It started with darkness. Heavy, suffocating. I couldn’t see anything, couldn’t move, but I could feel the weight pressing down on me, like something waiting just out of sight.

Then the scene twisted—like someone yanking the world inside out.

I was standing in the middle of a city I barely recognized. It looked like Darkhaven, but everything was shattered and burning. The sky was bruised, painted in swirling shades of purple and red. Fires raged across the streets, and the buildings—what was left of them—sagged like rotting bones.

People ran everywhere, screaming, and stumbling over debris. They looked terrified, faces twisted with panic as they fled from something I couldn’t see. But I could feel it. A presence. Massive and cold, lurking just beyond the flames.

The sky cracked open, and the shadows shifted—something huge moved through the smoke. Machines. Aliens. They towered over everything—7 to 8 feet tall with elongated, segmented bodies coated in a thick, chitinous exoskeleton. Their skin glistened in the eerie twilight, the colors shifting between shades of black, deep green, and dark red. Their multifaceted eyes glittered with alien intelligence, reflecting the chaos around them like fractured mirrors.

I tried to run, but my legs wouldn’t move. I was stuck there, frozen, watching the world come apart around me. My heart pounded in my chest, the weight of helplessness settling in. My eyes widened as my senses warned me of danger. I quickly rolled to the side, dodging the plasma beam that just went past me. I quickly took out my guns and started shooting, unloading the rounds into the fucking alien bastard. I had to unload the whole mag into it before it stopped moving. As I stopped to look around, I found that the chaos had increased even more. However, I also found some people in very strange clothing, people who used something like... wands... to kill these bastards. These people were wearing clothing that looked very Victorian. Then, I heard a roar as the alien rushed towards me and grabbed me with its elongated hand. Even with my full strength, I couldn't push it or even moved its hand.

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I gasped, sitting up from my bed as I panted heavily. What was that dream? I asked myself. How can I still remember it so vividly? That was odd. I never remember dreams easily, especially if they weren't vivid dreams. And this dream is clear isn't vivid. I calmed myself down. I didn't know what the dream meant. It could be showing the future and it could just be a dream. Either way, the only thing I could do was train even harder and get more experience. I sighed. I didn't like it.

I stood up and started my morning routine. After running for 15 minutes, I decided to finally visit my old friend, Betty. It'd been a while since I'd practiced at her place. I also had to give her back the 'Assisted Aiming' module she lent me ages ago. I completely forgot about that since it hadn't been helping me ever since my shooting has gotten a lot better. I sighed as I slowed down and sat down on a nearby bench. I was by no means tired but I just wanted to take a sip of water. I thought running would keep me distracted from the dream but I thought wrong. It continued to hound me consistently, making me feel anxious everytime I thought about it. It was that feeling of dread, impending doom, that continued to haunt me.

I ended my run early and after a quick shower and change, I grabbed my jacket and slipped the Assisted Aiming module into my pocket. I decided to walk towards Little Betty's. No need to waste credit on public transport, I thought to myself.

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I stepped up to the sleek, new storefront of Little Betty's, noting the glossy metal panels and holo-sign that flickered with the store’s name in an electric blue. The upgrades felt out of place, almost too polished for Betty's usual rough-around-the-edges vibe. Gone were the rusted metal and cracked tile that had once given the place its gritty charm. I raised an eyebrow, half wondering if Betty had finally hit some big contract that let her afford this overhaul. I stepped inside, letting the cool air wash over me.

“Oi, look what the cat dragged in! Raven! Long time, no see!” Betty’s voice boomed from behind the counter as she leaned over, her green, spiky hair framing her face like a neon crown.

“Hey, Betty.” I tossed her a grin, walking up to the counter. I pulled the small module from my pocket and set it on the counter. “Here’s your Assisted Aiming module. Figured I should give it back now that my aim’s not total trash.”

"Not trash, she says," She laughed. "Well, I should hope not, considering all the practice hours you’ve logged here," as she said that, she pocketed the module.

