[Chapter 8. The Calm after the Storm]

  Iris accepted the trash bags with a nod, her expression unreadable. She laid them carefully across the passenger seat before getting in, her movements stiff and deliberate. The car was filled with the coppery scent of blood, a stark, metallic tang that seemed to cling to everything. Searanox started the engine, the roar a jarring intrusion in the aftermath of the slaughter. He drove away from the farm, a silent witness to the carnage he had orchestrated, the image of the blood-soaked barn burned into his memory.

  He looked at Iris, her silhouette a dark shape against the passing city lights.

  "How do you feel, or better yet what level are you?"

  She turned to him, her amber eyes glowing faintly in the dim light of the car.

  "I am Level 5, Searanox."

  she said, her voice a low, steady rumble.

  "I feel... strong. The power is coursing through me, a tangible force that I can almost taste. I feel no remorse for the animals, only a sense of accomplishment, of a job well done."

  Her honesty was disarming, a stark contrast to the complex web of emotions he was feeling.

  "Did you get anything for it?"

  Her gaze flickered to a black card she was holding,

  "Yes i got +3% All stats and a Voucher for Equipment."

  He nodded and mumbled softly,

  "Same as me then just that she got 3% and unlike me."

  `Good, that means we are more or less the same.′

  He stopped at a red light, the city outside a blur of motion and color. He looked at Iris, her features a mix of human and wolf, a creature of myth and magic, sitting in the passenger seat of his beat-up car.

  "Run me through it once more Iris, in 7 days the System will push mana into this world to shift us somewhere else. And we then join the multiverse Friends Club of not so friendly races."

  He gestured with one hand, a wry smile on his face, the absurdity of the situation not lost on him.

  "We are the vanguard, the tip of the spear, the ones who are supposed to pave the way for the rest of humanity."

  Iris nodded, her amber eyes fixed on the traffic light, her expression serious.

  "Yes, Searanox. That is the core of it. A Mana Infusion, a cosmic event that will reshape your world, will occur in seven days. This will not be a peaceful transition. It will be a violent, chaotic process that will terraform your planet, altering its very fabric. This is sadly just the beginning and the less dangerous part. This influx of mana will attract hostile races, creatures and civilizations who see your world as a resource to be exploited, a prize to be won. Humanity will be thrust into a galactic arena, forced to fight for its very survival."

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "They will invade us?"

  He asks with a curious tone, not scared or shocked more like a child asking about a new toy. The car started moving again, the city lights a blur of color outside the windows.

  "Yes, Searanox. Invasion is a very real and likely outcome."

  Iris replied, her voice a calm, steady counterpoint to the chaotic thoughts racing through his mind.

  "But it will not be a conventional invasion, with armies and fleets of starships. At least not at first, the system will grand this planet a protective period. The Infusion will accrue in Waves. The first one will happen in seven days, the next a few weeks later. And after 6 Months of your known time, it will be open for all. The initial threat will come from individuals and small incursion groups. Adventurers, scavengers, and mercenaries from other worlds, drawn by the energy spike of the infusion. They will be like us, Awakened beings, but with a head start. They will have knowledge, equipment, and abilities that are far beyond what we currently possess. They will see your world as a new, untapped dungeon, a source of resources and experience. But they can't send in people that are stronger then the five strongest of Earth. If they would they get reduced to the lowest of the five."

  Searanox gripped the steering wheel tighter, the plastic creaking under the pressure.

  "So we have a six-month head start to level up and prepare for the real storm. A grace period to become one of the 'strongest five' before the real monsters arrive."

  The predatory smile returned to his face,

  "Lucky me that I did that the last fifteen years of my live... Let's get grinding."

  The words were a joke, a dark, bitter humor that he used to deflect the rising tide of fear. But as he said them, he realized that they were also true. He had been grinding, albeit in a different context. All those years spent playing games, all that time spent learning mechanics, strategies, and patterns, it had all been a training ground for this. He had been preparing for this without even knowing it.

  He pulled into the parking garage of his apartment building, the concrete walls a stark contrast to the blood-soaked farm. He parked the car, the engine falling silent, the only sound the faint, almost inaudible hum of the city. He looked at Iris, her fur still matted with blood, her amber eyes glowing in the dim light.

  "but first I have to eat something, and you need to shower... This..."

  he motioned in her direction,

  "is how people get in trouble, lets wait a few more days with getting into trouble."

  The hunger was a persistent, gnawing ache in the pit of his stomach, a reminder of his new nature, a constant demand for the biological essence he now required.

  Iris nodded, her expression unreadable.

  "I understand, Searanox. I will clean up. It is... not optimal to be covered in the blood of lesser creatures."

  She stepped out of the car, her movements still fluid and graceful, despite the lingering stiffness. She followed him to the elevator, her claws clicking softly on the concrete floor. The elevator ride was silent, the air thick with the unspoken tension between them. He could feel her presence, a tangible force that was both comforting and intimidating. The door to his apartment opened, and he stepped inside, the familiar space now feeling foreign and alien.

  "Would you like me to walk you through how the shower works?"

  he asked, a wry smile on his face, the absurdity of the situation not lost on him.

  "I am an Eldritch Knight, Searanox. I am sure I can figure it out."

  she replied, her voice a low, steady rumble.