Episode 8 – Prestige in the Shadows
The city wasn't the same after the rift.
Every nurse, patient, and doctor at Roosevelt Memorial had seen Michael Carter step into the impossible—heal the incurable, command monsters, and send alien beasts fleeing with nothing but his voice.
And yet, inside the hospital walls, betrayal simmered hotter than ever.
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Hospital War
Dr. Lang stormed into the chief's office, slamming files on the desk. "He's a monster! You saw it with your own eyes. He doesn't use medicine—he uses… whatever the fuck that is. You let him stay, and this hospital becomes his playground."
The chief leaned back, cigar smoke curling. "Patients live under Carter. They die under you. Numbers don't lie, Lang."
Lang's face burned red. "You're letting an intern humiliate you! He's fucking nurses, fucking patients' wives, and now he's—"
"Saving lives," the chief interrupted. "That's all that matters."
Lang's jaw clenched. His career was slipping through his fingers, and Carter was untouchable. Unless Lang could find a weakness.
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Heat in the Dark
That night, Michael slipped into an empty stairwell. Jessica was already waiting, eyes wide with desperation.
"They're circling you, Michael. Lang wants your head. But fuck—I can't stay away."
Her lips crashed into his. Hands tangled in his locs, breath ragged. They stumbled against the wall, scrubs tearing, gasps echoing through the stairwell.
"Fuck—Michael," she moaned, body arching against his steady rhythm.
When it was over, she trembled against him, whispering, "You're gonna get us both burned."
Michael lit a blunt, exhaling calmly. "Then let it burn."
⸻
Case #10 – The Rift Patient
The ER doors exploded open at dawn. A man collapsed on the floor—his skin glowing faint green, body flickering in and out like static. Half-human, half-alien. His organs weren't stable, his DNA unraveling.
The attendings froze. "We… we can't operate on this."
Michael pushed forward. His Cross-Species Adaptation surged, mapping the alien strands. His hands glowed brighter, threading his power through the patient's flickering DNA.
The man stabilized, gasping.
"Who… are you?"
Michael smirked. "The cure."
[XP +1,800]
[XP: 6,400 / 5,000]
[Level Up! You are now Level 8 Healer.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Aura of Authority (Leadership Influence).]
His locs glowed faintly under the fluorescent light. His presence filled the room, commanding respect without a word. Nurses straightened unconsciously. Even the chief looked at him with awe.
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Silver Tongue in Action
That afternoon, Lang cornered him in front of staff. "You think you're untouchable, Carter? You're nothing but a freak with a god complex!"
The hallway froze.
Michael stepped close, his Silver Tongue dripping with persuasion, his new Aura of Authority bending the room toward him.
"Lang… walk away before I talk you into digging your own grave."
Lang's face twisted. His fists shook. But his body betrayed him—he stepped back, humiliated, unable to resist Michael's pull.
Whispers erupted. Carter had just shut down a resident with nothing but words.
⸻
The Rift Expands
That night, the rift outside his apartment pulsed violently, glowing brighter than ever. This time, it didn't open in silence.
It roared.
A wave of alien soldiers spilled out, bleeding, screaming, collapsing onto the concrete. Behind them, a towering beast clawed its way through—horned, armored, dripping fire.
Michael's eyes glowed. His locs whipped in the wind. He dropped his blunt and stepped forward.
"Guess tonight's another shift."
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Case #11 – Mass Healing
He unleashed Rapid Multi-Target Healing, light flooding the street, sealing wounds across dozens of alien soldiers. They gasped awake, chanting his name in their tongue.
[XP +3,000]
[XP: 4,200 / 5,000]
The beast roared, charging. Michael didn't fight. He didn't need to.
He stepped forward, voice sharp with Silver Tongue, power magnified by Aura of Authority.
"Leave this world—or I'll erase you myself."
The beast froze, shaking under his command. With a roar, it turned and vanished back through the rift. The tear sealed shut with a hiss.
The soldiers bowed before disappearing after it.
Michael stood calm in the silence, glowing under the city lights.
⸻
Prestige in Sight
Back in his busted apartment, Michael collapsed into his chair, locs hanging loose, smoke curling from his blunt.
His HUD glowed in his head.
[Level 8 – Prestige 0]
[XP: 4,200 / 5,000]
[Skills: Aura of Authority unlocked.]
Almost Level 9. Almost closer to the first Prestige milestone.
His phone buzzed. Dozens of texts—Jessica begging to see him, the senator's wife demanding his presence, nurses sending risky photos. Patients calling him a savior.
He exhaled smoke, grinning.
Two worlds—hospital chaos and multiverse wars. Both trying to break him. Both feeding him.
And he was only getting stronger.
"I'll save them all," he whispered, calm, deadly. "And I'll talk my way through anything. Because I am the cure."