Kai had blinked.
Just blinked.
One second, he was walking home from school, his hoodie pulled tight against the autumn chill, earbuds low with a mellow lo-fi beat. The next, the world around him screamed.
The sky no longer blue boiled in swirling clouds the color of rusted blood. The buildings around him, once familiar, were now skeletal ruins with twisted steel jutting like broken bones. Streets cracked and buckled under creeping vines, moss, and… blood.
Dead silence.
Then, a scream.
A human scream. Cut off mid-way.
Kai stumbled back instinctively, tripping over rubble and catching himself on his palms. Dust filled his lungs. His eyes darted around, trying to recognize anything. This was his city wasn't it? But warped. Torn. Rotten.
"What the hell…" he whispered.
A glimmer appeared in front of him, like a projected hologram.
[Initializing: Beastbound Survival System]Welcome, User: Kai OwensStatus: Level 0First Survival Synchronization Complete
Select your initial augmentation:
Speed of a Cheetah
Eyes of an Eagle
Flexibility of a Cat
Kai blinked again. His hands were shaking.
"What the hell is this?" he said louder, his voice echoing in the corpse of the city.
The interface just waited. Pulsing gently.
He didn't feel like this was a dream. The wind was too sharp. The ground too rough. His stomach too cold. And whatever was groaning in the distance? Definitely not in his imagination.
A distant howl made his choice clearer. Whatever was out there he needed to see it first.
"Eyes of an Eagle," he said, almost instinctively.
The system glowed:
[Eyes of an Eagle Acquired]Base Level: FPassive Effect: Enhanced vision acquired. Further usage will improve level.Inventory System unlocked. One starter item granted.
A faint shimmer pulsed beside him. A small crate appeared out of thin air. It thudded onto the cracked concrete, plain, unassuming except for the label on top:
[Basic Survival Kit: Open? Y/N]
Kai swallowed. "Y."
The box clicked open.
Inside was a machete, a sealed packet of protein bars, a filtered water bottle, and a simple green med spray. His hand closed around the weapon. Cold steel. Not a dream. Definitely not a dream.
A growl echoed behind him low, gutteral, inhuman.
He didn't turn around.
He ran.