《Rebirth》


 Chapter 000: The World

    It¡¯s the year 2020. Since the beginning of the New Year, the world has gotten more and more chaotic with each passing day. The Seven Major Powers of the world have become antagonistic towards each other. The very air we breathe has become thick with malevolence. Peace was non-existent. The streets have become rivers of blood; the scent ¨C nauseating. There was so much blood that even the rain was stained red. War was upon us all¡­


    Across the globe, the death rate for each nation skyrocketed after a few months. Old, young, men, women even children were being killed. There were no exceptions. It was as though the heart of man became shrouded with a veil of evil. Grievances were no longer settled with mere words and paper, but with spilled blood and metal against metal. Even the state of civilization started to swiftly revert to its most simplistic form where strength determined everything. Whether or not you could continue living to see another day completely relied onwhetheryou had the strength, or ability to preserve your life. In this war, thousands of people were being killed daily, and those who died were either too weak to protect themselves or were just unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.


    The reason for the high death toll across the globe was due to the weapons used initially in the war; hydrogen bombs, bioweapons and the like. There was even a case where America used an orbiting weapon against North Korea rumored to be called O.D.I.N which could level mountains and make lakes in an instant. The result was the death of a vast number of people, merely thinking about the number made one take a deep cold breath. From the American¡¯s display of power, the other nations became hesitant and decided not to ¨C ¡°foolishly attack overtly and share the same fate as North Korea.¡±


    In the beginning, those who were opposed to the war were left with no option other than to participate. Their captors would force them to participate using any means at their disposal, even going as far as holding their family¡¯s hostage. Those who were adamant about not participating were disposed of and used as an example. In the end, the oppressed were left with no other choice other than to join the war or die.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The more fortunate ones hid away in the most remote areas they could find in the hopes of escaping this calamity. But escape was just an illusion, they were all trapped like fish in a barrel with nowhere to run to. In truth, all that they could do was to just wait to be picked. However, among them, were those who had a strong desire to live ¨C to fight back and protect those precious to them. They refused to live passively and be treated like a lamb to a slaughter. Over time, such persons with similar ideologies started to gather and formed an underground resistance against the Seven Major Powers, they called themselvesDarelius.


    Together, they foughtrelentlessly against the many armies, often engaging in subterfuge. They quietly infiltrated many enemy bases, assassinated important personnel in the various armies, and even hijacked military intelligence networkstosave as many people as possible. Their aim was to put an end to the atrocious war. Every member ofDareliusshared one thing in common; they all despised those in power from the Seven Great Nations. This was a hatred that was deeply rooted in their bones. One that would not subside even after a thousand generations! Why? Some countries have alreadydisappeared,and many were on the verge of being wiped from the face of the earth. Several islands, along with their many inhabitants, have long since sunken to the bottom of the sea, never to be seen again. Many died without even knowing how they died. The ones who are responsible for this cruel, bloody war have made life on Earth a living hell. They had to be stopped. No, they needed to be killed! Mercy to one¡¯s enemy is cruelty to one¡¯s self and family, they had to die!


    After three harsh years of intense fighting, the global population fell by almost 50 percent. One could only imagine the sheer number of corpses that littered the earth. The sight of it was unbearable. It was at this point that a critical juncture was reached in the war where the Seven Major Powers were threatening to use nuclear missiles and other warheads to eradicate one another in one final strike. The remaining few billions of people on all fronts became terrified! Everyone was thinking the same thing.


    ¡°This is it, the end of the world! If the missiles don¡¯t kill us directly, then the radiation surely will!¡±

 Chapter 001: It Begins

    Saturday, August 1, 2023,| NASA Headquarters


    Within an enclosed room, a group of students was being taught many important topics regarding the cosmos. Their gaze was fixed upon a holographic projection in the center of the room andtheirexpressions grew paler by the second as they continued tolistento their instructor''s discourse.


    "¡­ in this situationyou''re faced with two choices;assimilate y-"


    Suddenly, an alarm went off interrupting the instructor and the hologramabruptly disappeared. Afterward, a voice transmission came through.


    ¡°Dr. Lambert, report to the control room immediately!¡± The voice brought with it the utmost urgency as if the sky was about to fall.


    ¡°Yes, chairman.¡± Dr. Lambert responded respectfully while turning to face the students.


    ¡°Today¡¯s lesson is over. You may return to your quarters. Be sure to thoroughly review what we went through today.¡± His voice grew stern, before continuing. ¡°You all are the future of this world. Do not disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The students shouted resolutely while rising from their seats. They fully understood the gargantuan task they had to performsoon. Dr. Lambert lightly flicked his sleeve and turned off the alarm then quickly made his way towards the control room.


    ***


    With urgent steps, Dr. Lambert quickly arrived at the entrance to the control room. After entering the control room his brows furrowed as he came across a strange scene.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Contrary to his expectations; inside the control room were several tens of persons at various stations working frantically. It appeared as if they were trying to prepare a report for a deadline. The control room these days was usually sparse and barely had anyone working. The room was about the size of four basketball courts. It had sufficient space to accommodate many equipment and personnel without feeling clustered; thus, this sudden change was cause for alarm.


    ¡°Excuse me, Dr. Lambert?¡±


    A soft voice came from his left. Dr. Lambert shifted his gaze towards the source of the voice. Respectfully to the side was a beautiful young lady in waiting, wearing afairly closefitted red dress which revealed her fair curves. The dress had a long split to the side which revealed her delicate jade-like skin. She had an ample chest and had short black curled hair. The word ¡°flawless¡± could indeed be used to describe her appearance with no room for argument.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Dr. Lambert responded flatly, his eyes narrowing. The young woman¡¯s heart started to palpitate after hearing his voice. It was as if his voice gave off a certain oppressive feeling which made one feel as if they¡¯re drowning. This, along with his cold demeanor and dark attire only added more anxiety to her heart making her feel rather flustered. After struggling internally to keep her composure she continued to speak.


    ¡°My name is Veronica Fuentes; I¡¯ve been sent by the chairman to receive you. He is waiting for you on the seventh floor. This way please.¡± Veronica slightly bowed while gesturing towards the elevator behind her which was already opened.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Dr. Lambert slightly nodded and then proceeded towards the elevator. After Dr. Lambert walked past Veronica, she heaved a sigh of relief and took the liberty of the moment to steal a longer look at Dr. Lambert from behind, as she didn¡¯t dare to do so while facing him directly. Customarily, doctors would wear white or at the very least a white jacket which was an emblem of their profession, but Dr. Lambert was dressed in black from head to toe. He was quite tall; about 6ft at the very least and had broad shoulders. Even though he was a bit advanced in his years, he still walked with his back ramrod straight. His hair was a deep shade of brown with a touch of grey. He wore it half caught up in a ponytail with the rest cascading down his shoulders. After Dr. Lambert entered the elevator, Veronica followed suit then pushed the button for the seventh floor. On the way up, Dr. Lambert was pondering about what could possibly be so urgent for the chairman to summon him so suddenly. Afteramoment¡­


    ¡°Ding!¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The elevator door opened and Veronica led Dr. Lambert onto the seventh floor and walked straight ahead for a while until they arrived at a grey door. Veronica took out her access card and held it against a panel to open the door. Inside, the chairman was seen standing in front of a large glass window with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a full grey suit and he had a head full of white hair. Behind him were his desk and three additional chairs. Currently, two were being occupied. The moment the door opened the chairman¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°Dr. Lambert, thank you for joining us.¡± The chairman then slowly turned around, his face devoid of any expression. ¡°I apologize for summoning you so abruptly; however, we have an urgent matter that requires your attention. Please, have a seat.¡± The chairman said while gesturing towards the seat in front of him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dr. Lambert said with a slight bow then proceeded to take a seat. Veronica bowed towards the chairman and then left the room quietly. After the door closed, the chairman took a seat and his expression became solemn, he thenasked,¡°Dr. Lambert, how goes the training for the candidates on the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme?¡±


    Dr. Lambert was a bit startled at the question but then answered. ¡°The candidates are progressing relatively well. I estimate that they should be ready to join the others within the next few months. The breakthrough of the genetic enhancements has given us new hope for the future.¡± Dr. Lambert grew a bit more confused after he spoke and at the same time a seed of anxiety was planted in his heart. He thought to himself [It can¡¯t merely be that he called me here for a status report on the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme? No, he would usually send someone to collect my weekly progress report. Then there¡¯s these two¡­]


    ¡°Hmm.¡± the chairman nodded then continued: ¡°Dr. Lambert, allow me to introduce you to these two. This is General Shaw; he has been appointed to our compound take care of matters regarding security until the launch of the E.X.E.D.U.S ship.¡± The chairman then pointed to the next person. ¡°And this is Dr. Laing from the observatory. She works here but I¡¯m certain this is the first time you¡¯ve seen her.¡±


    Dr. Lambert glanced at the two; this General Shaw was wearing a black military suit fully adorned with his past accomplishments. He had a few grey hairs mixed in with his head of brown hair. He seemed to be about 50 yearsold,but he still looked strong and healthy as if he were in his prime at 30 years. Dr. Lambert then shifted his gaze towards Dr. Laing. Her complexion was a bitpale,but she was nonetheless captivatingly beautiful. It seemed she didn¡¯t go out much. She had long straight black hair and wore a matching white jacket and skirt which made her look quite graceful. Her age was impossible to guess due to her youthful appearance. At a glance, she appeared to be no older than 25 years old.


    After the introductions, the chairman continued: ¡°Alright, now that we¡¯ve completed our formalities let¡¯s get to the heart of the matter.¡± He selected some options on the touchscreen interface on his desk which brought up a holographic projection of the earth which zoomed out until it was just a dot, clearly showing our solar system. Afterward, he waved his hand and sent the hologram to hover to his left in front of Dr. Laing before he continued speaking.


    ¡°Dr. Laing, if you will.¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Dr. Laing rose to her feet and gave a slight bow to the chairman then turned to face the other two.


    ¡°At 13:00 yesterday my team and I discovered a new cluster of stars not too far from our solar system. At the time of their discovery, their positions were recorded and then monitored. Today during our observations, we noticed this new cluster of stars had changed positions, they got closer¡­ After remoting into one of our satellites near O.D.I.N we used it to get a better look at those stars. What we discovered were not stars but of a cluster of meteoroids.¡±


    ¡°Meteoroids?¡± At this Dr. Lambert¡¯s brows furrowed as he looked closer at the hologram. In his heart, he could feel that the seed of anxiety was growing into a bad premonition.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Dr. Laing made a gesture which caused the hologram to zoom in on the meteoroids then continued. ¡°The purple light that you are seeing is not from any image enhancements due to any lack of light nor is it due to the reflective property of the meteoroids but instead it comes from its own luminescence. We were unable to ascertain what this substance is from our observations. We then ran a simulation based on the two recorded positions, the time frame between the two records, our planet¡¯s location, and orbiting speed, and it displayed that the course these meteoroids were on would eventually intercept and impact our planet.¡±


    Dr. Lambert¡¯s eyes went wide in shock and his pupils contracted to the size of a needle. His expression suddenly changed from his usual composed demeanor to one of a deep shock fora brief moment. ¡°How much time do we have?¡±


    ¡°At their current speed, they should be here in seven weeks if faced with no obstructions.¡± Dr. Laing replied.


    Dr. Lambert took a deep breath; he realized now why the chairman asked his question earlier. [The next batch of candidates to be evaluated won¡¯t be until the end of the month. The current number of candidates is a mere 20,000 and less than half of them have gotten the genetic enhancement drug to undergo training for survival in outer space and what¡¯s to be done when they return. Even fewer have been tested for genome compatibility. For them to survive in space for the next century after a nuclear holocaust on earth would be difficult for them. These children are the smartest young minds on Earth, they would be able to continue and develop the human racelong after this war ends. Doctors, engineers, and specialist in the various trades and professions. This changes everything, damn!]


    ¡°Dr. Lambert.¡± The chairman¡¯s voice rang out, interrupting Dr. Lambert¡¯s trail of thoughts.


    ¡°Yes chairman,¡± he responded.


    ¡°I need you to expedite the screening process. We need to be fully prepared to leave by the 5th week. Just in case any, unexpected variables come into play.¡±


    ¡°Expedite it? That¡¯s¡­¡± After hesitating for a moment Dr. Lambert nodded in response. ¡°Understood.¡±


    The chairman looked to General Shaw then spoke. ¡°General, inform the president of the situation. This information must be kept confidential. We will only be able to put a lid on this for the next three to four weeks. Afterward, the other Major Powers will learn of this Extinction Level Event, and at that time, public order will become even more chaotic. Everyone will be able to see the meteoroids in full view as a new approaching day star.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The General then rose from his seat and turned to leave, a heavy expression on his face.


    ¡°Dr. Laing, keep me abreast of the situation and inform me of any changes immediately. You¡¯re dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, chairman.¡± Dr. Laing responded with a slight bow then turned to leave.


    After the door closed, the chairman let out a long sigh. He waved to dismiss the hologram and shot a hesitant look at Dr. Lambert. ¡°Vincent¡­¡±


    When Dr. Lambert heard the chairman call him by his given name he knew something was amiss, something serious had happened. ¡°Your son, he¡­¡± The chairman¡¯s voice trailed off. Dr. Lambert¡¯s heart suddenly shook¡­

 Chapter 002: Countdown

    ¡°W-what of my son? Did you find him?¡± Dr. Lambert¡¯s face suddenly paled as his heart was seized with anxiety at the mere mention of his son.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± the chairman hesitated for a moment, uncertain of how to explain what happened. ¡°It¡¯s better explained if I showed you.¡± The chairman then tapped a few buttons on his desk to bring up the hologram of the Earth which then zoomed in to show Australia. It replayed a series of events which caused Dr. Lambert¡¯s face to pale even further; he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.


    After the recording finished, it took Dr. Lambert a moment to regain his faculties. With a ghastly expression on his face, he looked at the chairman and asked ¡°This...what was just¡­ what the hell just happened!?¡±


    Dr. Lambert was so shocked that his words became incoherent. Not once in his entire life had he ever seen anything so terrifying that could cause him to feel fear in the deepest reaches of his soul. As a result of the war, Dr. Lambert¡¯s temperament underwent an extreme change. It was refined to the point where even the sight of thousands of dead bodies would not faze him in the slightest. Today ¨C however, what he saw on the hologram for those few short minutes thoroughly changed his perspective on life and his view of the world. He thought to himself, if he put all of the most horrifying moments that he had seen or experienced in his life up to this moment together they would not be able to compare to the few minutes that he had just seen.


    With a self-deprecating smile on his face, the chairman laid back in his chair and shook his head then replied ¡°My guess is as good as yours. For thousands of years¡¯ mankind has roamed this world, and for each era, we have made incredible discoveries. But this discovery is unprecedented! In all of mankind¡¯s history, we have never seen anything like this. It¡¯s just, simply inconceivable.¡±


    After speaking, the chairman looked towards Dr. Lambert and his facial expression became extremely serious. Dr. Lambert noticed this change and a heavy feeling as though a boulder was weighing down on his heart appeared.


    ¡°Your son was last seen in this area, not too far from that ¡®anomaly¡¯.¡± The chairman shifted the scene to another location and replayed the recording at a slower speed. ¡°It seems your son was being pursued by a squad of heavily armed men and was trapped in that encirclement. Based on what we¡¯re seeing; he appears to have suffered some serious injuries earlier. But somehow, fortunately, he has managed to slip away and escape from the encirclement. The strange thing is, not even our satellite¡¯s infrared was able to pick up any traces of him. He just completely disappeared. To be able to vanish without a trace under O.D.I.N¡¯s eye is something that I would¡¯ve never believed had I not seen it with my own two eyes. His pursuers were even more baffled; because they saw him literally disappear while they had all their attention locked on him. As to how and where he escaped to, no one has a single clue. Unfortunately, his pursuers met with lady misfortune at the hands of that ¡®anomaly¡¯ so we won¡¯t be able to interrogate them. So, whether or not your son is still alive is uncertain. But knowing him, with his tenacity, I doubt he would fall just like that after making such an escape.¡±


    The chairman paused for a moment as his gaze locked onto a silhouette in the hologram before continuing. ¡°But at the very least, we now have a clear idea of where to start looking. Regarding that ¡®anomaly¡¯; it¡¯s something that we¡¯re going to have to handle discreetly until we figure out what exactly happened. In the meantime, I¡¯ll send a team out to clean up the mess and try to locate your son as soon as possible. Hopefully, we¡¯ll get this figured before anyone else gets wind of it and get your son back.¡±


    The chairman dismissed the hologram then removed a spherical device from his desk and placed it in front of Dr. Lambert. ¡°Now, regarding the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme, this should help speed things up a bit.¡±


    When Dr. Lambert saw the spherical device, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the chairman in shock. ¡°This¡­¡± He was about to decline but before he could even finish his sentence the chairman raised his hand to interrupt him.


    ¡°I understand that you¡¯re working closely with these candidates. They¡¯re all youngsters and as a result, you have grown attached. You need to remember that in today¡¯s world, one¡¯s survival is based on their ability to overcome obstacles, be it external or internal. Your son is a prime example of that. As the chairman, I have to oversee all things and ensure they all progress smoothly. For what you are about to do, don¡¯t let it weigh on your heart too much. If it makes you feel any better, I can make an announcement to everyone that the changes you are about to make are being executed under my instructions.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    After the chairman finished speaking, Dr. Lambert sat there in a daze for a moment. His face wore a complicated expression. He was uncertain as to what emotion he should show or what reaction he should have at a moment like this. After the chairman summoned him today, it was one earth-shattering news after another. There was not a moment of respite to digest everything.


    Seeing Dr. Lambert¡¯s expression, it was quite clear to the chairman what he was thinking, and how he felt. Everything discussed up to this point was a tough bone to chew, even for him. The current state of the world was already teetering on the verge of annihilation. No one could¡¯ve imagined that a war of such magnitude would actually happen which literally involved the entire world.


    Dr. Lambert was in charge of the proceedings for the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme. One could say that he almost literally had the future of the world¡¯s next generation resting on his shoulders. The sudden news of the incoming cluster of meteoroids approaching the planet was enough to cause one to plummet into the depths of despair, and when the news of his only son being in dire straits came into the picture it was if a bomb had exploded near his heart. The appearance of that ¡®anomaly¡¯ did not give him the slightest bit of closure but instead, more reason to worry about his safety. The sight of the chairman taking out that spherical device was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back! If it were not for the chairman¡¯s words just now he would be hesitant to not use it at all! Its original purpose for use was meant for something else entirely! He was already not willing to use this device to ¡®expedite¡¯ the screening evaluations long before because there was no need to take unnecessary risks. However, now that the situation has changed greatly and humanity¡¯s survival was being pressed between a rock and a hard place ¨C tough decisions would now need to be made.


    After a moment of thought, Dr. Lambert came to his decision. ¡°Very well then. I¡¯ll do it. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no other alternative at the moment.¡±


    The chairman smiled in satisfaction as he heard Dr. Lambert¡¯s response. He could see no hesitation or conflicting emotions in his eyes. Just determination and resolve. To the chairman, Dr. Lambert¡¯s skills and disposition was a crucial aspect of his plans. As such, he needed him to be decisive and have a heart of stone when necessary. But unbeknownst to him, at times it conflicted with his true nature, which was filled with compassion. But today, in this world, there was little to no room left for weakness to say nothing of compassion.


    ¡°Excellent! Now regarding your son. As a friend, I couldn¡¯t stand by idly and do nothing for so long, so I¡¯ve already taken this matter up personally, and besides¡­¡± At this, the chairman glanced at his wedding ring with a reminiscent look in his eyes of days long past. ¡°We¡¯re family after all, and we need to look after each other.¡±


    When Dr. Lambert heard the word family, his heart trembled and his fists suddenly clenched. He closed his eyes as to suppress the sudden burst of rage in his heart. These days, the word family had a much stronger meaning to people than it had in the past. He was one of four children that his mother bore. His brother, two sisters, and himself. One of his sisters; Michelle, married the chairman and were happily married for years until the war descended. She was caught up in the heart of a huge bombing at Times Square in New York City. After the chaos cleared, a search was carried out and after much effort, they located her blood smeared bag from the GPS signal on her phone which was inside, but her body was never found. After months of searching and waiting there was still no response, no calls. The chairman was awash with despair. His heart was filled with more sorrow and pain than hatred because Michelle told him a few days prior that she was pregnant. It wasn¡¯t until almost a year later that Dr. Lambert and his wife found out about the tragic details of her passing from him. Her death is the event that marked the start of the world war in his memory, a sad way to remember history.


    The chairman then rose to his feet and went back to look out the window, having just gone down memory lane he wished to be by himself for a time.


    ¡°Dr. Lambert, I¡¯ll not delay you from your work any further. Time is of the essence. I expect a status report every 24 hours.¡±


    Dr. Lambert rose to his feet as well and assented. ¡°Of course.¡± With a slight bow, he turned and exited the room leaving the chairman¡¯s solitary figure standing in front of the window. The scene of the chairman standing there looked rather picturesque; it seemed as if he was looking into another world through the window, searching for something¡­ or someone.


    At the sound of the door to the chairman¡¯s office sliding open; Veronica, who sat a few feet away at her desk, paused for a moment and raised her head and met Dr. Lambert¡¯s gaze. Outwardly, he appeared the same as before with the same cold expression, but deep within his eyes, she could see the melancholy he was trying to hide.


    ¡°Dr. Lambert, have a nice day,¡± she said with a gentle smile on her face.


    ¡°You as well.¡± He replied in a nonchalant manner as he walked towards the elevator.


    Veronica sighed in her heart at his reply as he walked by: ¡°You still haven¡¯t changed.¡± She watched his departing figure until he left the floor. Her gaze lingered on the space where he stood for a moment until she sighed once more then turned her gaze away and continued her work.


    Upon entering the elevator Dr. Lambert took the spherical device from his jacket pocket and raised it slightly to his face as he muttered to himself.


    ¡°This world is filled with too much death! Even when I try to save lives I still have to take them, sigh! To seek life from the jaws of death¡­ what irony.¡±


    Feeling bitter anguish in his heart, Dr. Lambert felt that he was wronged the entire time. His mind was thrown into constant turmoil after he listened to the chairman¡¯s discourse. Everything that he said was a non-disputable fact that could only be accepted and acted upon. The only thing he himself had any control over was; how smoothly the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme progressed. But now, even that was being affected by the chairman¡¯s order. He was even given such a damnable object that would no doubt cause even more deaths.


