The morning sun cast long shadows across Eldoria Training Grounds. Thousands of recruits stood in perfect formation.
Instructor Harlan Keane's voice boomed across the field.
"Recruit 7423!"
"Present, sir!"
"Recruit 7424!"
"Present, sir!"
"Recruit 7425!"
"Present, sir!"
Harlan's eyes scanned the rows. His voice grew sharper.
"Recruit 7429!"
Silence.
"RECRUIT 7429!"
Still nothing.
The instructor's face darkened. Around him, other recruits shifted nervously.
"Where the hell is…"
"Sir!" A soldier jogged up. "Found him. He's still sleeping in the barracks."
Harlan's jaw clenched. "Sleeping? On assessment day?"
The recruits began to murmur. Some laughed. Others shook their heads in disgust.
"Get him. Now."
…
Cold water splashed across Marcus's face.
"Wake up!"
Marcus jerked upright, gasping. Water dripped from his hair. His vision blurred.
"What the…"
"You're late, Kane!"
The soldier grabbed Marcus's arm. Dragged him toward a cracked mirror on the wall.
"Look at yourself. Pathetic."
Marcus stared into the mirror.
The face looking back at him had sharp cheekbones, dark hair and athletic build that was entirely different from what he remembered having.
His last memory flooded back.
Marcus was playing Terra Nova on Earth when out of nowhere, a helicopter came hurling down, tearing through the walls of his single room apartment causing him to blackout
Now he was in the game world itself.
Marcus Vale had become Marcus Kane.
"I'm…" He touched his face.
"I'm really here."
The soldier slapped his shoulder. "Stop talking to yourself, Move!"
Making Marcus stumble forward.
As Marcus tried to compose himself, the memories of the original Marcus Kane began flooding his mind
Robert and Sarah Kane, his parents, his eleven year old twin sisters Lily and Daisy.
They were the reason he had joined the awakener program.
Dimensional beasts had attacked their hometown at night, killing almost everything in sight. His family had barely escaped the slaughter, Since then Marcus swore to become strong enough to protect his parent.
Only by becoming an awakened could his parent be transferred into the inner city and be protected.
Marcus absorbed the memories in a flash. Terra Nova had once been a world of advanced technology, but everything changed after the extraterrestrial invasion and the spread of a strange virus.
Humanity was nearly wiped out. Only those who awakened soul cores managed to endure, becoming the fighters who stood against the frenzy mutated beasts.
"Kane!"
Marcus turned. A young soldier stood there with Short brown hair and a Freckled face.
"It's you, Finn."
Finn grabbed his arm. "Come on. Instructor Keane is furious."
They crossed the training grounds. A few recruits watched them go by, while others chuckled quietly.
"There goes sleeping beauty!"
"Think he'll faint again today?"
Marcus's inherited memories provided context. Yesterday, during a practice session, a dimensional beast had been brought out for demonstration. The original Marcus Kane had taken one look at its red eyes and collapsed.
The mockery had been instant and merciless.
"Weakling!"
"How did he even make it here?"
"His family must be embarrassed!"
Now Marcus had to face all of it.
"They arrived at the assessment arena, a wide circular platform with stones around it. The stands were filled with many other recruits."
At the center stood Chief Instructor Victoria Hale.
"Even from afar, she stood out. Tall, with silver hair tied back, and a scar tracing from her temple to her jaw. For a moment, her soul core appeared, a crystalline sword with a faint glow.
She was a Super Awakener, ranked above the usual nine levels.
"Today, you'll take your awakening assessment," Victoria said in a steady voice. "It's not just a practice."
The arena instantly fell silent.
"You will fight real beasts. Level 3 dimensional creatures. If you fail, you die. If you succeed, you become awakened soldiers of humanity."
She pointed to the holding pens at the edge of the arena, where figures moved inside, and a pair of red eyes peeped through every now and then.
"Some of you will not survive this day. But those who do will earned the right to call themselves awakeners."
Marcus's heart started to race. He still felt the original Marcus Kane's fear building up inside of him.
"The assessment begins now, We will call you by number. Step forward when called."
Victoria's eyes swept the crowd, then landed on Marcus briefly.
"Those who display exceptional skill will be marked for advanced training. Those who show cowardice…" She let the sentence hang. "Well, the beasts don't tolerate cowardice."
Around Marcus, recruits shifted nervously. Some gripped practice weapons while others muttered prayers.
