Chapter 10: Old acquaintances – Cassis

Cassis leaned back against the rough wooden walls of the shed, catching his breath. The scent of dust and old wood filled the cramped space, mixing with the coppery tang of blood from their recent battle. He flexed his injured arm—it wasn’t as bad as before, but it still ached. Across from him, Arianna frowned at nothing.

“This is annoying,” she muttered, swiping at the air. “These messages keep popping up in the middle of a fight. It’s distracting.”

Cassis smirked despite himself. “Yeah, it’s a pain at first. You can change it so they only show up after combat.”

She gave him a sharp look. “And you’re only telling me this now?”

He shrugged. “Didn’t think about it. You never complained before.”

Arianna huffed but quickly focused on her interface—whatever she was seeing, he couldn’t see it. Only the person connected to the system could view their own messages. He watched as she swiped at the air, her fingers moving deliberately. After a moment, her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a satisfied breath.

“There. That should stop them from interrupting me in a fight,” she said.

Cassis smirked. “You’re welcome.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

“Good,” Cassis agreed, stretching his legs. His body was still sore, but they didn’t have the luxury of resting too long. “Ready?”

Arianna nodded, determination in her eyes. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

Carefully, they crept to the shed’s door. Cassis peered through the small gap, scanning the yard outside. The street was eerily quiet now, but he knew better than to trust the silence. He tightened his grip on the poker and glanced at Arianna.

“Stay close.”

She nodded, gripping her bat.

With one last deep breath, Cassis pushed the door open, and they slipped back into the dangerous world outside.

They moved as one, creeping low to the ground, their ears straining for danger. But it found them first.

The unmistakable sounds of battle—clashing metal, snarling beasts, desperate grunts of effort—echoed from around the corner. Cassis’ first instinct was to stop, to analyze the situation before acting.

Then he saw it.

Three people – a man of around 30 years, a woman at a similar age and an old man –, back-to-back in a small, fenced garden, fending off a pack of monstrous hyenas with makeshift weapons. A boy, no older than five, was crouched in the centre, shielding a bundle wrapped in blankets. The bundle let out a shrill wail. A baby!

Cassis’ mind screamed at him—It’s a death trap.

Even if they jumped in, what could they do against so many? They’d get torn apart like the rest. This fight is already lost.

But before he could say anything—before he could stop her—Arianna ran forward.

"Wait—!" he barely got out before she was swinging her bat.

Damn it!

He couldn’t leave her. Even if it was a suicide mission.

Cursing under his breath, he surged forward, driving his poker into the closest hyena. The beast let out a choked whimper, thrashing as it collapsed. The others turned, yellow eyes locking onto him.

Cassis ignored them, eyes darting to Arianna. She was already in the thick of it, new scrapes on her body. His stomach twisted, but there was no time to worry—only to fight.

Arianna barely dodged a lunging hyena, grimacing in pain as she swung her bat again. The woman she had saved nodded in thanks before turning back to the fight.

Cassis clenched his jaw and pressed on. He used his injured arm, stabbing with the poker, feeling every nerve scream in protest. The pain burned through him, but he refused to let it slow him down. If I stop, she dies.

The battle blurred into chaos—blood, snarls, screams. The old man suddenly went down, a hyena dragging him by the leg. Arianna rushed to his side, reckless as always.

Cassis' heart pounded. Too reckless. Too vulnerable.

Then—

A sharp, piercing wail.

The baby cried louder.

The street answered.

Distant roars. Howls. The sound of more monsters rushing toward them.

Cassis’ blood ran ice cold.

We’re going to die here.

The fight slowed for just a second as everyone heard it—the approach of death.

Panic tightened in his chest. We have to run. We have to get out.

His eyes darted, searching for Arianna.

Where is she?

A gut-wrenching moment passed before he found her, barely standing, blood running down her leg again. A fresh wound. She was swaying slightly, exhaustion catching up to her.

“No,” he breathed.

He pushed forward, reckless now, shoving a hyena away, stabbing another with every ounce of strength he had left. He had to reach her. Had to get her out of this.