    After a moment, Dr. Lambert raised his head towards the elevator ceiling. It was as though his gaze was piercing through all matter and was looking directly at the incoming meteoroids. ¡°Heaven must be truly furious for it to be, not one meteoroid but a damn cluster! Still, Heaven is not unreasonable. Seven weeks, a month and a half. That should be enough time.¡±

 Chapter 003: Shocking News

    After leaving the control room, Dr. Lambert walked towards the east wing of the compound where his residential area was located. The N.A.S.A Headquarters underwent major developments over the past few years and has expanded by a great deal. Numerous buildings were erected and several divisions have taken root there; many include some of the country¡¯s most important facilities. These facilities were relocated here mainly due to the fact that this location was extremely secured. But more importantly, it was because of the E.X.E.D.U.S ship that was being built underground, which for many, was like having a ticket out of Hell.


    When Dr. Lambert arrived near his residential area at the east wing; the two guards that were stationed there at the main gate noticed him approaching from the distance and grew a bit confused.


    "Isn''t that Dr. Lambert?" one of the guards asked.


    Dr. Lambert was usually never seen returning to his living quarters until the morning of the following day. Thus, his arrival around sunset was quite strange. Dr. Lambert continued to walk in their direction, seemingly lost in thought. Observing that he was indeed going to the residential area, the two guards tacitly nodded at each other having come to an agreement. The senior guard cautiously stepped forward and greeted him as he approached: ¡°Good evening Dr. Lambert, taking an early day off?¡± Both guards were subconsciously terrified of Dr. Lambert. The rumors that circulated the compound about him made it so that not even birds would dare to fly above him.


    As if being woken up from a dream, Dr. Lambert¡¯s eyes regained their clarity. Looking at the guard that just spoke he replied: ¡°Hmm. I guess you could say that. Oh, is my wife home as yet?¡± Recalling what the chairman said earlier, he would need to let his wife know about their son¡¯s whereabouts being discovered while omitting some of the details of course. Regardless of who it might be, no mother can bear the thought of their only child who they had not seen or heard from for three full years under these circumstances, to discover that he was grievously wounded while being pursued.


    Dr. Lambert kept telling himself that, their son, even though he was injured, was still likely to be alive, and with his son¡¯s peerless medical skills he should still be able to preserve his life. It was unknown whether he said this as a matter offact or to comfort himself.


    ¡°Yes sir, she arrived not too long ago. She should be in the courtyard by now.¡± the guard replied.


    ¡°Hmm, thank you¡±. Dr. Lambert gave him a nod then approached the security terminal. He scanned both his access card and iris to confirm his identity. After doing so, the gates to his residential area opened automatically for him to enter. Recalling a matter that required his full attention, Dr. Lambert instructed the guards that he would not be accepting any visitors for the remainder of the day, then walked through the gates.


    After Dr. Lambert entered the courtyard, he was greeted with a tranquil ambiance that made his unsettled mind relax by a great deal. He took a deep breath to savor the moment and felt all the anxiety in his heart began to dissipate. The difference between being inside his residence and being outside was similar to the difference between a subtle garden and a scorching desert. Even the air inside was cool and refreshing. This was all thanks to the efforts of his wife Julia, who had a profound background in psychiatric care and herbal medicine. Adding her eastern culture and her skills in decoration, she made their residence a sort of haven for themselves. Julia was one of the cornerstones of his life that helped to sustain him. If it weren¡¯t for her and their son, he would have no reason to continue living in this hellish world that was covered in blood.


    As Dr. Lambert walked further into the heart of the courtyard, he heard the faint sound of a zither being played. The tune that was being played was a soft and sorrowful melody that made one feel the person playing it yearned for happiness. After arriving at a clearing that separated the house from the garden, Dr. Lambert focused his gaze in the direction where the music was coming from. When his eyes caught sight of the silhouette sitting beside a small pond playing the zither, he felt his eyes become misty and his heart began to tremble. It was his wife Julia. It has been three years since he last heard her play the zither. After they lost contact with their son three years ago he hasn¡¯t seen or heard her play once since then. Or could it be that she does play but he was never there to notice it?


    Dr. Lambert stopped in his tracks in order to avoid disturbing her and closed his eyes to focus on listening to her playing the zither. Julia¡¯s skill with the zither was truly heavenly, but unfortunately the tune she was playing would not cause one to have a blissful feeling while listening to it, instead, it would make their most heart-wrenching memories resurface. If one were to listen to this tune long enough, it would almost feel as if your soul wanted to leave your body to go and comfort the person playing the tune.


    After an unknown period of time elapsed, the music came to a soft end. Dr. Lambert opened his eyes and found himself stuck in a trance of some sort, but it only lasted a short moment before his mind regained clarity. It was then that he noticed that Julia was looking at him with a gentle smile on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re home quite early, the sun must¡¯ve risen from the west today, maybe the south, or even the north but it clearly wasn¡¯t from the east.¡± Julia jested while rising from her seat after putting the zither aside. Her skin was snow white and gave off a gentle glow in the evening sun. She had long silk-like black hair that cascaded down her slender shoulders like a waterfall. Her lips were like small red cherries that tempted any who laid eyes on them to want to risk tasting them, even if it meant that they would likely die while trying. Her smile was so beautiful that it caused all the flowers around her to bow their heads and the stars that have yet to fully show themselves to hide behind the clouds in shame. Julia wore a white cheongsam that was decorated with purple flowers. The accessories she wore in her hair complimented her exceptionally well. It made her seem both seductive and graceful beyond compare. To all onlookers, her true age was indeterminable. She seemed to be frozen in her 20¡¯s.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Hearing Julia¡¯s jeering, Dr. Lambert could do nothing but smile helplessly as he made his way towards her. While pulling a face of indifference, he tried to hide his embarrassment as he replied: ¡°Hmph, making fun of me, now are you?¡±


    Hearing his remark Julia immediately countered while making her way over to meet him halfway at the bridge that hung above a small pond; ¡°Well of course! With that grim look on your face all the time, who else but I am able to make fun of you?¡±


    The sight of Julia her walking through the garden with the sunset at her back made her seem like a celestial being that was taking a stroll across the mortal world. Dr. Lambert, on the other hand, seemed like the harbinger of darkness with the shadow of nightfall spreading further and further across the land with each step he took. A truly bizarre, yet breath-taking scene.


    When the couple met on the bridge, the world was already covered in darkness. The moon and all the stars in the sky were hidden behind the clouds seemingly afraid of revealing themselves. Only the faint glow of Julia¡¯s white cheongsam and the slight outline of a dark figure standing in front of her could be seen in the darkness.


    The two continued to unblinkingly stare at each other in silence through the darkness for a moment. Only the sound of water trickling down an artificial waterfall could be heard in the distance. Dr. Lambert took a deep breath and took hold of Julia¡¯s delicate hands. Julia¡¯s heart trembled at his action. Someone like herself who was proficient in the field of the human psyche could firmly ascertain that her husband had something very important to tell her at this moment, and it would likely be something that was of utmost importance to them. As these thoughts passed through her mind, she couldn¡¯t help but ask with a trembling voice; ¡°W-what happened?¡±


    In response, Dr. Lambert took a deep breath and carefully recounted the events that transpired after he was summoned by the chairman earlier that day. When he mentioned that the chairman located their son who was lost to them in Australia for the past three years, Julia¡¯s beautiful face suddenly broke into tears.


    ¡°I-is it true? Did they, really find him? Julia¡¯s voice continued to tremble as she spoke. She believed with all her heart that her husband was telling the truth but still felt the need to confirm his words.


    ¡°Yes, they found him, and he is alive. I saw him with my own two eyes. Our son; he¡¯s alive!¡± Dr. Lambert felt his eyes grow moist as he said up to here. For three full years, they held onto the tiny ember of hope that their son managed to survive through the constant bloodshed that the world experienced due to the war. Vincent¡¯s elder brother, Jonathan, was with their son at the time when the war broke out. At that time, they weren¡¯t too worried because Jonathan had a military background and strong survival skills. Still, Vincent and his wife were never truly at ease. They managed to speak with them a few times after the war started, but as time progressed, communication became restricted and all international commuting in and out of the United States was suspended.


    Anyone caught flying above American airspace was shot down without warning, and any caught sailing into American waters was impartially blown up. There were no exceptions. As a result, it was impossible to speak with them, leave the country or to even have them come back home.


    During this time, Vincent and his wife could hardly eat or sleep for months. This feeling of helplessness constantly tormented the two for almost a year. It was around that time that the chairman learned of their whereabouts and sent for them. After reuniting with their brother-in-law, they learned of the incident that claimed Vincent¡¯s sister and the chairman¡¯s wife, Michelle¡¯s life. In his grief and rage, Vincent brought to light several of his most lethal work that could take millions of lives as easy as waving a hand without making anyone the wiser. He gave them to the chairman in hopes of taking revenge, and at the same time to get the assistance of the President to help get his son and brother back home. After making negotiations, the President also required them to complete the long-discontinued G.E.N.E.S.I.S project which Vincent and his wife agreed to unhesitantly.


    ¡°When will they return?¡± Julia asked with an expectant look in her eyes. She was extremely anxious at this point. News of their son was the most important piece of information to her, at this moment in her life. She couldn¡¯t wait to hold her son in her arms again. Three whole years, a full three years! That¡¯s how long they were in the dark and knew nothing of their son¡¯s whereabouts during this gruesome war. Now, as fate would have it, they finally caught wind of their son¡¯s whereabouts! Even though it wasn¡¯t under the most favorable of conditions, at the very least it proved that he was still alive! This information was a thousand, no a million times better than living in the dark, not knowing where their son was and if he was dead or alive.


    Hearing her question, Vincent shook his head and replied; ¡°At present, it is still uncertain when they¡¯ll be back. The chairman said that he only found out about our son¡¯s whereabouts yesterday. Before they can dispatch anyone out of the country, especially for a search and rescue; we first need authorization from the President in order to clear a route for the plane. In addition to that, the troops being sent have to move in and out swiftly while staying under the radar. Once they leave our borders, if they are caught in the open, they will be at the mercy of our enemies.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Biting her lower lip, Julia clenched her fists and looked away, turning her back to Vincent. Her fears were taking root once more inside her heart.


    Seeing his wife exude such a lonesome aura, Vincent felt an aching sensation in his heart. He approached her from behind and hugged her firmly but gently around her waist then whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will get our son back. I promise you this.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Julia slightly nodded then allowed her body to sink deeper into his embrace. The two spent the greater portion of the night together and didn¡¯t retire to bed until early morning the next day.


    While Julia was sound asleep Vincent quietly left the bed, and went to his laboratory three floors down to prepare the spherical device he received from the chairman. After spending four hours to reconfigure the device, he was finally finished. Vincent placed the device in a sealed square glass container and gently placed it on his desk then laid back in his chair with a frown on his face, deep in thought.


    ¡°Why was my son being pursued by that many heavily armed men? From the recording, it seemed they weren¡¯t too concerned about whether or not he lived. My elder brother should¡¯ve been there in that recording by his side. He wouldn¡¯t allow him to be placed in such dire straits, unless¡­¡±


    Thinking up to here, Vincent¡¯s expression darkened; ¡°I need to hurry before anything unexpected happens!¡±


    He then picked up the telephone on his desk and dialed out. After a moment, the voice of a woman answered.


    ¡°Hello, Dr. Lambert. Up so soon? What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Morning Gabrielle, I need you to have all the candidates from Division One through Ten assemble at the Amphitheatre today at 08:00 sharp. That also includes those that haven¡¯t taken the genome compatibility test as yet and all the prospective candidates that have yet to join a division.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Gabrielle was suddenly startled at his strange request. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± she enquired.


    Dr. Lambert responded; ¡°The situation has changed. There¡¯s going to be a drastic change to the programme. We need to expedite the screening process and get every capable body up to standard in the shortest time possible.¡±


    Gabrielle took a moment to think about what Dr. Lambert said and then came to a shocking realization. ¡°Are you saying that y-¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dr. Lambert interrupted. ¡°We¡¯re going to use the Sphere.¡±

 Chapter 004: Drastic Changes (1)

    06:00 Prospect Quarters


    ¡°Alright everyone, off your asses!¡± A deep voice boomed out. ¡°Front and center in ten seconds!¡±


    The sound of the instructor¡¯s voice in the early morning was like a thunderclap that resounded in everyone¡¯s ears, jolting them awake. Some who were sound asleep fell off their bunks while scrambling to their feet. Others who were frightened into confusion barely had enough time to get their bearings together. After five seconds passed, those who were not already in line quickly huddled together with the rest. By the time the 9th second elapsed not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Everyone was wide awake and stood with their backs ramrod straight.


    The instructor then swept his gaze over all the candidates as he walked through their midst. Everyone felt a chill run up their spine when the instructor¡¯s eyes swept over them. They felt like mere poultry under his sharp eyes. His face seemed like it was carved from stone with a butcher¡¯s knife. His eyes were bloodshot and the sockets seemed as if they were threatening to become black holes. It was clear to them that the instructor did not have a proper sleep for days. He wore a deep green camouflage suit and a boot so shine, that it reflected everyone¡¯s image as clearly as a mirror with each step he took. When the instructor finished his observations, he returned to the entrance of the barrack then begun his announcement.


    ¡°Today¡¯s a special day for the lot of you, and I do mean special!¡± While speaking the instructor threw a bag the size of a fully-grown bear into the room. As it fell, everyone¡¯s eyes locked onto it. They expected the usual ¡®poof¡¯ sound that a bag would normally make when it hits the floor, but against all expectations, it gave off a loud ¡®bang¡¯ similar to two trucks colliding head to head on a freeway. When the bag hit the floor, it caused the entire barrack to shake violently. Everyone¡¯s face suddenly lost a shade of color as their eyes snapped open wide in shock, their eyeballs almost jumping out. Everyone had the same thought. ¡°What the hell is in that bag!?¡± Some looked towards the instructor with both fear and awe in their eyes ¡°How strong, is he? That bag must weigh at least 500 kg (1102.31 lbs.) He just casually tossed that bag with one arm like it was nothing!¡±


    Seeing their reactions, a satisfied smile crept onto the instructor¡¯s face as he spoke: ¡°You have 15 minutes to gear up! When you¡¯re done, assemble at the Amphitheater by 07:00 and await further instructions!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± the prospects shouted in concert.


    The instructor then shifted his gaze towards the front of the line closest to him and looked at the most senior candidate in the line-up. ¡°Dante!¡± the instructor shouted.


    Hearing his name being called, Dante felt as though he was being pressed down upon by a mountain. The invisible pressure the instructor gave off made him almost want to fall to his knees and bow his head. After forcing the fear down, he managed to stutter a reply: ¡°Y-yes sir!¡±


    The instructor then continued: ¡°You¡¯re the most senior candidate here. You¡¯re responsible for bringing everyone to the Amphitheater, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Dante shouted resolutely.


    ¡°At ease, everyone¡­¡± The instructor gave his command then turned and left the room.


    At the sound of the door closing, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the instructor left. A discussion then broke out and several persons turned to Dante with questioning looks on their faces.


    One amongst them, a girl, around 16 years old with long brown hair stepped forward and asked the question that was riding everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Hey Dante, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    This soft but firm voice brought Dante back to his senses. Ignoring the cold sweat that permeated his back in that brief moment, Dante turned his head to his right facing the person that just spoke. ¡°Jenell, it¡¯s¡­¡± his words abruptly stopped as he glanced over her shoulder, his brows furrowed as his eyes caught sight of the bag that the instructor just threw inside the room and suddenly recalled the last time this scene occurred and subconsciously blurted out ¡°¡­evaluation!¡±


    Across the compound, several similar such situations simultaneously occurred where an instructor would order their division to assemble at the Amphitheatre by 07:00. Everyone was taken aback but complied and made their way there, several questions brewing in their heads.


    ¡°What? Evaluation? But¡­ isn¡¯t that supposed to be conducted at the end of the month? We¡¯ve only been here for three days¡­ it hasn¡¯t even been one week yet¡­ we just started.¡± Jenell complained, a pained look on her face. She was 1 of 2100 carefully selected individuals who passed the initial cognitive and physical examinations carried out by N.A.S.A and were recruited as prospective candidates for the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s not fair! Everyone else got a full month to prepare for their evaluations!¡± A young male not far from Jenell who heard her comment added.


    ¡°Yeah, why the sudden change?¡± another candidate enquired.


    One person after another continued to bombard Dante with questions. They were disheartened at their predicament. If their evaluations were really bumped up three weeks earlier, then they would undoubtedly fail; and would fail miserably at that. They would have no other option but to be sent back to the chaotic world outside where their survival was more difficult than ascending the Heavens.


    Many of them were now orphans with no family or home to return to. The war took everything from them. This was their last chance to improve their chances of surviving this war. The more fortunate ones amongst them were the sons and daughters of scientists, engineers, and military personnel that earned their stay at the N.A.S.A compound. But even though their situation was a bit better than the former, they were all in the same boat, that is; no dead weight was allowed refuge here. They had to prove themselves worthy of their shelter and make themselves useful.


    Suddenly being under so much pressure from their non-stop barrage of questions caused Dante¡¯s tempter to ignite; he snapped back and reprimanded them: ¡°Quiet, all of you! What difference does it make!? If you got a problem with it then deal with it! Complaining about it won¡¯t make any difference! Besides, it may not necessarily be a bad thing, something different may be happening.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± a young man that was wearing glasses within the crowd enquired. Everyone turned and looked at him. His name wasTravis. He was about 4ft tall and his clothes looked new and unblemished unlike most of his fellow candidates. Everyone could tell at a glance that he was not from the outside world. He was one of the sheltered children who had some family member working at the compound. Their faces showed their obvious envy and contempt for his kind.


    Feeling irritated Dante howled at the person that asked the question ¡°How the fuck should I know four eyes?! We¡¯ll find out when we get there. Shit! We¡¯ve already wasted too much time! We have roughly 10 minutes left to gear up! Everyone, quick! Grab an Exo-Suit! Don¡¯t worry about the size, it¡¯ll adjust to fit you after a moment.


    ¡°Exo-Suit?" Everyone''s eyes lit up.


    "You mean the ones that the soldiers use in the war outside?!¡± The same young man in glasses asked, his eyes glittering.


    Feeling extremely annoyed Dante shouted at the young man in glasses that asked the question ¡°Of course not, are you an idiot? These are trimmed down versions of the Exo-Suits they wear to battle. What do you think Exo-Suits are anyway? Do you think they¡¯re toys? Did you really think that they would let kids wear something that could destroy an entire building with little effort? If you¡¯re even wearing one of those C class Exo-Suits, a simple flick of your hand can toss a truck several hundred meters away! And if you¡­ @#$%¡± Noticing the time slipping away Dante nearly opted to choke the kid. ¡°Enough talk! Hurry up and get dressed!¡±


    Dante quickly shoved past everyone and zipped the bag open. When everyone looked at what they saw were stacks of shirts, gloves, pants, and something that resembled flattened shoes. Everyone was baffled by what they saw. ¡°This is what caused the entire barracks to tremble?¡±


    When everyone laid eyes on the contents of the bag they couldn¡¯t help but look at Dante in doubt. ¡°Is he serious?¡±


    ¡°These are, Exo-Suits?¡± Jenell picked up one of the shirts to inspect it. It looked very similar to a normal shirt but with some minor differences. The shirt had a silver sheen to it and was extremely soft. At the back of the shirt was an impression of a spine that ran from the neck all the way down to what appeared to be the hem of the shirt. After observing the spine of the shirt more closely Jenell noticed that the color of the spine fluctuated between white, yellow, blue, red, purple, black then neutral and then the pattern repeated. ¡°Whoa, this is pretty.¡±


    Noticing that everyone was just looking at the suits, Dante couldn¡¯t help but swear at them again. ¡°Damn it! I said hurry up and get dressed! Or is it that you want me to tell the instructor that you all disobeyed a direct order?¡±


    When Dante mentioned reporting them to the instructor, everyone jumped forward as if firecrackers were going off in their pants to grab a suit as quickly as possible to get dressed. The mere thought of that man terrified them. The training they had to endure these past few days left a bone-deep impression on them of the instructor. They didn''t dare to disobey his commands.


    Dante observed that the girls were looking at each other in dismay and then at everyone around. He spoke up and addressed the question that was bothering them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to undress. Just put it on over what you''re wearing, and hurry up!¡±


    "Okay!" The girls assented, feeling relieved.


    Within seven minutes everyone was suited up and were looking at each other puzzled.


    ¡°Dante said that the Exo-Suits would adjust to fit our sizes, but they didn¡¯t do anything! Could it be they''re broken? Did the instructor damage them when he tossed them inside?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve put them on but nothing''s happening, what now?¡± Jenell asked as she approached Dante from behind.


    Dante turned around and realized that everyone was suited up and was looking at him. Seeing that everyone was geared up Dante nodded in satisfaction and spoke out in a loud voice: ¡°Alright everyone, listen up and follow my lead! Place your right hand over your heart and repeat after me¡­ ¡®Pulse¡¯!¡±


    Everyone followed his motion then repeated: ¡°Pulse!¡±


    After everyone shouted the command in unison, the Exo-Suits suddenly contracted and hugged onto everyone¡¯s body like a second skin. Those who wore it over their clothes saw it passing through their clothes and felt it stick to their skin. Every time the Exo-Suit contracted corresponded with their heartbeat.


    ¡°Aaah!¡± Some of the girls screamed in fright as they were not expecting the Exo-Suit to become so tight after giving the command. The males didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to take in the views because shortly afterward the Exo-Suits stopped contracting then everyone simultaneously felt 33 pairs of needles suddenly inject themselves into their backs and 20 needles into each thigh and leg. Many wanted to fall to their knees but something stopped them from doing so. The pain only lasted for a brief moment before it stopped which brought no small relief to many.


    After the fusion was complete, everyone felt many changes to their bodies. Their senses became sharper, their muscles were gradually growing stronger as time passed, those who wore glasses felt them be a burden now as their vision became so clear that they could see an ant on the wall a few feet away as clear as if they were using a magnifying glass up close to inspect it. Several other changes were occurring inside their bodies but they were completely unaware of it at the moment.


