Chapter: The Streamer

“Whaaaat? Why did you eat that?” a voice shouted, startling both Damian and Astrid.

Before either of them could respond, a man tumbled from the branches of a nearby tree, landing in an awkward heap on the ground.

Damian spun around, sword raised, while Astrid quickly knocked an arrow, aiming at the man now groaning on the ground.

“Stop! Stop! Please!” the man gasped, raising his hands to surrender. “I’m human! Don’t shoot!”

Damian didn’t lower his blade. “Who are you, and why are you spying on us?”

The man coughed, trying to catch his breath. “I… My name’s Miles Robinson! I’m a Metuber! I make videos—stream stuff, you know? Mostly gaming stuff , but now I stream awakening content…”

Damian’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. “A Metuber? You’re recording?”

Miles flinched at the edge in Damian’s voice. “Well, uh, yeah… I mean, that’s kind of the point. But hey, don’t worry! I wasn’t going to post anything bad—”

“Delete it,” Damian ordered, his tone icy.

“What? Why? Look, I’ve recorded worse things than someone eating a weird rock,” Miles stammered, confused but nervous.

“Delete. It.” Damian’s voice was low but threatening.

“Okay, okay!” Miles waved his hands frantically. “My camera’s over there—by the spot I fell. Just grab it and delete it yourself!”

Astrid retrieved the camera, handing it to Damian. He quickly erased the footage before glaring back at Miles. “You’ve seen too much.”

Miles gulped. “Okay, fair. But can you untie me now? Please? I’m not trying to cause trouble.”

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Damian ignored him and turned to Astrid, whispering, “What do we do with him? He saw everything.”

Astrid hesitated. “I… I don’t know. This wasn’t supposed to happen. How did we miss him? You’re always on edge, and even I should’ve noticed something.”

Damian nodded, his jaw tight. “It doesn’t add up.” He turned back to Miles, his expression dark. “We’ll let you go, but you need to explain how we didn’t sense you before you fell.”

Miles squirmed under Damian’s gaze. “That’s, uh, a little complicated…”

“Then simplify it.” Damian’s voice was cold. “Or I will break your camera.”

“Whoa, whoa! Chill, man!” Miles whined. “Fine, I’ll explain!”

Miles sighed, glancing between Damian and Astrid. “I was in Dallas when… you know, everything happened. I was visiting family. Barely made it out alive. Had a near-death experience, and boom—I awakened. My ability? Stealth. I can turn invisible. That’s why you didn’t see me. But I can’t hide my presence completely, so when I fell, you heard me.”

“Invisible?” Astrid’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You’re saying you can actually turn invisible? That’s freaking amazing! Show us!”

Miles hesitated but, seeing Astrid’s genuine curiosity, decided to oblige. With a smirk, he activated his ability. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

Or, almost. The ropes binding him were still visible, floating awkwardly in midair.

Astrid gasped in amazement. “That’s so cool!”

Even Damian raised an eyebrow, though his expression quickly hardened again. “Impressive. But that doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

Miles reappeared, his smirk fading under Damian’s intense gaze. “Look, everyone’s been streaming this area. It’s a hotspot for awakenings and monster activity. The military’s been snooping around, trying to figure out how to awaken people. But it’s not going well for them.”

Damian frowned. “What do you mean?”

Miles shrugged. “They’re trying to fight the goblins, but it’s a mess. Bullets barely work here, and the goblins are too dangerous. They’ve been experimenting, but… no luck.”

Damian’s expression darkened. “And you? Why aren’t you leveling up?”

Miles hesitated, looking genuinely confused. “I’ve tried. I’ve killed a few goblins, but my level doesn’t go up. It takes forever to take one down, even with my ability. And I don’t have much mana to keep it going.”

Damian nodded slowly, piecing things together. “Makes sense. You’re stumbling around in the dark, just like I was at first.”

Miles blinked. “Wait, you know how to level up?”

Damian smirked, stepping forward to cut the ropes binding Miles. “Yes. And I’ll help you. But there’s a catch—you’re going to help us.”

Miles’s eyes widened with excitement. “Deal! Whatever you need!”

Astrid raised an eyebrow, smirking. “You’re way too eager.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been trying to figure this system out ever since I awakened!” Miles exclaimed. “If you know the secret, I’m all in!”

Damian grinned, his mind already working on how to use Miles’s abilities. “Good. Let’s go.”