“It seems that the Transfiguration of Earth’s inhabitants has been successful. If I were to not intervene with the humans, the prospect of their survival for a decade or more would be highly unlikely. The "Pillars" appear to be incapable of arranging authentic forms of entertainment. Now then, let’s spice things up a little more. Those two siblings from earlier should do just nicely. A small gift to the pair will result in a remarkable performance. They could potentially be the ones I have been seeking in my visions.”
As my fingers made a sharp cracking sound, I observed the bodies of the two individuals in the video slumping to the ground. Upon closer inspection, the Transfiguration was a success. At a glance, their brains have improved the body’s cranial nerves during the process. Moreover, another extraordinary feature was still waiting to be unveiled in these modified beings.
Nestled near their beating hearts, a testament to my inventive prowess awaited its grand unveiling—the mana organ. This organ held the key to harnessing the energy known as mana. A marvel of anatomical engineering, it seamlessly integrated into the intricate network of blood vessels, allowing mana to course through the system alongside the life-giving force of blood. Alas, not every mana organ was created equal. It would not be enjoyable if everyone were able to use mana limitlessly. The level to which an individual can achieve their potential is dependent on the combination of their abilities and the opportunities made available to them. It posed no problem to an adaptable species…
On the screen, I saw a slight tremble in one of their fingers.
“They are stirring from their slumber. The Pillars should be commencing the Culling right about now. If I hadn’t interfered last minute, my plans would have been for naught. You will not stop my schemes, Demos.”
A secondary display appears on the right, displaying the message:
[Conversion stage one is complete. The planet Earth has now dipped into a new age!]
“Isaac and Laila, I earnestly hope that you are the ones I have been in search of, who will execute my plans successfully. Please accept the gift I have prepared for you, and may good fortune be with you. You will need it if you want to save your species.”
****
“Ugh... my head.”
Uttering a groan, I mustered all my strength to lift my body from the cold and unforgiving floor. While I was collecting my thoughts, my focus naturally moved towards the motionless figure of Isaac, whose consciousness was slowly coming back. Through bleary eyes, he blinked, and one of his fingers twitched as he regained his movement. An unmistakable pool of saliva had formed beneath his slackened mouth.
“You okay over there? That’s a lot of drool coming out of your mouth...”
Isaac scowled as he fidgeted with his body. “That is not funny. I really thought I was going to die from the pain.”
“Same here, but we pulled through.”
I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone to check how long we had passed out.
"We've been unconscious for ten hours," I stated, before putting the phone in my pocket. “I should probably turn on the news to check what the hell just happened…”
Lost in contemplation, my footsteps carried me toward the television. However, as I traversed the room, a glimmer of curiosity tugged at my senses, diverting my attention to the kitchen table. Under the filtered light of a window, I noticed a thin layer of dust resting on the table. From a far distance, how was I able to see dust so clearly? My body not only felt light as a feather but also energized.
“Isaac, how do you feel right now?”
He gave me a weird look from the floor. Isaac had his butt planted firmly on the ground as he massaged his neck. “Other than my throbbing head? I don’t feel different.”
I clicked my tongue and stood upright. “I want you to get up from the ground and jump as high as you can. If what I think happened is correct, then our bodies may have been altered by the Transfiguration the masked individual was talking about.”
Isaac carefully lifted himself from the wooden panels and started a sequence of gentle stretches to bring his body back to a normal state. Pops and cracks echoed through the room, an audible reminder of the dormant joints reawakening to their full range of motion. Once finished, Isaac bent his knees and propelled himself upwards, his scalp brushing against the ceiling. After landing, Isaac had a giddy expression as he addressed me.
“Woah! Did you see that? I was kind of skeptical when you told me to jump, but now I can see why!”
“Did you think I was playing a prank on you? Have some faith in me.”
With that, my suspicions had been confirmed. The enhanced vision, lightness, and Isaac's ability to jump higher than usual? The Transfiguration had improved our body’s physical state. But for what purpose? Why would the masked individual go to such lengths? Is it really for entertainment?
First, I had asked Isaac to fetch some rice since we ran out. When I was looking around the house, I noticed a light shining on a nearby window, which I found odd, as it was late evening. No cars were nearby, and we didn’t have functioning streetlamps. My phone then had an emergency alert and notified the civilians of an oddity appearing that turned out to be a planet. When the ground shook, I ran outside and saw a planet hovering over the earth. Out of nowhere, a strange individual appeared and rambled about Transfiguration and Conversion. After hurrying inside, Isaac and I received painful headaches and fainted. A message appeared, declaring our Transfiguration was complete and granting us an inhuman constitution.
Curious, I strode forward. Reaching the front door, I turned the handle with deliberate care. As the door creaked open, a rush of cool morning air caressed my skin. The first hints of daybreak painted the horizon, casting a mesmerizing rosy-orange glow that gracefully melded with the lingering shadows of the night. Amid the scenery, my eyes were drawn to a planet, standing steadfastly between the sun and moon. While its precise details eluded my discerning eyes, one unmistakable characteristic caught my attention—a vast expanse of ocean-blue atmosphere, mirroring the hues of Earth’s own sky.
“Yep, the planet is still there. Which means all that has happened so far is reality and not some dream. How lovely…”
After a moment of brooding over myself, Isaac urgently called for me. “Laila, come here for a sec! I made an important discovery.”
“It better not be something dumb!”
Taking one last look at the unknown planet, I tore my gaze away and started heading back in. Walking in, I shut the door and joined Isaac, who was grinning joyfully at the wall.
“If you stare even harder, the wall might melt from your gaze,” I sarcastically joked. “What’s the important discovery you made?”
“I’m not staring at the wall. I’m looking at a screen that only shows up in video games.”
