Outside the classroom, the world was falling apart. Chaos exploded like wildfire—news reports flooded every screen, and social media buzzed with wild theories. Some claimed it was the end of the world, others believed it was a test from the gods. But none of it changed reality.
Survival was now the only thing that mattered.
The Elites didn't come alone, portals opened and several low—ranking Geminis poured out from different parts of the world. The scene was a nightmare.
In the middle of the madness, Mario and a group of students managed to seize one of the school buses. Ms. Jasmine, their English teacher, sat tensely at the front, her knuckles white around the steering wheel. The rest of the students squeezed into the seats, barely speaking. The bus was hot, cramped, and smelled like sweat and panic—but nobody cared. They were alive, and that was enough.
"Ms. Jasmine... I think Zane is still inside the classroom," a quiet girl with red hair said from the back. She wasn't part of any group—never picked sides, never joined in the bullying. But now, her voice shook with something else: fear... and guilt.
Ms. Jasmine didn't turn. She stared straight ahead, her jaw tight.
Mario scoffed. "Are you stupid or something?"
The girl flinched.
"If you're so worried," Mario continued, sneering, "why don't you go back and save him yourself?"
"He's not a child. If he was left behind, then he only has himself to blame," Jasmine said coldly. She then drove off with high speed.
They couldn't afford to wait. A single F-Rank elite Gemini had wiped out nearly half the school in minutes. If it spotted them, it was over. Everyone knew it.
The girl opened her mouth as if to speak again but said nothing. Her lips trembled. In the end, she just looked away.
Inside the ruined classroom, Zane bled.
His back slid against the wall as he tried to stay upright, smearing blood along the cracked white paint and broken tiles. Glass crunched beneath him. Smoke drifted in from a hole in the hallway, filling the air with the sharp scent of burning metal and scorched plastic.
"You really are something," the Whisperkin hissed in a tone like wind slipping through a grave. It moved like a shadow, slow and deliberate.
"Out of all the worlds I've burned, I've never seen anything quite as pathetic as you. Your own people left you behind. Like garbage."
Zane didn't flinch. He was too tired to feel anything.
"What does it matter? You're going to kill me anyway," he said, his voice low and cracked. Blood dripped from his temple, tracing a slow path down his cheek.
'Why did Master send me to this pathetic planet? What's worse, I had to possess the body of a lowly Gemini to infiltrate the Tutorial in order not to draw the attention of the system. It's not like I'll find a worthy candidate here, all the previous candidates weren't compatible, and they were strong too. Well, whatever, let's just play along.'
The Whisperkin tilted its body, intrigued. "Hmm… interesting. You're scared, but not of me. I can sense it."
It crouched closer, as if sniffing the air like a predator.
"What is it you fear, human?" it hissed telepathically. "Tell me, and I'll grant you one wish before I take your pathetic life."
Across the globe, panic tightened its grip. Blake Walker—Zane's father, also the brilliant leader of the United Security Federation (USF)—knew what had to be done.
While the world's armies struggled to adapt, he moved fast. Under his command, emergency meetings were held through screens, and defensive fortresses began to rise—massive bunkers armed with nuclear weaponry and layered security grids. They chose places like a big mall, or a football park, or large place and put such defensive measures in place, since they didn't have the time to build anything from scratch. The military would then rescue survivors and bring them to those places—the zones.
But even protection had a price.
Blake proposed this new system—zones, ranked from the most valuable to the least. It was cold, brutal… and necessary.
Zone SS+: Reserved for world leaders. Presidents, prime ministers—those needed to maintain order and lead humanity through the storm. The main SS+ bunker would be located in the United States, but each country would have theirs. This zone would contain the greatest amount of military force.
Zone S: Scientists, top-tier engineers, and elite doctors. People who could rebuild civilization when it was over, provided a miracle happened.
Zone A to E: Skilled workers, soldiers, and ordinary citizens with something to offer.
Zone F: The truth no one said out loud. It wasn't a real zone. It meant you were on your own—walking prey for the Gemini. A death sentence wrapped in silence.
And while the world scrambled to adjust, one boy bled alone behind a classroom door.
Zane coughed hard, blood spilling from the corner of his lips and dripping down his chin. Each breath burned, shallow and sharp, like broken glass scraping his lungs.
The Whisperkin loomed nearby, its shadowy form flickering in the dim light like a dying flame. It moved without sound, its long claws scratching the floor.
"What do you fear?" it asked again, but this time its tone was softer—calmer inside Zane's head. Like it genuinely wanted to know.
Zane barely lifted his head. His eyelids were heavy, vision blurry. But his voice, though hoarse, came out steady.
"I'm afraid… my stupid father will abandon my little sister."
The Whisperkin tilted its head, pausing for a moment.
Zane's breathing grew more ragged, his chest rising and falling in uneven waves.
"He left me behind without a second thought. He won't think twice doing the same to Ariel."
His fingers dug into the cracked, blood-soaked floor. Nails scraped against the stone, leaving marks.
