Chapter 2: The First New Rules
Kaelen wasn't running with the crowds that stampeded towards any possible exit. He realized that panic was the first enemy in this new world. His body, which had felt strange pulsations since the morning, now seemed more alert, as if every muscle was taut and ready in a way he had never known before. Thick dust filled his lungs, but his gaze remained focused, observing the chaos around him and the entities slowly but steadily flowing from the celestial rifts.
These entities were closer to embodied nightmares. Some possessed slender, coiling arms ending in sharp claws, while others were amorphous, glowing masses of distorted energy that emitted shrill, metal-scraping sounds. They didn't yet have a clear objective beyond mere existence, but their presence was enough to instill terror and despair.
Suddenly, a faint blue glow emanated from the largest rift in the sky again, but this time it wasn't random. The light settled on several students in the square, including Kaelen. He felt a stronger prickle, like a cold electric current flowing through his veins. And at that exact moment, directly before his eyes, with incredible clarity, a semi-transparent information box glowed with a neon blue light.
It wasn't a physical box; it floated in his field of vision, unobscured by anything. Text written in a strange but somehow understandable language began to appear within it:
[System Activation Commencing...][Analyzing Host Compatibility...][Host: Kaelen. Affinity: Cosmic (High)][Awakening Detected: Dimensional Vision, Mana Manipulation (Dormant)][World Conversion Protocol Initiated: Level 1]
Kaelen was the only one who seemed to see this box. The others affected by the blue glow either froze in place for a moment, then fell to the ground unconscious, or began to convulse violently as if electrocuted.
"What the hell is this?" Kaelen muttered, his eyes narrowing as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. The word "System" echoed in his mind, but it was unlike any computer system he knew. It was like a video game, but painfully real.
The box vibrated again, and new text appeared:
[Objective: Survive. Reward: Basic System Access]
This was the first rule: survive. In that moment, he didn't know how he would do it, but the promise of "Basic System Access" was enough to awaken his curiosity. He quickly glanced at his fellow students, who were still screaming and running, but his gaze stopped at the void left by the fallen massive pillar at the university's entrance. That might be an exit, or at least, a hiding spot.
As the chaos escalated, and the terrified human screams were no longer the only dominant sound—now mixed with unearthly screeches from the torn sky—Kaelen decided to move. He didn't run towards the main gate, which resembled a choking point for the panicked masses, but instead headed towards the adjacent buildings, specifically the back corridors leading to the old underground laboratories. That area was partially deserted, often used by diligent students seeking quiet study away from the noise.
He saw some students trying to hide in nearby classrooms, but Kaelen realized that the glass walls and large windows would offer little protection against the incoming entities. These entities were growing denser, and some began to descend to the ground, making faint but terrifying thudding sounds.
With calculated steps amidst the falling debris, Kaelen made his way. Suddenly, his foot slipped on a wet piece of concrete, and he fell. In that moment, he saw the first entity in full clarity. It resembled an "Intruder"; a slender being, the height of an adult man, but its body was composed of faintly glowing green fibers, and its eyes were mere dark holes in its featureless face. It moved slowly, but every movement hinted at latent power.
As the Intruder approached, another blue flash appeared in Kaelen's field of vision, but this time it wasn't an information box. It was a power gauge above the Intruder's head:
[Threat: Mutated Humanoid (First Wave)][HP: 100/100][Strength: Low][Speed: Medium]
"System?!" Kaelen muttered in astonishment, slowly realizing this wasn't an illusion. "Is this real?"
He scrambled to his feet, using a cracked wall for support. The Intruder was now only a few meters away, its slender arms slowly swaying in the air. Kaelen was unarmed, possessing no apparent powers. But the System's promises still echoed in his mind. This event, and this creature, shouldn't have existed. Yet, they did. And now, he had to either escape, or confront it.
Kaelen didn't give himself the option of escaping. There was something in the Intruder's slow gaze, and its strange body movements, that sparked an instinctive feeling in Kaelen that he could handle this threat. It wasn't foolish bravery, but a sudden realization that his body was responding differently. As the Intruder took another step, swinging its arm towards Kaelen, the latter didn't retreat. Instead, Kaelen leaped aside with unexpected agility, dodging the blow that was enough to cause him serious injury. It was a quick movement, as if time had slowed for a moment, allowing him to see the trajectory of the strike and avoid it with ease.
Kaelen used the momentum, pushing himself forward, targeting a faint glowing point in the center of the Intruder's translucent body. He delivered a powerful punch, using all his might, towards that spot. In that moment, he felt as if a dormant energy had gathered in his fist. It was an ordinary punch, but what happened next was not. As soon as his fist touched the creature, a faint blue glow emanated from his hand, visible only to Kaelen himself, and the glow pierced the Intruder's body.
A sharp, agonizing screech erupted from the creature, like breaking glass. The Intruder shook violently, its glowing fibers unraveling, and then it collapsed to the ground, slowly transforming into glowing green ash that faded into the air.
[Threat Eliminated: Mutated Humanoid (First Wave)][XP Gained: 50]
Another notification appeared, and then immediately afterward, a new, larger window:
[Achievement Unlocked: First Blood!][Reward: Basic Mana Control Skill unlocked. Attribute Points: +2]
Kaelen felt a sudden surge of energy in his body. He didn't know what "Mana" was, but he realized this wasn't just an ordinary punch. It was the first step on his new path. He looked at the fading ash, then at the rifts in the sky. This was just the beginning.
Kaelen clearly realized that what was happening transcended natural disasters or any familiar human conflict. This was something coming from a place humanity had never imagined existed. And in that moment, amidst the collective terror surrounding him, his feeling wasn't just a survival instinct, but a cold certainty that his family was in danger. This certainty was the fuel that ignited an unforgiving resolve within him. If he wanted to find his family and protect them from this new world, he had to possess Power, to transform himself into an unchallengeable force, no matter the cost.