As the Seven Singularities stood before the obelisks and absorbed the gravity of their destiny, a secondary wave of revelation swept across the cities. It did not arrive as a vision or an instinctive pull—it came as a system broadcast, cold and mechanical, yet undeniable in its authority. This transmission did not target the masses, nor the Monarchs.
It was for the Ascendants and the Bearers.
They were the humans who sat just beneath the Singularities—those with rare talents, early-activated traits, or system-enhanced aptitudes. Unlike the millions still fumbling through the basics of survival, these chosen few had earned the right to clarity, and now, the system gave them purpose.
[Notice: Group Formation Access Granted to Ascendants and Bearers]
[Clarification: Ascendants may initiate and lead Groups. Bearers may serve as Secondaries. All others may join by invitation only.]
The system named them with brutal efficiency:
Ascendants – The upper echelon. Elite combatants, strategists, or power-synergists marked by early access to mid-tier skills and stat bonuses. Capable of leading others.
Bearers – The tier below them. Not leaders, but gifted. Trusted to serve as the nerve centers of future squads. Their roles were tactical, adaptive, and quietly vital.
And then came the deeper rules—etched into the minds of every Ascendant simultaneously.
Only they could form Groups—small armies under a single banner.
A Group could have no more than 5,000 general-class humans.
No one outside of Ascendant or Bearer classification could start or manage one.
Each Sanctuary City would host one Guild only—the apex force recognized by the system and the Profiteers. Its leadership had already been chosen. No votes. No petitions. No appeals. The Guild Masters, like the Singularities, were preselected.
However, all was not set in stone.
[Directive: You have 90 Days to Form and Register a Group]
[Warning: Only the Top 100 Ranked Groups Will Qualify to Join the Guild's Core Force.]
[Failure to Qualify May Result in Loss of Access to Higher-Tier Dungeons, Gear, and Guild Support.]
And finally, the warning that rang louder than the rest:
[Regret is a weak currency. Strength decides access. Decide quickly. Move decisively.]
What followed was not panic.
It was ambition.
In every Sanctuary City, the same shift took place—like the first tremors before tectonic plates lock into position. Ascendants stopped wandering. Bearers ceased their quiet testing of new weapons or training fields. The moment the system finished speaking, everyone who had been chosen began to move. Not together. Not yet. But with direction.
In Rudraak, the golden-veined city of living wood and glowing rootways, it was like watching a silent signal flare over a battlefield. The canopy walkways filled with sudden traffic. Dozens of Ascendants found one another without ever having met before. It was in their gait, their poise, the way they didn't hesitate when their interface updated. They knew.
One stepped up onto a high terrace grown into the shape of an open hand, vines coiled into seating tiers. He turned and raised his voice—barely. No skill, no amplification, just presence.
"I'm forming now. Calling it The Hollow Fang. Those who want to run hard, fast, and first—line up. The rest of you can follow later."
That's all it took.
Half a dozen others began broadcasting recruitment messages, some subtle, some aggressive. Small knots formed in secluded alcoves or beneath crystalline leaffall. Bearers quickly aligned themselves with the strongest offers. In less than two hours, the first twenty groups were unofficially born—no names registered, no paperwork filed, but alliances already drawn in silent lines.
The Profiteers did nothing to intervene. They simply watched.
By the end of the first day, more than 200 unofficial groups were taking shape across the world. By the third, recruitment posters—simple projected glyphs—floated near gathering points.
In Rudraak, the central plaza known as the Murkroot Basin became a hub for new leadership. Anyone with a voice, a skill, or the confidence to command found themselves auditioning—formally or otherwise. There were duels, demonstrations, even heated debates held in the open, where onlookers judged with interest. Not just power was being measured, but charisma, planning, and resolve.
The term Guild carried more weight than any of them had guessed.
Everyone now knew that if they failed to align with one of the top 100 groups, they would be locked out of the guild's favor—and the privileges it brought. Better weapons. Earlier dungeon access. Strategic protections during Threshold Events.
And there was no second chance.
Some tried to fake confidence. Others immediately deferred, joining the first charismatic leader they found. A few—quiet and dangerous—bided their time, watching from the fringes for the perfect opportunity.
But the pressure mounted.
Everyone had seen the same message:
[Only 100 Will Rise. The Rest Will Follow. Or Be Forgotten.]
Across all cities, the competition escalated. Old nationalities faded into irrelevance. What mattered now was results.
In Sutharra, one Ascendant took control of an old sports arena and turned it into a live-fire training gauntlet—open to anyone who could survive. The top ten survivors would be offered membership. People bled for a spot.
In Ardenya, a woman called Astra of the Veil declared that her group would consist only of those who had never killed in the old world. A vow of bloodless ascent. And somehow, she gathered hundreds.
In Norhavn, brute force ruled. An ex-mercenary named Darek Kaine broke the ground with his fists to mark his territory and invited anyone who thought they could lead better to try him. Two did. Neither walked away.
And in Rudraak, the largest crowd slowly began to form beneath a canopy bridge carved with three concentric rings. A silent man had appeared there. No announcements. No offers. He simply waited, seated on the edge of the wood.
When asked what his group would be called, he said only:
"Whatever survives."
His name was not widely known. Not yet. But his silence drew Bearers like wind to dry grass.
Not all groups would last. Not all leaders would remain.
But the seeds were being planted.
And soon, the harvest would begin.
For those outside the Ascendant and Bearer brackets, confusion remained. Most didn't even know what had changed—only that some people were suddenly moving with purpose.
Some would be lucky enough to be recruited.
Others would beg for it.
But as the first week of The Reaping's second phase closed, one thing became certain:
No one would survive this world alone.
And those who failed to choose a side... would have no one to blame when the doors closed.
___________________________________________
So, we finally learned about Ascendants and Bearers—those rare few who start with an edge over everyone else. No choice, no training… they simply are.
👉 Question of the Day: If you found out someone in your group was secretly an Ascendant or Bearer, would you trust them or see them as a threat? 🤔
Comment your thoughts below—I'm curious how you'd feel about people born with such an unfair head start.