A man hides behind a car, taking occasional peeks. Men of Jund al-Qamar were ransacking the supermarket for food—rarely could anything tasty be found these days in Qamaria (Moon).

  Jund al-Qamar (Soldiers of the Moon) was a resistance force formed under the leadership of Musaudheen Ali to retaliate against the government led by a Christian prime minister.

  As soon as the armed men left the store, the man peeking at them returned to his family, assuring them of the situation outside. They prepared to leave.

  But—

  They did not anticipate another squad patrolling the area.As soon as they left their hideout, the father was struck on the head unexpectedly."Qasim!!" Screamed his wife.

  He blacked out while his family tried desperately to wake him, but the armed men seized them all and loaded them onto a vehicle, taking them away.

  One year prior.

  It was 9:00 AM.The alarm clock was beeping.Qasim woke up, still half asleep.His wife sprinkled water on his face.He grumbled, "Ughh... What was that?"His wife replied, "wake up—it's time for you to get ready for the office."Qasim got out of bed and, after finishing his morning routine, put on his uniform.

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  Meanwhile, his wife was busy feeding their kids breakfast.As he joined them, he talked about the tasks he had lined up for the day. Time seemed to pass quickly, and soon it was time for him to leave.

  He kissed his wife goodbye. She smiled, a soft rose tint forming on her cheeks.He arrived at the office and got on with his day.As the afternoon approached, he and his colleagues sat together, gossiping and eating lunch.

  But then, something unexpected happened.A bright red ball of fire appeared on the horizon.Before they could process it, a shockwave hit—knocking most of them back, killing a few in the process.

  It was the first time Qasim had witnessed someone’s death.Panicking, he pulled out his phone and called his wife.It rang for a minute before she finally picked up.

  "Zahra, zahra? Are you alright?" he asked.

  "dear" she replied, her voice shaking.

  Her breathing grew heavy, and she stumbled over her words."That... that thing appeared very close... to... to our kids’ school. I'm afraid!"

  He answered, tense and trembling, "Don't worry... I'll call their principal."But just as he tried to dial, a plane crashed into the tall skyscrapers nearby.

  He froze, confused.“Is this really happening?” he thought.Panicking, he rushed home, picked up his wife and some valuables, and headed straight to the kids' school, hoping and praying they were alive.

  Thankfully, God answered his prayers—they were safe.He picked them up and began driving toward the airport, which was on the opposite side of the city.

  But halfway there, he saw the full scale of the devastation caused by the bomb.A massive crater of fire and ash now filled the city's skyline, cloaking everything in smoke and silence.

  That day they witnessed a change.

  They thought their lives changed for the worse.

  But the worst was yet to come.