"Thought maybe I’d practice at the range today, too, if you’ve got a spot open. A private one, if you have it.”

She chuckled, "I know how much you hate people, Raven. Don't worry. I have a spot for you. And you know, you're very lucky, kiddo. I just upgraded the holo-targets last week. Now they’re fully customizable for different simulations."

I raised an eyebrow, "Really? So that's why the whole place looks different. What model is it now?"

Betty smirked, tapping a few keys on the terminal in front of her. "Had ‘em upgraded to the TetraX Mark-V holo-simulators. Military-grade, mind you. These beauties can run practically any combat scenario you want. They even let you set up squad-based encounters, or more.. fantasy scenarios like alien invasions, and zombie apocalypses." She paused, "Well, not really fantasy anymore now that the 'aliens' will be arriving in 10 months if you believe the governments."

I paused for a moment, "You know, I had a really bad nightmare. Like, it was so realistic that it gave me goosebumps." I continued as she listened curiously, "Well, it was an alien invasion. I don't know if it's my guts warning me or if I'm just really paranoid."

She shrugged, "Hey, it's best to be safe than sorry, right?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"You're right." I sighed. I continued, laughing, "Though, one funny thing I saw in the nightmare was magic."

Betty raised her eyebrows, "Magic? Really?"

I laughed, "I know, right? And these 'wizards' and 'witches' are really weird. Like, they wore Victorian-era clothes. Can you believe that? Imagine going around wearing those old-fashioned clothes with a wand in hand. Dreams are crazy."

She chuckled, "Yeah." I looked closely at her. As much as she tried to hide it, I could see her being startled at my description. Is it really a dream? I thought to myself. What's this weird reaction of Betty? Maybe I was just being paranoid, but seeing Betty’s expression shift, even for a second, made my skin prickle. I shook it off and gave her an easy smile.

"Anyway," I said, leaning on the counter, "let’s see if those simulators live up to the hype. Maybe I’ll test out the alien scenario—get a little practice in for when they actually arrive." I added a laugh, though it sounded quite hollow to my own ears.

Betty nodded quickly, her usual confidence slipping just enough to make me wonder. "Sure thing, Raven. Go ahead and head to Room Five. I’ll set you up with a scenario—how about a close-combat urban assault? That’s always a crowd-pleaser."

“Sounds perfect.” I headed toward the practice room, though I could feel Betty’s eyes trailing after me. Something was definitely off, and the realization made my stomach twist.

Once I stepped into the simulation room, the sleek panels of the walls shimmered, adjusting as the system whirred to life. A low hum filled the room, and a menu screen materialized, hovering in the air before me. The TetraX Mark-V setup was impressive, to say the least—crisp, responsive, and more immersive than any simulation I’d run before. It was something I would expect from a big megacorporation like Quantum Innovation but not from a new corporation like TetraX. Though, I didn't know if it was a subsidiary company of Quantum Innovation or not. TetraX was created a few years ago and Quantum Innovation had the habit of creating a lot of subsidiary companies and only announcing that they were subsidiaries after a decade or so. It was as if they were trying to brag that they could still succeed even if they started over in a completely unrelated field with no experience.

I scrolled through the options, pausing slightly on the "Urban Alien Combat" mode before scrolling past. In the end, I decided on the extremely generic "Close-combat Urban Assault" that Betty recommended. The room transformed. In seconds, I found myself standing in the middle of a derelict cityscape. The smell of smoke and ash filled my nostrils as buildings rose up around me, half-destroyed and overrun with dust and smoke.

The scenario was super realistic, not just including realistic sounds and vision but even including realistic smell. I ended up finishing it in about an hour. It was a search and rescue mission into an embassy after it had been bombed.

When I got out of the scenario, I was properly tired, something I hadn't felt in a long while. I sighed, technology is so advanced now. I'm still not used to it. I went back up. It gave me a proper work out and even though I didn't get any new EXP, I still felt like I had learned something.

After saying goodbye to Betty, I left to eat lunch. Then I went out to do some more gigs.

