Chapter 1: Awakening
The sky over Beijing had always been a canvas of lights and noise, a blend of neon signs and soaring skyscrapers that marked the city's bustling life. But on this particular evening, Li Tian couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He sat on the edge of his rooftop, overlooking the city that had always felt both vibrant and suffocating.
At 17, he had seen it all. The city never stopped moving—cars, drones, people—always in motion. But the stillness inside him, the nagging sense that something wasn't right, had been growing for weeks.
"Li Tian!" His friend, Zhao Liang, called from below. "You coming down, or are you going to just sit there all night?"
Li Tian didn't respond. His dark, sharp eyes scanned the horizon, and for a moment, he thought he saw something—movement in the shadows. But when he blinked, it was gone.
Shaking his head, he stood up and turned away from the edge, making his way down the fire escape.
---
The noise of the streets hit him as soon as his feet hit solid ground. The usual chaos—people haggling in the night markets, neon signs flashing in every direction. But as he walked through the crowd, something felt different, like the very air had changed.
He shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, walking briskly to avoid the stares of those around him. Li Tian had always been the kind of person who preferred the background, invisible to the world. He wasn't a fighter, not a leader, just an ordinary teenager who went to school, hung out with friends, and dreamed of a life beyond the noise.
But tonight, something was different.
---
When he reached his apartment, the door creaked open, revealing the dim light of his living room. His mother's voice echoed faintly from the kitchen, but it was strange—it sounded distant, muffled.
"Mom?" Li Tian called out, but there was no response.
He stepped inside, his shoes clicking softly on the hardwood floor. The apartment was eerily quiet. The usual hum of his mother's cooking, the clinking of dishes, was absent. He glanced at the table, where a news feed played on the holographic screen. The anchor's face was pale, eyes wide with fear.
"This just in. A global cyber-attack has shut down several major financial networks... Power grids are failing across the continent... The world is plunging into chaos."
Li Tian's heart skipped a beat. A chill ran down his spine.
Before he could process the information, the lights flickered, and then—nothing. Complete darkness.
---
He stood frozen, listening to the soft hum of the building's emergency generator kick in. Just as he was about to move, the door creaked open again, and a figure stepped inside.
She was tall, dressed in a sleek black suit, her white hair glowing faintly in the dim light. Her piercing eyes locked onto his, and a sense of recognition flashed in his mind, though he had never seen her before.
"You're... you're Li Tian, right?" The woman's voice was cold, almost mechanical.
He took a step back, heart pounding. "Who are you?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pulled a small device from her pocket, tapping a few buttons. A holographic map of the world appeared between them, red dots flashing across various locations, spreading like a virus.
"The families are moving." She paused, eyes narrowing. "The Thirteen Families have decided. You need to come with me. Now."
Li Tian was about to protest, but something in her gaze, something cold and unyielding, stopped him. It was as if she knew something he didn't, something that was about to change his life forever.
Before he could speak, a strange noise filled the room—like a low hum, growing louder, vibrating in his bones.
The woman looked at him with a grim expression. "They're already here. You don't have much time."
---
Suddenly, the floor beneath them shook, and the sound of distant explosions reverberated through the walls. Li Tian's pulse raced.
This was it. The world was changing.
---
End of Chapter 1