The night cracked open like thunder.

Jungkook shot up from his couch, the movie on his TV long forgotten as every window in the house shook—violently. A low, echoing boom rippled through the air, too sharp for thunder, too heavy for fireworks. The lights flickered once. Silence followed.

He stood frozen, heart thrumming in his chest. Then, something screamed through the sky.

A burning trail of light tore across the clouds, flaming gold and violet, like a comet crashing far too close. It spiraled downward—fast, uncontrollable—and then it slammed into the woods just behind his backyard. Trees snapped. The earth shook. A blinding light burst outward for a second before vanishing into darkness again.

Jungkook was already moving. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he flung open the back door and ran barefoot into the grass, his mind racing. Shirtless, sweat still clinging to his skin from his evening run, he darted through the overgrowth and vaulted the low fence like muscle memory.

Smoke curled from the impact site. He coughed, waving it away, eyes darting around.

Then he saw him.

In the center of the small crater, half-buried in scorched earth and shattered feathers, lay a man—no, something more than a man. His chest rose in shallow breaths, bare skin marked with streaks of ash and blood. His wings were massive and ruined, one bent at an unnatural angle, feathers torn and charred at the edges. They shimmered faintly, like the embers of a dying star.

Jungkook stopped, wide-eyed, heart in his throat.

"What the hell…" he whispered, breath catching.

The stranger's head turned weakly, revealing a blood-slick jaw, lips cracked, eyes dim—but alive. There was a weight to his presence, something ancient and celestial. Something beautiful, even in destruction.

Jungkook took a shaky step forward, voice low but steady despite the chaos around him. "Hey. Can you hear me? Are you—are you okay?"

No answer. Just a groan.

The fallen being tried to move, wincing hard, his wings twitching helplessly against the broken ground. A low, guttural sound left his throat—half pain, half fury.

Jungkook hesitated only a second longer, then moved closer, crouching beside him with careful hands. He didn’t understand what he was seeing, but he knew one thing for certain—

No one falls from the sky like that and survives without a reason. And no one with wings like those ends up in someone’s backyard by accident.