A CONVULSED MORNING

It was morning, the bright sun was rising on the horizon, and everyone in the country was talking about the terrifying experience they had the night before witnessing that electrical storm.

All alarms went off throughout the country as people believed it was an attack coming from the north. The entire population thought that a war had started again.

And it was not without reason, as South Korea had been on alert for over half a century, awaiting the day when the current dictator from the neighboring country might unleash hell upon the southern nation.

But no one expected that this mentioned hell seemed to arrive not from the north, but from the sky.

An event that terrified the millions who witnessed it, as they seemed to see for the first time the monstrous force of nature in action, making them feel like mere insignificant beings, both during and after the event!

Quickly, various reports from meteorological agencies of different countries confirmed what the KMA immediately reported after the event ended.

Across the Sea of Japan, the meteorological phenomenon reached the shores of Niigata in Japan; to the west, the Chinese city of Qingdao was also affected.

Monitoring data in the East China Sea spiked with alarm signals, while to the north, alert signals woke up everyone in the Russian port of Vladivostok.

A phenomenon lasting a hundred seconds, which seemed like tens of stormy minutes, enough time to fill the hearts of all Koreans and other inhabitants with fear and unease.

The newly established government of President Moon Joo-jin issued a statement urging everyone to remain calm. While there were no indications of a repeat of such a horrific phenomenon, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Furthermore, this was something that, strange as it may sound, had an explanation.

Just days earlier, NASA had issued an international report on recent solar storms. This would be the only explanation.

They tried to explain the event as a sudden increase in particles emitted by these solar eruptions that reached the magnetosphere, resulting, in an as yet unknown manner, in the accumulation of huge, massively charged condensed clouds, with the consequent outcome.

Furthermore, Korean government entities had announced they would begin deploying both humanitarian aid and infrastructure support to all areas affected by the lightning storm. While most seemed to have struck directly on land, a few affected both housing and individuals.

However, as is typical everywhere, many unreasonable ideas began circulating among the residents trying to explain such a paranormal event.

Some religious figures proclaimed it to be the end of times and called on the entire population to repent for all their sins. Others claimed it was divine intervention that had descended upon the world to usher in a new era for humanity.

The most conspiracy-minded asserted that this was the result of possible weather control experiments by Western governments, such as the HAARP project.

Even a few claimed the event was the result of an attempted alien invasion, which had been thwarted by the intervention of governments worldwide, and that the truth was being concealed.

And it wasn't just in this city or in Korea itself where these ideas spread like water from a burst dam; globally, everyone was debating what the hell had happened in the early hours on that Asian peninsula!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Blue House, locally known as 'Cheongwadae,' is the executive office and official residence of the head of state and government of South Korea.

A place constructed and restructured with extreme care, highlighting the beauty of traditional Korean architecture with some modern elements.

Historically, it had passed through various names and locations, but the current building dates back to 1960 in its current location, north of the Han River.

This place, which at another time would stand out for its tranquility and calm, was now bustling with activity.

And for good reason, as things had been turned upside down by the horrific event that occurred less than half a day ago!

Although only 9 hours had passed since the incident, things were at a critical point.

Different vehicles were arriving and departing with visits from multiple government officials, bringing new information or heading to places where they had been sent to handle all the consequences of the meteorological phenomenon.

As part of all this movement, two black cars parked in front of the main entrance of the first building.

From each car, three people quickly got out, without saying a word they ascended the steps of the entrance to the door, where a woman in office attire seemed to be waiting for them.

"Welcome, Director Lee, the president is expecting you."

With just a few words, the woman greeted the group and then turned to walk inside, followed by the six individuals.

At the head of the six newcomers was the man referred to as 'Director Lee,' an elderly man of seventy or eighty years, who despite his age, had a very firm bearing.

He had an impassive face and calm eyes hidden behind delicate glasses.

Despite his advanced age, he walked briskly but steadily at the front, followed by five middle-aged, sturdy men who exuded a rather intimidating aura.

After a short walk inside the main building, they arrived in front of a modern door heavily guarded by four soldiers.

The door was opened by the woman, who gestured for her companions to enter.

Inside the office, everyone present was busy reading various papers, talking among themselves, or looking at screens on the walls displaying diverse information.

