The city lights flickered as dusk settled over the sprawling metropolis. Hovercars streaked above like luminous serpents, and the streets hummed with energy. Biro walked alone, senses alert, instincts sharper than ever. The fragment within him pulsed softly, a constant, subtle presence-a companion, a guide, a whisper from the remnants of his primordial bloodline.
After the Awakening Ceremony, he had wandered the streets, following his instincts, observing minor rifts and anomalies, cataloging their faint energies. Faint disturbances in the air, minor monsters appearing briefly before retreating, energy surges in places unseen by ordinary eyes-all these signs spoke to him in a language only he could begin to understand.
He paused near a narrow alley where the evening air felt heavier, tinged with the scent of ozone. A faint ripple shimmered in the space ahead, invisible to ordinary vision. The fragment pulsed strongly, almost urgently. Biro crouched, instinctively hiding behind a pile of crates, and studied the distortion.
Then, without warning, a figure appeared.
It was humanoid, tall, cloaked in a dark robe that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Its face was obscured by a hood, but a faint glow emanated from beneath, like stars trapped in a shadow. The air around it shimmered subtly, bending in impossible ways, as though space itself acknowledged its presence.
Biro's instincts flared. He should have been terrified, yet something deeper stirred within him-a recognition, faint and instinctive.
[System Panel - Mentor Encounter Detected]
Entity Type: Omniversal Guide /Mentor
Access: Granted to MC only
Power Level: Unknown / Beyond
conventional ranking
Notes: Appears once per Talent
Level; guidance for mastery of new
powers.
The figure's voice broke the silence, resonating not as sound but as comprehension. "Biro Kael," it intoned, "you are awakening. The fragment stirs within you. Yet, raw instinct alone is not enough. You must learn to guide it, to shape it, to understand its potential."
Biro froze, his pulse quickening. The panel's words glimmered faintly before his eyes, symbols dancing across his vision. He took a cautious step forward. "Who... who are you?" His voice trembled slightly, though his body remained calm, honed by instinct and fragment-driven reflexes.
The mentor tilted its head, a gesture almost curious. "I am a guide of the Omniversal Authority. I appear to those chosen to surpass ordinary limits. You are one such being. Your fragment is incomplete, yet it carries echoes of primordial power. You must awaken it carefully. Your instincts are the first step, but you will need more."
Biro's mind raced. Questions flooded him: What is this fragment? How does it connect to his true power? Why now? Yet the mentor spoke not in direct answers but in subtle guidance."Observe first," the figure continued. "Feel the flow of energy around you, the distortions in reality. Each rift is a lesson; each encounter is a key. You must adapt and grow, but always with awareness."
Instinctively, Biro extended his hand, and the fragment pulsed in response. A small orb of light, raw and unstable, hovered above his palm. The mentor inclined its head slightly. "Good. Control is emerging. But remember, this is only the beginning. Your survival will depend not on power alone, but on strategy, perception, and restraint. You are more than the fragment-more than this world sees."
For a long moment, neither spoke. Biro's eyes traced the mentor's form, noting subtle distortions in space around it, the faint shimmer of light bending unnaturally, the quiet aura that radiated unmeasurable power. He understood instinctively that this being existed outside ordinary classification, that it was tied not just to rifts or monsters but to the very threads of reality.
Then, as silently as it appeared, the mentor began to fade, the air around it solidifying into normalcy. "I will return when your Talent reaches a new stage. For now, learn. Observe. Survive."
The alley was quiet once more. Biro remained still, chest heaving slightly, the fragment in his palm settling into a low, steady hum. His mind raced with possibilities, theories, and strategies. He had survived rifts, honed his instincts, and now had a guide-mysterious, omniversal, and infinitely powerful.
Somewhere high above, unseen by ordinary eyes, his parents observed from the shadows. Their expressions were unreadable, a mixture of caution and pride. They did not intervene; the mentor's emergence was part of the journey they had carefully orchestrated. Biro did not yet know his true heritage, nor the Mythic-level bloodline concealed even from him. That knowledge would come only when he reached the level to wield it without risk.
Biro clenched his fist, feeling the pulse of the fragment echoing the mentor's words. His instincts were growing, but now he had guidance, subtle and cryptic. Survival alone
would not suffice-he had to learn to command the fragment, to shape his instincts into power, to prepare for the rifts, monsters, and challenges that awaited him in this city and beyond.
For the first time, Biro Kael felt the faint thrill of destiny stirring beneath the surface.
And destiny, it seemed, had begun to watch him closely.