The monsters were closing in.

Think! There has to be a way out!

But there wasn’t. Not unless something changed—now.

Cassis felt time grind to a halt, the chaos of battle freezing around him. The familiar blue glow of a system screen appeared in his vision.

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Congratulations! You have reached Level 5.

You may now choose from the following basic classes:

* Cleric

* Ranger

* Mage

* Warrior

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Cassis didn’t hesitate.

Warrior.

The moment he made his choice, power flooded his body. His ragged breath steadied, the pain dulled, his exhausted muscles filled with newfound strength.

Another message followed.

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You have chosen: Warrior.

New Skills Available:

* Slash (weapon required: sword, axe, or blade)

* Stab (enhanced piercing power)

* Elemental Blade (Locked—Elemental Affinity not yet discovered)

Stamina upgraded to Basic.

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It worked.

Relief crashed over him.

He had worried, deep down, that something might be different this time, that his regression had changed things too much. But no—he could still do this. His body remembered these abilities, this strength.

The world snapped back into motion.

The hyenas lunged.

Cassis moved like he had a hundred times before. He stabbed—his poker pierced clean through the hyena’s skull, killing it instantly.

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Another lunged. A quick step to the side, a precise thrust—dead.

No wasted movement. No hesitation. His body acted on pure instinct, muscle memory from a life already lived.

This was familiar. This was his.

His eyes flickered to Arianna—still bleeding, still struggling.

His grip tightened.

He wouldn't let her die. He wouldn't let anyone precious to him die. Not this time.

Cassis stabbed, turned, killed, stabbed again.

The world blurred into blood and motion. His body ached, but he ignored it. He had no time for pain, no time for hesitation.

Each thrust of his poker was clean and deadly, enhanced by his class. He moved like a machine, cutting through the swarm of hyenas. Around him, the others fought with everything they had, feeding off his momentum.

They pushed forward.

For the first time, it felt like they might win.

But the baby kept crying.

And the sound summoned more.

Out of the street came goblins. Smiling cruelly with jagged knives in their hands and hungry eyes they found their new prey. They chittered and shrieked, bounding toward them with terrible speed.

It wouldn’t end.

Cassis felt exhaustion creeping in. His body wasn’t infinite. His movements slowed. The others were making more mistakes. The younger man barely dodged a goblin's dagger—Cassis yanked him back at the last second, gutting the creature before it could finish its strike.

But despair set in again. After level 5 the experience needed to advance increased dramatically. He wouldn’t level up for quite a while. But maybe Arianna … If they could hold out long enough for her to reach level 5 … But what would it really change? Still, it was their only hope. He watched her.

Arianna fought on, her breathing ragged, her body bleeding from new wounds. She wasn't going to last. Damn it, none of them were.

If only the baby would stop crying.

Then, suddenly, it did.

And warmth flooded his body.

Cassis gasped. His wounds closed. His fatigue disappeared. A soft golden glow washed over the battlefield. The others gasped in shock as their injuries healed before their eyes.

He turned toward Arianna.

She was glowing.

Her bat trembled in her hands, her breath came in harsh pants, but her eyes shone with new power.

She had finally hit Level 5.

And she had chosen Cleric.

A wild grin broke over Cassis’s face.

"Good choice," he muttered. With a group this big, a cleric could turn the tide.

The others felt the renewal too. With their strength restored, their movements sharpened. They cut down the remaining hyenas and goblins, no longer held back by pain and exhaustion.

Then came the next problem.

Their fight had been too loud.

Distant shrieks and roars echoed through the streets.

More monsters. More death.

Cassis didn’t hesitate.

"Inside! NOW!"

He grabbed the boy, scooped up the baby, and ran.

The others followed, stumbling into the house. The woman pointed toward the stairs, toward the master bedroom.

They rushed up, slammed the door shut behind them. Cassis deposited the children on the bed. Then he and the younger man shoved a heavy wardrobe in front of it, blocking the entrance.

They stood there, panting, bleeding, shaking.

But they were alive.