Some were dressed in office suits, others in military uniforms; all were high-ranking officials of the South Korean government.

They were all gathered because of the terrifying atmospheric phenomenon, working tirelessly to assess the current situation.

"President Moon, thank you for seeing us," Director Lee addressed the most important person present after entering the room.

With the arrival of the new visitor, everyone stopped what they were doing and paid attention, as it was rare for Lee Byung-hong, the current director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), to come to this place.

"Thank you for coming, Director Lee," responded a man sitting at the most prominent part of the circular table, not so old and not so gray-haired.

It was the newly elected president of South Korea, Moon Joo-jin, who was visibly tired from everything that had happened so far, as this was his first crisis to face as leader of the nation.

"Don't rise, gentlemen, I'll try to be brief and quick," exclaimed Director Lee as he signaled to one of his companions, who went to a computer and connected a USB terminal.

"I assume everyone present in this room is a person of trust, right, Mr. President?" With Lee's words, the president silently nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on the newcomer.

Only half an hour ago, he had received a call from the elderly Lee requesting an urgent meeting, attended by the most trusted members of the cabinet, including the highest-ranking military officers from each branch.

President Moon didn't know why the old man was asking for such a thing, but knowing his background, it wasn't a trivial matter. So he quickly called his closest collaborators, such as the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Defense, his Prime Minister, and the heads of the army, navy, and air force, among others.

While some had been at the Blue House since yesterday assessing the possible damage from the atmospheric event, having the entire government's high command present was unplanned.

"So it's better that you pay attention to everything you will be told right now."

Positioning himself in front of the office's videowall, the old man looked at everyone just as the map of the Korean Peninsula appeared.

"And if you have questions, think carefully before speaking, because what you are about to hear will be difficult to digest."

Everyone remained silent to hear what the NIS director had to say.

"As you know, at 22:00 local time on Friday, the KMA command center's DISPRE system suddenly detected the presence of the giant storm, unable to respond adequately as it was so rapid and without prior related data."

While the old man spoke, the image showed the process of the storm's spread.

"Even if they had accepted the alert signal firsthand, only fifteen seconds passed between detection and the event's presence. Fortunately for us, the meteorological administration was able to disclose the fortuitous causes of such a natural event, ensuring it was nearly impossible to repeat."

Everyone listened to the old man's words with a serious look, hoping to hear something different from what they already knew beforehand.

That was the content that the KMA director and the spokeswoman said at a press conference in the morning, reassuring all the anxious residents.

"But what wasn't said was that the agency asked the KMA director to report something coherent and rational about the cause of this phenomenon, but no data or related image. Additionally, they were asked to hand over all the equipment involved with the DISPRE system to the NIS for thorough evaluation."

"What did you say?"

"Wait, wait, are you saying the KMA's report isn't real?"

"What the hell?"

Many reactions were heard in the meeting room after hearing Lee's words.

"Why would you do that, Director Lee?"

President Moon spoke inquisitively, while the others frowned at this explicit intrusion into governmental matters.

And for good reason, since the KMA belongs to the Ministry of Environment under the president's command!

What the hell did the NIS have to do with something like a meteorological team from the KMA? Why would they interfere like this?

"Well... if the agency hadn't had prior information about the occurrence of such an event, we wouldn't have had to do it, but this event is more complex than it seems," Director Lee responded calmly.

"The agency had information about something like this?!" It was Lee Jong-chung, the Minister of Defense, who responded surprised.

"Settle down, Minister," the old man spoke, raising a hand to silence the man and any possible questions from the rest. "That's why I say everything is more complex than it seems."

"What do you mean, Director Lee?" President Moon asked again, feeling his anxiety growing.

Although he was the president, he had not even been in office for three months. The old NIS director Lee Byung-hong, who had been involved in 'dirty' government affairs and nearly all of the Asian region since he was young, had conducted various espionage operations for almost half a century, becoming someone to be feared.

Even now, despite being elderly, his influence in the Korean government apparatus was immeasurable.

It would be a lie to say that President Moon didn't have some apprehension towards this old spy.

And now, for the same old man to have called him urgently to talk about the recent phenomenon only made him more anxious.