Finn leaned close. "You okay? You look different today."
Marcus met his gaze. "I'm fine."
A voice whispered in his mind
[System initializing…]
Marcus's eyes widened. It ws the game interface.
[Welcome to Terra Nova. Your awakening begins now.]
"7211!"
Instructor Veronica's voice cut through the entire area.
And a tall boy with blonde hair walked out of the field into the arena breathing heavily.
He held a small sword With both hands getting ready to strike.
During this time the arena gate opened and a ugly looking dimensional beast with black fur, red eyes and long fangs emerged.
"Roar!"
The beast circled him as he locked eyes with the boy. It's blood thirsty eyes glowing like a predator seeing its prey.
It was actually a Twin-tailed Leopard!
With an excited growl, it's feet stomped heavily and it charged forward like a tank.
Recruit 7211 stumbled back, he yelled as he swung his sword towards the beast but it dodged the attack effortlessly
The beast slashed its claws across his arm. The recruit cried out in pain as the cut opened, and blood scattered onto the arena grounds.
"Fight back!" Victoria ordered aggressively. "Show me what you're made of!"
The boy swung his sword again and again, but fear took over his strength. The beast lunged again hitting him hard, and knocked him to the ground. It pressed him down with its weight, with its claws digging in his chest."
Enough," Victoria said, raising her hand. A few soldiers ran forward with spears. The beast backed away, still growling.
The boy was carried off the field, hurt but still alive.
'Next,' Victoria called.
One by one, more recruits stepped into the arena. Some managed to stay calm and land a few clean hits. Others froze or missed their timing. A few were pulled out early, because they were too injured to continue.
Marcus watched closely, studying every movement. He noticed how the beasts almost always attacked from the right and circled clockwise before lunging. The recruits who reacted fast enough could use that to block each hit.
"Recruit 7429!"
Marcus's number was called. The arena suddenly fell quiet.
Low murmurs moved through the crowd.
"Isn't that the one who fainted yesterday?"
"Think he'll even reach the beast?"
"My bet's he runs before it starts."
Marcus walked toward the center of the arena with slow strides.
Victoria watched calmly from where she stood near the edge.
"Marcus Kane," she said, her voice clear. "Yesterday you hesitated. Today, you face that fear. Are you ready?"
Marcus gave a short nod. "Yes, ma'am."
He wasn't shaking this time. The fear was still there, but he managed to stay focused."
"Release the beast." Veronica ordered
A gate opened with a heavy clang. Metal scraped as the bars lifted, and a Triple-eyed rabbit beast stepped out. It was bigger than the others, its fur patchy in places, with faint scars across its shoulders and snout.
It watched Marcus with its eyes steady and its nostrils flaring.
Marcus adjusted his grip on the sword in his hard, his only available weapon. His stance was slightly off at first but he shifted his feet until his weight balanced.
The beast began to circle him, claws scraping the sand as he moved. Marcus turned with it, keeping the blade between them and maintaining eye contact.
Then it suddenly lunched. Marcus moved to the side, its claws hitting the sand with a soft thud. He swung his sword but only brushed its fur. The beast turned fast and came at him again. This time, Marcus blocked it, the impact running lightly through his arms.
Marcus stepped back twice, steadying his breath. The beast began to move again, circling clockwise just like before. It crouched low, muscles tightening before it jumped. Marcus waited, counted the timing, then shifted to the left. The claws missed by inches. He swung his sword and cut across its shoulder.
The cut wasn't deep, but it slowed the beast.
The beast snarled and began to circle again, moving slower this time. Marcus held his ground, keeping just out of reach. He noticed the flick of its tail, a signal he remembered from the game. When it lunged, he lowered his stance and drove the sword upward, the blade sinking into its chest.
The beast fell with a heavy thud, its legs giving out beneath it. Soldiers rushed forward, spears raised, ready in case it moved again. Marcus stayed where he was, with his sword held low and his breathing growing heavy.
Victoria gave a small nod. "That will do."
The soldiers pulled the beast away. Marcus turned, lowering his sword, and walked back to the line without a word.
[Awakening Assessment initiated. Analyzing opponent…]
The system's voice was clear now.
[Triple-eyed rabbit - Level 3. Threat assessment: Moderate. Weakness points identified.]
Information flowed through his mind, Attack patterns, Vulnerable spots, Optimal strategies.