The old house creaked beneath the weight of silence, its walls seeming to hold their breath. Outside, the sky was bruised with heavy clouds, threatening rain, but inside, the air was thick with something heavier — a tension that clung to the wood, the furniture, and the very breath of the family who lived here.
Victor and Albert sat side by side on the faded couch near the window, their small hands clenched tightly with worry. The wooden boards nailed over the windows cast long, jagged shadows that danced faintly in the dimming light. Outside, the wind whispered, carrying with it the promise of change — of something coming they could not yet understand.
They hadn’t spoken since their father broke the news to their mother. Since Raime had been pulled into the rift, into that strange shimmering hole that blinked and pulsed with a terrible quietness. Their minds played the scene again and again, like a broken record — Raime standing there, Thunk in hand, even as the impossible swallowed him whole.
“Do you think he’s scared?” Victor’s voice was a small tremor, barely louder than the settling house around them.
Albert shook his head, his blue eyes steady and sure. “No. Raime isn’t scared. Remember the creature? When that thing chased us Raime came and fought it off. He didn’t even flinch. He just knew what to do. He’s strong.”
Victor bit his lip, eyes wet, but he nodded. “Yeah. He’s strong. He’s always been the brave one.”
The house was full of movement and muffled sounds — Laura, wiping away tears long since dried, busy with pounding nails into old wooden planks, her hands working despite the tremble in her shoulders. Alessandro was gone, out somewhere, gathering food, scavenging necessities, doing whatever he could before the chaos that was coming.
Less than two hours. That was all they had before the first tutorial phase began.
Victor’s fingers trembled as he pressed them against the cold wood of the boarded-up window. The faint, gray light outside looked different — sharper, somehow, like the world was preparing to break. He wished he could be with Raime, could stand by him, could protect him the way Raime protected them.
“I wish I could be brave,” he whispered, his voice full of longing.
“You are brave,” Albert told him, squeezing his hand. “You’re strong too, just in a different way. Dad always said that.”
Victor’s heart ached. He missed his brother fiercely, but something deep inside him was stirring — a tiny spark of hope.
Albert stood up, determination settling into his posture. “We need to help Mom. If we can keep the house safe, maybe we can keep ourselves safe. Raime would not have stayed still.”
Together, they moved through the small rooms, pushing furniture and searching for whatever wood or nails they could find. Every plank nailed down was a small victory against the creeping fear, a barrier against the unknown.
Albert’s face was set in concentration, but when Victor looked at him, he saw something else — excitement. A glimmer in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
“The System was talking about mana earlier,” Victor murmured as they worked side by side. “Is it possible that we will have magic? Classes? Like in the games we play.”
Albert’s eyes lit up, the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin. “Yeah! Like real magic! What if we get powers, just like the heroes? What if this isn’t just a nightmare but… an adventure?”
Victor swallowed, a flush of hope warming his cheeks. “Do you think… do you think Raime is like a hero? Like the champions in our games?”
Albert nodded fiercely. “He is a hero. He saved us already! And now… maybe we’re part of it too. Maybe we’re going to be like him!”
“Can you imagine Raime with magic? He will destroy all those evil creatures!” said Victor. “And while he is stuck in the dungeon we will have to protect mom and dad here, they don’t know anything about mana!”
“The System said it was a Rift, but yea! As soon as the tutorial starts we should get powers and then we will have to defend the house! Probably…”
A silence fell between them — not a heavy one, but filled with possibility. The fear that had gripped their hearts was still there, but now it was wrapped in wonder. The strange, surreal feeling of a world shifting beneath their feet, turning into something out of the stories they’d always dreamed of.
Victor’s voice was soft but certain. “I want to be a mage. Like the ones who can cast lighting and control the wind to fly.”
Albert flexed his fingers, eyes blazing with determination. “I want to be a mage too, but I also want to fight with a sword! A giant sword! We’ll protect everyone. You’ll see, no one will hurt us.”
They moved quietly through the house, their small frames tired but their spirits buoyed by the possibility that the impossible was real — that magic was real, that their lives were about to become something extraordinary.
Outside, the wind howled, rattling the boards and shaking the windows. But inside, in the dim light and quiet rooms, Victor and Albert were still moving furniture when the boards in the hallway groaned under quick, heavy footsteps.