"What I've told you stems from an intercepted conversation of the American ambassador Lipport, in which we learned that on Friday at 21:45 he received a call from Washington D.C. where he was warned about a possible national event against our country, so precautions were necessary."

Boom!

These simple words from the NIS director resonated in the minds of those present like massive explosions, causing everyone's faces to fill with surprise and dismay!

"What did he say?"

"Did the Americans know about this?!"

"But that's unheard of, it was a natural phenomenon!"

All present in the room were stirred up by these statements, as this could change everything they knew about the strange event!

"Director Lee... the American ambassador spoke to me an hour after the storm and didn't mention anything about it... could you explain more clearly what you just said?"

President Moon, who was also startled by such news, tried to maintain composure as the head of the entire cabinet, overlooking the fact that the NIS was again intercepting calls from high-ranking diplomats.

From what little he knew of the stories told about the NIS's actions, he knew this old fox wouldn't do this without reason.

And it wasn't just President Moon who seemed completely composed, but also an older man dressed in military attire, who remained silent and visibly focused.

The people who had raised their voices tried to calm down upon seeing that their president hadn't lost his composure, feeling embarrassed by their reaction, but their shock didn't disappear.

"The agency learned about it when Ambassador Lipport contacted an NIS member at 22:30 to get information about what we knew about the incident. This member was an 'informant' for the American consulate, but we had detected him for some time, so we managed the information that Westerners would want to obtain through this individual."

Everyone fell silent as they listened to the old director Lee, as they were not only finding out that such a terrifying event possibly wasn't a natural phenomenon, but also that one of their 'allied' countries was obtaining information from their government in apparent secrecy!

And to top it off, the NIS knew all about this national security issue!

"So Director Lee... you found valuable information, didn't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here talking to us."

After a moment of small debates and complaints among the cabinet members, the old military man who had been silent spoke, silencing all murmurs in the room.

Even the old Lee had to close his mouth as a sign of respect, as that person was Kim Geun-joom, the Commander General of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, equally powerful and influential in the country.

"That's right, General Kim," responded the old man. "Because of that intercepted call, we mobilized our agents to monitor all kinds of information regarding the incident. That's why we requisitioned the hard drives of the DISPRE system and interrogated the analyst on duty when it all happened, as only the KMA had some information about such an event."

The old NIS director stepped aside from the videowall, clearing the view for everyone to see.

On the large screen, the cartographic map of the Korean Peninsula appeared.

However, from one moment to the next, a dark and gigantic blot covered the entire map.

"As I said, from the time the DISPRE system alarms sounded to when the event became visible, only fifteen seconds passed. According to various analysts consulted and the KMA director himself, there is no logical reason for such a large storm with so little warning to appear, as that system was designed to detect any phenomenon with several minutes' notice."

After that, the image on the screen changed and showed a satellite image of the planet's surface.

It was an image like those usually shown in various presentations by the American NASA agency.

However, this time it showed something more peculiar.

"In 2012, the North Korean government declared the observation satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 lost, but today we learned that it wasn't so. Due to the critical situation in which both nations find ourselves, my northern counterpart shared these images taken by that satellite which had been over the Japanese territory of Sapporo on a reconnaissance mission just when everything began."

"!"

Everyone was astonished upon hearing this news! If it hadn't been for that storm, this information would have caused a major uproar throughout the country as it was a true matter of national security! How on earth had the North Korean regime managed to keep such information about such a sophisticated and dangerous apparatus a secret?

But, although everyone in the room had these doubts, they were pushed to the back of their minds as they needed to focus on what they were seeing.

On the large screen, a sequence of images showed the Earth's surface over the northern island of the Land of the Rising Sun. Suddenly, interference occurred and a series of lights flashed along the edge of the image.

The satellite's lens turned towards that direction from the maritime region of the Sea of Japan, and what it instantly focused on was the Korean Peninsula.

Then, a series of golden lights began to spread across the entire atmosphere, forming a series of immense patterns.

Huge symbols swirling around a large, intricately designed circle quickly lit up, burning the sky and forming the thick clouds that everyone on the ground had seen.

"In the name of God... what is that?" The Minister of Defense spoke as he stood up, his face completely aghast.

