“Hey, Adrian, you’re going to be late for school!” his mother called, her voice slicing through the fog of sleep.

Adrian’s eyes fluttered open to reveal a familiar ceiling, its dull paint and peeling edges greeting him like an old friend. He sat up straight, taking a moment to survey the confines of his room—the small, cluttered space filled with half-assembled models and worn-out books. This was all he had ever known, a silent sanctuary that offered little more than a sense of safety in an otherwise chaotic world.

With a groan, Adrian swung his legs over the side of the bed and shuffled toward the bathroom. As he reached for the doorknob, his stepsister, Fina, burst in, her hair still tousled from sleep.

“Good morning, slowpoke!” she chirped, a teasing smile spreading across her face.

Adrian’s heart raced, pounding against his ribcage like a caged animal. He turned a shade of crimson, his feelings for Fina evident in the heat rising to his cheeks. While she seemed blissfully unaware, it was painfully clear to anyone who cared to look that he harbored more than just brotherly affection for her.

“Morning,” he mumbled, retreating to his room to give her some privacy. As he waited, he felt an unsettling tingling sensation enveloping him, like tiny electric currents dancing over his skin. The ground beneath him felt unstable, as if he were experiencing the tremors of a small earthquake. The feeling dissipated almost as quickly as it had come, so he shrugged it off, attributing it to his imagination.

The morning routine continued as usual. He brushed his teeth, took a shower, and prepared for school. Yet, throughout the day, that strange sensation returned, intensifying with each passing hour. By the time he reached school, he felt lightheaded, the world around him spinning like a carousel gone awry. Eventually, the edges of his vision darkened, and everything went black.

“Where am I?” he whispered, jolting awake in a trash dump, the stench of decay overwhelming his senses. Confusion washed over him as he recognized the area—it was far from his home, yet all too familiar.

“Human modification update complete. 40% of all abilities have been unlocked and are now available,” a robotic female voice echoed in his mind.

“Who’s there?” Adrian gasped, fear flooding his veins as he scanned his surroundings. Panic surged through him, prompting him to spring to his feet and run.

“It’s all in my head. Today has just been really weird. I’m sure it’s just the bee that stung me the other day,” he reasoned, recalling the time he had been stung by a bee and suffered severe side effects. Adrian was deathly allergic, but the extent of his reactions—passing out, temporary brain damage, and even severe body deformation—was beyond what anyone would consider normal.

Adrian dashed through the rubble, his heart pounding in his ears, unaware of the speed at which he was running—around 25 km/h. His legs carried him tirelessly until he finally reached home. But as he crossed the threshold, horror gripped him. The place he once called home lay in ruins, torn apart and engulfed in blue flames.

“Fina!” he shouted, spotting her body crawling toward him, desperately trying to escape the inferno. His heart shattered as he ran toward her, each step becoming heavier as he drew closer. But with each heartbeat, the sound of her pulse faded, growing weaker.

He reached her just in time to realize he was clutching a lifeless corpse. Tears streamed down his face as he screamed, the sound of his anguish piercing through the night. The world around him crumbled as he wept, and it was then that the true horror emerged—the creatures responsible for the devastation, the nightmares that had haunted humanity, now stood before him.

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Demonic figures materialized from the shadows, grotesque forms that defied nature. A massive black caterpillar with hardened skin and menacing horns slithered closer, while airborne dinosaur-like beasts with unhinged jaws circled overhead, their throats gaping wide enough to swallow ten fully grown men whole. A horde of demonic slaves surrounded him, their eyes gleaming with malice.

Before they could strike, everything went black again. Adrian felt nothing, only silence enveloping him until the robotic voice returned. “Survival mode activated. Survival abilities activated. 55% of power restored. Autopilot activated.”

In a hazy state of unconsciousness, he felt his body move on its own, almost as if he were watching a movie of someone else’s life. When he finally came to, he found himself mid-air, hurtling through the chaos.

In an uncanny sequence, he blacked out and woke up repeatedly, each time in a new battle against the creatures. It was as though he had gained new strength while unconscious, ripping apart the caterpillar-like creature with bare hands, the taste of adrenaline fueling his rage.