"She's all I have left," he said, his voice breaking just a little. "I just want to know if she's okay."
'Should I choose him as the twentieth heir? No, he has strong resolve and a fearless spirit that's true, but he lacks the strength to back it up. Maybe...'
The room fell into an eerie silence. No wind. No sound. Only the faint hum of darkness swirling around them.
The Whisperkin moved a step forward, then it slowly lowered itself beside Zane.
"You don't fear death," it said, almost impressed. "You fear what it leaves behind."
It leaned in closer, its cold presence chilling the air.
"Very well. A deal is a deal."
Zane blinked. "What…?"
"I will send you to the place your heart longs for," it said, placing a shadowy hand over his chest. "You get one look. After that, you return here—to die by my hand. And if you show the slightest resistance… your sister will die along with you. Now think of the person and you will reach them."
Zane's heart froze.
Before he could speak, a pulse of dark energy surged through his body. For one brief second, the pain vanished. His body floated weightlessly, surrounded by swirling shadows.
Then....everything went dark.
A blast of black light tore through a quiet military zone.
Zane crashed onto solid ground with a thud, groaning as he rolled over. Cold concrete scraped his arms. His body ached all over. His clothes were torn, soaked in blood. But none of that mattered.
Alarms wailed.
Soldiers spun around, weapons raised, their voices barking through the noise.
"Where did he come from?!"
"Don't move!"
Zane barely heard them. His eyes were locked on the massive steel gate just ahead. Letters painted in bold red:
ZONE SS+. Blake had chosen one of the strongest military zones to be the Zone SS+ of the United States.
He stared at it, heart pounding. His breathing hitched as he realized where he was.
He was the second son of the Walker family—Blake Walker's son. His father had five children. Four boys and one girl.
High above, behind layers of bulletproof glass, a tall man stood.
Blake Walker.
Standing beside him was a girl in her early teens with golden hair tied in loose braids. Her face peeked over Blake's arm, eyes wide and beautiful.
"...Ariel," Zane whispered, his throat tightening.
She was safe.
His brothers stood behind Blake, whispering among themselves, confused by the sudden appearance of the bloodied boy outside their gate.
But Blake wasn't confused.
He was staring right at him.
For the first time in years, father and son locked eyes. No words. No emotions. Just a storm of things left unsaid.
Zane didn't wave. Didn't smile. He just stood there—eyes locked on his father, the man he wanted to kill.
A faint whisper brushed past his ear like wind blowing through an open grave:
"One look. That is all."
Darkness slammed into him again.
He crashed to the ground, landing where the Whisperkin had stood moments before.
Zane groaned, but then smiled faintly. "Thank you."
The Whisperkin tilted, its smoky body swaying. "You're about to die, and you're thanking me? Strange one."
'I'm beginning to like this guy more and more. Fine, let's just test him, if he passes, I'll name him the twentieth heir, though I doubt he would survive.'
It leaned in close, tone low and rumbling.
"Before I kill you, I'll let you in on something very interesting."
Zane didn't speak. He just watched in silence. For a creature that was supposedly F-rank, it had learned human speech in mere minutes. That was terrifying.
"I haven't sensed anyone strong enough to put up any resistance on this planet, there no Awakeners, neither are there Rankers," the Whisperkin hissed. "So, how long do you think it'll take me to wipe out all twelve billion humans?"
Zane flinched.
"Three days," it answered with a grin. "That's all it would take. Your sister will be one of them. It'll be less if the other six join me, maybe a few hours."
Zane's mind raced.
'It was right, I just asked to know if Ariel was safe, it's not like she's going to be safe forever with these terrifying beings around.' Zane's heart sank at the thought.
"But I have taken a liking to you," the Whisperkin hissed in telepathy. "So I'll make you an offer."
Zane looked up, desperate. "I'll do anything."
The Whisperkin raised its long dark hand. "Don't be so quick to agree. I'm going to send you to someone… someone who will train you. If you survive the first test, you'll gain the strength to protect your planet, while you are gone, I'll make sure no Elite makes a move."
Zane clenched his jaw. "Then send me." He wasn't sure about protecting the planet but he felt he needed all the help he could get.
"Bold. But before you go, just know this—he has trained eighteen trillion before you."
It leaned closer, whispering the final truth.
"Only five survived. They are known as the five Zodiacs of the golden generation."
Zane didn't even flinch.
"Interesting. Survive human, and I'll give you a present."
With a wave of his long hand, a swirling portal ripped open in the air.
Without hesitation, Zane stepped into it.
[SYSTEM NOTICE – GLOBAL BROADCAST]
OBJECTIVE: Survive. Adapt. Evolve.
Current Planetary Evaluation: RANK F (Extreme Risk)
Global Clearance Rate: 0.7%
Awakened Individuals Detected: 0
Highest Known Combatant: Omega Rank (Nay)
World Guardian: [UNASSIGNED]
Hero Candidates: [UNDER REVIEW]
Potential for Apex Evolution: < 0.01%
Hope Index: 1.2%