    Dante observed everyone inspecting themselves and couldn¡¯t help but give a light chuckle, this was his 8th time wearing an Exo-Suit, so he was used to this feeling somewhat. He then raised his voice to grab everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Listen up!¡± Everyone then stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Dante as he spoke ¡°These Exo-Suits can do a lot of things but now is not the time to get curious. Once we get to the Amphitheatre you can ask all the questions you want. Line up and follow me!¡± Dante then turned around and headed towards the entrance to their barracks and led everyone towards the Amphitheatre.

 Chapter 005: Drastic Changes (2)

    The moment Dante exited his barrack he noticed that several other barracks alongside them were doing the same. Everyone was wearing an Exo-Suit and their respective teams were being led by one person, their destination likely the same, the Amphitheatre. There were ten barracks in total for the new recruits and each barrack housed approximately 210 candidates. Three days ago, after the preliminary examinations were carried out, they were all sorted out and sent to a different team; one through ten and were assigned to their corresponding barrack. Each team had an equal number of candidates and were equally diversified. The only thing that seemed a bit strange was that the ratio of males to females was 1:2. There were approximately 70 males and 140 females in each team.


    ¡°Hey, Dante.¡± Hearing his name, Dante turned his head around only to see Jenell quickly jogging up to his side. Her complexion was glowing in the morning sun and her face was flushed red. It was uncertain if it was due to her blushing or from the summer heat. The silver sheen of the Exo-Suit that was exposed around her neck, arms and legs made her seem even more dazzling and beautiful than before. Glancing at the two small hills on her chest made Dante¡¯s face tighten and forced him to make a gulp. ¡°Damn she¡¯s pretty¡­¡± Dante thought to himself. The only regret he had was that the Exo-Suits kept their skin firm and as a result, her breasts didn¡¯t bounce about as they normally would without it.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s up Jenell?¡± he replied while slowing down a bit.


    ¡°It seems it¡¯s not just our team who are being sent to the Amphitheatre. It really may not be that we¡¯re being evaluated today¡± she said while synchronizing her pace with his.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up too soon,¡± Dante added while shifting his gaze to the front. ¡°The instructor had us all put on Exo-Suits three weeks earlier than the previous batches. I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something big is about to happen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you have a point there.¡± Suddenly remembering something that bothered her earlier she asked with some hesitation, ¡°Oh by the way, why did the instructor say that you were the most senior candidate? I thought there was an age restriction on the recruitment process? If I recall correctly the age cap should 16 years old.¡± Jenell asked with an expectant look on her face.


    Hearing her question Dante¡¯s expression became despondent. After a moment of silence, he dejectedly replied ¡°I sort of failed the evaluation before, so this is my¡­ next attempt.¡±


    Jenell''s expression became one of an immense shock at Dante''s reply. ¡°How is that possible? I thought that we only got one chance to go through the evaluation process?¡±


    Dante could already guess what she was thinking and continued his explanation before she cemented her opinion of him. ¡°I said I ¡®sort of failed¡¯ the evaluation. I never said I failed. Maybe my choice of words was inappropriate. What I failed was the genome compatibility test.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jenell grew even more confused. ¡°How is it even possible to fail that, isn¡¯t the genome compatibility test just matching the DNA of two or more candidates to form a team?¡±


    Dante gave a sigh when he heard her question. He, more than anyone else wanted to know the answer to that question. He then replied ¡°Yeah, but the doctors said that there was something different about my DNA composition and were unable to come to a conclusion who my ideal teammates should be, so they told me that they would make an exception and have me join the next batch of recruits and try again to see if I am able to find a suitable match before I join the Assault Division. It¡¯s been¡­ eight months since then¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it¡­ Wait¡­ What!? Eight months!?¡± Jenell exclaimed in shock, almost tripping over the rugged terrain. ¡°Y-you mean, you mean you¡¯ve gone through eight batches of recruits already and have yet to find a suitable DNA match? Not even one match?¡± ¡°Oh my God, that¡¯s¡­ 16,800 people¡±.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ weird huh? Everyone here knows about it, some call me weirdo or freak but the one that tops the list is what the scientists call me ¡®a unique specimen¡¯. They¡¯ve stopped looking at me as fellow human being and now just see me a cellular composition at best.


    After hearing his story and seeing his downcast expression, Jenell felt her heart shudder at the thought of what those previous eight months must¡¯ve been like for him. To see over 16,000 people leave you behind month after month and be stuck as a prospective candidate must¡¯ve been a mental torture for him. Not to mention the instructor... ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll work out¡±. She comforted him.


    ¡°Hmph, hmph¡± Dante gave a light, helpless chuckle as he listened to her efforts to comfort him. He lost count as to how many times he heard others say the same ¡®encouraging¡¯ words as her and each time he would be left behind, only to see them move on ahead and join a Division.


    After the group jogged for a while longer, they could see a majestic edifice jutting out in the distance, towering over all surrounding buildings and vegetation.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Dante said as he slowly came to a stop in front of a huge entrance. Above the entrance was the word AMPHITHEATRE in an imposing bold. Seeing this place again didn¡¯t bring him the initial majestic awe he felt the first time he saw it, but instead brought him a sense of deep melancholy every time he came here.


    Jenell slowed to a stop as well and looked ahead of her. What she saw was a huge entrance about 100ft wide and about 50ft tall. Just from the size of the entrance, one could easily imagine the size of the Amphitheatre itself. The building was gigantic. It was similar to a huge international stadium if not bigger.


    Seeing the pure look of astonishment on her face Dante decided to give a bit of history to satiate the curious look in her eyes. ¡°The Amphitheatre was built two years ago after the war started. The original stadium that was here, was renovated, expanded, and then transformed into what you¡¯re seeing now. The purpose of this Amphitheatre doesn¡¯t stray too much from its originally intended ¡®entertainment¡¯ purposes.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jenell asked in a curious voice.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out before long, come on let¡¯s go in,¡± Dante replied while turning around to face the rest of the team that was quickly assembling together.


    Once everyone assembled at the entrance to the Amphitheatre Dante¡¯s voice boomed out. ¡°Attention!¡± Hearing Dante¡¯s voice, everyone quickly huddled together and made two equal lines. Seeing everyone continuing to act so obedient to his commands, it seemed the threat of the informing the instructor of their ¡®lack of discipline¡¯ was still firmly in effect.


    Dante sighed to himself as he thought of how powerless he was. Recalling the last words of his father, his eyes grew vacant. "Son, once you have enough power you can make anyone bow to you, and when you have enough personal strength makes that even truer. But before that, you must first learn how to survive! Power is built up over time and it comes from those who have submitted to you or choose to follow you wholeheartedly. Strength, on the other hand, comes from your own personal ability. Don¡¯t ever think that strength merely means physical strength. There are many kinds of strengths, and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. While trying to survive you will gradually develop various strengths. It¡¯s up to you to realize what they are¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what my strengths are now, but I need to move forward and enter the Assault Division to hone them. I can¡¯t make use my talents while being stuck in this¡­ damn cage! To make things even worse, I can only leave once I find a GP (Genome Partner). So even though I have the strength to take the next step, the decision is not up to me!¡± Dante subconsciously clenched his fists as he recalled all the suffering that he went through just to survive those three hellish years.


    Jenell, who was standing at the front of one of the lines noticed the change in Dante¡¯s expression and knew something was bothering him, but now wasn¡¯t the time to ask about it.


    Dante looked at the candidates then continued. ¡°Welcome to the Amphitheatre everyone. There are 12 entrances to the Amphitheatre. You have the main entrance for the staff members to the north, the prospective candidates entrance to the south which is where we are, and then you have the other 10 entrances which are meant for each of the 10 Divisions. The layout for the Amphitheatre¡¯s entrances is similar to that of a clock, which makes it pretty simple to remember. Keep in mind that you are to only enter the Amphitheatre from the southern entrance and NEVER from any other if you do¡­ you won¡¯t have enough time to regret it. Now, follow me.¡± Dante turned and walked towards the Amphitheatre.


    Once Dante made it within 20ft from the entrance, everyone saw a curtain of white light spring up from the ground. The candidates immediately stopped in their tracks and subconsciously took a step back.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°This is a security gate¡± Dante answered. ¡°Once you come within 20ft of the entrance, this wall of light will appear. It¡¯s a different color for each entrance and they tend to correspond with the color of your Exo-Suits. For us prospects our gate is white, which makes it easier to identify where you are should you be lost. If you see a ¡®red¡¯ security gate when you approach, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PASS THROUGH! As I said before, you won¡¯t have the time to regret it.¡±


    Dante continued to walk forward towards the curtain of white light and then passed right through. When everyone saw Dante step into the light, all they heard was a soft ¡®whoosh¡¯ sound similar to a knife passing through water. After Dante made it through the security gate his voice sounded out once again. ¡°Move it!¡±


    Everyone stepped forward and approached the security gate one by one. Since Jenell was in front, she was the first to pass through. When she made it past the 20ft marker the curtain of white light sprung up once more. She raised her head and stared at the wall of light for a few seconds then took a deep breath to calm herself down and then closed her eyes and stepped forward. As she passed through the security gate, she heard the same sound again that everyone else did when Dante passed through the security gate, and at the same time she felt a cool refreshing sensation wash over her body, which was similar to feeling you get after taking a cool shower.


    When she opened her eyes, she saw Dante a few feet away looking at her with a slight smile on his face.


    ¡°Feels good, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Dante asked while looking at her surprised expression.


    ¡°Yeah, my body feels great! What just happened?¡± she asked while walking towards him. Without even realizing it, Jenell found herself subconsciously relying on Dante for even the simplest of things and just asked her questions on impulse.


    Dante didn¡¯t mind answering her questions too much as he had a good impression of her over the past few days.


    When she came closerto him he replied to her while indicating with his finger for her to look towards the security gate. When she turned around, she saw the other prospects pass through one at a time. Each time someone passed through, the light it would ripple like water and at the very top, something similar to steam would appear. Dante began his explanation at this point:


    ¡°When you step through the security gate it removes any foreign residue and filth that accumulates outside your body and deposits it to that pipe above the gate. When you completely pass through, it feels like you¡¯ve just taken a shower because there¡¯s no longer any filth on your body. Realize that the sticky feeling from all the sweat that was on your body from jogging earlier is now completely gone?¡±


    After listening to Dante¡¯s explanation, a look of understanding was painted on Jenell''s face as she looked at her body. ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s what happened. That is so cool¡­¡±


    ¡°If you think that¡¯s cool, wait until we get inside¡± Dante put on an air of mystery as he turned around and continued walking down the hallway. After everyone passed through the security gate, they followed Dante and Jenell further inside. They made their way down the hall and walked for a few minutes until they saw bright sunlight reflecting off the ground at the end of the passage.


    When everyone made it through the passage, their eyes went wide in awe as they looked at the interior of the Amphitheatre. There were thousands of seats right around the Amphitheatre. In some areas, there were strange equipment, all manner of weapons and gadgets. In the center of the Amphitheatre, there were two platforms. There was one that connected to the northern entrance that was about 10ft high and another gigantic platform in the very center of the Amphitheatre.


    As everyone looked around, they could see the entrances for each Division Dante mentioned earlier. There was a huge sign that was being hung over the wall below each Division, namely; Assault Division, Reconnaissance Division, Medical Division, Construction Division, Engineering Division, Agriculture Division, Marine Division, Firmament Division, Subterranean Division and the G.E.N.E.S.I.S Division.


    As everyone took in the sights and details of the Amphitheatre, they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind them and realized that everyone else from the prospective candidates¡¯ barracks was slowly making their way over towards them while being in their respective teams.


    ¡°Looks like we were the first ones to arrive here,¡± Jenell commented.


    ¡°Oh look, it¡¯s the weirdo¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, hey there trash! Here to watch everyone leave you behind again?¡±


    Dante¡¯s expression sunk and his anger flared once more when he heard those two comments. He turned to this left to face the two that just spoke and yelled: ¡°Vladimir, Vlatka! You two pieces of shit! Who the fuck are you two calling weirdo and trash?!¡±


    The two in question were walking from the Assault Division seats which were adjacent to the southern entrance. The two were fraternal twins. Male and female respectively. They both had long blond hair and had cyan colored eyes. They wore a green Exo-Suit that looked far more advanced than the one the prospects were wearing. These green Exo-Suits were full body armors that looked extremely imposing and quite intimidating.


    ¡°Ah! So, you do acknowledge yourself as a weirdo and trash! Here we were talking about the garbage over there and you managed to overhear us and actually took offense¡­ ha-ha.¡± The one that spoke was the male amongst the two, Vladimir. The arrogance in his voice seemed to have come from his bones. Even the way he walked seemed as though he disdained even the very ground he stepped on, it seemed if he had a choice he would rather fly than set foot on the ground. He clearly looked down on everyone as though they were mere insects beneath his feet.


    ¡°Tsk-tsk. Truly pathetic. No wonder he¡¯s unable to find a GP. It seems his only match is garbage, hmph hmph¡± The next to comment was the female amongst the two, Vlatka. She was equally arrogant and had a venomous look in her eyes like a viper that would kill you just for the fun of it.


    Just as Dante was about to move forward to let his fists do the talking, a loud voice boomed out.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH!¡±

 Chapter 006: Drastic Changes (3)

    The voice was like a clap of thunder going off near everyone¡¯s heart. It reverberated throughout the entire Amphitheatre and caused the whole structure to tremble. All the candidates couldn¡¯t help but cringe their heads to the side in pain at the sound. It felt like their eardrums were being pierced by a thousand needles. They all believed that they would probably go deaf at any moment. At the same time, everyone felt as though the gravity inside the Amphitheatre suddenly intensified, causing their legs go soft like hot noodles under the pressure. Those who did not have the mental perseverance to only bend their knees submitted to the pleading of their trembling legs and knelt down.


    Dante, Vladimir, and Vlatka simultaneously turned their heads to the northern entrance and felt their hearts plummet to their feet when their eyes caught sight of the speaker. He was a tall man dressed in full black walking towards them with two beautiful women at his side. One of the two women wore a white and green ruqun and was exceptionally beautiful. Her hair was caught up in a bun and had two braids trailing down the front of her shoulders. The other woman at the man¡¯s side wore a brown jacket with a matching scarf around her neck. She had her own unique appeal and had an air of professionalism about her. Jenell and a few others who weren¡¯t too muddle-headed after hearing the loud voice earlier raised their heads and looked in the direction that Dante and the other two were staring and froze in place, their hearts quivering at the sight.


    ¡°D-D-Dr. Lambert¡± Jenell stuttered.


    Dante, Vladimir, and Vlatka started sweating bullets the moment they heard the voice and very nearly went into cardiac arrest. They each knew who the voice belonged to, but still felt compelled to look, just to make sure that their fears and assumptions weren¡¯t being misplaced. But when their gaze met him, they sensed their bodies go cold like a block of aged profound ice. Their faces paled as if they each lost half of their lives. Under Dr. Lambert¡¯s cold gaze, everyone froze and stood still.


    The sound of Dr. Lambert¡¯s footsteps making their way down the corridor grew louder and louder with each step he took, and it caused many of the candidates to have trouble breathing. Some grabbed their chest for fear their hearts would leave their bodies, others just stood there refusing to breath; as though, if it were to be heard it would spell their demise.


    When Dr. Lambert arrived at the platform connecting the northern entrance, his gaze locked onto the three who were about to brawl then spoke: ¡°Vladimir, Vlatka. What reason do you two have to be interfering with the prospective candidates? Is it that you¡¯ve forgotten your place? Or is it that you want me to give you another reminder?¡±


    When the two in question heard their names be called they could only lament at their misfortune. It was known right throughout the compound that Dr. Lambert was a very secluded person that was hardly ever seen because he was usually busy working in his lab. He was known to have a ruthless personality, and to top it off, he was in charge of all operations involving the 10 divisions. His words were law here and could only be refuted by the Chairman. But, even the Chairman often choose not to get involved with his affairs. The Chairman even went as far as to even assign an assistant to act as an intermediary between them to deliver his reports.


    ¡°What the hell is HE doing here?!¡± The twins thought to themselves. Vladimir, who was the more quick-witted of the two quickly replied in an attempt to salvage the moment. He took a step forward and cupped his hands in greeting and bowed: ¡°Good morning Dr. Lambert, and respectful seniors, this¡­ is a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Dr. Lambert said while raising an eyebrow.


    Vladimir continued: ¡°We noticed that the prospects arrived rather early and we wanted to extend our congratulations to them for making it past the preliminary examination.¡±


    Vlatka finally regained her bearings and caught on then added: ¡°Good morning Dr. Lambert and distinguished seniors. What my brother said is indeed correct! This was just a misunderstanding. Just now, we only wanted to exchange pointers with Dante and his team as a warm-up exercise to let them better get used to the capabilities of their Exo-Suits.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡± Dr. Lambert gave a cold harrumph and looked towards Dante then spoke: ¡°Dante, you need to remember to control that temper of yours, you¡¯re too hot-headed. You have great latent potential, but if you don¡¯t learn to control that temper of yours, it will be the end of you.¡±


    Dante lowered his head as he heard Dr. Lambert¡¯s scolding ¡°I understand; I won¡¯t let it happen again.¡±


    At this, everyone looked at Dante in shock and some gave him odd stares, ¡°Why is Dr. Lambert so¡­ nice to him?¡±


    Shifting his gaze to the previous two, Dr. Lambert spoke: ¡°You two, I¡¯ll overlook today¡¯s incident just this once¡­ return to your designated area and wait for everyone else to arrive.¡±


    Vladimir and Vlatka did not even wait to hear half a sentence more and quickly responded simultaneously while nodding their heads like chickens pecking rice. ¡°Yes, sir! Thank you for your great kindness!¡± As they turned to leave they didn¡¯t even spare Dante and the others a glance and left quicker than they came, not delaying for even half a breath.


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    Dr. Lambert then shifted his gaze towards the assembly of prospective candidates and spoke: ¡°Is everyone here?¡±


    Dante who was at the forefront of the assembly quickly replied: ¡°Yes sir! All 210 candidates from team #10 are present!¡±


    The others in charge of their respective teams woke from their stupor by Dante¡¯s voice and quickly added.


    ¡°Report! All 210 candidates from team #9 are present!¡± the one who spoke was a young man of medium built with brown hair. His facial expression was quite stern; it was probably due to being in the presence of Dr. Lambert. His eyes showed his steadiness, and he seemed to be quite responsible.


    ¡°Report! All 210 candidates from team #8 are present!¡± this time, the one who spoke was a female. She was a bit short, probably approaching 4ft. She had a brown complexion and had short curly black hair. Her expression was cool and collected. It seemed she was not affected much by Dr. Lambert¡¯s intimidation earlier.


    Soon, one person after another stepped forward and made their reports and before long, everyone was finished. At present, all 2100 prospective candidates were available.


    Dr. Lambert nodded his head in approval and continued: ¡°Excellent, everyone please assemble at the center of the main platform.¡±


    At his command, everyone got up and headed directly towards the main platform. The main platform was about 1000ft in diameter and 10ft high. Easily accommodating all 2100 prospective candidates.


    Once everyone assembled in front of Dr. Lambert, he continued: ¡°For those of you who don¡¯t know who I am, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Vincent Lambert. I am in charge of all operations regarding the G.E.N.E.S.I.S Programme. I must apologize for not congratulating you all sooner for successfully passing the preliminary examinations and becoming prospective candidates. For you all to be able to pass such a stringent screening process means that you all are the prestige and pride of our country, our future. Today, I have summoned you all here to make an announcement. As you all know, we are now approaching the latter stages of this war, and as a result, the casualties each nation is experiencing has increased by 10-fold. The political state of the world is now in an extremely volatile state which means, at any given point in time, any of the other six Major Powers can initiate the end war by firing nuclear weapons at each other. In my opinion, this is highly unlikely to happen. The reason for that is; should nuclear weapons be utilized in this war, the victor, or should I say, the survivors would have a very difficult time surviving the subsequent years, as the world would¡¯ve become a toxic wasteland. However, even though the probability of the war reaching such a state is not likely to happen due to its repercussions ¨C it is still, however, a possibility.¡±


    Everyone was listening attentively at this moment. The only sound that could be heard was that of Dr. Lambert¡¯s voice. Not even the collective sound of everyone¡¯s breath could be heard. It was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping would be heard clearly. Everyone¡¯s expression was solemn; the matters Dr. Lambert spoke about were things they were extremely familiar with. Most of them used to live in the outside world before and had experienced the cruelty of this war first hand and have seen the boundless sea of bodies that came about as a result.


    ¡°As a precaution, in order to secure the continuation of our species and preserve thousands of years of history should this apocalyptic event occur, we have taken several measures to develop items that will aid us in this endeavor. The Exo-Suits that you are all wearing is one example, and the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme is another. The acronym G.E.N.E.S.I.S stands for; Genetically Engineered Nano Enhancement Symbiosis Integration System.¡± Saying up to here a slight smile crept onto the corners of Dr. Lambert¡¯s mouth that sent a chill down everyone''s back.¡°It is indeed a mouthful to say all that, but it speaks directly to what the programme is about, and it should be quite easy to discern without much explanation. As most of you may know, originally the process we would have you all undergo, would normally take about three months. You would¡¯ve undergone training to develop your bodies to an ideal state and then we would also have doctors inject a genetic enhancement drug that works in concert with the nanites in your Exo-Suits to improve your immune system and provide your bodies with many more benefits such as increased strength and longevity. This process would have over an 80% chance of success, and the fatality rate due to incompatibility would be near negligible because all of you would have a doctor to monitor your vitals to ensure a successful fusion. However, now that the war has progressed to such a state we are now being pressed for time and as a result, will need to make modifications to how the lot of you will undergo training and genome fusion.


    When the candidates heard Dr. Lambert¡¯s discourse their faces showed a variety of expressions. Some blew a sigh of relief, some grew confused, some grew worried while others grew excited.


    Jenell muttered to herself with a frown on her face while trying to guess what changes were about to be made. Unable to figure it out, she continued to listen attentively justlike everyone else.


