A mushroom cloud erupted in the distance.
Then the next one. Then two more after.
Within the span of twenty-four hours, the world became scarlet.
###
Three years passed. Most… perished in the initial wave of calamity. Then the old and the sick tailed their departure, followed by those closest to the epicenter of the explosions. None died in peace, and everyone suffered from radiation poisoning.
Theron Gray wasn’t the exception.
Since the detonation erupted within all populated cities and countries, most of the planet had been rendered uninhabitable. That included the very spot he stood upon and all the places he visited; no safe zone existed in this post-nuclear hell-scape, save for those havens only the rich and the strong were granted access to. The most common cause of death changed from a heart attack to radiation poisoning in a fortnight. Frankly, it was a miracle he survived this long. Despite his festering innards, Theron somehow lived through it all, his lifespan longer than most expected.
He walked within the cover of ash, rummaging what he could inside the last few undisturbed buildings around this town. Inside, only the traces of what humanity once was remained. Pictures of a family, worn walls and plaster scribbled by crayon and blood, depicting their mirth in a life he’d long since forgotten. He lifted his flashlight, casting a white hue into the pitch sable of the living room, studying the countertops for any long-lasting food, canned or otherwise; a pack of chips would satiate that ever-lasting hunger boiling his insides. Noting the lack of any progress, he perused deeper into the desolate house with an exasperated sigh, scouring what little cabinets and storage remained sealed, the stench of rot viscous as he searched the refrigerator, earning a quick grimace and a scrunch of his nostrils.
No food here too. Nothing else I can use either…
Walking on an empty stomach didn’t help his languid mind.
Fucking lunatics… Their encounter was brief; it began with a shot, then he scrambled to find cover, stuck behind a steel box masquerading as a car. A few gunshots from another pack of scavengers earned him a shot at running away, but not before a stray bullet caught his abdomen. In this radiated world, any notion of a fight spelled doom for most; with a compromised immune system, a simple scratch would be fatal if not treated right away.
Speaking of wounds… he clutched the bleeding hole leaking puss on his left abdomen.
He could feel it, taste it, even; the decay of his bones, the withering husk of his former muscles, and the unusual growths dotting his body like pimples—the recent injuries aided in his body’s deterioration.
A husky cough rasped the silent home. Theron glimpsed at the dribbles of blood painting his bandaged hand, wincing, groaning. At times, the notion of death appealed to his battered mind; often, he wished to sleep his pain away, yet his body refused to give in. Instead, he woke up to agony, to endure that insatiable hunger roiling his stomach for another day, to see his body decaying.
One more day… Just one more day.
He pulled himself outside of the crumbling home. In his sight were the relics of a thriving neighborhood, now an ash-filled district, filled with a cloud of smog so thick he couldn’t see past a few meters. The arid, flaking barks of trees creaked upon his approach, warning him not to step further. He pulled a hastily tied scarf hung around his neck to cover his mouth and nose, avoiding further intake of dust aggravating the sting in his lungs. With a cloudy vision and the smog, it was a miracle he found his bearing through the random cracks on the stone pavement.
The image of the town jerked a long-lost memory within him. The frequent walks to his high school, the sleepless nights he spent with his friends, watching movies, hanging out, wasting their youth playing games, doing things of little essence. Each stream of memory played in his head as he shifted past another crack in the pavement. Oh, how he missed those times, the threads of a normal life snatched by the drop of a few tons of atomic bombs. Now, all that was left was a reminder of humanity’s ultimate folly—our limitless avarice.
Not a single superpower nation claimed responsibility for the annihilation, each blaming the next country, shirking off any responsibilities. Some even said it was an act of God, imagine that, Gods throwing nukes, hilarious. In the end, did the truth even matter? His life was this now, and nothing in this universe could change that.
“Khhh!” Theron lost his footing from a sudden pain blaring in his stomach. Clutching his mouth, he tided the wave of vomit clawing at his gullet, pushing what little contents resided inside his stomach. Legs losing strength, he collapsed on the ground, grimacing, clenching his teeth, then let go. His vision faded, the sable realm of the subconscious shrouding his sights with darkness. Then…
A gentle tug of death pulled his breath away. Theron was one of the last few that survived for this long. For three years, he suffered. Three years of his life robbed by the decision of others.
Then, with a final breath, Theron ceased to live.
If he was granted a second chance, he’d grapple fate into his own hands.
###
Darkness encompassed infinity.
The frigid, still, unmoving air clad Theron’s shivering body when he jerked awake, gasping for air as he fiddled about his surroundings. No solid floor nor walls existed within the radius of nothingness enclosing him, as if he was drifting afloat in the middle of nowhere. No, not as if, he was, in fact, in the center of what he assumed to be the realm of death.