For now. He wanted to just breath for a while but then Arianna collapsed to her knees.

Her body lurched forward, her shoulders heaving violently. She was puking.

"Arianna!"

Cassis rushed to her side, dropping into a crouch. He placed a hand on her back, rubbing slow circles, whispering soft encouragements.

"It's okay, just breathe."

She coughed and gagged, her entire body shaking. After she was finally finished, her fingers dug into his arm, her other hand clutching her head.

Cassis narrowed his eyes.

Headache. Nausea. Weakness.

He knew exactly what this was.

Mana depletion.

She must have burned through every last drop of her mana to heal them.

"Arianna, you’re out of mana," he said softly. "You pushed yourself too far."

She groaned weakly, her grip tightening on his sleeve. Her face was deathly pale, sweat clinging to her brow.

Cassis didn't hesitate. He slipped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her up.

"Come on," he murmured. "You need to lie down."

He didn’t care about the others watching. Right now, they didn’t matter.

With slow, careful movements, he helped her onto the bed. She was barely conscious, eyes fluttering, her breathing shallow.

The woman sat down on the opposite side, taking the baby into her arms. The younger man knelt beside the quietly sobbing boy, murmuring reassurances.

The older man simply sank to the floor, staring at his hands.

Cassis stayed by Arianna's side, adjusting her so she could rest more comfortably.

She stirred, blinking at him, her voice hoarse when she spoke.

"…What’s wrong with me?"

"Mana depletion," he answered. "You used up all your mana healing us. Your body can’t handle it."

A flicker of realization crossed her tired face.

Then her eyes shifted toward the baby.

Cassis followed her gaze. The infant was completely silent now, but still looked like it was wailing, there just wasn’t any sound coming out of it.

"Why is the baby so quiet now?" he asked.

Arianna hesitated. "…I’ll explain later," she whispered. "Just… talk to them. We need to keep everyone calm."

Cassis sighed but nodded.

He listened carefully—there were monsters outside the house, but none near their room. For now, they were safe.

So, he turned back to the others.

"Alright," he said, voice low but firm. "Let’s do this properly. I’m Cassis Walker, from the Walker’s down the street, and this is Arianna Sloane. I think I know you, Benny, and you, Mr Morrison. Mom said that you had gotten married."

So, Benny—Benjamin—Morrison.

He hadn’t thought of that name in years. Benny had been about six years older than him, already in high school when Cassis was still a kid. They’d never really been friends—just two boys from the same neighbourhood who had occasionally crossed paths.

And Mr. Morrison… he remembered him too.

A strict but fair man, he had become even quieter when his wife died 15 years ago. He used to tend his garden religiously, always scolding kids for kicking their balls into his garden accidentally and then walking over his precious lawn to get it back. Cassis had never interacted much with him, but he remembered his presence.

The woman relaxed a little, realizing that they weren’t stranger, but still looked at her baby worriedly.

Benjamin gave a tired nod, his face drawn with exhaustion and lingering shock.

"My wife’s name is Elena. She’s holding our little Jessica." Then he looked down at the little boy still sniffling against him. "This is our son, Noah."

“You know my dad, Joseph.”

Next, Cassis asked why they were outside. They must have known it was dangerous. This time Elena explained: “Yeah, we were sitting in the living room, the curtains drawn. Yesterday we tried to call the police or the firefighters, but it didn’t get through. Guess it’s like this everywhere. We got a few weapons together – my hammer, Benny’s hunting knife, and Noah’s baseball bat that Joseph took. We were just sitting there because we had no idea what to do and hoped the military would somehow come soon. But then Jessica started crying. She had been uncomfortable since yesterday but just a few sobs here and there, nothing too loud. This time, however, I couldn’t calm her down. And her cries were so loud.”

Cassis thought back to the other future. After the first wave many parents reported that their babies under two years had been uncomfortable since the appearance of the gates. On the second day most of them had cried too loudly. Which is why they had died. Either the monsters were too fast and got to them quicker than the parents could or in some heartbreaking cases parents had to choose leaving behind their babies in order to save themselves and their other children. As one would guess most families with babies didn’t survive.