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Scotland Highlands

A man sat in his office, continuing to write in his book. He wasn't fond of technology and preferred working with physical materials like books. A young woman burst into his office, "William! Don’t forget, you’ve got your class soon."

William sighed, "I don’t have a poor memory, Jill. I know my class is in an hour."

Jill grinned, "Dunno, mate. You told me to remind you, didn’t you?"

"That was bloody ages ago," William laughed in exasperation. "But never mind that. How’ve you been? Haven’t seen you in a while."

"Oh, not much. Just knocking about, having a bit of fun. You know, I’m one of the top mercenaries in the States now."

William smiled, "Really, now? Go on, tell me about it. You didn’t go and use your real name, did you?"

"Of course not, I’m not daft. Well, maybe a bit compared to you, but hey, I’m better with tech than you are."

"Sure, sure. So…"

"So, I became one of the top mercenaries and one of the most wanted on the bounty list, you know?"

William smiled, "And all that without using your gifts?"

She rolled her eyes, "Don’t worry, I didn’t use them. Oh, and nearly forgot—I’ve got a new protégée."

William raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Someone as antisocial as you? I don’t believe it."

She stuck her tongue out, "I’m not antisocial. Just a tad shy."

"At your age? Just admit it. You’re the most antisocial person I’ve ever met," William shook his head.

Jill laughed, "Whatever you say, old man."

He rolled his eyes, "You’re as old as I am."

She giggled, "Well, I did meet one of Edward’s creations like you asked."

I sighed, "Why are you pausing after every sentence? I don’t remember you being like this, Jill."

She sat on his desk, "Obviously, to build suspense."

"Stop stalling. I’ve still got work to do."

"Well, apparently, they can’t hold off the invasion on the space front. The enemy’s got too much firepower."

"I suspected as much. So it’ll be left to us to stop the ground push, then?"

"Yeah. Even though we’ve been hidden from the public eye since ancient times, I reckon it’s time we come out. If we don’t, I don’t think we’re going to survive."

He sighed, "So it comes to this. All my efforts, down the drain. If Edward hadn’t destroyed that Chinese fleet a few years back, we might’ve been able to put up a proper fight. As shoddy as their tech is, the numbers would’ve come in handy."

She smiled, "He did say you’d say that. He said, 'They came for my allies first, not my problem they can’t defend themselves against my fleet. And it’s better not to have unstable elements in this war.'"

William chuckled, "Sounds just like him." The phone rang, "Oh, excuse me. I need to take this."

"You’re still using that old antique?"

"I’m most comfortable with this, Jill. Now do pipe down."

He picked up the old touchphone. "Hello, William here! What’s the matter, Betty? How’s Darkhaven?"

"Not bad, not good. Listen. I think I’ve found someone with seer abilities."

William laughed, "So it’s not just a theory. We’ve finally got proof it exists. So who’s the lucky person?"

"Well, your Jill ought to know her. Goes by the name Raven Night. Ring any bells?"

Jill smiled, "Oh, my protégée? I had no idea she could do that."

Betty replied over the phone, "Yes, seems to be a recent development. Apparently, she had a dream about the alien invasion and saw your lot defending."

William asked, "My lot?"

She laughed, "Yes, with all your fancy suits and wands and walking sticks."

He nodded, "I see. Is that all? I’ve a class in an hour, and I need to prepare."

"That’s all."

"Right. Chat later, then. And you do know you could just send a message, don’t you?"

"What’s the fun in that?"

With that, she hung up. William looked at Jill, "Does this Raven Night truly have seer capabilities?"

Jill shrugged, "Possibly. She was recently injected with an experimental serum from Edward’s company, so it might’ve triggered it. I’m not certain."

"Hmm. That’s curious." He had a hunch about what might be happening. Everyone special in this world had a secret. Well, the four most special people, that is, had secrets. He suspected she might be the fifth. "This is strictly confidential information. Not a word of it leaves this room, understood?"

She nodded. It was going to be a long day.