    After seeing the various expressions on everyone¡¯s faces, Dr. Lambert continued: ¡°Back then the methods we utilized were passive and did not force your predecessors to push themselves to their absolute physical and mental limits and thus had a longer but smoother time undergoing their genome fusion and then finding a genome partner to stabilize the changes in their bodies to grow together. In my opinion, that method, even though it is safer, it wastes your latent potential and limits your future growth and development. In your case, even though you are going to experience a much more ¡®challenging¡¯ experience, you will all benefit greatly! Enough so that you can look down on all of mankind in contempt at their inferiority as you all will be the base generation for the future, a stronger generation!¡±


    As the candidates absorbed Dr. Lambert¡¯s words they could feel their blood pump fiercely as their imaginations run wild. Strength! This is what they lacked. This is what they needed more than anything! More than food, shelter, clothing and even the air itself! If you didn¡¯t have enough strength, you wouldn¡¯t even have the qualifications to continue breathing in this world!


    Seeing their excited and determined expressions, Dr. Lambert''s slight smirk transformed into a genuine smile. A smile of empathy and longing. He too fully understood what the lack of strength meant to these youngsters. His lack of strength made him unable to retrieve his son for 3 long years, and could only watch his wife weep night after night worrying about his wellbeing. Because of their lack of strength, they had to literally beg others for their help and slave themselves away for their ambitions.


    Julia who was standing behind her husband could feel the change in him. His voice was filled with vigor and determination as though he too were amongst the candidates standing there, listening to his own words.


    Dante¡¯s eyes narrowed for quite some time as he listened to Dr. Lambert¡¯s words. Something inside of him told him that, this time would be different. That he would finally have his chance to move forward.


    Dr. Lambert¡¯s voice went down a notch and it seemed as though he was getting to the meat of the matter and arriving at its conclusion. ¡°The difference between your training regime and your predecessors will be like the difference between heaven and earth. You will all be walking on the line between life and death on a daily basis, and at the end of your training, you will find yourselves reach a higher realm of strength, never before seen in this world! Your training regime will last for approximately 30 days and it will include all 2100 of you, and begins now!¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Everyone was shocked at his words, to struggle and walk the line of life and death for 30 days, is that even possible, especially for persons no older than 16 years¡¯ old who had no clue what to expect?


    ¡°What on earth was he going to have us do, join the war? "No, it can¡¯t be that we can barely survive in our own country, to say nothing of other countries. We would just add to the body count of corpses on the battlefield.¡± Dante thought to himself.


    After speaking, Dr. Lambert removed a spherical device from his jacket pocket and threw it towards the airspace above the main platform where all the candidates stood and shouted: ¡°This is Day 1! Your objective is; to survive!¡±

 Chapter 007: Drastic Changes (4)

    The moment Dr. Lambert threw the sphere into the airspace above the candidates, it started emitting a droning sound along with countless streams of multi-colored bright light that spread out to cover the entire platform in the shape of a pyramid. In an instant, the light completely sealed all the prospective candidates within, as the sphere continued to hover in mid-air.


    Everyone looked up and around them in shock, subconsciously huddling closer together towards the center of the platform for fear of coming in contact with the light. Jenell clutched onto the back of Dante¡¯s shirt stuttering: ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡± the last word spoken by Dr. Lambert; ¡°survive¡± caused fear and worry to fill her heart. It wasn¡¯t just her who felt trepidation in their hearts and wondered about this, everyone was thrown into a pandemonium with their minds sent reeling. Many looked towards Dr. Lambert expecting an answer, but all they received were his cold eyes staring at them through the light as though they were being sentenced to their deaths.


    Dante¡¯s eyes were locked onto Dr. Lambert the entire time during his speech as he analyzed his words carefully; focusing on every detail. When Dr. Lambert mentioned the changes that were going to be made to their training programme, a strange light started burning within Dante¡¯s eyes. The moment Dr. Lambert threw that sphere towards them and spoke his final words, Dante¡¯s mind was filled with vigilance.


    ¡°Everyone, settle down!¡± A voice boomed out, the speaker was the leader of team #9. After his voice boomed out, it caused the hubbub of noise to quickly die out.


    Dante edged back towards his team and instructed them: ¡°Everyone, stay close and watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± At Dante¡¯s command, all the members of team #10 paired up into groups of two and were looking around attentively.


    A short while after Dr. Lambert threw the sphere out, he tapped a few buttons on a device that was attached to his left wrist which caused the sphere in mid-air to start rotating much faster. Everyone noticed a change in the sphere because the curtain of light started rotating at a faster speed than before. After a brief moment, the light grew so bright it became impossible to see the world beyond the curtain of light. Everyone grew more vigilant of their surroundings and at the same time, more worried as time progressed.


    After observing the rotating curtain of light for a moment, the leader of team #8 turned to look at everyone for anything out of place. When she did, she caught sight of something strange happening in team #10, when she looked closer her eyes constricted into dots and as she exclaimed: ¡°Dante! Your arm! Look at your arm!¡± Everyone became spooked at the sudden outburst and turned to look at the one being mentioned.


    Hearing his name, Dante turned to look at the person who called out to him. When he heard her say ¡®to look at his arm¡¯, he grew a bit confused but looked at his arms nonetheless. When he glanced at his right arm, he sucked in a deep cold breath and his eyes went wide with disbelief. He felt a tremor run through his body as he saw his right arm disintegrating!


    ¡°Shit!¡± Dante exclaimed while retreating from his group. The sight of the floating particles that were once Dante¡¯s arm caused everyone¡¯s face to pale and doggedly back away from him in shock. Almost everyone¡¯s gaze looked at Dante with pity and dread as though he was touched by a plague.


    Dante started flailing his arm as though it were on fire, but his arm continued to disintegrate and very quickly spread across his body. Jenell who was beside him earlier looked at him in shock. Fear, worry, and confusion filled her thoughts. She subconsciously stepped forward towards Dante in an attempt to help somehow but was very sternly told to stay away from Dante by her team members and thus, unwillingly came to a stop. Dante wasn¡¯t sure whether or not this was something that would spread on contact and didn¡¯t want to endanger anyone else, especially Jenell. But against his wishes, ¡®the plague¡¯ continued to spread and more screams rang out.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Within the group, several others were experiencing the same thing. They started disintegrating from various parts of their bodies. Everyone grew so frightened that they didn¡¯t even realize that they felt no pain while all this was happening to them. But no one thought of this, the sight of their bodies suddenly disappearing bit by bit before their eyes were too traumatizing to even have the time to remember what pain felt like. Before long, everyone had most of their bodies turned into tiny particles, some even fainted after going into shock.


    Jenell felt a tingling sensation all over her body and felt a shiver run down her spine. She looked down at her left hand and saw it disintegrating bit by bit as the seconds slipped by. Realizing that she was in the same situation as Dante she gritted her teeth and wanted to go over to him, but to her surprise, her legs would not move, no matter how much she willed it they didn¡¯t even budge. At this moment, the speed of the disintegration increased dramatically and climbed up to her throat. In her last moments, before she disappeared, she looked towards Dante and stretched out what remained of her left arm as if hoping that would be enough to bridge the gap between them, shouting. ¡°Dan-!¡±


    The last thing Dante saw before he disappeared was everyone¡¯s body turning into floating, multi-colored particles and Jenell''s worry stricken face.


    ¡°Worry?¡± he thought to himself. "She''s actually worried about me?"


    Not fear for her own life but worry for his sake. Dante felt that if his torso hadn¡¯t already disintegrated his heart would be in pain at this moment as he witnessed the sight. When his and Jenell''s gazes were locked, he wanted to say something to her but only his lips moved. His throat and tongue had already disappeared¡­


    Even after everyone disappeared, the sound of their screams and cries still lingered in the air for several seconds. It made the Amphitheatre suddenly feel haunted. Vladimir and Vlatka who were sitting not too far away in the Assault Division¡¯s designated area were pale as snow and were quivering in their seats. They could still hear the miserable shrieks of the candidates resounding throughout the Amphitheatre. When the sound-wave passed through their bodies, it felt as though the departed souls of the candidates wanted to bring them along, causing them to feel even more terrified and their faces to pale even further.


    After a brief moment, the droning sound from the sphere finally ceased and the multi-colored light retracted and then the sphere returned to Dr. Lambert¡¯s grasp. Dr. Lambert turned his gaze towards the twins in the distance as if wondering what to do with them. When the twins felt Dr. Lambert¡¯s gaze locked onto them, they nearly voluntarily gave up their souls to King Yama just to escape his cold eyes.


    After witnessing everything that just happened, Julia frowned and looked at her husband, quite displeased with his actions. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a ¡®bit¡¯ too cruel today? Why didn¡¯t you tell them anything?¡±


    Dr. Lambert replied, clearly not surprised by the question his wife asked: ¡°I wasn¡¯t being cruel. In fact, I was being quite generous. My speech earlier was meant to do three things. First, to plant a sense of urgency into their minds based on the war which is, in fact, true and irrefutable. Second, to stimulate their desire for more power, you could say that it was a short motivational speech, and thirdly I told them about the hostile situation that they were going to be in for the next month. So, your unfounded allegations are without grounds.¡± Dr. Lambert turned around with a smirk on his face, believing that he was like a righteous untainted saint who had just accomplished a great deed. But to all onlookers, he looked like a demon that just condemned 2100 young souls to hell¡­ This was truly a great deed, one worthy divine punishment! After he turned around, he noticed his wife was looking at him with her mouth agape at his reply and his proud expression. Fuming, she berated him: ¡°You could¡¯ve at least told them they were going to be teleported! Some of them almost died from the shock of seeing their bodies disintegrating!¡±


    Dr. Lambert tilted his head in confusion while looking at his wife, recalling what just happened, he thought about it some more and realized that he forgot to tell them that important little detail. ¡°Oh¡­ oops,¡± he said while scratching the corner of his eyebrow.


    ¡°OOPS?! OOPS?!¡± Julia¡¯s beautiful face became a startling red and her eyebrows turned into crescent moons as she continued to berate her husband ¡°You nearly killed them all before they even arrived at The Island! How could you be so careless!?¡± Even though she was shouting at him and was clearly quite upset, it still sounded quite pleasing to his ear, causing him to smile. Sighing helplessly, Julia shook her head and continued. ¡°No wonder everyone is afraid of you¡­¡±


    Gabrielle who stood to the side wrapped her scarf around her beautiful lips to stifle her laugh and hide the wide grin that was plastered on her face.


    Not long afterward, the sound of footsteps and chatter could be heard coming from the multitude of persons entering the Amphitheatre from the other entrances. Julia had a premonition that the 10 Divisions were about to experience something far worse than the prospective candidates. Gabrielle continued to look expectantly at the two. It seemed this was a regular occurrence that brought her no small amount of entertainment.

 Chapter 008: Arrival

    *Cough,Cough*


    The moment Dante felt his consciousness return to him, he found himself lying face down in water with sand beneath his feet. Realizing that he wasn¡¯t dead yet, he struggled to his feet while gasping for air. He felt all the muscles in his body continuously spasm for a moment. Clearly, the experience from earlier brought him no small amount of terror. The moment his eyes opened, he noticed that his body was quickly reassembling. Even though it was still a shock to see this happen, it wasn¡¯t as bad as seeing his body disintegrate. After dragging his body towards the shore, he fell to his knees breathing heavily. After a short moment of rest, he rose to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.


    ¡°Where am I, is this¡­ Hell?¡± All around him he could see nothing but black sand and dead vegetation. The cliff, the rocks, even the water he just climbed out of was pitch black. The surroundings were so barren that even if a heavenly fire were to descend, it wouldn¡¯t cause such a scene to appear. Thinking up to here, he looked towards the sky, only to see dark thunderclouds blotting out the sky. For as far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but dark thunderclouds twisting in the sky like massive pythons - wrapping around each other.


    The sound of thunderclaps would constantly boom out and the dazzling streaks of lightning would flash even more so. If it weren¡¯t for the constant flashes of lightning it would be almost impossible to see anything. As Dante continued to look questioningly at his surroundings, he realized that he was the only person on the coastline. There was not another soul in sight. Thinking back to his last moments at the Amphitheatre before he lost consciousness, he suddenly recalled Jenell''s image. She was the only one who was worrying about his well-being after his body started disintegrating. Everyone else edged away from him almost on instinct. Seeing her make an attempt to help him without regard for her own safety, left Dante with a sense of warmth. That moment left a deep impression of her in his heart, it caused him to sigh to himself the more he thought about it. ¡°I hope you¡¯re alright¡±.


    Even though Dante was still in a state of shock, he could still think rationally. His survival instincts kicked in and took control of his thoughts. ¡°I need to find shelter; these storm clouds won¡¯t hold up for much longer.¡± Dante looked around once more, checking to see if anyone else had appeared but sighed in disappointment. Turning his gaze towards the east, he started making his way along the shore. Along the way, he would look out for anything that would be useful to him.


    Off in the distance atop a cliff, stood two dark figures watching Dante as he continued to walk along the shore. Both figures were dressed in black from head to toe and wore gas masks that covered their faces completely. The sound of their cloaks fluttering in the wind seemed to orchestrate the thunder and lightning. Occasionally their figures would be revealed under the brief flashes of lightning.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± asked one of the two. From the sound of their voice, it seemed to be the voice of a young woman probably in her 20¡¯s. Bewilderment clearly evident in her voice. ¡°He just appeared out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but it seems we haven¡¯t been discovered.¡± The next voice came from the second figure and it was the voice of a young man probably around the same ageas the former. ¡°We need to report this to Chieftain immediately. I¡¯ll go make the report, you keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± the young woman replied. After giving each other a nod, their bodies flickered and disappeared into the darkness.


    **


    Several miles off the western coast of America, was an island that came into being as a result of the war. After its discovery, it was immediately seized by America and was used as an outpost for the war. A year later, it was reassigned to N.A.S.A as a testing zone for their inventions and experiments.


    At this time, the other candidates started materializing one by one, scattered across the island. When Jenell''s body was finally restored, she almost couldn¡¯t stop shivering as she gasped for air ¡°I-I''m not dead?¡± Jenell was pleasantly surprised that they weren¡¯t killed at that moment. Contrary to many of the other candidates, Jenell was surprisingly calm at this moment. She knelt down so as to catch her breath and stabilize her breathing. After a moment, she looked around and could see many of the candidates materializing. Jenell quickly scouted the area and started looking for Dante¡¯s figure but was unsuccessful. He wasn¡¯t in front of her like how he was earlier. As a matter of fact. He was nowhere to be seen. Jenell started walking around looking for Dante but couldn¡¯t even find half his shadow. She continued to walk around aimlessly asking the other candidates if they saw him with a worry-stricken face. ¡°Dante¡­ where are you?¡±


    **


    After walking along the shore for a while, Dante came to a stop. In front of him was a dead-end. If he wished to proceed any further he would probably have to climb over the cliff or enter the black water and swim around to get to the other side. He didn¡¯t trust the water from the very first time he laid eyes on it, so swimming was out of the question. ¡°Who knows what might be inside of it¡±, he thought to himself. After looking around for a moment, a flash of lightning revealed a small passage that was hidden between two boulders which led deep into the cliff. "what''s this?" After hesitating for a moment, Dante gritted his teeth and stepped forward. While walking earlier he realized that he still had on his Exo-Suit which brought him some comfort. He believed that he should be able to preserve his life should any life-threatening situation arise.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Once he made his way towards the passage, he paused at the entrance and inspected it a bit further. ¡°This is¡­¡± To his surprise, the passage had a narrow path that led up a flight of stairs. It seemed to have been carved into the cliff several years ago. The flashes of lightning would reveal signs of degradation that only time would cause. ¡°It seems this passage isn¡¯t used often, if at all in the past couple of years. Ok, let¡¯s see where this leads to¡±. Having made his decision, Dante started making his way up the narrow passage. The passage was even darker than outside, only the faint lingering glow from the lightning above would illuminate the passage for a brief moment. The further along he went, the darker it became and the less light was able to reach inside. It became so dark that even the enhanced vision provided by his Exo-Suit had difficulty picking up anything along the way. Dante had to run his hand along the wall to find his way and carefully place his steps as he made his way forward. Thankfully, the sizes of the steps were mostly consistent and didn¡¯t make walking up the path difficult.


    After a moment Dante could hear the claps of thunder more clearly the further along he went and could faintly see light reflecting off the ground in the distance. ¡°It seems there¡¯s an opening up ahead,¡± he thought to himself as he continued to slowly make his way forward. After taking a few more steps, Dante heard a low rumbling sound that caused the passage to tremble. Debris started falling from up above and the rumbling sound got more intense as time progressed.


    Dante¡¯s face fell as he realized what was happening, ¡°It¡¯s an earthquake! Shit! I gotta get outta here!¡± Dante threw all caution to the wind and put all his strength into his right leg to propel himself forward, trusting that the Exo-Suit would give him the boost he needed. But before he could kick off, the floor collapsed below his feet.


    ¡°Aaah!¡± Dante screamed on top of his lungs, horrified at his predicament. He found himself freefalling down a dark massive cavern, its depth unknown. While in freefall, his arms were flailing about trying to grab hold of anything that could stop him from falling. ¡°Shit! Shit! I can¡¯t die like this!¡± He knew the limitations of the Exo-Suit and was certain that if there was nothing below to break his fall, he would certainly die. After falling for more than 10 seconds Dante¡¯s eyes became bloodshot. ¡°How fucking deep is this hole!?¡± Even the echo from his scream earlier still had yet to fade away. His frantic expression was surprisingly replaced by anger. Fortunately, the ceiling didn¡¯t collapse after the floor gave way so there no immediate danger of being crushed to death by rocks. He continued to look around, flailing about, hoping to grab hold of something. Just as he was preparing to guide his body towards one side he suddenly heard a loud splash below him. ¡°There¡¯s water below!¡± He finally found a thread of hope in his moment of despair. The only concern he had was how deep the water was. He immediately positioned his body to meet the water and closed his eyes. It would be a painful experience considering the height of the fall, but the pain was better than death. After holding his breath for a brief moment, he felt his body come in contact with some hot liquid and was completely submerged.


    * Splash! *


    The down-force from the fall sent Dante several feet under and was swept away by the current. He was stunned under the surface for a brief moment but very quickly got his bearings together and made his way to the surface.


    After Dante¡¯s head broke the surface of the water he gasped for air and took the deepest breath he ever had in his life. His face was red from the burning heat and the air was extremely hot. After managing to crack his eyes open, all he could see was white steam all around. It seemed he fell into a massive natural hot spring.


    ¡°Aaah!¡±


    Dante felt a tremor run through him as he heard the shrill cry of a woman nearby.


    "There''s someone!"


    Surprised, he turned his head around to see who it was, maybe it was someone he knew. When he did, what he saw was the silhouette of young woman''s naked body within arm¡¯s reach from where he resurfaced. Even though the young woman¡¯s body was submerged in the mist, Dante could still faintly see the outline of her body. She was dazzling to behold. Dante¡¯s eyes went wide with shock ¡°This¡­¡± before he could finish his sentence, he saw the young woman emit a flash of blue light and then his vision went black, he was knocked unconscious.


    After an unknown period of time, Dante finally woke with a groan and found himself laying faced down once more, but this time his hands and feet were bound behind his back. The moment he woke up, he heard someone¡¯s voice: ¡°Who are you, and how the hell did you get here you pervert?¡±


    The voice brought Dante back to his senses. Opening his eyes, he tried looking around and became stunned because he saw a light. ¡°Light? What, wait, where am I?¡± As he looked around, he realized that he was still within the cavern. Along the walls and ceiling were glowing blue algae which illuminated the entire cavern.


    ¡°I asked you a question! Who are you and how did you get here?¡±


    Hearing the question Dante raised his head and looked towards the source of the voice. A few feet away from him, sat a woman dressed in blue tribal clothing. The clothes she wore weren¡¯t the graceful kind you¡¯d normally see women wear but instead looked like something a warrior would wear. Her facial features were completely hidden behind a pure white mask. She seemed young from the sound of her voice probably in her late teens or early 20¡¯s.


    Feeling the throbbing pain in his head, Dante couldn¡¯t help but wince as he struggled to sit up. ¡°You could¡¯ve been a bit gentler you know¡± he complained while adjusting his posture. ¡°If she tries to do anything again, I¡¯ll break out of these restraints and return the favor,¡± he thought to himself while hiding the killing intent in his eyes. He wasn¡¯t the type of person who would be forgiving when placed in a hostile situation, he showed absolutely no mercy to his enemies, be they male or female. Those three years he had to survive in the war taught him many things, the most important was; to always seize the initiative! That way you could survive any situation and live to see another day. Unfortunately, this time around. He lost the initiative to his captor and ended up getting knocked unconscious and bound like a prisoner.


    Noticing that his captor didn¡¯t reply to his earlier comment he sat upright then continued: ¡°You know, customarily you should state your name before you ask another for their own. Clearly, you lack people skills and the subtleness women normally possess.¡±


    Dante¡¯s snide remark seemed to have aroused the young woman¡¯s ire. Her voice dark, she replied. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you a third time¡­¡± As she spoke, her hands started emitting a cold blue light. Dante¡¯s eyes went wide when he saw this happen ¡°What trick is this?¡± Remembering what happened earlier his eyes narrowed as helooked closer at her hand. ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s the blue light from earlier¡± As he looked at the blue light around her hands an intense sensation of deadly crisis rose up within him. Just as he was about to break his restraints, a dark figure blurred into existence between the two. The sudden appearance of this figure in front of him without sound or warning made Dante almost jump out of his skin.


    ¡°Whoa! What the f¡­ who are you!?¡± Dante asked, with eyes wide open.


    The dark figure replied coolly while looking down at Dante: ¡°Customarily you should state your name before you ask another for their own.¡±

 Chapter 009: Warm Welcoming

    The moment the dark figure flickered into existence between the two, Dante¡¯s captor shot to her feet on full alert, ready to attack at any given moment. However, a moment later when she heard the dark figure¡¯s voice she heaved a sigh of relief but then glared daggers at the person¡¯s back asking coldly: ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    Hearing the resentment in the young woman¡¯s voice, the dark figure gave a light chuckle then replied while tilting their head to the side: ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you the same thing, is this where you normally sneak off to?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± the young woman gave a low scuff and turned her head to the side, avoiding the dark figure¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°As to why I¡¯m here, you¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± After speaking to the young woman, the dark figure switched its gaze to Dante and coolly spoke: ¡°You there, boy¡­ speak!¡±


    Adding to Dante¡¯s surprise, the dark figure¡¯s voice was indistinguishable. It sounded like that of a young man¡¯s but at the same time, mechanical. Due to the minuscule amount of light being shown by the blue algae, it was impossible to discern the features of this person. He seemed to be no more than a shadow and the mask he wore made him seem even more mysterious.


