

People were running through the streets.

Cars were stopping everywhere.

Emergency alarms could be heard in the distance.

The world had finally realized something.

The first disappearance was not an accident.

It was a warning.

Noah opened the notebook again.

New words appeared.

Slowly.

Almost reluctantly.

Only one sentence.

"The barrier continues to weaken."

Noah stared at it.

The meaning was obvious.

The darkness was not returning.

It had never left.

Noah stared at the message for several seconds.

Then his phone started ringing again.

This time, it wasn't just one person.

The screen was filled with notifications.

Messages.

Missed calls.

Emergency alerts.

Everyone was asking the same question.

What happens next?

The first call he answered was from Ethan.

"Noah..."

Ethan's voice was completely different from yesterday.

Yesterday, there was curiosity.

Today, there was fear.

"What is happening?"

Noah remained silent for a moment.

Because he knew this was the question everyone would ask.

And the truth was...

he didn't have the complete answer.

"I don't know everything."

Ethan became anxious.

"But you knew something was wrong."

Noah looked at the notebook.

The blue light had disappeared again.

"I knew something was coming."

"Not exactly what it would be."

There was a long silence.

Then Ethan lowered his voice.

"Noah..."

"Are we going to die?"

The question was simple.

But Noah felt a heavy weight when he heard it.

Three months ago, he had wanted people to believe him.

He wanted them to prepare.

But now that they finally did...

he realized something.

Being believed was not the same as being able to save everyone.

"No."

Noah answered.

His voice was calm.

"I don't think humanity is going to disappear."

"But things are going to change."

Ethan swallowed.

"Change how?"

Noah looked outside.

The sky was covered by darkness.

People were gathering on the streets.

Some were crying.

Some were filming the sky.

Some were praying.

"The sun is not gone."

Noah said.

"The first time was not the sun disappearing."

"The second time wasn't either."

"It's something else."

Ethan became quiet.

"Then what should we do?"

Noah walked toward the storage room.

Three months ago, everyone had laughed at what was inside.

Now those supplies represented survival.

"Get food."

"Water."

"Medicine."

"Anything you can store."

"And don't wait until tomorrow."

Ethan hesitated.

"How long will this last?"

Noah looked at the notebook.

A question he had asked himself countless times.

But there was no answer.

"I don't know."

After hanging up, Noah stood alone in the apartment.

For three months, people had called him paranoid.

Crazy.

Obsessed.

Now, in one night, everything had changed.

The same people who laughed at him were searching for him.

The same people who ignored his warnings were asking for instructions.

But Noah didn't feel victorious.

He only felt tired.

Because the world was entering darkness.

And he was one of the few people who knew it had only begun.

At 8:00 a.m., global networks started failing.

Not completely.

Not suddenly.

Just enough to create fear.

Messages failed to send.

Video calls disconnected.

Satellite communication became unstable.

The world had become quieter.

And humans hated silence.

Across Seattle, companies began closing.

Employees stopped coming to work.

Stores were crowded.

People bought anything they could carry.

Bottled water.

Food.

Flashlights.

Batteries.

Nobody knew what they were preparing for.

They only knew they were afraid.

On television, officials continued reassuring the public.

"The phenomenon is temporary."

"There is no evidence of a global threat."

"Please remain calm."

But Noah noticed something.

The experts were no longer saying:

"Everything is normal."

They had changed their words.

Now they were saying:

"Everything is under investigation."

Noah looked at the dark sky.

Then at the notebook.

A new line appeared.

Slowly.

Almost like a warning.

"Day One has ended."

"Human civilization has entered the observation period."

Noah frowned.

Observation period?

By whom?

For the first time...

a terrifying thought appeared in his mind.

Maybe the disappearance of the sun was not a natural disaster.

Maybe it was not an accident.

Maybe Earth...

was being watched.