Damien didn't know how long the silence lasted after the Presence faded. It felt like an eternity yet it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. Worse yet, the void felt oppressive with its silence, pressing down on the countless individuals suspended within it.
Then in a blink the world shifted.
One moment, Damien was in the endless dark, surrounded by the billions of people floating in stunned silence, the next, his boots touched solid ground.
Air rushed into his lungs, crisp and cold. And then mana surged through him like liquid fire, carving burning pathways inside his body, his knees buckled and he dropped as he let out a sharp cry of pain.
He could hear all around him as people faced the same as him Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped. He let out a soft gasp of relief, but the pain left a lingering ache in his chest.
Damien braced his palms against the cool, moss-covered ground, his chest heaving as mana continued to swirl in his veins? System? Or pathways? Every breath felt electrified, energizing him, making him feel full to the brim with energy. Around him, groans and cries rose as people pushed themselves upright, blinking at the alien landscape unfolding before them.
It was both familiar and alien. It was a forest but it was unlike anything they had ever seen before, the trees were gargantuan, and glowed with a myriad of colors with the most prominent being various shades of green. Above the canopy swayed gently despite the air being still, showing a glimpse of mana affecting the physical even though minutely.
All around the people watched the surroundings with a mixture of caution, fear and some small amounts of fascination. Some still clutched their chest from the residual pain of the new mana pathways burned into them. Damien saw Chris, his co-worker, doubled over and coughing, and beyond him, the flower seller from across the street sat trembling with her apron gathered tightly in her fists.
"This this…. It can't be real," someone whispered nearby, their voice trembling.
But Damien knew better. His training taught him to read situations quickly, no matter how impossible they seemed. This was real. The crisp bite of the air, the rough texture of moss under his fingertips, the dizzying scent of alien flowers that smelled of mint and thunderstorm, it was all too vivid to be a hallucination or something his brain conjured up. And even if it was everyone should not have been seeing the same thing, so he knew without a doubt that this was very much real.
"AHHHHHHH" A scream tore through the stunned quiet, sharp and terrified. Damien spun towards it, muscles tensed, battle ready.
A young man stumbled backwards from a nearby bush, his eyes wide with horror. The bush shook violently, stilled for a beat, and then a creature emerged. It resembled a massive boar, but where the fur is supposed to be it had what could only be described as pitch-black scales and two long tusks jutted out glowing in a reddish-orange hue just like magma.
Before the man could take three steps more, the boar let out a guttural roar which froze the man dead in his tracks, then the boar let out a stream of fire which burnt the man to crisp.
"Everyone, get back" Damien ordered, stepping forward before he could think, his instincts kicking in, act, analyze, survive. The boar's gaze locked onto him, eyes like molten iron, smoke curling from its flaring nostrils. Its hooves struck the mossy ground, leaving behind smoldering imprints as it lowered its head, tusks glowing brighter, veins of molten orange running through the black scales along its flanks.
Damien's mind snapped into focus, instinct overriding fear.
'No weapons. No cover. Civilians everywhere. Need to move it away.'
The boar's jaw opened, and a rumble vibrated the air as flames began to gather in its throat, light reflecting off the damp moss.
"MOVE!" Damien roared.
The world erupted as the creature spat a torrent of fire, sweeping across the clearing in a blinding wave of heat and light. Damien threw himself sideways, feeling the heat sear past him, the grass hissing as it ignited. Screams filled the air as people scrambled, some falling, others dragging each other away from the inferno.
The blast ended, leaving behind smoldering earth and the charred scent of burned moss.
Damien rolled to his feet, coughing from the acrid smoke, eyes narrowing at the beast as it snorted, molten drool hitting the ground and sizzling.
'Focus, Hayes. It's not invincible. It's just an animal. Think.'
The boar pawed the ground, readying for a charge. Its scales might be thick, but the glowing veins suggested vulnerability. The tusks were dangerous, but if it couldn't see him.
The boar lunged, ground shaking under its weight as it charged straight for him.
Damien sprinted to the side, feeling the rush of air as the boar barreled past, crashing into a tree that splintered under the impact. Mana pulsed visibly around the impact, shimmering like heatwaves, as if the world itself was amplifying the creature's strength.
'The mana here... it's strengthening it. And us too?'
Damien's body felt lighter despite the fear pounding in his chest. Each breath made his muscles feel like coiled springs. He dodged around the creature as it turned, tracking him with burning eyes.