    Earlier, when he heard his own words being used against him along with the unannounced appearance of this person - left Dante both shaken and speechless. It was as though a ghost had suddenly appeared in front of him out of thin air. After assessing the situation, Dante decided to co-operate for the moment until he fully understood what was going on. But more importantly, find out where he was: ¡°My name is Dante, might I ask who-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to ask the questions.¡± The dark figure interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t recall seeing your face around here Dante, and your attire is even more perplexing. You are clearly not from here. Where are you from?¡±


    Seeing that his ¡®interrogator¡¯ wasn¡¯t going to give him the opportunity to make any queries, Dante decided to solicit the information some other way.


    ¡°I was out taking a stroll and the ground collapsed beneath my feet due to an earthquake. I fell into that hot spring over there, where I was so ¡®graciously¡¯ rescued by that beautiful young woman behind you. Though, I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m fond of her fetishes.¡± Dante replied while gesturing at his bound arms.


    The young woman¡¯s mouth went agape and her face beneath the mask went pink from embarrassment. She was left flabbergasted at his response. To think that he would bring up the earlier ¡®incident¡¯ that occurred with them in the hot spring while painting her pure actions to protect herself in such a lewd manner. She grew furious and yelled at him: ¡°Y-you insolent, lecherous fiend! I¡¯ll rip that vile tongue out of your head!¡± The blue light around her hands intensified as she stepped forward to rend him.


    Dante¡¯s eyes narrowed as he saw her hands emit the same cold blue light from before. ¡°What is that?¡± he thought to himself. No matter how he looked at it he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was nor how she did it. However, his intuition told him that if she were to lay hands on him he would die a miserable death.


    Before the young woman could get any closer, the dark figure raised a hand to stop her: ¡°Leah! Don¡¯t¡­ tsk, be impatient.¡± The dark figure clicked his tongue as he realized his blunder: ¡°To believe I fell for such, child¡¯s play.¡±


    Feeling quite satisfied with himself, a faint smirk crept onto Dante¡¯s face for a split second before he resumed his fa?ade of being a prisoner. His Exo-suit was cable of exerting up to 500 kg of force to any limb and could absorb up to 75% shock of the same amount. So, breaking out of his restraints was an easy task. His only concerns were the stealth and speed of this dark figure and the blue light that the young woman¡¯s hand could emit. ¡°Leah huh, not a bad name.¡± he thought to himself.


    The dark figure caught sight of that brief change in Dante¡¯s expression and became even more infuriated. His voice dark, he continued: ¡°So¡­ Dante, you mentioned that you were on the surface earlier, what were you doing out there?¡±


    Beneath this calm voice, Dante could detect a brewing killing intent that the dark figure was carefully trying to suppress. Apparently, Dante¡¯s response to this question would determine the outcome of the situation.


    While walking along the coastline earlier, Dante gave deep thought to how he came to be in this place. He thought of every possible situation, but could not come to any better conclusion other than him being teleported here after his body disintegrated back at the Amphitheatre. Even though it was a shocking realization and he didn¡¯t understand how exactly it happened; he trusted his gut feeling and was about 80% certain that this phenomenon might really be what happened. His only concern was, why there wasn¡¯t anyone else there with him.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After settling his thoughts, Dante calmly replied: ¡°I was sent on a training assignment.¡±


    The dark figure¡¯s face sunk at Dante¡¯s reply. Even though his facial expression could not be seen due to the mask on his face, his voice was enough to let Dante know that his killing intent had been aroused.


    ¡°You were sent? By who? Speak!¡± the dark figure enquired as he stepped forward to apprehend Dante.


    ¡°By Dr. Lambert.¡± Dante promptly replied. By constructing his responses in this manner, he could ascertain whether or not this place that he was sent to had anything to do with the new ¡®training regime¡¯ that Dr. Lambert mentioned. Once he was able to confirm this bit of information, what happens next would be simpler.


    The moment Dante spoke the name ¡®Dr. Lambert¡¯, he saw both the dark figure and the masked young woman¡¯s body visibly tremble within the faint light. In that instant, the cavern became so quiet that the sound of water dripping from the stalactites on the ceiling became noticeably louder resembling drums being struck. If it weren¡¯t for the masks they wore, Dante would see the incredulous looks of astonishment written across their faces.


    ¡°Who was it that you said sent you?¡± The one who asked this question was interestingly the young woman, Leah. Her anger from Dante¡¯s earlier taunt seemed to have been completely forgotten.


    ¡°What¡¯s their full name?¡± the dark figure added. His voice was still cold but not as much as it had been a moment ago, it carried a slight trace of astonishment and wonder. ¡°It must be a coincidence; it can¡¯t be the same person we¡¯re thinking about.¡±


    Leah was having similar thoughts as the dark figure, but her voice carried more hope than astonishment. The blue light being emitted by her hands flickered for a moment before quickly fading away.


    Dante gave a sigh of relief when he saw this happen after saying Dr. Lambert¡¯s name. ¡°It seems I might¡¯ve been sent someplace where he¡¯s known.¡± However, a short moment later, he was asked another question by the dark figure. Dante replied with the same calm expression as before while looking up at the dark figure: ¡°His name is, Dr. Vincent Lambert.¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Both the dark figure and Leah¡¯s eyes went wide with disbelief beneath their masks and their bodies went stiff as though they were struck by lightning. This news was an earth-shattering piece of information that could cause a major disturbance in the world. The dark figure¡¯s body flickered and in the blink of an eye, Dante found himself pinned up against the wall. Dante gave a low grunt as his back smashed against the wall causing the cavern to tremble slightly.


    ¡°Damn he¡¯s fast!¡± Dante cursed in his heart. To his surprise, he could feel his internal organs churn and could taste something sweet rising at the back of his throat. This dark figure before him was equally strong as he was fast. Dante¡¯s Exo-suit was able to reduce the force of an impact from 500 kg. to 125 kg. by distributing the shock across the host¡¯s body. So, the fact that he sustained some minor internal injuries meant that the strength this person displayed exceeded 500 kg. In addition to that, the speed the dark figure employed just now was unheard of! That sudden burst of speed further increased the force of the impact making the damage dealt almost twice the dark figure¡¯s actual strength, far more than what Dante¡¯s Exo-suit could bear.


    Wait!¡± Leah screamed the moment she saw the dark figure¡¯s body disappear and in the next instant, she saw his hand firmly grasping Dante¡¯s neck, pinning him to the wall like a piece of artwork.


    ¡°What did you say!? HE sent you!? Where is HE?! Speak!!!¡± The dark figure roared as he was instantly incensed the moment he heard Dante speak Dr. Lambert¡¯s full name.


    Leah rushed forward between the two and held onto the dark figure¡¯s free arm that he was preparing to deal Dante another blow: ¡°That¡¯s enough! Put him down! Release him this instant!¡±


    After pleading to the dark figure several times, Leah noticed her words weren¡¯t getting through to him as he didn¡¯t respond at all to her; and his grip on Dante¡¯s neck continued to tighten. It was clear that his anger had clouded his mind and it seemed that he might even kill Dante in this state.


    Earlier, Dante had decided to ¡®play along¡¯ with the two until he got the gist of things and then make his escape. The incident between Leah and himself could be crossed off as an accident, so he bore no enmity towards her. He could tolerate a woman laying a hand on him to a point, but to be handled in such a manner by another man was something he would never put up with!


    Just as Leah was just about to act, she heard a high pitch sound of something metallic breaking then hitting the ground. When she looked down, she saw the restraints she placed on Dante¡¯s arms and legs in pieces. She sucked in cold breath and looked up at Dante in shock only to see his fist whirling through the air towards the dark figure¡¯s face.


    "Die!"


    * Boom! *


    Dante¡¯s fist landed on the dark figure¡¯s face and a sound similar to a boulder collapsing reverberated throughout the entire cavern. The dark figure¡¯s body flew back like a kite with its string cut until he finally collided with the wall at the opposite side after which he coughing up a mouthful of blood. His body was shockingly immersed into the wall by several inches which shocked Leah by a great deal. Bats that were some distance away from where the dark figure landed were startled awake by the noise and flew about in a mad frenzy while making ear-piercing screeching noises. After a moment, the dark figure¡¯s head slumped forward and the mask that he wore fell from his face.


    Leah¡¯s hand was still raised and cupped in the shape of holding the dark figure¡¯s arm long after his body had disappeared from in front of her. It took a while before the shock of the moment dispersed and brought her back to her senses.


    ¡°Michah!¡± Leah frantically called out as she rushed over to his side. Even though she didn¡¯t have much of a favorable impression of him, he was still someone on their side, and a loss of another abled body was similar to losing an arm.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Dante cursed through gritted teeth while flashing his right hand. He felt a heart-piercing, burning sensation coursing through his hand. It felt like what he punched was not someone¡¯s face but the toughest of iron plates. Dante landed on his feet at almost the same instant the dark figure collided with the wall. Dante raised his head and looked towards this ¡®Michah¡¯, and it just so happened to be the exact moment that the mask fell from his face.


    The moment Dante caught sight ofwhat was beneath the dark figure''s mask his face blanched and his eyes went wide with shock: ¡°What the!?¡± The left side of the dark figure¡¯s face that he punched was like that of a robot, and the right side¡­ wasn''t even human.

 Chapter 010: Pursuit

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Dante¡¯s face tightened the moment he caught sight of what should¡¯ve been Micha¡¯s face beneath the mask. He felt a chill grab hold of his body as his face became the personification of terror. He was left rooted in place completely baffled, unable to fathom what he was looking at. He could accept seeing a robot or even a cyborg behind the mask. If it were a human, he would just be curious to know how they were able to move so fast. But no matter how long he looked at this¡­ thing¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t find anything in his memory to compare it. Whatever it was, it was not from this world. ¡°What the hell are you?¡± Dante said as he stood up.


    It was at this time that Leah swiftly made her way to Micha¡¯s side and was just in time to catch him before he hit the ground: ¡°Micha, are you alright? She asked anxiously as she gently laid him on the ground. However, even after waiting for some time, there was still no response from him. Assuming the worst; Leah quickly checked his vitals to confirm whether or not he was dead. After a brief moment, she heaved a sigh of relief; he still had a pulse and he was still breathing, albeit lightly. It seemed he was rendered unconscious by the blow to his head. After confirming that Micha was not in any immediate danger of dying, Leah got up and turned her gaze towards Dante, a bewildered and complicated look in her eyes.


    Once Leah rose to her feet after checking Micha¡¯s condition, Dante¡¯s attention locked onto her, waiting for her to make a move. As their eyes met, Dante could feel that there was something strangely familiar about them. Even though he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, he was sure there was something about her that he was familiar with. ¡°I should¡¯ve taken a better look at her face earlier, ah! How the hell did she even knock me out?¡± he thought while complaining to himself.


    ¡°Over here!¡±


    A loud shout rang out from the distance, breaking the silence between the two. Dante¡¯s body jolted from the sudden shout and shifted his gaze towards the tunnel where the shout came from. As he listened closely, he could hear the sound of several footsteps rapidly approaching the area where they were.


    ¡°Time to leave!¡± Dante turned and quickly made his way towards another tunnel at the opposite end.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Leah cried the moment she saw where Dante was heading. But Dante continued to make his way towards the tunnel completely ignoring her.


    Seeing Dante had no intention of stopping she continued: ¡°You can¡¯t go that way, if you do, you¡¯ll die!¡±


    Her second attempt caused Dante to pause for a moment, then questioningly looked back at her and asked: ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± Inwardly, Dante was actually quite happy that she spoke up, this place was completely foreign to him and what he needed now more than anything was information. Walking around blindly would be far more dangerous than his earlier deathly experience. Next time, he might not be so lucky to fall into a hot spring.


    Leah gave a light sigh of relief when she saw Dante slowed to a stop, then continued: ¡°Earlier, if I wanted to kill you I could¡¯ve done so while you were unconscious.¡±


    Dante: ¡°¡­ touch¨¦.¡±


    Leah looked down at Micha¡¯s still unconscious face and made a quick decision. ¡°The guards will be here soon, he¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll deal with him later after he wakes up.¡±


    Dante was confused and baffled as to why this girl was perfectly calm around that thing she called Micha. Any normal human being wouldn''t want to get within a 100 ft. of it, to say nothing of holding onto it. Thinking back to what just happened, he felt a chill run up his spine.


    Leah walked in Dante¡¯s direction then spoke, ¡°That tunnel leads to a dangerous place if you¡¯re not wearing a Morpheus suit or at the very least carry some anti-hallucination pellets you¡¯ll be trapped in an illusion, get lost, and then die within a few minutes.


    ¡°Eh? What!? Such a place exists?¡± Dante blurted out with a skeptical look on his face.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Hearing his response and seeing the look on Dante¡¯s face, Leah became even more certain that Dante was not from here. The only people that didn¡¯t know about this place were those who were not born here. But today, in this world that number was pitifully low. Many questions were brewing inside Leah¡¯s mind to ask him; who was he, where did he come from, how was he able to survive on the surface without a mask, but more importantly, how did he know Dr. Lambert and where was he? The longer she thought the more questions came. However, now was not the time to ask, they had to leave this place as quickly as possible before the guards arrive.


    In response to Dante¡¯s question, Leah tacitly replied: ¡°Whether or not it exists is a question that you would have to risk your life to find out. If the guards catch us here it will spell even more trouble. It¡¯s highly likely that if you continue that way the others won¡¯t follow you, however, you will inevitably die not long afterward. If you want to live, then follow me.¡±


    Leah quickly walked pass Dante, not sparing him another glance and headed towards the northern tunnel. During their earlier encounter and his response just now, she realized that Dante lacked knowledge of where he was. It was common knowledge to everyone that the path Dante was about to take would spell death for most and fortune for few.


    As Leah walked by, Dante thought over her reply. ¡°No one helps a complete stranger for free, there¡¯s a cost to everything. It seems there¡¯s something I have that she wants.¡± After thinking it over for a brief moment, Dante smiled to himself and followed suit, entering the tunnel with Leah. ¡°Lead the way¡­¡±


    Not long after the two left, several figures appeared in their place completely occupying the cavern. There were 20 guards uniformly dressed in red armors and black coats. In the lead, was a tall figure clad in a deep, blood red, vicious looking armor that seemed to embody a devil¡¯s will. The words ¡°fierce¡± and ¡°ominous¡± would be an ideal fit to describe this person. The leader came to a stop next to Micha¡¯s still unconscious body then spoke in a cold voice that could haunt ghosts.


    ¡°Useless trash, you couldn¡¯t even detain a child for a few minutes.¡± His gaze shifted towards the impression of Micha¡¯s body on the wall for a moment then gave a cold harrumph that sounded as if it came from a beast. ¡°It seems we missed a rather interesting show just now. That outsider ran rather quickly. Scouts, fan out and search the area for his tracks and report anything suspicious.¡±


    After the leader spoke, several figures from the group assented and quickly spread out to search the cavern for anyone that was still in the area or clues as to what happened.


    Once the scouts departed the leader turned to face a young man who was following closely behind then spoke: ¡°Vlad, you and your sister were the first ones to see this outsider, was there anything suspicious or worth noting about him?¡±


    Upon hearing his name being called, Vlad knelt on one knee and bowed his head before replying: ¡°Sire, the outsider arrived at the island by means of the sea, however, it was not by conventional means. We witnessed his body materialize out of thin air onto the shore. This is how we came to believe that it was an outsider. I instructed my sister to keep an eye on his whereabouts while I make the report. As per her description; the outsider was a young man appearing to be in his teens, he wore no mask and didn¡¯t seem to be affected by the toxic atmosphere outside or even the poisonous black water surrounding the island.¡±


    ¡°Was he the only one that appeared?¡± the leader asked.


    ¡°Yes, in the area that we were observing along the coastline, this outsider was the only one that appeared. I was concerned about this point as well which is why I instructed my sister to keep a close watch on his movements to see if he was going to rendezvous with anyone else.¡± Vlad replied as he recounted the information his sister sent.


    ¡°Hmm, if this is one of their new scouts then this will be troublesome. If our location has been compromised then it will spell disaster for our people. You mentioned that he was not wearing a mask, so does that mean your sister has seen his face?¡± the leader questioned.


    With his head slung low Vlad replied: ¡°Forgive her sire, but due to the black water that the outsider emerged from his facial features were obscured and with the cover of the night¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± the leader spoke, cutting off Vlad¡¯s next words. ¡°The mere fact that you two were able to discover this outsider¡¯s arrival is its own merit. If not, the repercussions would be too grave to imagine." The leader said as he shifted his gaze into the distance.


    It was at this moment that one of the scouts quickly returned to make a report with a rather frantic voice.


    ¡°My lord, we discovered a shattered arm restraint used by the militia at the western side of the cavern. It seems there was another person here that captured the outsider but he managed to break free. We located two pairs of footprints leading into the northern tunnel. It would appear that the outsider is holding the person captive as their footprints are fairly close.¡±


    As if a bomb went off near his ears, the leader¡¯s eyes went wide and his voice boomed out in shock: ¡°What!? The north!? Damn! They¡¯re heading towards the city! Everyone, we¡¯re moving out now, track them down and capture them alive! We cannot let them enter the city at any cost! If they resist, remove their limbs and bring them to me!¡±


    As though an imperial decree had been issued, the guards streamed into the northern tunnel like raging waters in pursuit of Dante and Leah.


    The leader turned to Vlad and gave him a specific set of orders: ¡°Vlad, tell your sister to go to the outpost on the road leading towards city gates and look out for the outsider. Since she has seen him before it should be easier for her to identify him. Have the guards there detain him, and take that ¡®thing¡¯ back to HQ, it¡¯s likely to have seen the outsider¡¯s face. As a precaution, have the doctor do a neuro-scan and retrieve its most recent memories and send them to me. Now go!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sire!¡± Vlad quickly took a spare mask from his storage bag and covered Micha¡¯s face then slung him over his shoulder and turned into a streak of dark light as he disappeared into the eastern tunnel.


    After Vlad disappeared into the tunnel, the leader turned and faced the northern tunnel and spoke in a low voice; ¡°Now for the hunt!¡±. As his final word fell, his body transformed into a streak of red light as he too disappeared into the tunnel in pursuit of Dante and Leah.

 Chapter 011: Worlds Edge

    "I-I''m not dead?"


    "We''re alive!"


    One astonished gasp after another could be heard as the young candidates found themselves materializing at an unknown place. They were all pleasantly surprised to find out that they were still alive and didn''t perish back at the Amphitheatre. They were all scared witless when they saw their bodies disintegrate, they thought themselves to bedead when they lost consciousness.


    "Jenell!"


    At this moment, Jenell who was frantically searching for Dante heard a familiar voice and turned to look at the person who called out to her. "Ashley? You''re here!" A beautiful smile bloomed on Jenell''s face. She was pleasantly surprised to see that one of her closest friends was in the area she appeared. Ashley was a charming young girl that was surprisingly almost 6ft tall. She had long curly brown hair and shockinggreen eyes that made her look even more dazzling. Because of her height, she became somewhat of an outcast from her peers and didn''t have many friends. Jenell was probably the only real friend she had while growing up. After the war started, the two looked after each other their friendship strengthened even more.


    In an instant, Ashley ran over to Jenell and scooped her up as though she was weightless. "Jenell are you ok? How do you feel? Wuuu, I was so scared, I-I thought I was going to die! T-that bastard Dr. Lambert! @$%&!" Ashley started weeping and swearing away in her frustration as she gave Jenell a tight hug. It seemed she was worried that Jenell would disappear if she didn''t hold her tight enough. Jenell''s face started turning blue after Ashley wrapped her arms around her, when she couldn''t take it anymore she cried out with the last bit of breath she had.


    "I''m ok, I''m ok! Ashley, I''m fine! Let me go, else I ... won''t... be..."


    "Oh! Oops sorry!" Ashley apologized and quickly released Jenell.


    Jenell stooped over and desperately gasped for air as though there wasn''t enough air in the world to fill her vacant lungs.


    "I never thought... my life would be threatened by a hug," Jenell said in a wheezing voice. "These exo-suits are dangerous!"


    A mask of worry could be seen on Ashley''s face after she heard Jenell''s comment. "I''m sorry, I''m sosorry, I didn''t mean to hurt you... I''m not used to this exo-suit as yet. My body feels like someone else''s. I feel as though I could jump to the moon if I gave it a try."


    "Ha-ha, the moon. Now that''s an exaggeration." Jenell laughed while shaking her head.


    After catching her breath, Jenell habitually ran her hands down her torso and waist to straighten her clothes, then a look of confusion appeared on her face as she looked down at her body, then her eyes widened with shock. "My clothes... they''re gone!¡± Her youthful curves were completely exposed due to the exo-suits¡¯ tight fit. Jenell swept her gaze around and noticed that the other candidates were just wearing their exo-suits as well. They didn¡¯t have on any other piece of clothing. It was as though they were all wearing thermal clothing.


    Earlier when she was searching the area for Dante she didn¡¯t notice this fact. Even as she met with other candidates, the thought never crossed her mind. ¡°Thankfully we¡¯re not naked, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do¡±. She said while smiling wryly.


    After recovering from the shock of that discovery, Jenell turned her gaze towards a group of candidates that were chatting in the distance with excited expressions on their faces. "I overheard some of the other candidates earlier say that the exo-suits that we were givenare the base models. Once we pass evaluation we would be given more advanced ones.¡± Jenell suddenly thought back to the Amphitheatre and recalled the imposing exo-suits the twins from the Assault Division wore.


    "What!?"Ashley said with wide eyes and her jaw threatening to hit the ground. "Are you serious?" Ashley asked with a disbelieving look on her face.


    "Who knows, it''s only hearsay," Jenell replied.


    It was at this moment that a loud voice descended from the heavens and silenced everyone present. "Hmm. A new flock has arrived". The voice sounded cold and detached as though it considered all life on Earth insignificant.


    "Who''s that!?"


