Cub Raising Association

Xie Tao leaned back in his computer chair, the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder. "The outside is too cold, I'm not going." His voice was a disinterested hum, a stark contrast to the excited chatter of his friend, Lu Yuan, on the other end.

His hands, calloused from years of gripping a pen, moved across his drawing tablet, deftly adding details to his latest piece. He heard Lu Yuan's sigh, then a proposal to at least send pictures of the meteor shower. Xie Tao gave a noncommittal 'Mm-s,' waiting for the call to end so he could return to his art.

Just as he reached for his phone to place it back on the desk, a blinding flash of golden light seared the corner of his eye, followed by a deafening bang that rattled his eardrums and sent tremors through his desk. His hand instinctively clamped down on his precious drawing board.

"A meteor actually crashed in his yard...?" he muttered, a mix of disbelief and annoyance creeping into his voice. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to investigate.

Walking downstairs, he found his indoor plants scattered, casualties of the impact. Outside, his carefully tended potted plants in the small yard suffered the same fate. But his attention was quickly drawn to a glowing golden hole in the ground, pulsing with an unnatural light in the deepening twilight. Before he could decide whether to approach, a golden ball of light floated out of the hole, hovering before him. He instinctively recoiled.

"Calm down," he told himself, pressing his lips together. "As a qualified citizen of the 21st century, I have to believe and have faith in science…"

The golden ball, however, seemed to have other plans. It shot forward like a bullet, too fast to evade. The last thing Xie Tao saw was the ball growing larger and larger, then a flash, and darkness consumed him.