Screams rose again, a teenager had fallen, clutching a twisted ankle, the boar's head snapping toward the sound.
"No!" Damien sprinted forward, closing the distance as the boar began its charge again toward the teen.
Without thinking, Damien grabbed a fist-sized rock from the ground, mana humming beneath his fingers, and hurled it with all his strength.
The stone flew faster than it should have, a blur that slammed into the side of the boar's head with a crack, knocking it off balance. The creature roared in pain, skidding to the side, its molten eyes flaring in fury.
'So, mana enhances everything, even strength...'
The teen scrambled away, sobbing, as Damien positioned himself between the boar and the others, chest heaving.
"Come on, then," Damien growled, raising his arms, planting his feet.
The boar charged.
Time seemed to slow, every breath loud in Damien's ears, the mana in the air pulling at him, urging him, calling him to move.
He waited until the last moment, then stepped to the side, grabbing a thick fallen branch, swinging it like a bat. The branch, imbued with the swirling mana around them, cracked across the boar's tusk, shattering into splinters but diverting its head just enough that it stumbled, skidding past Damien and crashing into another tree with a thunderous crack.
Damien backed away, panting, eyes flicking around. People were watching, some frozen, others helping the injured. A few were picking up rocks, broken branches, and jagged shards of bark.
The boar struggled to its feet, shaking its head, molten blood dripping from a cracked tusk.
Damien's eyes narrowed. 'We can fight it. We have to. This is the new world now.'
"Listen up!" Damien shouted, turning to the crowd. "If we don't work together, it'll pick us off one by one! Grab rocks, sticks, anything! When it charges, we hit it from the sides!"
The boar's head snapped toward Damien, its maw opening in a molten roar.
Damien clenched his fists, stepping forward to meet it.
'Genesis has begun. And we either adapt... or die'.
The boar roared, smoke curling from its molten tusks, as it lowered its head for another charge.
Damien's heart pounded, but his mind was clear. He glanced around—people were clutching rocks and branches, their eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.
"Wait for it!" Damien called, stepping sideways to draw the boar's focus. "Hit it from the sides when it charges!"
The creature dug its hooves into the moss, smoke billowing with every breath as it locked onto Damien. Its body tensed.
'Now.'
It lunged, the ground shaking under its massive weight as it charged straight for him, molten eyes fixed on his chest.
Damien ran, weaving between the towering, glowing trees, the boar crashing through branches as it followed. He led it in a curve, forcing it to slow as it turned. The crowd scattered, some shouting, others screaming, but a few, just a few held their ground, ready.
As the boar thundered past them, rocks flew. One struck its eye, making it shriek in pain, another hit its jaw, bouncing off the scales but distracting it. A man swung a heavy branch at its hind leg, making it stumble.
The boar turned, enraged, mouth opening in a blast of fire, but Damien rushed in, seizing a long, jagged branch. The heat singed his skin, but he gritted his teeth and lunged, driving the branch into the boar's glowing eye with a crunch.
The creature screamed, the sound piercing, shaking the air itself.
It stumbled back, thrashing, blood—molten and hissing—spilling down its face as it swung its tusks wildly. The few who had joined Damien struck again, hurling rocks, stabbing with broken branches, beating against its legs as it staggered.
Another woman, face pale but eyes sharp, jammed a sharpened stick into its other eye as it reared back.
The boar shrieked one last time, a sound that echoed through the glowing forest, before it collapsed with a heavy thud, steam rising from its wounds as its molten blood seeped into the moss, burning it.
Silence fell.
The air was thick with the scent of smoke, burned moss, and something that was like a weird mix of iron and ozone. Damien stood over the beast's massive body, chest heaving, sweat and soot streaking his skin.
His hands were shaking.
Not from fear, he realized but from the adrenaline still pumping in his veins. Around him, others slowly lowered their weapons, their faces pale, eyes wide.
Someone sobbed, dropping to their knees. Another began laughing, hysterical and breathless.
They had survived.
Damien exhaled, his shoulders dropping, but his eyes remained sharp as he scanned the clearing.
People began to gather, drawn by the sight of the fallen creature. Some stared at it in horror, others with a dawning realization.
A woman business attire torn and face smudged with dirt, stepped forward, looking at Damien.
"What... what do we do now?" she asked, voice trembling.
Damien wiped sweat from his brow, looking around at the dozens of people standing among the towering, glowing trees.
Some were injured, clutching burns or scrapes, others were comforting each other. They all looked to him, eyes full of fear, desperation, and something else, hope.