Cyrilian Might

Andrew stood, eyes closed, taking slow, measured breaths as the storm around him began to dissipate. When he opened his eyes, the sight of a 10-foot radius of charred and smoking earth greeted him. Okay, let’s reign this in. He could still feel the residual energy pulsing under his skin, but the fire within him had calmed.

That was when he sensed it—a presence. He turned quickly, eyes scanning the tree line, and caught a glimpse of a short woman watching him from behind a tree. Her blonde hair, trailing behind her, gave her away instantly.

“Hey, you! I’m sorry! Don’t be scared!” Andrew called out, taking a cautious step forward. No response. As he approached, the woman ducked behind the tree. When Andrew reached the spot where she’d stood, he found nothing but empty air. Gone? How?

“Hello!?” he called again, his voice fading into the dense forest. The same sensation from before—a feeling of being watched—returned, and this time when he looked up, there she was. She crouched on a branch twenty feet above him, tears streaking her face. Her expression shifted from fear to anger as their eyes met.

Andrew took a step back, hands raised. “Hey, I didn’t mean—”

“You didn’t mean to kill that man!?” she interrupted, her voice thick with emotion.

“What man?” Andrew asked, genuinely confused.

The woman’s face hardened. “Don’t play dumb. I saw you! You made his body disappear! What did you do to him?”

Andrew's anger flared, sparks arcing from his fingertips again. He could feel the familiar prickling sensation at the edge of his control. Not again. He inhaled deeply, forcing himself to calm down. “Look, I didn’t hurt anyone. That was my brother. I don’t know what happened to him, but he didn’t make it.”

The woman’s anger faltered, and for a moment, she just stared at him, her expression softening. “Did you... go to the white too?”

Andrew looked up at her, nodding. “Yeah, I think so. Yesterday, I was at my apartment. Now I’m here. Wherever here is.”

She nodded slowly. “I’m sorry. You said that man was your brother? You really don’t know where he went?”

Andrew shook his head. “I have no idea. Can you come down from there? I promise, I’m not dangerous. Is there anyone else with you?”

The woman hesitated. “I’m not even sure how I got up here. When you saw me, I panicked and... jumped. It felt like someone lifted me up.” She braced herself against the branch, cautiously lowering herself down. Andrew noticed the muscular definition in her shoulders as she dropped to the ground with a practiced roll.

“I used to climb trees as a kid,” she said, brushing herself off. “But nothing like that.”

Andrew chuckled dryly. “Yeah, I’m noticing some... changes too. Do me a favor. Help me out so I know I’m not crazy. Are we still on Earth?”

The woman laughed, though it was tinged with uncertainty. “I’m not sure. Do you see this too?” A screen blinked into Andrew’s view.

Marideth Drake

Level 1

Class: Unassigned

Race: Human

Faction: Null

Andrew blinked. “Yeah, I see it. How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Marideth asked, her brow furrowed.

“How did you share your screen with me?” Andrew asked.

Her cheeks reddened. “You can see my screen? I can’t see yours.”

Andrew hesitated, then thought about sharing his own screen. “Can you see it now?”

After a brief pause, Marideth nodded. “Yeah. Wait—you don’t have a class?”

Andrew frowned, noticing for the first time that her screen mentioned a class while his didn’t. Why don’t I have one?

They walked in silence for a while, the towering trees around them with their blue-hued trunks and deep purple leaves providing a surreal backdrop. Andrew couldn’t help but notice how different everything was from Earth, yet how familiar the air felt. At one point, they both reached up to grab a fruit from the low-hanging branches. It was shaped like a pear, with a deep red skin. A screen popped up before them:

Crimsonwell – Common.

Andrew turned the fruit over in his hand, inspecting it. “Since neither of us is dead yet, I’m guessing it’s safe to eat.”

Meredith smirked. “Good enough for me.”

As they neared the river, the distant sound of rushing water became clearer. Meredith had heard it long before, her Seismic Sense giving her an edge. But something else caught their attention—a small boy knelt by the water’s edge, scooping handfuls of it into his mouth. He hadn’t noticed them yet.

Andrew frowned, leaning closer to Meredith. “Do you see what I—”

The boy stood abruptly, eyes locking on them with a wild, animalistic intensity. He was tall for his apparent age, wearing nothing but crude leaves wrapped around his waist. Above him, a screen appeared:

Human

Level 6.

Before either of them could react, the boy let out a savage scream and dashed toward Andrew with frightening speed. “Nyyaaaah!” Meredith yelled, “Look out!”

But it was too late. The boy leapt, planting both feet squarely on Andrew’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Andrew rolled to his knees, gasping for air as the boy turned his attention to Meredith.

Without thinking, Andrew sprang into action. His muscles tensed as he surged forward, arms outstretched. Sparks ran down his arms and legs as the world seemed to slow around him. Now! He closed the gap between them in a flash, tackling the boy from behind and locking him in a tight hold around the neck.

Meredith screamed, “He’s feral!”

The boy thrashed violently, his nails digging into Andrew’s skin, leaving deep scratches across his arms and face. Blood blurred Andrew’s vision, but he tightened his grip, forearm pressed against the boy’s throat. Slowly, the boy’s movements became weaker, until finally, his arms dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Andrew stumbled back, breathing hard, his heart pounding in his ears. Did I just murder him?

Before he could voice the thought, Meredith’s horrified whisper broke the silence. “You... you just killed him.”

A flood of energy surged into Andrew’s body, and several notifications blinked across his vision.