And in the same manner, almost everyone present did the same, with a collective shock never before experienced.

"That, gentlemen, is the phenomenon that the DISPRE system satellites detected and caused the alarm to go off so suddenly, followed by the formation of black clouds and the lightning storm. As you can see, it wasn't a natural phenomenon since the patterns you have seen are, according to our cryptographers, derived from an alphabetization native to our world," spoke the old director Lee with a calm and apparent calm.

"Native to our... world?" General Kim asked slowly.

"That's right," responded the NIS director, making another gesture, changing the image on the large screen and now showing strange text on it.

"We were able to corroborate this by analyzing the data stored by the DISPRE system on its hard drives. When the warning alarm went off, one of the computers linked directly to the main hardware momentarily failed and seemed to shut down, only to restart and begin displaying this 'message' encoded."

Everyone looked at the text without knowing what the hell it could mean or why something like this would appear in the first place.

"Our cryptographers and analysts are working in collaboration with various mathematicians from UNC at full capacity trying to decipher both the symbols of the large formation in the sky and the strange text you are seeing. Unfortunately, we have made no progress... however, what we do know for sure so far is that what happened was not any natural phenomenon."

Pausing for a moment, the old Lee looked at them all before speaking again.

"Gentlemen, it's time to consider that everything that happened in the early hours of today was a major event caused by someone... or something, and we must explore all kinds of ideas about how they managed to do it... from the remote case of a country with super advanced technology, an alien entity... to something magical."

"For God's sake, Director Lee, how can you talk about magic at a time like this?!"

"Obviously, this is some kind of weapon!"

"Even though I'm seeing it... I can't believe someone has the power to do this!"

Everyone started speaking loudly, raising their voices and complaining exasperatedly. This had already reached the point where nerves were about to crack.

And who wouldn't, as this seemed straight out of one of those science fiction movies!

"Silence!!"

In that, General Kim's strong voice resonated throughout the room, silencing the entire high command gathered in this place.

Everyone fell silent as their breaths quickened, as if they still wanted to continue ranting negatively about everything they had just heard.

"Director Lee, I know all of this is too unbelievable... but with the evidence presented... this seems to be almost undeniable... However, how did the Americans find out about this fifteen minutes earlier? Could they have been responsible?"

The old military's question caused everyone to widen their eyes in surprise as amidst all the commotion, they had forgotten about that important piece of information.

"Two hours ago, I contacted CIA Director Phompeos to inquire if his agency knew anything about everything that happened, but as always, he said they couldn't help us as they had nothing and would be willing to cooperate in any investigation."

"However, what I am about to show you next is what the American chancellor spoke with his undercover agent in the NIS yesterday."

The old man moved his arm again, and the screen changed once more, now playing a conversation from an English phone call, which was subtitled for comprehension.

[Ring... ring... ring...]

The ringing tone resonated for a good while until someone picked up the call.

"[It's not a good time to talk, sir]" – the voice of a middle-aged man, speaking in rough English, was heard when the call was answered.

Obviously, it was a Korean speaking in that foreign language.

{Now that the whole hornet's nest is stirred up, it's the best time for some leaks to occur} – the voice of another man, recognized by President Moon as Chancellor Lipport's, was heard – {Tell me what NIS knows about the phenomenon.}

["About the storm? I don't know what you're supposed to want to know, it was just that."]

{Come on, I don't have time to waste, we know that wasn't just a simple storm.}

["Sir, there's a time and place for everything, but right now I'm not being stingy, we really haven't had any movements in the central office about the storm. Yes, it was something really unnatural, but we don't know anything else."]

{That's not what I was informed from D.C. In America, they think it was an attack. I was alerted to a major possible attack on the entire Korean Peninsula fifteen minutes before it happened, so if someone on the other side of the world knew about it, it's more than certain that old Director Lee must know something. Remember, when it comes to North Korea, any threat is real because their nuclear material is no joke.}

A long silence followed after the American chancellor stopped speaking.

And not only was it in the recording, but also in the room where all the country's high command was listening, because this was as surprising as scandalous!

["Are you messing with me?"] – finally spoke the Korean subject.

{Do you think I have time for that?} – the chancellor muttered humorously on the other end of the call.