    Everyone became startled in that instant, the voice seemed omnipresent. Everyone, no matter where they were on the island could hear the voice as clear as day, it was as though the speaker stood right next to them. Subconsciously, everyone raised their heads and looked inland. There was a towering mountain that pierced the clouds like a gargantuan sword. It seemed as though this mountain held up the heavens. The voice sounded once more.


    "Welcome to World¡¯s Edge little ones. You are the 7th batch of candidates to arrive at this island." The voice sounded cold, yet warm, evil yet enchanting... it was like the Devil''s welcome.


    "What!? World''s Edge!?"


    The face of each candidate became panic-stricken and ugly to behold when they heard where they were. World''s Edge was the name of the island that emerged off the western coast of America during the war. It was said that there was an earth-rending explosion that evaporated a massive part of the ocean. The blast was so terrifying that distant countries witnessed the clouds above their heads get swept away as though the hand of God wiped them out of the sky. They could feel the ground tremble violently and hear a terrifying howl as though Mother Earth was weeping. This explosion caused the eruption of a volcano beneath the ocean which bled lava constantly for almost a year. This lava was what created the island and that towering mountain was the source of it all. After the lava hardened and the volcano stabilized, America seized the island and gave it the name ¡°World¡¯s Edge¡± because the island sat perfectly on the horizon.


    "I''ll keep this short." The mysterious voice continued. "You''re here for one reason; to grow stronger. This island is the ideal environment to do just that. Like your predecessors, you have one objective; survive. You will be isolated from the outside world for 30 days. Each day you will be given a new challenge that will test your ability to survive. Failure to complete these challenges will result in your death. You must participate. There are no exceptions."


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The candidates stood in place with pale faces as they continued to listen to the omnipresent voice. Every sentence caused their faces to contort as though their hearts were being squeezed by an icy grip.


    "Your first challenge is simple. On this island, there are five bases. You will find one to the north, the east, the south, the west and at the center of the island. You are to locate and secure those bases before nightfall. Keep in mind that each base will accommodate no more than420 persons..."


    The voice silently faded away as the last words fell. Everyone felt the tension in their bodies loosen and came back to their senses.


    "Who was that?"


    "That presence... it was terrifying! I felt as though I was an insect beneath a foot. I felt like I would die at any moment."


    Everyone felt theirsouls quake in fear when that omnipresent voice swept over them. Some of the candidates fell to their knees with blank looks on their faces.


    "Jenell... what now?" Asked Ashley after coming to her senses.


    Jenell''s eyes were vacant as though her mind was elsewhere and didn''t seem to hear Ashley''s question.


    After waiting for a while Ashley realized Jenell was still in a daze and shook her awake.


    "Huh?" Jenell said as her eyes regained clarity.


    "What do we do now?" Ashley repeated.


    "You heard what that person said, we have to find a base and secure it before nightfall. She replied while looking around. The other candidates were having their own conversations about what just happened."


    "Team number 9 assemble!" A loud and energetic voice suddenly boomed out drawing everyone''s attention. The scattered members of team number 9 started to make their way over to the speaker.


    "Hm?" Ashley and Jenell turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw the leader of team number 9 summoning the members of his team who were nearby.


    "Sebastian, he''s here too." Said Ashley when she caught sight of the speaker. "What is he up to?" She added as she noticed a few persons making their way over to him.


    "Hmm, smart move," Jenell said after giving it some thought.


    "What do you mean?"


    "We''re on our own out here, and we''re going to have to depend on ourselves to survive this place for a month. He''s gathering his team members to consolidate their strength. We don''t know what do expect in this place and we stand a better chance of surviving if we work together. Jenell replied.


    A look of understanding was painted on Ashley''s face when she listened to Jenell''s explanation.


    "Who better to work with that the people you already know?" Jenell added.


    "I see, Sebastian''s always cool-headed. Quite admirable for someone his age." A slight smile crept onto Ashley''s face as she continued to watch as several candidates made their way over to him.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Jenell noticed the spark in Ashly¡¯s eyes when she looked at Sebastian and smiled.


    "Let''s go take a look," Jenell said as she pulled Ashley along.


    Sebastian was a handsome young man with a warm temperament and was easy to get along with. He was someone who naturally adopted the leadership role, and it suited him quite well. He had short, spiky black hair and a nicely toned body.


    "Eighteen people, more than I hoped for.It seemswe¡¯ve all been scattered across the island. Sebastian thought silently to himself."


    ¡°Everyone! As you¡¯ve all heard. It seems we¡¯ve been teleported to World¡¯s Edge by Dr. Lambert, it¡¯s mind-boggling as to how he managed to do that, but it is what it is. Before we were sent here he mentioned that we would be constantly facing life and death situations each day and that mysterious person just affirmed that. I believe that if we¡¯re to make it through this alive we will need to work together as a team! We have no idea what dangers we might find on this island, but we should be able to reduce the amount of danger we face if we support each other.


    Everyone in team number 9 nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Wise words, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re able to keep calm and composed at a time like this,¡± said a voice filled with disdain. Everyone turned to look at the person who just spoke. There was a young man who was walking towards Sebastian with a small group of five persons behind him. He had a ruthless expression and a scar running down the left side of his face to go with it.


    ¡°James¡­ is there a problem?¡± Sebastian asked in a defensive tone. James was the leader for team number 1 and was probably the most aggressive person in their lot. He made that fact about him clear during the preliminary examinations when he crippled his opponents in hand to hand combat.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked!¡± James replied as he made his way over to Sebastian. ¡°You see, you made some good points, but I realized that you only called out for members of your team. What about the rest of us? Doesn¡¯t that apply to us as well? Aren¡¯t we all fellow candidates?¡± He said while looking around at the other candidates.


    Everyone¡¯s expression changed slightly, he was right. There wasn¡¯t a lot of them around in this area, probably about 40 and his team was almost half of that figure. It did look a bit strange. Everyone turned their heads back to Sebastian to hear his response. It was also at this time that Jenell and Ashley made their way over to the group and heard what was said and looked over at Sebastian to hear his reply.


    Sebastian¡¯s expression was unperturbed and he calmly replied. ¡°That¡¯s true, we¡¯re all in this together, however, I never said anything about working in separate teams as that would be counterproductive. I simply did a head count to see how many members of my team are here, after all, we¡¯ve spent a great deal of time together up to this point and we know each other better than we know persons from the other teams.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as you said earlier Jenell,¡± said Ashley after hearing Sebastian¡¯s reply.


    At the same time, the other candidates from the other teams made smaller groups which made it easy to see that they were members of different teams. Ashley and Jenell weren¡¯t on the same team but stayed together in because they only knew each other. Everyone else was pretty much strangers. There was even someone who was by himself. Which made it easy to guess that there was no one else here on his team, which made him cut a lonely figure.


    ¡°Hmph¡± James gave a low grunt and said nothing further.


    Observing that James no longer pursued the topic Sebastian continued: ¡°We need to quickly organize ourselves and decide which of the five bases we¡¯re going to head off to, but first we need to figure out where we are on this island.


    It was at this moment that Ashley got an idea and stepped forward. ¡°I can help with that!¡± she shouted while waving then her face grew hot with embarrassment when she realized everyone was looking at her. Sebastian also looked over in her direction and gave her a slight smile ¡°Ok, go on¡± he urged.


    Ashley at once completely forgot what she was about to say and stood there blankly. Jenell saw what was happening and gave her a nudge.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­my name is Ashley I studied geography in depth prior to becoming a candidate and have a great deal of skill navigating out in the open using the elements and my surroundings.¡± After organizing her thoughts, she continued ¡°Ahrm, earlier we arrived at the Amphitheatre before 08:00 and judging from the position of the sun, it should be around 09:00 which gives us roughly another 9 hours of daytime before sunset. The position of the sun at this moment is in the east, which means that the eastern base should be in the direction the sun is rising from. The mountain at the center of the island is ahead of us which puts us at the southern part of the island. The reports I¡¯ve read about World¡¯s Edge states that the island should be about 500 square miles. We should be closer towards the southern base at the moment.


    Sebastian¡¯s face lit up after hearing her analysis. ¡°Excellent! That¡¯s some good intel that we can use.¡± Alright, everyone, you heard the lady. Does anyone have anything to add?"


    Everyone looked around at each other but no one had anything else to say.


    Observing the silence, Sebastian acknowledged it as everyone in agreement. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s get moving. We have a long way to go before reaching the southern base, but we should be able to make it there in time before sunset.¡±


    The candidates didn¡¯t have anything with them so they departed shortly after making some minor preparations.

 Chapter 012: Encounter

    Sitting on the horizon off the western coast of America, and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean; World''s Edge was known to be a place of great mystery. The cause of the explosion that led to its creation was still shrouded in mystery. None of the seven great powers had any insight as to who or what could have caused that catastrophic explosion. All that they could do was speculate for the time being.


    Due to the island being closest to America, it was quickly seized by them and used as a tactical outpost. After months of research and excavation,they discovered the most baffling phenomena in recent history. The island that was just formed from a volcanic eruption was overflowing with life. Scientist discovered countless undocumented organisms that have yet to be seen by the world - littered across the island. Many specimens were taken yet there were countless more scattered across the island. They also discovered that the island was overflowing with a high level of minerals, precious stones, and metals.


    This newfound source of metal drew much of their attention as it could be used to immediately increase their strength several times over. After mining away almost all the precious stones and metals from the uppermost layer of the island they decided to take the risk and delve deeper underground. However, to their shock and disappointment, they came across an incomprehensibly tough metal that they couldn''t damage in the slightest. They employed the use of various machines and chemicals, yet nothing managed to damage it, even slightly. They thought it to be the fabled adamantine of legend. It was truly, unbreakable. After mining away virtually all the precious stones and metals, the island was nowdestitute and was less useful in the eyes of the upper echelons and was thus given to N.A.S.A for their research.


    After two years, the island began to overflow with lush vegetation. It seemed as though Mother Nature had personally cared for the place. The island was beginning to resemble a mini forest in the middle of the ocean. The scientists attributed this bizarre occurrence to the high level of minerals the island possesseddue to the volcano.


    Today, this mysterious island now played host to over two thousand young candidates who were vying for more power.


    The sky was especially clear today, and the sun was now seated at its highest point; arrogantly looking down at all creation. It was about 140degrees Fahrenheit at this point in time. It was unknown whether it was due to the sun or the fact that they were on a volcanic island.


    A small group of candidates could be seen steadily making their way through the lush environment. The trees that towered above them gave them some shade from the rays of the sun, but they were still being cooked by the heat from the earth. The forest was so thick that even the wind found it difficult to pass through, this made the air extremely humid.


    "We''ve been walking for about three hours now, how much farther before we get to the coast?" asked someone in the group.


    "It''s hard to say"replied Sebastian while wiping the sweat from his face. "If this were flatlands and an open road, we would''ve been able to see the ocean long before we even took a single step towards it".


    "This terrain is a real pain in the ass," James said while pulling a long face. He stopped at the foot of yet another hill and turned to Sebastian. "We''ve already spent three hours walking ''south'' but I can neither smell, see or hear the ocean. It feels like we''re going deeper inland."


    "That''s nonsense," replied Sebastian. "We can still see the mountain behind us through the trees, that by itself should be enough to let us know we''re not going deeper inland."


    "That''s what I''ve been telling myself for the past few hours. But if we''re not going deeper inland, that means we''re probably going around in circles." James argued while pointing towards the hill in front of them.


    "Look! How many hills have we gone over already? I''ve already lost count! This island was made by a volcano, so doesn''t that mean that the island should have a downward slope as we head towards its periphery? Why then are we constantly going constantly going uphill!?"


    Everyone became surprised when they listened to James'' observation. He was right. They didn''t think too much about it at first but now that someone pointed it out, it didn''t make any sense.


    Jenell and Ashley wereclosely following behind Sebastian and James and overheard their conversation then started frowning as they continued to listen.


    "Ashley, what James said just now..." Jenell said with uncertainty.


    "He has a point. For a while now I''ve been wondering the same thing but assumed it was probably due to the mining they did after discovering the island." Ashely replied in a low voice. It seemed as if she was trying to find an explanation to convince herself.


    "I have an idea," Jenell said as she moved towards the two team leaders.


    "Huh?" Ashley didn''t even have the chance to ask ''what'' before she saw Jenell jogging towards the two team leaders.


    Sebastian and James who were locked in heated debate simultaneously turned their heads when they saw Jenell approaching them.


    "Jenell... was it? You alright?" Asked Sebastian with his usual warm smile.


    "Speak," James said coldly as he looked over Jenell with his wolflike eyes.


    "Animal," Jenell said under her breath as she walked passed James then stood before Sebastian.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "What did you say!?" James shouted, instantly growing incensed.


    Jenell ignored James and spoke directly to Sebastian. "This forest is excessively thick and it''s difficult to make headway. We have no tools to clear a path so it will take us longer to get to the coast. Since we''re not familiar with the environment here, I think it would be best that we get some more information about the terrain so that we can have a more clear idea about the direction we''re heading. The trees here are really thick and ridiculously tall. It''s getting more difficult to see the mountain at our backs so we really do run a risk of walking around in circles if we''re not already." Jenell voiced her thoughts in one breath.


    "When you put it like that..." Sebastian pondered for a brief moment then continued. "What do you suggest?"


    Jenell simply pointed with upwards "We can get a better view of where we are and where we''re heading by scouting the area from atop a tree."


    The two leaders gave her astonished looks. "Why didn''t I think of that earlier?" But neither voiced their thoughts.


    "Hmph, who''s willing to do that? I''m sure you''ve noticed how tall these trees are, and there ain''t no low branches to grab onto. The shortest trees here look to be least 100 meters tall. Who would even be willing to climb such a tree?" James replied flatly. He was still simmering in anger from before but tried his best to keep calm.


    "You''re such a girl" Jenell replied


    "Pfft..."


    The candidates were trying their hardest to not laugh at that comment. For some, their eyes grew watery and their face grew pink. It seemed they would ''pop'' if someone were to poke their sides.


    Ashley was also doing her best not to laugh but accidentally let a giggle escape her lips. This little sound completely destroyed the hard work and effort the other candidates had put in to not laugh; then, an instant later everyone started laughing at James.


    "You wanna die!?" James turned around and howled at everyone. They all immediately stopped laughing and looked away, avoiding his eyes.


    Jenell completely ignored James and went over to a nearby tree then placed her right hand on its trunk.


    Ashley and Sebastian still had their eyes on Jenell and were curious as to what she was planning to do.


    "If I''m right, this should work," Jenell said to herself.


    "Crunch!"


    Everyone suddenly heard a loud sound as though something was being crushed. They all turned their heads towards the source of the sound and saw Jenell''s fingers embedded deep into a nearby tree. Anecstatic smile bloomed across her face when she saw what happened, then she placed her next hand higher on the tree.


    "Crunch!"


    "She''s..."


    Everyone was stupefied as they continued to watch Jenell climb higher and higher up the towering tree. The trees within this forest were all massive and were about 100 meters tall, some were even bigger. The most shocking thingwas; the tree she intended to climb was one of the larger ones which would require about ten of them to completely circle the tree with locked arms.


    "Jenell!" Ashley''s face grew pale when she realized what Jenell intended to do and rushed towards her. However, by the time she arrived, Jenell had already made it halfway up the tree.


    "How brave"


    The candidates looked up to her in awe as she continued to climb the tree. After passing about 50 meters, Jenell picked up the pace. Within a few breaths, Jenell made it to the crown of the tree to everyone''s astonishment.


    The candidates stood on the ground looking up with their jaws threatening to hit the ground.


    "How did she do that?"


    It took them a while before a bulb went off in their heads.


    "The suits!"


    Up until this moment, the candidates realized that they haven''t done anything with the exo-suits since they put them on and have almost completely forgotten about them.


    The moment Jenell made it to the crown of the tree she quickly passed through the branches and arrived at the top of the tree.


    "Whoosh"


    A strong gale passed over Jenell''s body and swooped up her lithe figure. Jenell felt her heart clench when she felt the wind lift her body up off the branches as she wasn''t expecting the wind to be so strong. She quickly grabbed hold of a branch beneath her and pulled herself back down.


    "That was close!" Her heart waspalpitating due to that near-death experience. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then glanced down at the candidates through the branches. "They look like ants from up here!" The moment she glanced down, her heart started beating furiously. If it had a voice of its own it would be screaming at her; "You cruel thing, do you want to give me a heart attack!?"


    Ashley was on the ground watching Jenell closely the entire time, and when she saw Jenell suddenly grab a branch as though she was about to fall, her heart nearly stopped.


    "Ah! Jenell are you ok?!" she shouted.


    Jenell who was over a 100 meters away at the top of the tree heard a faint voice in the wind and recognized it.


    "Yeah! I''m ok. I just lost my footing for a sec!" she replied.


    "How does it look from up there" Sebastian shouted.


    Jenell turned her gaze towards her surroundings and looked out into the distance. All around her, she could see nothing but a sea of leaves on the top of other nearby trees. The wind was still blowing very hard which made her have to narrow her eyes. The way the top of the trees swayed resembled a stormy sea. Jenell then looked back towards the mountain and raised her head to looked towards its peak but still couldn''t see it from that height. "That mountain is too high, how''s that even natural?"


    Jenell turned her gaze south of their position expecting to see the ocean but became dumbstruck. Even at a height of roughly 200 meters she still couldn''t catch a glimpse of it. Beyond the surrounding trees, all that she could see was a dense fog. What worried her even more, was that the wind was bringing the fog towards them. Even from that height of roughly 200 meters, she still couldn''t see anything beyond that sea of leaves.


    "It looks like we''re heading in the right direction, but I can''t see the ocean from up here. It looks like we still have a long way to go." Jenell replied.


    "What? Can''t see the ocean? Even from that height?" Sebastian frowned when he heard Jenell''s reply. He wasn''t too worried about the possibility of them walking around in a circle, but not being able to see the ocean from that height indicated that they were far, far from the coast. He was just about to relax a bit but then his face grew ugly when he heard what Jenell said next.


    "There''s a thick fog approaching us from the south. By the looks of it should be upon us within a few minutes" Jeneal added.


    "A fog? Are you kidding me?" The candidates on the ground started looking at each other in dismay.


    "A fog will make it even more difficult to find our way out of this forest," Ashley said while looking around at everyone. If they weren''t careful they could easily lose all sense of direction and even worse, lose sight of each other.


    "Alright, come back down. We need to pick up the pace, we need to cover as much land as possible." Sebastian shouted.


    "On my way," Jenell replied. She was just about to start climbing down the tree when suddenly, she felt a piercing pain in her shoulders as if she was being stabbed by knives then felt her body get swept forward and then into the air.


    "Aaaah!!!"


    Jenell let out a shrill scream as she found herself flying away into the distance at a terrifying speed.

 Chapter 013: Separation

    Jenell''s desolate, and pain-filled voice invaded the atmosphere as she disappeared out of sight.


    "Jenell!!!"


    Ashley was the first cry out when she saw what happened.It looked like a huge shadow crashed into Jenell''s body then swept her away into the distance.


    Ashley stood frozen in place, tears welling up in her eyes as she continued to stare blankly at the empty space where Jenell''s body used to be.


    "Jenell, no..."


    *Splat*


    Ashley''s body trembled as she suddenlyfelt a warm drop of liquid hit her face which brought her back to her senses.


    "What the" After blinking a few times, Ashley wiped the liquid from her face and a pungent odor invaded her nose. When she looked at her hand, it was covered in red.


    "B-blood?" Ashley stared dumbly at her hand for a moment. The world suddenly grew so silent that she could even hear her own heartbeat. Her breathing grew erratic and she stuttered for a moment as she tried to take adeepbreath. She felt a piercing pain in her chest which gave her a feeling as though herheart had stopped beating for a moment. Everything that happened just now seemed like a dream, no a nightmare. She turned her head to look at the other candidates and was greeted with their horrified expressions.


    "Aaaah!" A young girl within the crowd screamedafter seeing Ashley''s blood-smearedface which instantly broke the deathly silence.


    The young girl''s screamseemed to have woken up the other candidates from their stupor. They all blinked a few times and looked back to the spot where Jenell was a moment ago then looked at Ashley''s pale, blood-smeared face.


    "Y-your face," A candidate said,his voice trembling as he pointing at Ashley.


    The candidates started frantically looking around them to see if anything was approaching them as they huddled closer to each other.The forest was no longer safe.


    "W-what was that?"


    "Did you see that?"


    "It happened so fast, I blinked, then she was gone!"


    James had an uglyexpression on his face as he looked at Sebastian, "What the hell was that thing!?"


    "You''re asking me!? How the hell should I know!?" Sebastian replied, his face seemingly competing with James''.


    "Itlooked like a bird." Said a voice from the crowd. Everyone turned theirheads towards the speaker. It was the candidate who was by himself without any other teammate.


    "A bird? That''s impossible! There are no birds in existence that big!" said someonefrom the crowd.


    "I know what I saw." The young man replied with a frown on his face.


    "Hey! What''s your name?" Ashley asked while making her way over to him.


    "Micah." The young man replied.


    "Did you see which direction it took Jenell?" Ashley asked in a hurried voice.


    "I can''t say for sure. But judging from its trajectory, I would say north, towards the mountain," he replied.


    Ashley nodded then started running in that direction.


    "Wait! What do you think you''re doing?" Sebastian called out when he saw Ashley running away from the group.


    "What does it look like? I''m going after her!" Ashley shouted.


    "Have you lost your mind!? Do you even know what that thing is? We need to stay together and keep moving forward!" Sebastian shouted back as he moved towards her.


    "That''s my best friend! I''m not gonna abandon her!" Ashley replied then ignored him.


    "I''ll come with you," Micah said which surprised everyone.


    Ashley paused for a moment then looked back at Micah. "Alright," she nodded with a grateful look in her eyes.


    "Are you two mad!? We just spent three hours walking in that direction. We only have about six hours of daylight left to find the southern base. Even if you do find that thing, it probably already killed her!"


    "And what if she''s still alive? Ashley replied in a cold voice. "I''m not gonna leave my best friend behind." She no longer paid Sebastian any attention, and then the two disappeared in the forest.


    Sebastian was left standing there with a twisted, and dumbfounded expression.


    "Let them go," James said, "That''s their decision if they rescue her that''s great if they die trying that''s their problem."


    "Tsk," Sebastian gnashed his teeth so hard that they almost shattered. "Let''s go!"


