Eric's life didn't seem particularly special, except for his tendency to withdraw into himself. Since childhood, he had struggled to trust people and often felt like a stranger. At school, he was an above-average student, always among the top ten in his class, even though he didn't put in much effort. Like any young person, he wanted to enjoy life. Unfortunately, two weeks before starting university, he was diagnosed with epilepsy.
As he lay on the cold hospital gurney, a question echoed in his mind: "Why me? Wasn't it enough to almost lose my mother when I was a child? Or that my parents separated?" He clenched his fists in anger.
No voice answered his question. "Ahh, it's useless," Eric said, resigned. He had always been good at adapting. He knew complaining wouldn't change anything. "The only thing we can do is accept things and keep going, no matter the cost. If I don't do it, who will?" he sighed.
From that day on, something had changed in Eric. It wasn't a visible change, one of those others notice right away, but something deep and silent, like a whisper that sinks into the soul. He had lost his innocence, his ignorance, and that childish aura that sometimes lingers in adults, that veil that shields one from life's harsher truths. He no longer looked at the world with the same naïveté. In its place was a firmer, more aware gaze.
He learned to value his life not because it was perfect, but precisely because it wasn't. Because it was fragile, fleeting, and for that very reason, precious. He loved his family and friends with a newfound intensity, calm but resolute. He knew he could lose them at any moment, and that made him treasure every conversation, every gesture, every hug as if it were the last. He understood that loving also meant accepting that you can't always protect the ones you care about, yet you would still be willing to give everything for them.
He also began to cherish those moments of happiness, so brief and fleeting, doomed to end from the very moment they begin. But he thought, what if they didn't end? How would we even know we were happy? Sadness, pain, emptiness, all of it was necessary too. Not as punishment, but as contrast. Like the silence that gives meaning to music.
So, despite everything, despite the fear, the illness, the uncertainty, Eric decided to keep going. Not because it was easy, but because he understood that giving up meant refusing to live. He followed his treatment for epilepsy with discipline, accepting that while some things couldn't be controlled, he could choose how to face them. He entered university and chose to study what he truly wanted, not what others expected of him. And though there were hard days, there was also laughter, discovery, and genuine friendship. His time at university wasn't just pleasant, it was a breath of relief.
At the end of the semester, as tradition dictated, students organized a party at the coliseum that anyone could attend. There was also another event, a private, paid gathering, but it wasn't worth it, just an excuse to show off or make money. That night, Eric just wanted to have fun with his friends and enjoy himself.
As the night went on, the alcohol and music began to affect Eric, so he lay down on the nearby grass to rest and clear his mind in the cool night air.
While relaxing in that comfortable spot, he noticed a faint vibration in the ground. He didn't pay it much attention, since such mini tremors were normal. Most of the time, people didn't even notice them or were asleep, so he stayed there, enjoying the music.
He heard people talking not far away, and some of them began to sound alarmed. The music stopped. Eric's phone started ringing, so he grabbed it and checked what had disturbed his rest.
When he looked at the screen, he saw an earthquake alert, magnitude 4.5 and rising. He lifted his upper body to look around and saw the nearby traffic lights flickering, students leaving the coliseum, and dogs barking in the distance.
The next moment, Eric heard a deep rumble, like distant thunder rolling for several seconds. The ground shook more strongly, and his phone displayed 5.8. Alarmed, he stood up.
As he rose, from the corner of his eye, he saw a red glow. At that instant, everyone turned their heads, and some even pulled out their phones to record as, at the mountaintop, a red light began to bloom, accompanied by black smoke.
KRAAAAMM
Eric's pupils shrank as a brutal explosion lit up the sky. Fragments of rock were hurled like projectiles, whistling through the air. A towering column of ash rose, and lightning lit up the night.
From where he stood, he saw people running, rooftops collapsing, and lights going out, both nearby and across the city. Soon, the air filled with ash and the choking smell of sulfur.
Fragments of rock streaked across the sky like shooting stars. He was unable to react...
A sharp impact.
Eric fell onto the grass, right where he had just been lying, and soon, there was only darkness.