I knitted my brows together in puzzlement. “You lost me already. I see nothing in front of you.”
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If you can’t see it, then it’s probably reserved for yourself. Remember that blue screen we saw before we passed out? I wanted to bring it up again to see if there was anything else. After minutes of testing, one phrase worked. That’s why I said I made an important discovery.”
“What’s the phrase then?”
Isaac paused for a moment. “The phrase is Status”
An awkward silence enveloped the room.
“That’s it?”
He shrugged. “If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.”
After a brief moment of thought and scowling, I whispered under my breath:
“Status...”
Suddenly, a vivid burst of bright crimson appeared before me, and a square screen materialized in my field of vision.
Name: Laila Rank: Undecided Strength: 0 Agility: 0 Durability: 0 Mana: 0 Masteries: N/A
The details I saw seemed like they were taken from a video game. All four attributes - strength, agility, durability, and mana - were at zero, which was unusual. Shouldn’t the numbers be a little higher?
“Isaac. Tell me the values of your stats. Mine are all at a solid zero.”
Isaac’s eyes darted around as he checked his stats once more. “They are all listed as zero for me. I don’t know how to feel about this. I know for a fact that I’m stronger and more durable than you. Shouldn’t my strength and durability be higher?”
Isaac was correct- was there no consideration in the Transfiguration for our previous body capabilities? That would mean you started off with a clean slate after the process, while also keeping your physique. By undergoing Transfiguration, a bodybuilder who prioritized strength over speed could improve their agility to counter the imbalance. You’re basically a real-life hulk! It was safe to say that humanity evolved to greater heights. The outcome, whether positive or negative, was uncertain. Enough power could corrupt a human.
While I was contemplating the future, a new message appeared.
[Teleportation commences in five minutes]
“Laila, you see this countdown?” Isaac said with a quiver in his voice.
“I see it clearly on my end. You’re very calm about this, ya know?”
“So are you. Why aren’t you scrunching your eyebrows like you usually do whenever something surprising happens or when you’re are deep in thought?”
“It’s because the shock value has lessened when just uttering two words allows me to pull up a screen only yourself can see.”
I looked away from my brother and settled my sights on the kitchen. A ridiculous idea came to mind. “Also, we should prepare ourselves just in case. You store up some food while I turn on the news. I want to check if this is happening world wide.”
[Teleportation commences in four minutes]
Isaac shuffled towards the kitchen, his school bag clutched tightly under his arm. Meanwhile, I fumbled with the remote control, my fingers fidgeting as I sought to activate the television. The once-familiar face of a newscaster that had graced the screen the previous night had now been replaced by a figure of immense authority—the President of the United States of America, standing poised and determined.
Abruptly, the transmission switched, and the middle-aged man appeared on the screen. His haggard appearance, marked by heavy bags under his eyes and a ghostly greyness to his skin, stood in stark contrast to his otherwise professional demeanor. However, as soon as he spoke, his voice resonated with the polished cadence and authoritative tone of a seasoned newscaster, betraying no signs of the fatigue evident in his physical appearance.
“Well, that was a long speech. I expected this kind of reaction. What I don’t understand is why they didn’t mention the game-like screens that appear before these superhumans, or the timer that just showed up. Is it possible that not everyone has gone through a transformation?”
[Teleportation commences in one minute.]
“Isaac, you done yet? We only got a minute left.”
Isaac poked his head over the kitchen counter like a mole escaping from soil. “After I finish packing the water bottles. Hopefully, there’s enough food and water for both of us. We don’t exactly know where we’re going and what awaits us once we get teleported.”
I turned the tv off with a press of a button and lifted myself off the couch, heading to the kitchen. “That is true. There is also the case of whether there will be others in a similar situation like us getting teleported or not. Whichever outcome comes forth, we will deal with it. Together. Like we always have.”
“We only have each other to rely on,” Isaac finished, still grinning.
As the seconds ticked by, Isaac completed gathering our essential supplies, meticulously packing them into a sturdy green backpack. The bag bulged with provisions carefully selected to assist us in unforeseen circumstances. Granola bars, chips, nuts, a protein bar, and water bottles filled its compartments. With the weight of preparedness on his shoulders, Isaac hoisted the backpack onto his back, its presence a reminder of the challenges we were about to face.
Approaching me with purpose, Isaac extended his arm, his fist held out in a gesture. I reciprocated the gesture, our fists meeting in a symbol of readiness. As our gazes remained fixed on the countdown, a swelling of worry mingled with a whirlwind of thoughts racing through my mind. Would we be thrown into a confrontation with something dangerous? Or was this ordeal simply centered on survival, navigating through a hostile environment where every decision could determine our fate?
[Teleportation commences in 5-4-3-2...]
[...]
[Teleportation halted due to interference]
[Rerouting Destination]
[New destination found]
Isaac glanced at me worriedly. “Laila, this doesn’t sound good at all. I think we might be getting screwed over intentionally.”
“Obviously, since there was some sort of interference.”
[Teleporting users Laila and Isaac to a Dungeon]
And there it was. The worst scenario came to mind when reading the word’ dungeon. With everything having similarities to those of a video game such as the Status screen and stronger bodies, we were now being forcefully transported to a dungeon. Death was more than likely to occur if we were to go about it recklessly. Knowing Isaacs’s personality...
“Isaac, hold my hand while we’re getting transported! I don’t want us separated.”
“Great idea!”
As our hands clasped tightly, an inexplicable phenomenon unfolded before our eyes. Tiny white particles materialized beneath our feet. With a graceful yet insidious movement, the particles snaked their way around our bodies like tentacles, as if seeking to envelop us within their grasp. We found ourselves standing in a peculiar and surreal place, enveloped by a swiftly developing white wall that enclosed us like a restrictive container.
[Arriving at Dungeon: ####]