    ---


    Within the clear blue skies, a massive silhouettecould be seen tearing through the heavens at terrifying speeds with a tiny figure in its grasp.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Aaaah! Let me go! Put me down! Aaaah, let me go!" Jenell was struggling to break free but was completely powerless.


    A sharp pain invaded her shoulders the more she struggled which quickly sapped away her strength. The pain was utterly unbearable.She felt as though she would probably pass out at any moment. Jenell found herself moving so fast through the air that the wind felt like blades across her skin. The exo-suit protected most of her body, but her face was completely exposed. Jenell narrowed her eyes and tried to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that held onto her, but was forced to lower her head because it felt like the wind would either snap or remove her head.


    Jenell turned her head to look at her shoulder and was horrified to see four massive talons deeply embedded into her flesh. The blood that was coming from the wound was quickly blown off into the air the moment it leaked out. Seeing that bloody wound caused her to feel even more pain and she cried out once more.


    *Kee-ahh!*


    A loud screeching sound pierced Jenell''s ears which sent her mind reeling. The sound was so loud that she felt she was about to go deaf.


    "A hawk!?" Jenell''s face instantly blanched the moment she recognized the sound. Her complexion grew paler as time went on. Due to the severe blood loss, her body was growing weaker by the second.


    Her fate was sealed. There was no way for her to break free.


    The air grew thin the higher they flew and it became harder for her to breathe. Her vision grew blurry, and before long, she directly passed out.


    --


    *Rustle*


    Two silhouettes could be seen swiftly making their way through the dense forest. It seemed they completely discarded any thoughts of moving quietly and continued to make a beeline towards the mountain at the center of the island.


    "There''s a clearing up ahead." Said one of the two figures.


    In the next instant, the two made it to an empty patch of land that had a clear view of the sky.


    "There!" shouted one of the figures while pointing towards a tiny silhouettein the open sky that was quickly drawing away from them.


    "Good call Micah," Ashley replied the moment she caught sight of the distant silhouette. She was relieved. They had not lost Jenell.


    "It''s heading towards the mountain, that''s probably where its nest is" Micah added.


    "It''s not that far away. We should be able to make it in time," Ashley said. "Let''s keep going."


    The two adjusted theirpath and made another beeline in the direction thesilhouette was heading.


    --


    An unknown amount of had time passed since Jenell fell unconscious.Her senses were hampered due to the severe loss of blood, she couldn''t even feel the pain from her shoulders anymore, just a bone piercing coldness.


    *Kee-ahh!*


    The hawk gave a loud cry as it entered a large opening on the side of the mountain. It seemed the cave wasn''t naturally created and went deep into the mountain.


    The hawk tossed Jenell''s still unconscious body inside the cave before it landed. Jenell''s body rolled for a distance until she finally collided with a wall. The pain from the impact woke her up and she groaned in pain as she coughed up a mouthful of blood.


    Her vision was still blurry, and the smell of her own blood made her feel like death was quickly drawing closer. She glanced at the towering beast that stood a few feet from herand felt even moredread.


    "I don''t want to die like this..."Warm, sorrow filled tears started welling up in Jenell''s eyes then started streaming down her face. She was completely powerless. She didn''t even have enough strength to move a single finger.


    "Someone, anyone, please help..." Jenell begged. She didn''t know whether she said this out loud or silently to herself. But the moment she did, she heard the hawk quickly started making its way towards her.


    *Boom, Boom, Boom*


    A soft sob escaped Jenell''s lips as the hawk continued to move towards her.Each step feltas though her heart was being crushed under the pressure.


    *Boom*


    The hawk was now a single step away from her body. Jenell lowered her head and tried closing her eyes but her tears kept flowing making it impossible to close them. She held her breath to try and stop the sobbing, but doing so caused her body tremble uncontrollably.


    In that brief moment, it felt as though time had stopped. Jenell started recalling all that happened during her short life. Her 16 years of walking the earth flashed through her mind in an instant. There was so much that she wanted to do, and there were some regrets that she had yet to settle and make peace with.


    A face suddenly surfaced within her mind. "Dante." She thought to herself.


    She didn''t know why, but in her final moments, for some reason, she thought of him. She didn''t want to die yet, but she was forced into a situation where she had to accept it, even though unwillingly at that.


    Jenell kept her eyes closed and prepared herself for the excruciatingly painful death to come.


    *Boom*


    Jenell let out a whimpering sound the moment the beast took that next step.She laid there on the ground expecting to feel its cold, hard beak tear apart her flesh and eat her alive.


    However, against all expectations, the booms continued to resound throughout the cave, then they became soft and distant.


    Jenell''s palpitating heart finally calmed down and she cracked her eyes open, surprise written across her face. "I-I''m alive? W-where did it go?"


    Jenell was shocked but confused, happy but confused. She would''ve never thought that she would live beyond that moment. Suddenly her eyes started streaming even more tears than before. Her body seemed to be venting all her pent-up emotions, all at once through her tears. She couldn''t move, so all that she could do was lay there and cry.


    After some time, Jenell started feeling a warmth on her shoulders. It felt like a warm hand was giving her a deep tissue massage. The feeling felt extremely soothing and she couldn''t help but give a light moan.


    "Mnnn"


    Jenell used what little energy she had left to turn her head to and glanced at the wound on her shoulder. What she saw left a bewildered expression on her pale face. "W-what?"


    The holes that were made by the hawk''s talons pierced through her exo-suit and went deep into her shoulders. Jenell saw some ''silver liquid'' slowly fill the holes in her shoulder, then gradually recreated the skin that covered that area, even the hole in the exo-suit. She was astonished! She continued to blankly stare at her shoulder then blinked a few times.


    "Ha-ha..." Jenell gave a light laugh but then winced in pain immediately after. A tiny trail of blood leaked down the corner of her lips. It seemed she sustained some internal injuries earlier when she was tossed inside.


    A moment later she started feeling the same warm feeling inside her body, then very soon. The pain was gone.


    Jenell''s breathing was now steady and she could feel some strength come back to her. She was still, however,anemic due to the severe blood loss.


    Jenell struggled to her feet then slowly walked towards the entrance to the cave. When she arrived, she was greeted by a strong cold wind that actually managed to leave tiny slits on her face. She narrowed her eyes and look out into the distance.


    She could see far into the distance but saw nothing save for the top of the clouds surrounding the mountain peak. She glanced down and saw a steep drop that went down for God knows how far and took a deep breath.


    "I''m... at the mountain?


    *Cough, Cough*


    The air was even thinner now up here and she found it even more difficult to breathe. It felt like she was suffocating. Each breath felt like her lungs were scraping for more oxygen.


    The wind was furiously assaulting her lithe body and she was forced to go back inside.


    "What now?" she asked herself. She was thousands of feet above the ground with no apparent way to go back down. She turned around and stared at the tunnel that led deep into the mountain where the hawk disappeared a moment ago.


    "I must be out of my mind." Jenell thought to herself. There was only one direction she could go.


    Jenell took a deep breath, gritted her teeth then stepped towards the tunnel.

 Chapter 014: Dire Straits

    *Swish, Swish*


    Two silhouettes could be seen swiftly making their way through the forest as they drew closer to the towering mountain at the center of the island.


    Ashley and Micah have been running nonstop towards the mountain for almost an hour. Their faces were covered with scratches from the surrounding vegetation. The two managed to cover more than half the distance they traversed earlier with the group.


    "We should be able to make it to the mountain within the hour," Ashley said after hurdling over a boulder.


    "Mmm," Micah nodded as he continued to closely follow behind Ashley. His gaze continued to sweep his surroundings and the frown on his face continued to deepen the further they went.


    "Stop!" Micah said as he looked around vigilantly.


    "What? We can''t stop now. If we waste any more time something bad might happen to Jenell." Ashley said in a frantic voice as she slowed to a stop.


    Micah continued to look around vigilantly and moved closer to Ashley.


    "What is it?" Ashley asked in an impatient voice. They didn''t have time to sit around and chat.


    "We''re being followed," Micah said in a low voice.


    "What? By who?" Ashley asked as she looked around.


    "Not who, what," Micah replied while taking a battle stance.


    Ashley sensed something was off about their surroundings and focused her senses to figure out what it was.


    *Rustle*


    A very soft but distinct rustling sound came from behind them and the two quickly turned their heads towards the sound.


    "Who''s there?!" Shouted Micah as he narrowed his eyes. His gaze was sharp as a blade as he looked in the direction of the sound.


    *Grrr*


    A low growl was heard and the two saw a ferocious looking beast slowly made its way towards them from withina cluster of vegetation.


    Ashley and Micah felt theirhearts cruelly twitch the moment they laid eyes on it. They felt as though they were suddenly plunged into the coldest depths of hell. They couldn''t stop shivering.


    "A wolf!"


    The wolf had a hideous looking face which made the two to tremble as it moved closer to them. The wolf was shockingly as tall as them as it walked on all fours. Its teeth were razor sharp and glistened with a cold light.


    "Shit!" Micah''s cursed under his breath. His faceblanchedwhenherealized thathe didn''t even need to lower his head to look into thewolf''seyes. Moreover, the wolf wassohugehealmost had to incline hisneck!


    The wolf continued to slowly make its way closer to the two as they stood in place, paralyzed.


    Micah''s thoughts were racing as he found himself in a critical situation. Several scenarios flashed through his mind as he tried to come up with a way to escape. He knew defeating this beast would be almost impossible.


    "Ashley!" Micah shouted as he continued to keep his eyes on the wolf. He called out to her a few more times but still didn''t get a response.


    Ashley stood beside him frozen like a block of ice. The fear that came with seeing the viciousexpressionon the wolf''s facemade her almost forget to breathe. If it weren''t for her body''s will to survive, she would''ve died just now from suffocation.


    Ashley took a deep breath but the air that went into her lungs felt cold even though the temperature on the island was scorching hot.


    "Ashey, I''m gonna distract it. Once I make my move you need to run as fast as you can!" Micah said as he clenched his fist. He was scared but he couldn''t allow the fear to control him else they would both die.


    "Wha-"


    "Don''t say anything! Just do as I say!" Micah interrupted."Don''t stop for anything or anyone! Just keep running!" As his last words fell, Micah took a deep breath then dashed forward!


    "Go!" Micah shouted as he went to confront the wolf.


    Ashley was stupefied but willed her body to move then sprinted in another direction.


    The wolf gave a loud bark then leaped towards Micah when it realized he wanted to challenge it. The wolfopened its maw and revealed its razor sharp teeth and the smell of death invaded the air.


    "Fast!"


    Micah''s eyes widened and felt his heart clench when the wolf opened its mouth. It seemed it wanted to rip his head off.


    *Ching!*


    A high pitch sound resembling a pair of shears suddenly closing rang out above his head. At the last moment, Micah managed to duck and slid under its huge body.


    Micah hurriedly turned around and backed away from the wolf. He felt a stinging pain on his head and couldn''t help but narrow his eyes. Suddenly, he felt something warm trailing down the side of his face then his head felt like it was on fire. He put his hand on his face and was shocked to see it was blood.


    "What? I dodged it. How did I get injured?" Micah asked himself in confusion as he looked towards the wolf in dismay.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    *Boom*


    The wolf''s paw slammed into a tree that was behind Micah a moment ago. The amount of force that collided with the tree caused it to snap in two.


    Micah''s heart tightened the moment he saw the tree falling after being snapped in two by the wolf''s attack. "Are you kidding me!? How is it that powerful? How!?"


    The wolf then slowly turned around and gave a low growl after landing. It sounded as if it was it was enraged that Micah dodged its attack. At the corner of its mouth, a small clump of hair and flesh could be seen wrapped around its canine.


    The moment Micah caught sight of the hair and flesh that was in its mouth he felt the pain in his head burned even more. On the side of his head, there was a terrifying wound that stretched all the way to the back of his head. The skin, along with the hair that grew there, were now within the wolf''s jaws.


    Micah gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain but couldn''t help the tears that welled up in his eyes from surfacing. His vision grew slightly blurry as the pain continued to intensify.


    "I gotta buy her some more time." Micah thought to himself. He knew that escaping this wolf would be almost impossible. The only option available was to kill it or die!


    The wolf started circling Micah and the thick scent of his blood pervaded the air.


    "What should I do?" Micah mirrored the wolf''s movements while keeping his distance. He also kept a close watch on his surroundings for anything thing that would aid him.


    Micah''s gaze swept over the tree the wolf''s paw collided with and was suddenly enlightened.


    "That it!" Micah''s eyes widened with delight as the idea came to him.


    "I only have one shot. If I am too slow I won''t get another chance. It''s all or nothing!" Micah gritted his teeth and shockingly dashed towards the wolf!


    The wolf gave another loud bark as it too dashed forward to claim it''s prey.


    Micah was surprisingly nimble on his feet and he continued to dodge the wolf''s attacks. The wolf was constantly advancing and it seemed that Micah would be killed at any moment.


    Micah continued to dodge the wolf''s attacks and was shockingly doing so within an inch at every turn, his back was matted with sweat and his heart was racing, but he had to keep a clear mind and tried to stay focused as one mistake would spell certain death. As the ''fight'' draggedout, Micah was being put under more pressure.He was unarmed and was forced to constantly dodge. There was a huge disparity of strength which made it even less likely for him to exchange blows with the wolf.


    It was at this moment that the wolf lept towards Micah. A brilliant light flashed within Micah''s eyes when he realized his chance had come.


    During their ''exchange'' the wolf had been on the ground the entire time giving Micah little room to maneuver.


    "Now!"


    *Boom*


    Micah did a double feint to dodge the wolf''s paw but was struck heavily on his chest. Anarrow of blood shot from his mouth and his body flew into the distance like a kite with its sting cut.


    *Aroooo...*


    --


    *Swish*


    Ashley was running like mad through the forest. After witnessing Micah''s selfless act she felt became heartbroken. Unbeknownst to her, within Ashley''s heart, Micah''s image left a very deep impression on her. It felt to her as if they were best of friends for as long as she could remember. She didn''t understand why but no matter how much she tried not to think about it, the pain in her chest grew. Her face was a mess of tears as she continued to run with all her might.


    "Micah, please don''t die!" Ashley prayed silently to herself, tears welling up in her eyes.


    More times than she could count, she wanted to turn around and go back to help him, but could only bite her lips and continue. Micah was delaying that beast so that she could escape. If she turned around, wouldn''t that be the same as throwing away the chance at life he gave her?


    It was at this moment that a desolate, painfilled howl filled the atmosphere which caused even the trees to slightly tremble.


    "Huh?" Ashley stopped in place and looked in the direction the howl came from.


    "Micah, no!" Ashley stood in place and looked towards the mountain that wasn''t too far from her current location, then towards where she had just come from. She bit her lips, clenched her fist then started running.


    "Jenell, I''m sorry." Ashley started running back towards Micah''s location even faster than how she fled from there. She was hoping that he was alright.


    "I can''t let him die." Ashley was slipping through the forest like a ghost as she ran towards Micah''s direction.


    --


    *Boom*


    "Aaah!"


    Micah coughed up a mouthful of blood as his body smashed into a boulder then heavily fell to the ground. There was a clear impression of his body on the boulder. He was in terrible shape. He had suffered some serious internal injuries from the wolf''s last attack and the collision with the boulder just now a made it even worse. His breathing was heavy.


    Micah raised his head and looked towards the wolf''s silhouette in the distance while clutching his chest.The wolf''s claw left four terrifying wounds on Micah''s chest before sending him flying. Micah ignored the wounds on his chest and had a cold smile on his face. That was the price he had to pay for his plan to succeed, and for him, it was worth it.


    The wolf was stuck in midair, skewered by the tree it snapped earlier. The wolf gave some weak whimpers and struggled for a moment but a short instant later, all life left its body.


    "Ha-ha, I actually managed to kill it," Michal laughed weakly to himself.


    *Cough, Cough*


    Micah coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood. His internal injuries were worsening by the second. Micah made a wry smile then said to himself: "That should be enough, she should be able to escape."


    Micah''s consciousness started fading away and his vision became even more blurry. He was just about to enter the abyss when his eyes caught sight of a familiar silhouette approaching from the distance. Micah felt his heartache when he recognized the silhouette, it was Ashley.


    "No!" Micah gave a low wheeze and coughed up some more blood. He wanted to gnash his teeth but he didn''t even have the strength to.


    In the next instant, the silhouette became clear as they approached. Ashley knelt down beside Micah''s side and gently turned him onto his back. He would likely drown in his own blood if he stayed in that position.


    "Micah, are you ok?" Ashley asked with a trembling voice. With one look she could see how badly he was hurt. Ashley carefully raised Micah''s head and placed in her lap so that he could breathe.


    "Why?" Micah asked in a weak voice.


    "Why not? I couldn''t leave you behind." Ashley said in a tender voice. She couldn''t understand why he wouldn''t be happy to see her. She saw the wolf not far from where they were dead as dead can get.


    "You foolish girl. That... was a wolf. They travel... in packs." Micah struggled to speak each word. Each breath he took felt like his heart was being crushed. It was unbearably painful.


    The wolf had been by itself, Micah realized this earlier when they were running and thought they were a bit fortunate. If the wolf was running in a pack they would''ve already been surrounded the moment the moment they saw the first one. But even after revealing itself there was no other wolf in sight. Micah decided to face the wolf and hope that Ashley could escape far enough so that should there be any nearby wolves, they would be attracted to the noise of the battle and not her. If he was lucky, he might have a chance to escape and meet up with her.


    "Aroooo"


    "Aroooo"


    "Aroooo"


    Suddenly, several howls filled the atmosphere. It seemed there was at least one wolf in each direction.


    "Ashley, run!" Micah said with what little strength he had left. He had a pleading look in his eyes as if he was begging her to leave. If the two of them died, he would be filled with endless regret.


    "Don''t worry," Ashley said as she raised his body to sit upright. She laid his back against the boulder then ran towards the dead wolf.


    Micah sat there gasping as he looked at her departing figure. A slight smile grew on his face but then it suddenly went rigid and his eyes went wide with shock. He saw Ashley stick her hand into the wolf''s corpse and pull out one of its organs then ran away creating a trail of blood.


    Micah instantly understood what she planned to do. She wanted to draw the surrounding wolf''s attention to herself and away from him using the scent of blood.


    Micah tried getting up but at that moment, an intense pain wracked his body. He was already past his limit, his body could no longer allow him to stay awake and thus immediately passed out.

 Chapter 015: Confusion

    Two silhouettes could be seen quietly making their way through the darkness. There was not even a tinge of light yet the two continued to move unimpeded through the darkness.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± A soft whisper broke the deathly silence and the two silhouettes came to a stop. An instant later, a faint pulse of blue light was seen, immediately after a soft rumbling sound was heard.


    ¡°Whoosh¡±


    A cool breeze invaded the atmosphere, and a hidden passage was revealed ahead of them. There was a faint light glowing at the end of the passage. Even though the light was faint, the surrounding darkness made it quite noticeable.


    ¡°The guards should be heading towards the northern city by now. Let¡¯s just wait it out here for a few hours, follow me.¡±


    ¡°Whew, I thought we¡¯d never stop running.¡± Another voice said, breathing heavily.


    The two silhouettes entered the hidden passage and the entrance closed silently behind them.


    The two continued to walk for a time, ahead of them the light was getting brighter. There was room at the end of the passage and the light seemed to be coming from the ceiling. When the two entered the room their figures were revealed.


    One was a young woman wearing a white mask, dressed in blue tribal clothing. The other person was a young man. At a glance, the young man seemed to be naked, but upon closer observation, one could see that he was actually wearing some strange attire.


    The two were Dante and Leah. After their encounter with Micah, a group of persons was quickly arriving at their location. Leah announced that they were ¡®guards¡¯ and that things would get problematic if they were caught, thus the two quickly fled the scene. It wasn¡¯t until a moment ago that they managed to slip away.


    The room Dante found himself in was nearly empty. The only things that were in the room were; a stone bed which was covered with some animal pelt, a chair and a table, all made of stone. Dante looked towards the ceiling and discovered it had several multi-colored stones embedded in it which gave off a soft glow which illuminated the entire room.


    At this moment, Leah went towards the stone bed and removed her mask before sitting down, facing him. When Dante saw her face he was stupefied. Leah was captivatingly beautiful. Her eyes were blue like the open sea, yet her expression was ice cold which gave him the feeling that her gaze alone would suffice to freeze him. Her hair was snow-white which she wore braided into one.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Earlier, when Dante awoke, there was very little light in the cavern and his head was still fuzzy. A short while later, he got caught up in a chain of events which led him into a brief fight, then fleeing for six hours. The whole time Leah was wearing a mask and the only impression he had of her was that she was aggressive and cold. Now, there was another adjective - beautiful beyond compare.


    ¡°Pervert,¡± Leah said in a cold voice. ¡°You can sit over there, we¡¯re gonna be here for a while.¡±


    Dante pulled a long face when he heard Leah call him a pervert. It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water was poured over him.


    ¡°It seems we started off on the wrong foot,¡± Dante said while taking a seat at the table. ¡°It was an accident; I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the past.¡± Leah interrupted. Her face devoid of any expression. ¡°I have some questions for you and I need answers, where are you from and how do you know Dr. Lambert?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    An awkward smile appeared on Dante¡¯s face. ¡°This girl¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m from, I don¡¯t have a home. I met Dr. Lambert three years ago by chance, if it wasn¡¯t for him I would be dead right now.¡± Dante replied.


    A slight frown appeared on Leah¡¯s face. She paused for a moment and asked another question: ¡°Where did you meet Dr. Lambert?¡±


    ¡°There was a bombing in New York, I was found half-dead in the middle of it¡±. After finishing, Dante noticed that the frown on Leah¡¯s face deepened as if she was lost in thought. After a moment she spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to the mainland? Then, how did you get here?¡± Her voice was filled with curiosity, caution, doubt, and disbelief.


    The answer to this question was one that Dante wasn¡¯t too sure of either, after careful thought, he decided to stick with his previous reply when he encountered Micah. ¡°I was sent here by Dr. Lambert, I¡¯m not sure ¡®how¡¯ exactly, but I was definitely sent here. Just now you said ¡®mainland¡¯, where exactly is ¡®here¡¯?¡± Dante asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°Havalon, can¡¯t you tell?¡± Leah replied.