“Autopilot mode malfunction. Coloured blood,” the voice droned on, but in that moment, Adrian didn’t care. All he wanted was his family back. As the sun began to rise, exhaustion overtook him, and the world faded once more.

“Recuperation mode activated. All abilities offline,” the voice echoed as he succumbed to darkness, his body returning to its original state.

His sleep, however, was short-lived. A cacophony of noise jolted him awake. Adrian’s eyes flew open to reveal a mob of people surrounding him, each armed with makeshift weapons—pitchforks, torches, and more. He found himself tied to a large wooden pillar, the ropes digging painfully into his skin.

“What the hell is going on?!” he shouted, panic rising in his throat.

The leader of the mob stepped forward, his face twisted with fury. “This boy here is a servant of the devil! The creatures that come here every night are angels, sent by God to punish sinners who refuse to repent. But this boy? He comes from a family of sinners! Not only that, he single-handedly took down those poor angels! That just shows the devil is giving him power! We shall strike him down to prove our loyalty to the one true God!”

As the crowd roared with fervor, Adrian’s mind raced. “Are you delusional? The whole world is a wasteland because of those things! If anything, they’re the ones from hell!” he yelled, desperation seeping into his voice.

“Demon! We shall send you back to the pits of hell where you belong!” the man bellowed, pouring gasoline over Adrian. The world felt surreal as the man lit a matchstick, his intentions clear. “Die, you demon!”

But just as the match was about to be thrown, a sound erupted from the shadows—a mixture of skin ripping, bones breaking, and flesh being pierced. A girl, around his age, lunged forward, her hand plunging through the chest of the leader, tearing out his heart in one swift motion.

With a deftness that left Adrian breathless, she cut the ropes binding him, lifting him onto her back. “Hold on!” she commanded before taking off at lightning speed, weaving through the chaos of the mob and out into the open desert.

They finally stopped, panting as they collapsed against a rocky outcrop. Silence enveloped them for a moment before Adrian managed to speak. “Uh, I know you saved me and all, and I’m grateful, but what’s your name?”

“We’re the same,” she replied cryptically.

“What?” he asked, confusion etched on his face.

“There are four of us—individuals granted power to save the Earth from becoming the next floor of hell. We’re known as saviors: me, you, and two others. I’ve created a hideout nearby.”

“Wait, what? I have powers? That would explain all that’s been happening lately,” Adrian murmured, trying to process the revelation.

“That’s enough rest. We need to move,” she said, rising to her feet. They began to walk across the desolate terrain, the weight of their situation heavy in the air.

After about ten minutes, a cave emerged in the distance. “They’re in there,” she pointed. “But remember, don’t get too attached to anyone ever again. Being a savior means your life, and the lives of everyone around you, are in constant danger.”

With a shared understanding, they entered the cave to find two other boys already inside. They greeted one another cautiously, but Adrian quickly noticed that everyone besides one of the boys was hesitant to form any connection. The guy named Kamano had been with the group before, but the other boy refused to share his name, insisting that doing so would make them too comfortable with one another. The more comfortable one became, he explained, the harder it would be to deal with the inevitable loss in battle. Adrian understood and refrained from pressing further.

Days turned into a blur as Adrian trained under Kamano’s guidance, learning to control his newfound powers. Eventually, he unlocked a somewhat unique ability that allowed him to glimpse into the past. Driven by a need for answers, he decided to see what had happened to his family while he had been unconscious.

The vision began as a blur, but gradually, clarity emerged. He couldn’t see everything, but his gaze fell upon a section of the ceiling, where a crystalline rock hung precariously—an artifact that repelled the demonic forces.

Suddenly, a hand appeared, seizing the crystal and crushing it into dust before they started making clicking sounds with their tongue and a huge group of demonic slaves attacked.

Adrian couldn't tell who or what destroyed the crystal but in that moment he had made up his mind. Adrian starts crying before they ask him what's wrong.

He gets up grabs a bag full of equipment and food and walk out.

Where are you going?, the girl asks.

My family, I'm done...you guys can go stop those monsters or whatever, I'm not doing this anymore, im going to find whoever killed my family.