Chapter 5: A World Awakened
The skies above Africa glowed with a pulse of violet and gold. From the cracked streets of Lagos to the red sands of northern Kano, the same voice echoed.
"SYSTEM ACTIVATION COMPLETE."
"WELCOME TO THE NEW ORDER."
People screamed. Some ran. Some dropped to their knees, praying. But for those who dared to look up, translucent blue screens hovered in front of their faces—like the sky itself had turned digital.
[AWAKENING SUCCESSFUL]
Name: Chika Emeka
Talent Rank: B
Level: 1
Attributes Unlocked: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Spirit
Assigned Role: Sentry
This wasn't a dream. This was real.
One by one, the entire continent—and the entire world—received the same message.
"YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN."
"THE RIFTS ARE OPENING."
"DEFEND YOUR WORLD, OR LOSE IT."
---
In the ruined alleyway, Kairo stared at his screen.
His hands still trembled from absorbing Razz's shattered body. The Phasefire still crackled in his blood, but now there was more—a layer beneath it. Something older. Something dangerous.
[GOD KEY PROTOCOL: TIER 1 ACTIVE]
[WARNING: ONE MEMORY SACRIFICED TO ACTIVATE PHASEFIRE]
[UNLOCKED: Talent Absorption (Randomized)]
[Current Talent Extracted: Crimson Echo (Dead Subject - Razz)]
[Skill: Sonic Blink — Short-range warp movement using sound distortion]
Kairo blinked. "What the hell… is Crimson Echo?"
He didn't remember the fight. Not fully. He remembered the rage. The fire. But Razz's face, his words, even the final strike—all gone. Like someone had pressed delete in his brain.
"To level up the God Key," the system said, "you must pay the price. Each Tier requires sacrifice. Each memory lost brings greater power… and greater danger."
Kairo clenched his fists. "So every time I want to grow stronger, I have to forget something about myself?"
The screen didn't answer.
---
Meanwhile, Veyra stood beside him, arms crossed, violet eyes glowing. Her black coat fluttered in the wind as dozens of notifications blinked across her interface.
She didn't look surprised. She looked… sad.
"They finally did it," she whispered. "They woke everyone up."
Kairo turned to her. "You knew this would happen?"
She nodded. "The world's always been sleeping. The Rifts were leaking… small monsters, broken things. Now, the floodgates are open. Dungeons will appear. Mutated beasts. Aberrant echoes. The strong will rise… and the weak—"
"—will die," Kairo finished grimly.
She looked at him, a hint of warmth in her voice for the first time. "You're not ready. But you're our only shot."
Kairo chuckled bitterly. "I'm level one. I'm weaker than a school kid with a B-Rank Talent."
"You're not weak," she said. "You're unstable. And that's different."
---
Around the world, chaos bloomed.
In Accra, a 14-year-old girl screamed as a Rift cracked open above her school. A serpentine monster slithered out, its scales shimmering with code. Her screen read Talent Rank: A | Role: Beast Tamer. She raised her hand… and the monster bowed.
In Cape Town, an ex-soldier awakened with S-Rank Talent: Shadow Arsenal. Guns formed from thin air. He laughed like a man who just got a second chance.
But in Kairo's city, the chaos was different.
The dungeon that appeared tore a gaping hole in the center of the marketplace. Shadowed beasts crawled out. People ran. Police fired bullets that did nothing. Civilians were trampled.
Kairo saw it from the rooftop where Veyra had taken him.
He turned, eyes wide. "We have to help them."
"You can't just walk in and save everyone," Veyra warned.
"I don't care."
He jumped.
---
He hit the ground hard, rolled, and charged into the panic.
Beasts with silver bones and glitching eyes pounced at him.
[LEVEL 1 - WARNING: ENEMIES ABOVE YOUR THRESHOLD]
Kairo ignored it. He dodged, then thrust his hand into the chest of a beast.
[TARGET: DEAD]
[Skill Absorption Attempt: SUCCESSFUL]
[New Skill Acquired: Bone Shard - Launch explosive bone projectiles]
Pain tore through him. His vision blurred. But he didn't stop.
For every beast that died, he grew slightly faster, slightly sharper.
His strength was pitiful. His stamina barely held. But…
He was evolving.
Not because he was strong. But because he was willing to bleed for it.
---
Veyra joined the battle, slicing through monsters with elegant speed. Her Talent wasn't just beauty—it was precision. Her blade danced like a whisper.
"Kairo!" she called. "Your aura—it's changing!"
He stood in the center of the street, hands blazing with Phasefire and Bone Shards, surrounded by bodies and smoke.
[LEVEL UP - CURRENT LEVEL: 3]
[God Key Sync: 7%]
Kairo fell to his knees. His nose bled. His head pounded.
In the blur of battle, a soft voice whispered again in his mind.
"More power… More memory."
But Kairo shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not losing more of myself."
He looked up at the burning Rift.
"I'll level up the hard way."