Mark was tired, having been constantly on the move, but he wouldn’t let himself rest until he found his family, for better or worse.

He hadn’t leveled up much, as pondering on his Truth took time, and he benefited greatly from an environment with spatial energy. He’d gotten a few levels, but not as many as he would have gotten if he had a combat class.

He still wasn’t sure about that, though, as the class lent itself greatly to combat. A part of him thought it might be a restriction by the System, or something, as he believed he could be closing in on level fifty by now, based on the strength of the beasts he fought.

That might just be his head, his mounting hubris, and Mark knew he had to temper his mind and regain some humility.

That was a plan for later, as he had to find his family first, and the marker in his mind had been moving far more recently, which implied he was getting close.

After almost five months, the city he found was in the same state as the one he had appeared in, but there were many more signs of use. Hacked-away vines burned patches of grass, and other signs of combat littered the streets and alleys.

Mark wandered through, sometimes checking the buildings, but everything seemed to have been picked clean.

Over the last months, he’d gotten accustomed to using his spatial sense and cosmic eye skills. The former let him notice ripples in space, which often came from movement, and objects. He’d learned he could spot hidden enemies as well, as they exerted a greater effect on their surroundings than what a simple bush should have, for instance. The latter let him watch the flow of mana in the area, which proved useful several times, allowing him to see if his enemy was charging up for something.

As he walked through the city, he kept the Cosmic Eye skill active and eventually spotted flashes and bursts of mana in the distance. He prepared himself for combat by equipping his chakram and started blinking closer.

Soon enough, he stood atop a building, looking down on a chaotic battlefield, and his heart lurched.

His family was here, and his mother was in danger.

A huge man was charging at her, surrounded by goons. The man held his axe high, ready to smash down, and Mark saw the blood dripping from its edge.

A moment’s hesitation was replaced by a deep rage. Fire burned in his chest as he launched his chakram.

He immediately blinked before the savage-looking man and opened a tear for his chakram, which reappeared too close for the man to react.

It cut right through him and returned to decapitate him before Mark had it flick off the blood and settle behind him.

The brute collapsed, and Mark looked up straight into his father’s eyes, and a wave of relief spread through him. His brother stood beside his dad, and Mark knew his mother was behind him.

The rage was quickly replaced with worry, insecurity, and fear. Would they recognize him? Would they accept him now that he wasn’t entirely human?

Rather than deal with that now, he looked to the remaining hostiles. It was easy to separate them from his family’s allies, as they wore rugged clothes dyed red and black, while his family wore blue and gold.

The chakram started moving again, and his enemies scrambled to defend, but with Mark able to teleport it, shift it out of phase for a moment, or increase its mass and density at will, there was little they could do.

He didn’t simply stand there and let his chakram do everything, though, as Mark himself blinked around the battlefield, severing heads with spatial tears, and soon enough, the enemies were dead.

Mark walked off to the side and sat on a piece of rubble, trying to still his troubled thoughts.

***

Derek couldn’t believe his eyes. The man had cut down Wroth like he was nothing and then gone ahead and slaughtered the remaining Deep Horizon fighters before he sat down on a broken piece of road. What struck Derek the most was the look of relief, followed by fear in the man’s eyes, before he steeled himself.

Derek didn’t allow himself to consider the implications before he’d checked in on his wife, and Bruce followed behind him as he ran up to her.

“You okay, hun?” he asked as he hugged his wife close. “When Wroth appeared… I-I don’t know what I would have done if-”

“Stop. Sshh, it’s alright, I’m fine,” she said, but Derek heard the tremor in her voice as she clutched his back. “That man got there just in time.”

“Yeah, but it was too close. I’m supposed to be the one who defends us, but I was too far away,” Derek argued and vented his helplessness. “I should have known it wasn’t the extent of their capabilities, but I was lax.”

“We all were,” Bruce said from the side. Derek looked at his son and saw the strange look in his eyes as he watched the newcomer. “Is that-?”

“Haah,” Derek sighed. “It looks like him, but not. Should we?”

“What are you talking about?” Cecilia cut in. “Who?”

“That guy. You didn’t see his face, but he looks like Mark.”

Cecilia’s eyes widened, and she broke their embrace before rushing up to the man. Derek tried to grab her, but she slipped through.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Wait! Don’t rush-” but she didn’t listen, and the man had noticed. Derek stopped in his track when he saw the surprise in the man’s eyes.

“Mark! Mark?! Is that you?” Cecilia cried.

The man seemed to hesitate before a smile split his face.

“Yeah, Mom,” he said tremblingly and stood. “It’s me.”

***

Mark’s heart hammered in his chest, and his throat constricted as he saw his mother run toward him, joy and relief in her eyes.

He saw her expression take on some confusion before recognition.

“Mark! Mark?! Is that you?” his mom asked tears in her eyes.