They froze mid-step, each clutching the legs of a small table they’d been dragging toward the kitchen door. They exchanged a quick look — But then the familiar sound followed: the rattling jangle of keys, the low scrape of metal against the front lock.
“It’s dad,” Albert whispered, the relief in his voice immediate.
The front door creaked open just enough for a tall, broad-shouldered figure to slip inside. Alessandro’s jacket was damp, the dark fabric clinging to him. His hair, peppered with gray at the temples, was flattened from rain. Strapped across his back was a worn canvas hunting pack, bulging with uneven shapes, and his arms were laden with two heavy grocery bags that looked ready to split.
The twins were at his side in an instant, voices overlapping in a tangle of questions.
“Dad, did you find—?”
“What’s in the bag—?”
“Easy, easy.” Alessandro’s voice was steady, but it carried a quiet urgency that made them fall silent. He set the bags down carefully in the hallway, glancing toward the living room.
Laura was there, still holding a hammer. She stood straight, but her eyes tracked him like a hawk’s, narrowing at the mud on his boots, the streak of dried something on his sleeve.
“You were gone too long,” she said. Her tone wasn’t quite anger, but it had a blade’s edge to it.
Alessandro exhaled through his nose, trying and failing to clean his boots on the mat. “I had to make sure I found enough. There’s no telling how long we’ll be locked down once it starts.”
“You could’ve—”
“I didn’t,” he cut her off, sharper than intended. A tense pause filled the hallway, the kind that made the twins shift their weight from foot to foot. Then his voice softened. “I didn’t run into anything dangerous. Not yet. Just a lot of people like us gathering what they can, the supermarket looked like a madhouse.”
Laura set the hammer down on the nearest chair and came forward, her eyes flicking to the bags. “Ok, I hope that’s not all you managed to get.”
“No, there’s more in the car.”
Together, they unloaded the supplies onto the dining table — a big, mismatched pile that somehow felt both comforting and terrifying in its insufficiency.
Water bottles, canned goods, toilet paper and other amenities, meat and vegetables…
“That’s… not much if we have to survive on this for a while.” Laura murmured.
“It’s more than most will have,” Alessandro replied quietly. “Nearly all the shelves were already empty. People are panicking.”
The twins hovered close, eyes darting over the food like they were cataloguing loot in one of their games.
“What about weapons?” Albert asked, his voice carrying a faint thrill that made Laura’s head snap toward him.
“This isn’t a game,” she said sharply.
“I know,” Albert muttered, looking down.
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Alessandro’s gaze softened, but his answer was direct. “We’ll be armed, but we’ll use them only if there’s no other choice. Understand?”
The boys nodded, though their eyes betrayed their curiosity.
Alessandro moved toward the hallway closet, pulling open the old door with a faint squeal of hinges. From the shadows inside, he withdrew a long, rectangular case and set it gently on the coffee table. With practiced hands, he flipped the latches and lifted the lid.
Inside, nestled in padded fabric, were two hunting rifles, each well-worn but clearly cared for. Beside them lay a neat row of ammunition boxes, their dull brass glinting in the dim light.
“The other one is still in the truck.”
Laura’s eyes met his over the open case — there was no argument about whether she would take one. She reached in, her hands steady, and pulled out the left one.
“You cleaned them recently,” she said, almost to herself.
“Two days ago,” Alessandro replied. “I wanted to bring the boys hunting.”
The twins stood transfixed, caught between awe and apprehension.
Alessandro looked at them for a long moment, then pulled two sheathed hunting knives from the side compartment. He held one in each hand, their handles worn smooth from years of use.
“These are yours,” he said.
Victor blinked. “Ours?”
Albert’s mouth curled into something dangerously close to a grin.
“Only for emergencies,” Alessandro continued, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You do not pull them out unless there’s no other choice. You keep them sheathed. If you even think about swinging one around to play, I’ll take it back and lock it up. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” they chorused.
He handed them over, the weight of the knives heavier in their small hands than they’d expected. For a moment, the boys just stared at them, as if the metal represented not just protection, but the unspoken truth — the world outside had changed, and they would have to change with it.
Laura’s voice cut through the moment. “I don’t agree with this, they shouldn’t get even close to danger, but given the emergency this time it’ll be an exception. We should get the rest of the food and water into the storeroom for now.”
They moved as a unit after that, ferrying the food, water, and other essentials into the narrow storage room at the back of the house. The twins carried lighter loads — crackers, apples, the box of carrots — while Alessandro and Laura took the heavier items.