Only some lucky few got away – they either had great soundproofing at home or there were enough adults around to fight off the monsters, though that caused heavy casualties among the adults.

Back then it was theorized that babies and infants under two were sensitive to the pressure of the ambient mana. They bodies were too small and fragile to withstand the mana so they felt a little bit of pain constantly. After 24 hours of the first wave the mana concentration rose again and so they would just cry out of pain.

After the end of the first wave the pressure eased up again, making the surviving babies only uncomfortable. By the time of the next wave they would be older and better equipped to handle mana. New babies born into this world would be sturdier anyway, having been surrounded by mana while in their mothers’ wombs.

He shifted his focus back to Elena, who continued explaining.

“Benny and Joseph grabbed our weapons and not too soon. Suddenly hyenas crashed through the living room windows. Luckily the got tangled in the curtains and then blocked the other hyenas from coming in. I grabbed the children and we started turning towards the stairs but one of the hyenas was faster. It got free of the curtain and cut off our way to the stairs. We didn’t have another choice and ran outside. But the hyenas heard us and soon surrounded us in the garden. I put down the children and we stood around them in a circle to fend off the attack.” Elena was solemn but worried for Jessica who looked to still be in pain, even though she was quiet. Elena stroked the baby’s tiny head as if trying to soothe away the pain and the memory of what had happened.

“…We would have died if you hadn’t come,” she said softly. Her voice was thick with emotion, but she met Cassis' eyes. "Thank you. Truly."

Arianna, who had been listening quietly from the bed, spoke.

"You're welcome."

Her voice was calm, but exhaustion was clear in her expression.

Cassis glanced at her, noting the paleness of her face, the way her shoulders sagged slightly. She was still feeling the effects of mana depletion. At least she wasn’t fighting against unconsciousness anymore.

But despite that, she had saved them all.

He let out a quiet breath, turning back to the others.

Cassis then told the others that he and Arianna had come from his house, where his family was still safe. Benny, frowning, asked why they had left a secure shelter. Cassis met his gaze, his expression unreadable, and answered smoothly, lying through his teeth.

"Maybe you noticed that Arianna and I are pretty strong—stronger than you guys, who should have just awakened during that fight."

Benny nodded hesitantly, prompting Cassis to continue. "We have a patron who granted us strength. Her name is Sapphire, a deity who took interest in us after witnessing our first battle and subsequent awakening. She offered to become our patron, which meant we would gain more power and grow stronger at a faster rate."

At the mention of a deity, the others exchanged uncertain glances, but no one interrupted.

"Sapphire also shared glimpses of the future with us," Cassis went on, his voice steady. "She has restrictions—she couldn’t tell us everything—but she gave us some critical warnings. Yesterday, we fought our way to my parents’ house. There, we had one last battle in which my dad was gravely injured. He lost an arm."

Gasps rippled through the group. Benny paled. Mr. Morrison bowed his head, looking shaken. Everyone in the neighborhood knew Cassis’ father—he was a respected man.

"He would have died from blood loss if Sapphire hadn’t intervened. She gifted Arianna a healing potion, and she used it to save my dad’s life. But that was when we learned the truth." Cassis’ tone turned grim. "The apocalypse has begun. The first monster wave will end after forty-eight hours, but mana has already saturated this world. It will mutate plants and animals. We will never be truly safe again. And then there will be dungeons—like something straight out of a video game. They will appear, and we will have to clear them if we want to survive."

Silence settled over the room, the weight of his words pressing down on everyone. Elena clutched baby Jessica a little tighter. Benny clenched his fists.

"Sapphire told us to get strong," Cassis finished. "That this was only the first of many waves. And she said that once we reached level five, we could choose a class—cleric, mage, ranger, or warrior. That was why we left the house. To get stronger for what was coming."

Arianna, still pale from mana depletion, nodded slightly in agreement. Benny exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "So, you’re saying we need to level up too."

Cassis met his eyes. "If you want to survive, then yes."