[Your planet: Earth is a part of the next solar system designated for integration.]
What?
A sudden flash of glowing text appeared in the corner of his vision with the shade of a shallow pool of water, each letter alien to his mind, yet perfectly readable. Wincing his eyes, he attempted to feel his chest with his hands. Only the texture of air brushed against his touch, his nonexistent eyes gaping upon the realization; he had no solid figure to speak of.
[Destroying earth. The remaining population is now under the system’s guidance.]
“Whoa! Whoa, what?”
[Earth… destroyed. While it is rebuilding, the system will send you to a beginner sector to familiarize you and the others before returning to your new earth. Use this time to power up and prepare for your return. Do you accept the integration?]
Integration, system… universe? His eyes scanned over the text again to ensure he wasn’t seeing things.
[Do you accept the integration? If you don’t, you will forever perish.]
Perish… Heh. For the longest time, I wished that I was dead. The notion of continuing that sodden life drew nothing but absolute apathy from him. Although, if there was no nuclear fallout in whatever place this… thing wished to throw him into, there was cause for consideration. Theron never lived an actual life. His vanished the moment some idiots pushed the god-damned buttons and for desperate lunatics to pull their triggers.
He closed his eyes, then muttered a hopeful yes.
[Welcome to the integrated universe, drifter from another world.]
[Please wait while the system initiates your beginner zone.]
[Zone generation complete.]
An expanse of white, rolling clouds snapped into his vision. Its radiance lit the horizon with a brilliance so bright his eyes squinted, the white luminescence blending with the azure sky. Below, a hint of a vast expanse of variegated sceneries awaited.
In the center of it all, where its base was erected atop a frosty summit, a humongous tower-like structure loomed over everything, acting as a dark beacon among the infinite expanding wilderness. Mists covered most of the world presented to him, with tall, blinking beams peering through the smog-ladened areas, uniformly placed, each pointing toward the summit in the center of it all.
[Select your starting aspect. Everyone is granted the same choices. To ensure familiarity, all the creatures spawning in the initial tutorial zone consist of modified versions of animals from the earth, however, do not assume they are the same animals you are familiar with. Further zones outside the tutorial zone will not abide by this rule.]
[1. Common - Aspect of the Razor striped Alpha hyena.]
Aspect - Razor striped Alpha hyena | Health : 11/11 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 1 | Next 100 xp
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Rank - 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 3 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Hyena | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 3 (+1/level)
Speed: 7 (+3/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 4 (+1/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
[2. Common - Aspect of the Twisted prime tusked bison.]
Aspect - Twisted Prime Tusked bison | Health : 13/13 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 1 | Next 100 xp
Rank - 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 3 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bison | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 6 (+2/level)
Speed: 2
Magic: 0
Toughness: 6 (+3/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
[3. Common - Aspect of the Horned Gray Brute Dire Wolf.]
Aspect - Horned Gray Brute Dire wolf | Health : 10/10 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 1 | Next 100 xp
Rank - 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 3 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Wolf | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+2/level)
Might: 5 (+2/level)
Speed: 6 (+2/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 3 (+1/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
Aspects? What… am I looking at? Theron brushed his eyes with his non-existent hands, then glimpsed at the text again, rewarded by a line of paragraphs explaining what an aspect was.
And the first time he read it, his mind went to a ubiquitous series of games about creature collecting—the name of which he needed not mention. However, subsequent reading dispelled his initial assumption of complete similarity, and the differences stuck out.
[Aspects: An incarnation of all entities made and maintained by the system. Each aspect contained the essence of a wild monster, allowing the owners to summon them to aid in battle or to perform other tasks. The difference being summoned aspects can grow stronger, unlike their regular counterparts. Aspects are, and shall be, your primary weapon in most situations.]
[Each aspect has the capacity for housing abilities. The number of abilities is limited based on their level. A drifter can imbue aspects with elements and evolve their aspects with the help of the system. More features will be accessible once a drifter reaches higher levels.]
[Warning! Please select your starting aspect before proceeding.]
Okay… this is new. Let’s… look at the options again.
At first glance, Theron assumed none of the starting aspects contained any fantastical elements. Their status pages hinted at them being based upon real-life counterparts of the animals he knew—however, their stat spread showed each possessed the same amount of base stats, meaning none outshined the other. The hyenas were faster but lacked the damage output of the others. The bison, otherwise, were slower, but had the most health and the most damage if their attacks hit. The wolves possessed a balance of speed and might, but they had the lowest toughness of the bunch.
With no idea of what kind of dangers awaited him, or the potential each aspect had, it was hard to make an educated decision—or even a correct decision, really.
