Due to unknown reasons, Chrono servers across the world had begun to fail — one after another — and within minutes the entire system started collapsing.
The moment we reached the hotel, I called my dad and explained everything.
He was furious at first — not because of the situation, but because I hadn't taken permission before leaving. I had told him we were going for an exhibition… and now we were stuck in another country during a global failure.
He took a breath — then his tone changed.
"Forget that… listen to me, Justin," he said quickly.
"Flights are going to be suspended from tomorrow. They don't rely on Chrono directly, but teleportation hubs have already been shut down. Look for flights to get back home — right now."
I opened my phone and searched — scrolling through routes again and again… but there were no flights from Norway to the US.
"Damn it…" my father muttered on the call.
There was a pause — just silence — as he thought.
"Tell me all the flights leaving Norway," he said.
I sent him the list.
1.Nor – Bhu
2.Nor – Ind
3.Nor – FR
…
There were more than twenty routes, but I couldn't understand why we were even considering other countries.
A few seconds passed....Then he spoke again.
"Okay… the fastest flight from Norway to India leaves in three hours. Book it. Go to India immediately. Once you reach there — call me."
"But dad—"
*Beep.*
The call ended.
For a moment I just stood there… staring at the screen.
Then we moved.
We packed everything quickly and left for the airport.
William had fully recovered by then, and when he and Anthony asked why we were suddenly leaving Norway… I had no answer. My dad hadn't explained anything.
But something felt wrong — and I knew we didn't have time to question it.
We met Erik one last time before leaving but He wasn't happy — that much was clear.
We were leaving earlier than planned… even after paying him for the entire trip.
"If you ever need me…" I said while stepping into the mag-train.
Erik placed his hand over mine — holding it for a second longer than expected — and gave a small smile. He said he would be fine… that everything would work out.
But before I left, I handed him twenty thousand dollars.
It took me almost five minutes to convince him, but he agreed at last because he needed it — that much was obvious.
After all… I had gotten that money without earning it.
"Thank you, sir… how do I repay this?" he asked, his voice slightly trembling.
"You don't need to," I said. "Just take care of yourself."
He nodded — slowly.
We stepped into the mag-train, and it began to move. Through the glass, I could still see him — standing there, waving at us.
I kept looking… until he disappeared.
He was a good person — someone who had gone through more than most people our age.
He taught me an invaluable lesson - No matter how bad times get.. you should never give up. I cannot even imagine how he carried on without anyone else in his family... But I knew he would do good in his life.
As the train moved toward the airport, only one thought stayed in my mind.
Will we ever meet Erik again…?
For some reason — I felt like we would.
And when we did… he wouldn't be the same man, he would be someone who had made it.
Within two hours of departure, we reached India.
We stepped into the largest airport in the world — The Garv Airport.
It was beautiful… almost unreal. It looked better than most malls — clean, organized, and lined with stores from major franchises like Spark, Taste of Italy, Bucchi… and many more.
And surprisingly — everything was cheap.
Electric boards were placed across every section of the airport, allowing people to move faster from one place to another — completely free of cost.
For a moment… it didn't feel like the world was collapsing at all.
We spent a few hours exploring the place, and Anthony seemed to enjoy it the most. I called my dad after some time, and he told us to find a hotel and stay there for a while.
"Your dad is the best dad ever, Justin," Anthony said as he jumped onto the hotel bed and turned on the Holocast.
"There's a swimming pool on the roof… I'm going there," William said casually.
"But William — I didn't know you could swim," Anthony replied, laughing.
The two of them instantly got into a playful fight — pushing each other, jumping across the room, laughing like nothing had happened… like the world outside didn't exist.
For a second… everything felt normal again.
When they finally calmed down, the three of us went up to the rooftop pool together.
It was night.
The water was still, and above us stretched a clear sky filled with stars.
"We're gonna get back home soon, guys… don't worry. Technical issues don't last long," Anthony said while floating on his back.
"Yeah… I hope so," William replied quietly, his eyes fixed on the moon.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Then—
*Swoosh.*
Something cut across the sky.
"A comet!" Anthony shouted, pointing upward.
"No, dumbo… look carefully," William said, narrowing his eyes. "Comets don't move like that… and they don't leave trails like that either—"
"Is that…" I muttered, turning toward William.
He looked back at me — and we both knew.
Anthony looked between us, confused.
"What is it?" he asked.
I didn't answer immediately.
Because by then… it was clear.
What we saw moving across the sky wasn't a comet.
It was a fighter jet.