Every sound seemed sharper now — the faint rustle of the wind against the boarded windows, the soft metallic click of Laura checking her rifle’s safety.
When the last can of beans had been stacked on the shelf, Alessandro shut the door to the back room and wedged a chair under the handle.
“That’s as good as we’re going to get it,” he said, scanning the house with quick, assessing eyes.
Laura’s gaze followed his, then returned to him. There was something unspoken between them — fear, trust, maybe both.
“How long?” she asked.
Albert checked the System prompt. “Seventeen minutes.” He said, then replied at the look his mother was giving him. “What? It’s easier than to check the clock.”
The parents exchanged a quick look, Their sons were not giving this the weight it deserved.
Alessandro gathered them all in the living room, the rifles propped within arm’s reach, the knives at the twins’ belts. The room felt smaller now, the furniture pushed up against the walls, the light muted and strange through the cracks in the boards.
They sat together — Laura on one end of the couch, Alessandro beside her, the twins leaning forward in the armchairs opposite.
The silence stretched until Victor broke it. “What’s it going to be like?”
No one answered immediately.
Finally, Alessandro said, “I don’t know. But we stay together. We watch each other’s backs. And we remember that surviving is the first priority.”
Laura reached over and took his hand, her fingers tight. “We’ll get him back.”
Alessandro’s jaw worked for a moment before he nodded. “We will.”
Albert shifted in his seat. “Do you think Raime will… see the same stuff as us?”
“Probably not,” Alessandro said. “He’s in a different place, so his trial should be different. But Raime’s smart. And he’s tough.”
Victor smiled faintly, clutching the handle of his sheathed knife. “He’s already super tough! And when this is over, we’ll show him that we too became strong!”
“Yea! He’s going to come back riding a dragon and swinging Thunk around!” Albert said with all the certainty only a child could have in that moment.
“What is a thunk?” Asked their mother.
“Oh! Thunk is the ancient monster slaying weapon grandpa made! The one Raime used to smash the thing that followed us!”
“It’s the lever my father forg...”
A faint hum filled the air then, so low it was almost felt rather than heard. The twins straightened. Laura’s eyes darted to the window.
“It’s starting,” Alessandro said quietly.
The sound grew, like the vibration of an enormous machine somewhere deep underground. The air seemed thicker, charged, as if the very molecules were waiting.
The family sat together, four silhouettes in a barricaded living room, weapons within reach, the last minutes of the old world slipping through their fingers.
No one spoke again.
They just waited.
And then came the System.
[SYSTEM NOTICE – GLOBAL BROADCAST]
Attention: All sapient entities of Earth.
Integration Protocol has been completed successfully.
Planetary mana density is now at 12% baseline.
Dimensional stability reduced to Stage One Threshold.
You are now participants in the Universal Ascension Program.
Tutorial Phase I – Initiation
Duration: 76,14 Earth hours
Objective: Survive until Phase Completion.
Rift activity will begin in all zones within 600 seconds.
Hostile entities of Tier-1 Classification will manifest. These entities are predatory and will consume organic matter indiscriminately.
Threat level: Variable within Tier-1 range.
Upon termination of a hostile entity, Experience Points (EXP) will be granted.
Phase Progression
- Survive while eliminating threats.
- At the end of this period, planetary mana density will stabilize at 20%, and Phase One will conclude.
- Core Awakening, Class Selection and skills will become available upon Phase completion.
Adaptive Reward Protocol:
- Rewards are determined by effort, risk, and conditions of engagement.
- Greater danger, limited resources, and close-quarters combat yield higher awakening potential and superior stat growth.
- Excessive reliance on high-grade equipment or overwhelming force will reduce reward output.
- Entities eliminated under extreme disadvantage will grant exponential reward bonuses.
Special Incentive – Tier 1:
Without interference, eliminate ten or more hostile entities during this phase to qualify for Enhanced Awakening. Enhanced Awakening is a qualitative improvement that will further increases the probability of rare or elite class assignment and superior base stats.
Access your personal Status Interface by speaking or thinking the word "Status".
Further instruction will be provided during Phase II.
Phase One Goal: Survive. Progress. Evolve.
The voice — if it could even be called that — vanished as abruptly as it came, leaving behind a hollow ringing in their ears. No static, no echo. Just silence. The kind that pressed on the chest and made every heartbeat feel too loud.