I mean, all the options has to be viable, otherwise, won’t one group of people picking a specific choice be screwed otherwise? So this had to be about choosing based on one’s preference; did he like to get something hard to kill? Something offensive, perhaps? Or something speedier?
Theron shifted his gaze at the berth of land underneath, studying the landscape for any hints or clues. If he had to choose now, it’d be between the hyena and the wolf, leaning more toward the second option.
[You selected Aspect of the Horned Gray Brute Dire Wolf!]
[You are granted three basic drifter abilities!] [Summon aspect.] [Extract aspect.] [Unsummon aspect.]
[Allocating a bonus ability. This selection is random.]
Thanks for the reminder. Theron groaned as he skimmed through the array of text flashing in front of his eyes, perplexed.
[Ability found.]
[Necrotic aura: Consume 1 Mana per second to channel a silent, odorless poisonous aura in a 10-meter vicinity. Deals 1 damage every second. Poison worsens after prolonged exposure, dealing 1 extra damage per 5 seconds to those nearby the caster(max: 5 damage per tick). Effects last as long as this ability is active. Does not affect conjured aspects. Current level: 1.]
Theron’s eye twitched; a surgical wave of information assaulted his mind, producing tiny shockwaves causing his brain to shudder. Blurry images of rotten flesh and bulbous, unnatural flesh formation writhing in pain bleared his eyes. I see… so that’s how I use this… ability. If this had happened 3 years ago, he would’ve cringed from the abhorrent, sickening vision, but the time he spent post-nuclear war had conditioned him to ignore that side of him. Hell, his own body fared worse than the things this ability showed him.
Raising his head, he gawked at the vast skies, unsure about what the hell was happening.
[Drifter status page activated.]
“Status?”
Theron Gray | Class: Novice | Rank: Unranked
Class: Novice| Level: 1 | Next 100 xp
Mana: 10/10
Summon slots : 1/1
Essence: -
-Attributes | Free points: - (+1/level) -
Might: 2 (+1/level)
Speed: 1 (+1/level)
Magic: 5
Toughness: 2 (+1/level)
Resistance: 10
Abilities - Active
Abilities - Passive
Necrotic aura - lvl 1 | Summon Aspect
Extract Aspect | Unsummon Aspect
-
A novice class… he wished to peruse what each level of this class granted him, but no amount of staring provided any further information. Also, ten resistance. Cute.
[To view your currently available and learned aspects, open your aspect compendium.]
A compendium? How do I-
In a flash, a large, holographic book manifested in front of him. It opened, flipping pages until a picture of a large, horned gray Brute dire wolf appeared, its large, brusque maw snapping open in the midst of a vicious growl. Atop its forehead, between its eyes, was a protruding horn the size of its fangs. Its muscular limbs and sheer presence superseded all the apex predators back on earth, and he assumed the other starter aspects to be the same way.
Well, all of them are fantasy things, after all. Makes sense.
Aspect - Horned Gray Brute Dire wolf | Health : 10/10 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 1 | Next 100 xp
Rank - 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 3 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Wolf | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+1/level)
Might: 5 (+2/level)
Speed: 6 (+2/level)
Magic: 0
Toughness: 3 (+1/level)
Resistance: 2
-Abilities-
[Affinity: Melee, prefers to fight head-on. Increases effectiveness of [melee] tagged abilities by 20%. Abilities not tagged with the melee affinity will cost 25% more than their base cost. This change is reflected in the ability description.]
Theron chuckled when he understood the wolf would probably kill him in a straight fight, a chilling thought when he considered the other possible dangers lurking beneath him. Doubtless, there were monsters way, way stronger than mere wolves. While the fields stating its elements and affinity intrigued him, he shrugged it off in favor of the next, more alarming line of text.
[Beginner sector initialized. Transporting you to the generated sector.]
[Total drifters in sector# 15674: 10 000.]
Just ten thousand of us… The clouds glowered with a thunderous roar, their colors turning black, hued yellow and blue by the flashes of earth-shattering lightning roiling within. An unknown, enigmatic force yanked him downward, the previous serene sight whisking to a blur as he scrabbled at the empty air before slamming the ground with a wet squelch.
He coughed and groaned when the sensation of reality drizzled upon him from the rain. Stuck in the midst of a forest, submerged by wet, clammy humus, he pushed himself off the ground to greet the growl of a beast. He raised his head, grimacing at a four-legged monster with two tusks protruding past its quivering mouth, its skin clad in a dark coating of soaked fur.
[Reach the pillar on the summit, and clear the trial within to return to earth.]
Theron’s new life had just begun.