    ¡°Havalon? Never heard of it¡± Dante said while shaking his head. He couldn¡¯t recall any city or country with that name. It was completely strange.


    ¡°Never heard of it?¡± Leah said with an astonished look on her face. ¡°What rock have you been living under? Did you hit your head or something?¡±


    ¡°Your ¡®friend¡¯ hit me?¡± Dante replied


    ¡°No before that.¡±


    ¡°You hit me? Dante replied.


    Leah ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Before that¡­¡± Leah said while shaking her head.


    ¡°Nope, don¡¯t recall hitting anything after falling into that cavern.¡±


    Leah narrowed her eyes, then continued: ¡°We¡¯re at the outskirts of Havalon, the Northern City of World¡¯s Edge. Havalon was built by our Ancestors over 300 years ago before the calamity fell to Earth. Havalon is the first and largest city they built for the human race to survive.¡± [How doesn¡¯t he know that? Does he have amnesia or something]


    ¡°World¡¯s Edge?! Are you serious?¡± Dante jumped to his feet, an incredulous look on his face. [World¡¯s Edge is hundreds of miles off the West coast! Wait, did I really get teleported here? Shit!]


    There were many rumors about World¡¯s Edge which the public wasn¡¯t able to verify, but being a candidate for the G.E.N.E.S.I.S programme gave Dante access to vast amounts of information. Regarding World¡¯s Edge, it was a newly emerged island shrouded in mystery. The island was overflowing with vegetation even though it only existed for three years, it was also where prisoners of the war were sent to and experimented on by Dr. Lambert. Those prisoners were some of the vilest human beings in existence, and it wasn¡¯t just them, there was also a vast number of undocumented ferocious beasts that littered the island. Being sent here was the same as being sentenced to a violent death!


    [This is where he wanted to have us train and survive for a month!? That @#$%^&!]


    After swearing under his breath for a moment, Dante suddenly recalled the former part of what Leah said and grew confused.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold up. What Ancestors? What calamity? 300 years ago? Are you high or something Leah?¡± Dante rebutted. ¡°World¡¯s Edge came into existence 3 years ago, not 300. It¡¯s known to be a volcanic island filled with lush vegetation and abundant minerals but the island is overrun by criminals and ferocious beasts.¡± That is World¡¯s Edge. Ancestors? The island didn¡¯t exist until three years ago, your ¡®Ancestors¡¯ would be infants! You¡¯re not making any sense.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You must¡¯ve hit your head really hard,¡± Leah said as she stood up. She looked at Dante as if he were perhaps a sick person or a madman.


    ¡°If this was 300 years ago, then what you that would be true. The island is no longer filled with ¡®lush vegetation¡¯. It¡¯s a barren wasteland out there. After the calamity descended it destroyed most of the world. You mentioned you were on the surface earlier. Did you see any ¡®lush vegetation¡¯ out there?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dante replied in a low voice, the confusion in his eyes deepened even further. He sat down and started going through his memories after arriving at the island. The more he thought about it the more confused he became. When he and his team members left their barrack it was early in the morning before 08:00 AM, the sun was ridiculously hot and the sky was clear. Not a single speck of cloud could be seen in the sky. But¡­ after arriving, the sky, as far as he could see, was filled with thunderclouds and lightning. The island at a glance was barren. There was nothing but dead vegetation. There weren¡¯t even any trees visible. The gigantic trees were a signature trait of the island.


    The room became silent for an unknown period of time. Both parties were confused about what the other had said. One sounded like a history lesson and the other sounded like nonsense.


    ¡°Leah¡­¡± After a moment, Dante raised his head, confusion still in his eyes and asked her: ¡°What year is it? I know it¡¯s a dumb question, but please tell me.¡±


    Leah looked over Dante and spoke: ¡°It¡¯s the year 2323¡±.

 Chapter 016: Ancestry Test

    "2323..." Dante repeated absentmindedly. He couldn''t accept what he''d just heard. [300 years into the future? That''s impossible. How?]


    The idea of time travel was farfetched and to the best of his knowledge, it was just a theory in the current world. Maybe it would be possible by traveling through a black hole, but who would be willing to try that? Besides, you would be dead long before you even had the chance to get near one. The closest one to Earth was about 27,000 light-years away. Over the years, mankind has done wonders through science, going as far as cloning organs from stem cells. But time travel? Maybe we could grasp a methodin the future, but today, it was impossible.


    "Aah..." Dante began massaging his temples. He started having a headache [What''s going on? None of this makes any sense.]


    Dante got up from his seat and started pacing back and forth in the room. Leah continued to watch him silently while looking pensive.


    After thinking things over, an idea suddenly came to Leah which seemed to be the only explanation to Dante''s ''memory loss''. "Did you, at any point come in contact with the black water surrounding the island?" Leah asked.


    "The black water? Yeah, when I came to I was crawling out of it. Why?" Dante questioned.


    "That explains it," Leah said. A look of understanding now dawned on her face. "You must''ve been affected by the toxin. You''re lucky to be alive.You shouldthank the Ancestors for keeping you safe." Leah concluded while folding her arms. [No wonder everything he says is so strange, he''s been affected by the toxin, however, it doesn''t seem that bad and he actually remembers Dr. Lambert. He might still prove tobe useful. There''s just one thing left to verify.]


    Dante raised an eyebrow after listening to Leah. He looked even more confused, his headache had suddenly gotten worse. "What are you talking about?" he asked.


    "Don''t stress yourself over it," Leah waved as she sat back onto the stone bed. Seeing Dante ruminate through his memories made her sympathize with him.


    "A bit of amnesia is normal after coming in contact with the toxin from the black water, but don''t worry. your memories will gradually return over time. The elders say that if you stay in the black water long enough, you will get paralyzed, then it will slowly melt the skin and flesh off your bones. If you manage to survive, you''re likely to have amnesia or hallucinations from the toxins that invaded your body. You should count yourself lucky.Most persons who are affected by the toxin forget who they are, others may even forget how to speak." Leah said while folding her legs as she rested against the wall.She didn''t need to say all this to Dante, but she felt that for someone who managed to survive outside with no armor or weapons, gets affected by the toxin and still remain alive was a sign that they were either strong or were being protected by the blessings of the Ancestors.


    [The more she speaks, the more questions I have. What the hell is going on here?! I need more information, for now, I''ll just observe and play along.] Dante thought to himself.


    "Oh, one more thing," Leah added, then spoke solemnly. "Don''t ever tell anyone you''re from the mainland. Us descendantsof Maha Raja don''t follow the teachings of Eve, however, others who do may take it offensively. They consider the mainland a sacred place. Be sure to remember that."


    "You''re a descendant of... Maha Raja? Dante asked after taking a seat.


    "Can''t you tell?" Leah said while pointing to her hair. "Our people have white hair and blue eyes. It''s a rather distinct trait that sets us apart from the other clans. Wait, you''re not a Raja hater are you?" Leah asked while feigning a frantic look.


    "No, not unless you try to kill me," Dante replied honestly. He was usually an easy person to get along with, but once someone pissed him off, or worse tried to cause him harm he wouldn''t let them off.


    "Okay, then we''re good," Leah said with a slight smile but it only lasted for an instant.


    After speaking Leah took a good look at what Dante was wearing and felt her face grow hot all of a sudden. [What the hell is he wearing?!] She thought to herself and quickly averted her eyes. Her face was hot with embarrassment.


    Earlier when they met she was furious and thought Dante was trying to take advantage of her. She didn''t think much of it at that time. Later, Micah appeared and after he was rendered unconscious, the two were fleeing from the guards. They were running through the dark for half a day. It wasn''t until just now that she realized that whatever it was that Dante was wearing was really strange and too revealing! If it wasn''t for the faint outlines of his attire, she would believe without a doubt that he was naked.


    "Pervert, put these on," Leah said as she tossed him a leather bag that was laying on the ground beside the bed."Your attire is too strange. You''ll stand out too much when we go outside"


    Dante caught the bag but didn''t say anything in response. He had a disbelieving expression on his face. [This girl... she still thinks that I was trying to take advantage of her back then?]This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Didn''t you say that what happened earlier was in the past? Why are you still calling me a pervert? My name is Dante, get it right" Dante said quite unhappy.


    "I call you a pervert because that''s what you are," Leah said as a matter of fact while pulling her legs closer to her chest.


    [This girl...] Dante was left speechless. He couldn''t understand how Leah could have such a drastic change in personality. Earlier, she wanted to kill him and was ready to rip him apart, and now she is acting innocent and fragile. It''s as if she was toying with him.


    After blankly staring at Leah for a moment, Dante shook his head and open the leather bag. Inside, were some blue and white tribal clothes that looked similar to what Leah was wearing along with a white mask. A question came to Dante¡¯s mind but he decided against saying it out loud. She would probably call him a pervert again.


    From the leather bag, Dante removed only the white mask and returned the bag. "This is all I need," Dante said which stupefied Leah.


    A frown appeared on Leah''s face and she turned to look at Dante''s outstretched arm which held the leather bag.


    "Whatever it is that you''re wearing makes you stand out too much. Micah saw your face earlier and he knows what you look like. The guards probably already ran a neuro-scan on him and should also knowwhat you look like, including your face. You need to blend in and wear that mask to hide your identity while we''re outside." Leah said while sounding cold and detached.


    "I know, but as I said before. This is all I need. Besides, I''m not gonna wear your clothes." Dante tossed the leather bag on the bed and took a few steps back. Immediately after, he raised his right hand to his heart then spoke, "Adjust!


    Dante''s Exo-suit started to writhe and then shockingly changed its appearance to look similar to what Leah was wearing. And not only that, even the color of his eyes and hair changed to blue and white respectively. Dante decided to adjust his appearance to look similar to someone who would be from the Maha Raja clan.


    The momentLeah saw Dante''s appearance change, her eyes became round like full moons and shot to her feet.


    "FIEND!!!"


    A blue light flashed and a short sword suddenly appeared in Leah¡¯s hand out of thin air. Leah moved like a ghost and quickly arrived in front of Dante, the tip of her short sword aiming at his heart.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Dante haphazardly dodged the attack and frantically retreated to the opposite side of the room. Cold sweat dripping down his back. ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Dante shouted after putting enough distance between them. [What the hell is wrong with this girl?! She just attacked me out of the blue, and where the hell did that short sword come from?!]


    The temperature inside the room abruptly dropped the moment the short sword appeared. The two stood opposite to each other and were vigilantly staring at one another.


    Leah held her short sword at the ready while crouching slightly. [Damn it, I missed.]


    Dante¡¯s heart grew cold as he looked at her. He glanced at the short sword in Leah¡¯s hand and his heart grew even colder. The short sword was pulsating with a cold blue light that seemed as if it could instantly freeze anything it touched.


    Dante looked into Leah¡¯s eyes and noticed they were filled with fear and caution. [Maybe I startled her just now] Dante thought to himself.


    Dante slowly raised his hand then spoke: ¡°Leah, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you just now. I was just changing the appearance of my Exo-suit to blend in like you said.¡±


    ¡°Lies! You¡¯re a fiend! I was wondering why the guards were pursuing us so intensely. It was as if they were hunting their most hated enemy. Apparently, they were hunting a fiend.¡± Leah said while narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°A fiend?¡± Dante repeated, confused yet again. ¡°Whatever that is, I¡¯m not one of them. I¡¯m a normal human being, just like you¡±.


    ¡°Lies! I won¡¯t fall for your tricks fiend¡± Leah said, not convinced at all.


    What Dante did just now, was something she heard the elders of the clan speak of in stories. Fiends were terrifying creatures that could take on human appearances. Everything about them was the same as humans after changing their appearance save for the color of their blood.


    ¡°How can I prove it to you then that I am human?¡± Dante asked. It seemed to him that this was just a misunderstanding. It may have been the first time she had seen an exo-suit. He didn¡¯t want to fight her because of a misunderstanding.


    After a moment of silence, Leah replied. ¡°Fine, then let me see your blood¡±


    ¡°What?¡± A deep frown appeared on Dante¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°The blood of a fiend is purple,¡± Leah explained, ¡°Let me see your blood then I¡¯ll be sure¡±. Leah kept her ground and continued to stare at Dante to see what he would do. Fiends who want to keep their identity a secret would kill anyone who they suspect realize what they truly are. They would never consider revealing something about them that would expose their true identity.


    Dante looked pensive for a moment but then nodded. ¡°Fine¡±. Immediately after, Dante bit the tip of his tongue and spat a bit of blood onto the floor between them. Dante''s blood was extremely dark, almost black which made Leah frown. She wasn¡¯t able to tell the difference. Dante noticed this as well and wiped the blood across the floor which made it thinner. The result, there was a tinge of red in his blood.


    Upon seeing that his blood was red, Leah did the same and bit the tip of her tongue and spat a bit of blood onto the floor. Her blood was a bright red and was easily distinguishable.


    ¡°The Ancestry Test proves that you are truly one of us,¡± Leah said while lowering her short sword. There was a flash of blue light and the short sword disappeared from her hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Dante.¡±

 Chapter 017: Decision

    Within the expanse, thousands of miles away from Earth sat a colossal landmass the size of all the continents of Earth combined. Nine ''moons'' could be seen slowly revolving around this landmass in an intricate manner which gave the impression that it had existed since time immemorial.


    At the center of this landmass was a gargantuan edifice which had countless ''roots'' attached to it. These roots were spread across the landmass like a web which seemed to hold it together. These roots were utterly gigantic and were pulsating with a purple light, they resembled veins pumping blood. With each pulse, these roots would emit a low rumbling sound which caused the landmass to faintly tremble and even seem alive.


    The purple light the roots emitted illuminated the landmass and made its contents slightly visible. The terrain was extremely rugged and was filled with towering mountains and bottomless trenches. The landmass was devoid of any life. It seemed as though all ''life'' was forbidden there. Death seemed to be the absolute law of the land.


    Within the edifice, hundreds of miles beneath the surface was a massive purple sphere that was suspended in mid-air by twelve gigantic roots. These massive roots were the source of the ''smaller'' ones which spread throughout the landmass. The sphere seemed to be absorbing whatever it was that the root was providing it with and was getting slightly brighter as time progressed.


    Within the sphere were two silhouettes, one resembled that of a woman who sat cross-legged on a throne, her head rested against her left hand as she gazed into the distance. The other was that of a young man who was frozen in suspended animation in a capsule next to her.


    The silhouette of the woman resembled that of a human being, however, upon closer observation one would quickly come to realize that she wasn''t actually human. At a glance, she appeared to be naked, her skin was silver and across the surface of her body were black veins and ''cracks'', she also had long silver hair which cascaded down shoulders, over her chest. All this gave her an attractive, yet very dark appeal. There were even some areas of her body that seemed to be like that of a machine. A single glance at her would be enough to baffle, attract and at the same time terrify anyone who lay eyes on her. On her face was a cloud of darkness which shrouded her facial appearance, it was impossible to see what was beneath it. The young man within the capsule next to her appeared to be in a deep sleep. His body did not resemble that of the woman; instead, he seemed to be a young boy, a human, not even in his 20''s.


    The roots that were attached to the sphere penetrated inside and were attached to both the capsule that held that young man in mid-air as well as the woman on the throne. The roots were shockingly embedded into their bodies and they seemed to be absorbing the nourishment these roots provided.


    On the surface of the sphere from within, one could see images of the world outside and beyond. Countless images were shown on the surface of the sphere. They were of various planets within the cosmos and their inhabitants. The images would flicker from time to time and display a new set of worlds.


    "Not here either..." The woman sighed softly. Another set of images appeared on the sphere. "Where are you?"


    Suddenly a ripple appeared on the surface of the sphere which caught the woman''s attention. "Freeze!" she commanded in a sharp voice. She inspected the image and her body suddenly trembled, "Could it be?"


    * Whoosh *


    With but a thought she made all the images of the various planets on the surface of the sphere disappear save for one which was where the ripple appeared earlier. The image of that planet begun to expand until it became clear. It was a small blue planet, one that she was familiar with. "Earth!" The woman exclaimed excitedly as she gripped the armrest. "I found you!" The woman glanced at the body of the young man beside her within the capsule and her voice grew warm. "After 300 years, I finally found you."


    After a brief moment of thought, she made a quick decision "Khaja", she called out.


    Within the darkness, a pair of bloodthirsty yellow beastialeyes suddenly opened and a dark figure materialized before the throne on one knee. "Mother" The figure answered in a rough voice.


    "I have a task for you." the woman spoke.


    --


    It was at this moment that Dante and Leah just spilled their blood to prove their identity to each other that they weren''t fiend but human beings. After realizing that Dante was truly not a fiend, Leah withdrew her weapon and glanced at Dante, an apologetic smile on her face.


    "Nice to meet you, Dante. Sorry about what happened just now, I thought you were a fiend" Leah explained.


    Dante folded his arms and a sneer appeared on his face "No worries, you only almost killed me but fortunately, I managed to dodge in time and still have all parts of me intact."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "I did that to protect myself!" Leah argued. "You would''ve done the same if you remembered how terrifying fiends were. What you did just now is something that fiends are able to do. By the way, how did you even do that? You said something about an Ex-suit?"


    "Yeah," Dante replied. An idea suddenly came to him and he decided to fluff up the truth a bit. "I remember this thing I''m wearing is called an Exo-suit, but everything else is a blur, it''s all in bits and pieces.


    "Where did you get it?" Leah asked.


    "I... I don''t know" Dante replied looking downcast.


    A disappointed look appeared on Leah''s face before she dejectedly sat back on the stone bed.


    The room became silent once more and the two remained at opposite ends of the room for a time.


    "Is there a library in your clan?" Dante asked, breaking the silence.


    "A library?" Leah repeated, a confused expression appeared on her face. "Oh, you mean the Archives? Yeah, every clan has one, why?"


    "I think I may be able to recover my memories faster if I read about my history," Dante replied.


    "Hmm, makes sense, do you remember which clan you''re from?"


    "Clan? Um...no" Dante mumbled, looking crushed. He seemed to be trying hard to remember. Dante''s act was surprisingly fool-proof. [To be honest, I don''t know anything here.] He thought to himself.


    "That''s ok. Let me see your right hand." Leah requested.


    "Why?" Dante asked reflexively in ca cautions tone as he took a step back but then realized his back was already against the wall. He didn''t have anywhere else to go except towards the exit of the tunnel. He didn''t want to go near Leah again unless absolutely necessary. He couldn''t understand that girl. Maybe this time he would be attacked again out of the blue.


    "Each of the seven clans has their own unique totem, it''s common to either have it on your back, torso, shoulder or the back of your right hand," Leah explained. She didn''t move towards Dante and just continued to keep the distance between them. This made the agitated Dante relax a little, but he still kept his guard up.


    After the Exo-suit changed its appearance, the glove that covered Dante''s hand was now gone and his hands were exposed. Dante glanced at the back of his right hand. There was no totem. He raised his hand to show Leah that he didn''t have one there. Dante knew that he didn''t have any totem of any sort on his body. Unless he got one while he was unconscious. Before allowing her to ask him to show the other areas of his body, a question came to him and he decided to ask.


    "If someone doesn''t have a totem on their body, what does that mean?"


    Leah''s expression remained cold and detached the entire, but a slight ripple appeared on her face when she heard Dante''s question. Her eyes narrowed and she looked Dante over once more before replying.


    "It means one of two things. You are either a fiend... or an outcast."


    "A fiend or an outcast," Dante repeated.


    Leah understood the reason he asked that question and her eyes started twinkling.


    "I''m not a fiend, my blood isn''t purple. I don''t have any totem on me, so I guess that makes me an outcast?" Dante announced.


    --


    "Correct, if you don''t have the totem of a clan that means you''re either trash or guilty of crimes against your people. It makes sense now, you were probably tossed away like garbage and left to die." Leah stated in a cold and emotionless tone. What she said seemed natural, as if it was a normal occurrence.


    The moment Leah said that Dante was probably trash, his facial expression twitched, he felt his anger ignite once more but tried his best to keep his cool. Calling him trash was probably the easiest way to piss him off.


    "As you are, you cannot enter any of the five cities, or seven clans, else you will be killed on the spot the moment they learn that you are an outcast," Leah explained.


    "Then what are my options?" Dante asked. This would be problematic. If he went to any city of the cities or clans they would immediately try to kill him because he doesn''t bear the totem of a clan. He would be considered an existence akin to a fiend, a hated enemy. It was bad already that he was being hunted by the guards.


    "You have a few options available" Leah replied. She had a thoughtful expression on her face for a moment before continuing.


    "You aren''t the bastard child of someone from our clan, so you don''t have the blood of our clan in your veins, which mean entry by blood ties to the clan is out. That leaves three options. You can accept the blood seal of our clan and become a soldier. However, you won''t have any freedom. Your life will be preserved and you will gain entry to the clan. You will become a pawn of the clan chief, your life and death will be in their hands.


    Dante frowned once he heard this, he wouldn''t submit himself to another.


    "The second option is making a blood oath with a member of the clan to become his/her retainer,"Leah noticed his confused expression and opted to explain.


    "A retainer''s role to some is similar to that of a slave but has a retainer has a higher status and is able to gain more benefits. A retainer serves a member of the clan by accepting a blood oath and a seal would be placed on your body. With that seal, you would be given access to many areas of the clan, save for the ones that are restricted to clan members only."


    Dante shook his head. It was the same, servitude with a bit of freedom. "And the last option?" Dante asked.


    "The third option may kill you for trying, but it has the greatest benefits if you don''t want to serve anyone.Become a mercenary." Leah said with a smile, yet not a smile. "Mercenaries are not loyal to any city or clan. They act independently but are allowed entry to all cities or clans because they are responsible for keeping the population of ferocious beasts and fiendsabove in check. They also do other ''odd jobs'' for clients. It''s deadly work, but the resources and benefits are very attractive."


    A light flashed in Dante''s eyes and he immediately came to a decision. The thought of becoming a mercenary intrigued him. He wouldn''t need to serve anyone and he would be able to move around freely. This would also allow him to collect more information to know the current situation. Fighting against the ferocious beasts and fiends of World''s Edge may prove to be beneficial to his growth. The matter of this being the year 2323 would be looked into later. He did not believe Leah, but at the same time, he did not cast aside the thought.


    Dante straightened his back and a whisp of his true nature leaked out as he spoke. "I''ve decided, I''ll become a mercenary."