“These,” he said finally, voice low and clipped, “are terrible news.”
Victor and Albert exchanged a glance. The twins’ wide eyes reflected the pale yellow lamp light, but there was a new gleam there too — not just fear now. Wonder. Anticipation.
Albert was the first to speak. “It said… we can check our Status.” He almost smiled. “Like in the games.”
“Albert.” Laura’s tone was sharp, but it trembled. She was fighting herself — the urge to shut down their excitement, and the knowledge that maybe they needed it to survive.
Alessandro rubbed his jaw, thinking fast. “Try it. Both of you. Just don’t say anything about what you see until I know what’s in mine.”
Laura turned to him sharply. “We don’t know what it does.”
“We don’t know what anything does anymore,” Alessandro replied. His eyes were steady, a soldier’s eyes. “Information is better than ignorance.”
Victor swallowed, then closed his eyes. “Status.”
The air didn’t change, but something flickered behind his gaze. He stiffened, then blinked several times, looking both confused and… strangely thrilled.
Status: Vittorio Dalla Rovere
Race: Human
Level: 0 (Unawakened)
Attributes:
Strength: 4
Vitality: 5
Vigor: 5
Resilience: 4
Finesse: 7
Perception: 9
Insight: 9
Clarity: 7
Resolve: 7
Cognition: 8
Racial Trait – Human Adaptability
“I see it,” he whispered.
Albert grinned and said it too — “Status.” His face went slack for a heartbeat, then lit up. “I’ve got numbers! And… a trait. No Skills?”
Status: Alberto Dalla Rovere
Race: Human
Level: 0 (Unawakened)
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Vitality: 6
Vigor: 5
Resilience: 5
Finesse: 6
Perception: 7
Insight: 10
Clarity: 6
Resolve: 8
Cognition: 7
Racial Trait – Human Adaptability
Laura’s hand tightened on her lap. She didn’t say the word herself, not yet. Alessandro did, quietly, like testing a weapon before a fight. His gaze shifted as he read something invisible to the rest of them, his brow furrowing.
“Alright,” he said after a few seconds. “We all have it. No skills yet, but Attributes, levels even if it’s zero… it’s real.”
“Real,” Victor echoed softly. The word tasted different now — heavier.
Alessandro stood, the weight of the hunting rifle in his hands suddenly feeling more like a relic than a weapon. “That broadcast means we’ve got less than ten minutes before things come through. Tier-1 only, it said. Doesn’t mean harmless.”
Laura rose, rifle in hand, moving toward the nearest window to check the barricade. Her hands shaking — the fear was still there, stronger than ever, but caged by action. She had to put on a strong front for her children. The boys busied themselves with helping, shifting the last chair against the back door, securing the last plank over the kitchen window. The sound of hammering felt too loud, like it would draw the things closer before they even arrived.
Five minutes left.
They gathered in the living room, tension between them, weapons resting close. The air was thick, humming with something they could all feel now — mana, the System had called it. It tingled at the edge of awareness, like static before a storm.
Victor sat pressed against Albert, hands resting in his lap. “We’re gonna fight monsters,” he whispered, not entirely to himself.
Albert’s mouth curled into a grin that was equal parts nervous and excited. “And win.”
“We will survive,” said Alessandro taking his wife hand in his. “And we’ll get Raime back.”
“How are your stats?”
“Vic they are called attributes,” responded Albert in the same tone their teacher would use to lecture them.
“C’mon tell me.” The two boys exchanged values and their banter filled the house.
Albert jabbed his brother with an elbow. “You’re weaker than me. Strength five. You’re practically made of breadsticks.”
Victor shot him a flat look. “Breadsticks don’t have higher Perception. Or Finesse. Face it, I see more and think sharper. You just… flex harder.”
“Flex harder works fine when something wants to eat us. Or with girls, they love it.” Albert said, puffing his chest a little.
“Until you trip over your own shoes and don’t notice what’s coming,” Victor sent back, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Albert leaned closer, grinning. “At least my Resolve’s better. Means I won’t cry first when things get ugly.”
“You cried looking at Up,” Vittorio deadpanned.
“That doesn’t count,” Albert said instantly, then glanced around at his parents. “Everybody cried looking at that movie.”
“Raime didn’t, he must have a high resolve…”
The last minute began to tick away.
And then the world descended into chaos.