The Awakening
Morgan Knoway opened his eyes to a sky he didn't recognize.
It wasn't the sterile white ceiling of a hospital. It wasn't the flickering lights of his lab. It was… violet. Split by twin moons. The air shimmered with particles that danced like fireflies. He lay on damp moss, surrounded by towering trees that looked like polished metal. The silence was deafening.
His body felt different—lighter, stronger, but raw. He sat up slowly, heart pounding.
"This isn't Earth," he whispered.
88
But it was. Or at least, it used to be.
Suddenly, a rustle.
A blur darted through the trees. A man—completely naked—leaping from branch to branch with unnatural speed. His skin glowed faintly, veins pulsing with blue light. His eyes locked onto Morgan.
"You're not marked!" the man snarled. "You don't belong here!"
Morgan scrambled to his feet.
"I don't even know where 'here' is!"
The man roared and lunged. Morgan ran. His legs moved faster than he remembered—trees blurred past, the ground bent beneath his feet. He was accelerating, instinctively tapping into something deeper.
Then—everything froze.
A glowing panel appeared in front of his face, floating mid-air. It pulsed with symbols and data. A voice echoed in his mind:
SYSTEM INITIATED
"Subject: Morgan Knoway. Status: Recovered. Time lapse: 73 years, 4 months, 6 days. Location: Earth—Sector Vireon."
Morgan blinked. Before he could process it, a monstrous creature burst from the underbrush—a Rift Beast, six-legged, armored, with a mouth full of rotating fangs.
He didn't hesitate. His hands glowed. He moved faster than thought. He struck. The beast collapsed in a heap of steam and shattered bone.
Breathing hard, Morgan stood over it.
Then came the voices.
Figures emerged from the trees—cloaked, masked, and armed. Their masks were made of glass, their weapons carved from crystal. They surrounded him, cautious.
"He killed a Rift Beast. Alone," one whispered.
"That's impossible. He's not marked. He's not one of us."
The leader stepped forward, her mask etched with symbols.
"Who are you, stranger? What realm do you come from? What power do you carry?"
Morgan raised his hands slowly.
"I'm Morgan Knoway. I woke up here. I don't know how. I don't know why."
The leader studied him.
"You wear no mark. You carry no scent. Yet you move like one of the Forged. If you are lying, you'll die. If you're telling the truth… you may be the one we've waited for."
Morgan clenched his fists. He didn't trust them—but he had no choice.
"Then start talking. Because I'm done running."