["Damn... this isn't good... I'm telling you, the old man hasn't made any moves at this time."]

{I know you've worked with us for several years being the most efficient, so I know you'll be able to get some information. Inform me of the most relevant you have as soon as possible.}

["Sir... I'm risking my life and my family for you, so be honest with me, will this apparent attack happen again?"]

{Hah... even I don't know what the hell really happened... the only thing I received were two messages that made me wonder if this was a joke, because of how ridiculous it sounds.}

["What were you told?"]

A new pause was present before the American chancellor continued speaking.

{It doesn't matter if you believe me or not} – the foreigner's voice was accompanied by mockery and suspicion, as well as some fear – {A calamitous disaster will occur worldwide, starting with your country... terrifying things will descend from the skies in a rain of fire like demons... bringing with them a powerful weapon...}

After this, the call was cut off, leaving the entire room in a deathly silence.

"That is a record of the interception made yesterday at 10:30 PM on the cell phone of the informant from the American embassy," said old Lee.

"What the hell... is that true?"

"Do you really want us to believe that all that garbage said... is true?"

"Was this caused by... supernatural things? Do I really have to believe that?"

Everyone felt that their minds couldn't process what they were hearing!

How the hell could something so massive occur in space? Supernatural things, terrifying things descending from the sky? Were they something like extraterrestrials arriving in their country?

And how the hell did men on the other side of the world have knowledge of what would happen in their country?

"Don't tell me the Americans are deceiving us?" – General Kim asked with a heavy voice.

"I don't think so. Knowing the seriousness with which the CIA director works and what Chancellor Lipport does for that agency... it's very difficult for me to believe they would use those terms to refer to anything other than what they meant. Besides, in these past two days, we have worked at full capacity to corroborate the facts. However..."

Here is the translation separated into paragraphs:

The director of the NIS spoke with a concerned tone, surprising everyone as it was the first time since he took office that he showed any emotion.

"However?" – said the old general, noting the evident expression on old Lee's face.

"If we accept the fact that this is something paranormal caused by some entity or weapon, the Americans and the North Koreans will not rest until they find it, so they will try to infiltrate our country, if they haven't already."

Everyone was put on alert by these words, understanding the implications of this!

"So Director Lee," – President Moon, who was already pale-faced, spoke again – "What should we do right now?"

The president was on the verge of a stroke from everything he was hearing. He no longer knew what the hell he should do.

"Gentlemen, we must accept the possibility that this was a true attack against our nation and the perpetrator is very likely something we have never faced before."

The old NIS director spoke with such a serious and dignified tone that it surprised almost everyone in the room, as he now seemed to exude an energy that had been extinguished years ago.

"The main thing is to stay alert but be proactive. So far only the US and North Korea know about this, but I have no doubt that more countries are interested in this. We have detected unusual movement in Japanese, Chinese, and Russian bays, so it is not difficult to imagine their next moves," – said old Lee solemnly.

While old Director Lee was someone who remained calm in any unexpected situation, as he had demonstrated so far, at this moment his patriotic feeling filled him with great conviction in the face of the great threat his country was facing.

And this feeling was shared by everyone present in this room.

"Gentlemen, I will move the entire military unit to DEFCON 3 at this moment," – President Moon stood up and looked at everyone present as he issued his orders.

"Admiral Cheol, relocate the Eastern and Western fleets to a defensive line in the Yellow Sea and the East Sea, also contact Jeju Island to deploy the anchored fleet! General Kim, deploy R.O.K. - S.W.C. special forces in the northern part of the country, furthermore, devise a contingency plan to monitor the northern fronts and American military bases! Call General Director Tae of the National Police, we need to restructure all order in the city."

Everyone began to nod at President Moon's orders as they started making calls or leaving the office to execute them.

"Director Lee, for the moment we need all possible intelligence, so as the country's president, I ask that the agency cooperate with everything it can to defend us from whatever may affect us."

"That's the least I can do, President Moon. While we have had issues in the past, now is when we must stand united to face any attack," – the old director spoke while making a nod to the president.

However, although almost everyone was glad that the NIS was joining this contingency plan, old General Kim looked on from the side with wary eyes.