All was white and golden as Sorin slowly opened his eyes. In the center of his vision a blue translucent bar that looked like it was slowly growing. With everything out of color and spinning, it the only thing that he could consistently focus on.

Sorin confused, just sat there on the ground in full gear, waiting until his vision slowly stop spinning and the gold to begin to recede.

After what seemed like 10-15 minuted his vision cleared and he saw he was in a pure white room with table made of a black stone and chairs made of a yellow stone. Slowly and shakily Sorin got to his feet and began to look around. He was stunned, he knew he shouldn't be alive right now. The second white light was the second nuke, and he got caught in it. He sat down in one of the chairs that faced what looked to be a door and he continued to go through his thoughts.

So much had happened so quickly that needed to be sorted and put in its place in his mind. The USA had just been hit with nuclear weapons. Sorin knew the damage was to be catastrophic and the results were going to be much much worse.

That being said, the cold, electric worry in the base of his being had him focusing on the thought of his wife and son. He was terrified that they were caught in the blast, but had resolved himself to believe that they had survived. Resiliency training kicking in to keep him focused and moving forward and not falling into despair.

Sorin stood and moved to the door to try to get out, but after a single step in the direction, the door slide open and a man in black and gold silk looking martial arts robes walked in toward him.

Immediately Sorin stopped and looked the man over. He had a casual aura to him as if this was a day in his life no different than any other, at least on the surface. He had a briefcase in one hand and glass of what looked like water in the other.

"Mr. Ekart, if you would please have a seat, we have much to discuss and go over. Life as you knew it is over and you need to adapt quickly."

The man set down the glass of water and his brief case next to it, to pull out a chair and sit down. He pushed the glass across the table toward Sorin who realized he was incredibly thirsty.

"Sit and drink. Aether weapons have a way of parching the throat."

Sorin not seeing anything threatening from the man and the conduct shown was that of a businessman that was as that of someone who meant him no harm. He took a step back, pulled out the chair, and sat taking the water.

Smiling, the man opened his brief case and pulled out a transparent device that looked like a piece of pure plexiglass. It lit up at his touch and after a few finger presses, he set it on the table and spun it toward Sorin. Before taking his hand off the device the man spoke.

"My name is Laxric an arbiter of the Serpent Empire. You are here because your little world has once again decided to use aether weapons beyond your full understanding. Without getting into the details aether is a substance that can transcend entire universes and now you are in another universe altogether. That being said, please read and let me know when you are ready to begin phase one integration."

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Still just rolling with the punches, trying to make any sense of what was happening, Sorin looked down at the pad and began reading.

"As of this moment, you are a conscript within the Serpent Empire. As you have been thrown into our territory we will use you accordingly.

This means you will be trained for a total of three full lunar cycles then assigned to an officer where you will serve the military for a total of three solar cycles.

Once your service requirement is met, you will be released to do whatever you wish.

Good luck conscript."

Sorin set down the pad as questions and fury blazed through his mind.

He controlled the fury as it would not benefit him in getting information.

"English? Transcendent aether? Service? System? Sorin was beginning to wonder if those books he had read all the time had some merit, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. System? It's probably just a computer system for tracking citizens." Sorin rather than just speculating decided to go for it.

"How is it that I understand you and vice versa? I speak English but it's probably not a universal language."

Laxric quirked a smile "That is a passive measure of the Infiniti System discussed in the read out. It automatically translates words, gestures, and text for each person into their native tongue."

Nodding Sorin accepted it as is. "How do I go back home?"

For the first time Laxric frowned. "Unfortunately rift walking is not easy unless you are a dragon. They are beyond powerful, hate other races, and are cunning beyond measure. They flow between dimensions and universes freely, but good luck getting one to help you."

Sorin shifted gears. Desperation beginning to edge into his mind and causing anger to burn deep in the pit of his stomach.

"What about this system? Can it help me?"

Laxric nodded. "Absolutely."

He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a neon blue stone the size of his head yet flat and laid it on the table.

"Place your hand on the conversion stone. There will be no pain, and all questions will be answered."

Sorin didn't budge but looked back up. "I'd be a complete moron if I didn't ask the catch. Service? I am already in the service. I've done contracts a time or two even got burned a few times one being a gym membership that still won't leave me alone for some reason."

Laxric nodded and became serious. "You have two choices. You can accept the integration or be destroyed. Due to the massive amounts of aether in this universe your body cannot survive without the transformation. You're not special human. According to reports there are thousands just like you popping up all over our receiving sites and other training locations getting this same introduction." Laxric expanded.

"The people born in this universe are born with the mana infused in their entire being and can live comfortably. The only reason you are not dead is because the system flagged your entry and sealed you off until integration can take place, or you decline and die. The service is because the emperor is stronger than you and he makes the rules. Either follow those or be executed anyway."

Sorin wanted to laugh. It had certainly been a while since someone was courageous enough to say bold things like that to his face that it was refreshing really. He couldn't keep the amusement off his face and Laxric noticed.

"You find my words humorous? Perhaps a demonstration?"

Sorin just smirked and stood. "Sure, let's see what you have dude. Been in a scrap or two." He watched the robed man stand.

Sorin dropped into a left-handed stance and grinned the grin that always unsettled almost every opponent he had ever had. There was a twitch and years of honed reflexes in Sorin kicked in, but it just wasn't enough. The jab came in and Sorin couldn't even see it save for the flicker. His body was moving automatically to diagonal out and bring his forearm angled up to deflect in hopes of getting overreach to destroy the man's lower rib cage where they are the smallest and even attack where the kidneys are, but didn't even get a chance. He had moved not even an inch when what felt like a piston of steel slammed into his face and all went black.