Mark felt his heart lurch, and he stood up.

“Yeah, Mom. It’s me.”

She ran at him and pulled him into a hug, and Mark felt the gathered tension and worry release. Tears streamed down his face as he hugged her, and he soon felt two more sets of arms, his father and brother.

They stood, hugging for several minutes that felt far too short until they untangled themselves.

“What happened to you, son?” his father asked, looking at him.

Mark looked down at his hands, the pure white was not natural, and he’d learned that his eyes had taken a purple hue, as well.

He hesitated for a second before he explained everything.

They talked as they walked, and soon enough, they arrived at a walled compound.

His family led him to a building near the center of the area.

“Trace?” Cecilia shouted into the building. “You here?”

“Mom!” Running out of a side room came Tracy, his younger sister.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw him, and confusion marred her face.

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Cecilia said as she touched her daughter’s face. “It’s him. It’s Mark.”

Tracy blinked rapidly as tears formed in her eyes before she ran at him. He hugged her as she started sobbing.

“Hey, Tracy,” he said softly. “I’ve missed you, sis.”

“Ma-Mark, I thought you were d-de-dead!” she sobbed.

His voice caught in his throat, and fresh tears ran down his face.

“I’m fine. We’re all alive,” he finally got out. “I’ve just changed a bit, that’s all. We’re alive, and we’ll make it through this.”

They spent hours talking, explaining what they went through, and his family gawked at how his Tutorial went.

They’d had it far easier. Derek and Bruce entered the same Tutorial and didn’t even get the Trial Corridor. They simply appeared in a square and were given starting equipment and a skill of their choice. They had to take on a mission once a week and were given a weekly stipend of credits.

His mom and sister got a separate Tutorial due to Tracy being too young.

It would only take a few years until she got access to the System, but before then, she was at the mercy of others. So, the System set up a Tutorial for those who would be the youngest’s wards.

Cecilia entered as Tracy’s protector and guide. They were given quite a few resources and skills that would allow them to teach and prepare the younger generations while Tracy had to take classes. Thanks to that, Tracy was probably the most knowledgeable among them about the System and the Multiverse. Cecilia wasn’t far behind and would spend the next few years setting things in motion that would give Tracy a running start.

She said she could make preparations so long as Tracy knew what path she wanted to take. Cecilia could basically store experience, so when Tracy started her cultivation, she’d rush through the early levels and get some decent early skills.

Tracy was leaning toward a path of magic but non-combat, though she hadn’t decided yet.

They spoke at length about their new reality and what had happened after the Tutorial, and Mark couldn’t believe how rough they’d had it.

First, the creatures hunted them, and they had to constantly run around, fighting daily to survive. Then finding the Brightest Dawn, the camp of decent people who took them in. They still had to fight, but now they had companions, more people who protected each other.

It all looked to improve but almost fell apart when the Deep Horizon showed up.

Their faith in humanity took a nose-dive at that point, but they held firm. They fought and struggled but were losing ground.

The Deep Horizon was ruthless and had no care for each other or their fellow humans. They fully embraced the brutality of their new reality but took it too far. They fully believed that might make right and that only those who could defend themselves and kill their enemies deserved to live.

According to Tracy’s education, they were something called unorthodox cultivators, using humans purely to improve themselves. Some unorthodox people would somehow steal the cultivation of others, which the System didn’t take lightly.

Apparently, they’d be forced to fight harder, and harder, to a far worse degree than usual, and were constantly beset by misfortune.

Mark learned that his dad had taken a paladin-like class. He wielded a shield and a large hammer while defending his allies. He could use some magic, though primarily defensive skills and minor healing.

Bruce, his brother, had a warrior class. He used a huge greatsword and could enhance his strength, speed, and endurance. He didn’t use any magic, not like usual, at least, but he had several stamina skills.

Mark believed it was just a different form of magic, but the System apparently considered it a separate thing.

They kept talking and catching up until the evening when someone knocked at the door.

Derek answered and returned with a frown.

“The boss wants to see Mark,” he said.

“Why?”

“They didn’t say, just that she wanted to see him.”

Derek and Cecilia looked at Mark but sighed after a second.

“Alright,” his mom said. “She is the leader of the area, and if she wants to talk to you, it should be fine. She’s a good person.”

“Sure, I’ll meet her,” Mark said, standing up. “Lead the way.”

His family led him through the compound until they reached what looked to be a clinic.

They were led to a room where Mark saw a striking woman lying on a sick bed with bandages covering most of her torso and half her face.

Blond locks curled down to her shoulders, but much of it was missing.

Her eyes narrowed, and she frowned when she looked at Mark but repositioned to an upright position.

“Welcome, to the Brightest Dawn,” she said. Mark could hear a strain and hoarseness in her voice. “Let’s talk.”