Brian Owen stood barefoot in a forest that shimmered like crystal.
The trees around him had silver-veined trunks, their bark transparent like polished glass. Leaves glowed in hues of blue and green, fluttering without wind. Strange insects buzzed by, trailing bioluminescent sparks. The air itself felt… charged—like it was alive and humming in tune with his heartbeat.
This wasn't Earth.
He clenched his fists. His body was intact. His skin was smooth, unburned. But the last thing he remembered was fire—the nuclear reactor exploding in blinding white. Pain beyond anything. Then, silence.
And now… this.
Source Detected. Cellular Resonance Stable.Welcome to Arkanis.Energy Adaptation Protocol Complete. Basic Function Unlocked.
The glowing message hung briefly in the air before fading like fog. No device, no hologram—just reality itself responding.
Brian touched his chest. His heart thudded evenly, strong. His breath came out cool and steady. His body didn't feel normal—it felt perfect. Efficient. Light but powerful.
He looked at his hands. They glowed faintly at the fingertips, as if something inside was still stabilizing.
Then he noticed the mark on his wrist.
A soft, pulsing gray circle, etched beneath his skin like a living tattoo. Lines shifted inside it, not ink but energy. His eyes narrowed. It was no symbol he recognized from Earth.
"What… am I?" he muttered.
He knelt and touched the forest floor. The soil was warm. Tiny particles of Source floated around his fingers like dust motes in sunlight. Even the dirt carried energy.
Not dead. Not dreaming.But definitely not home.
A deep growl shattered the stillness.
Brian's head snapped toward the sound. Trees cracked in the distance. Something was coming. Something big.
A shape burst through the brush—a beast the size of a truck, low-slung with armored scales and a wolf-like snout. Its body glowed with pulsating blue lines that matched the ambient energy of the forest. Its eyes locked onto him with feral focus.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Brian backed up, but the creature was already sprinting.
His muscles tensed, and then—like a trigger had been pulled inside him—warmth surged up his spine, and his senses sharpened.
Source Pulse Engaged. Physical Boost Active.
"What?!"
His body moved on instinct. He dodged left, rolling just before a claw sliced where his head had been. The creature crashed into a crystal tree, shattering it with raw impact.
Brian scrambled up, breathing hard.
"Okay, okay—think. Energy systems respond to input. React. Command."
He closed his eyes and reached inward—not with hands, but with thought. His cells felt awake, alive, vibrating like an electric current barely contained. He focused on his right hand. Gather, shape, release.
Skill Template Slot: Empty. Create new technique?
"Yes," he said, steadying his stance. "Compress energy. Channel forward. Focused impact."
Skill Created: [Pulse Strike Lv. 1]
Energy swirled into his palm—warm, wild, but waiting. The beast charged again, snarling, foam dripping from its mouth. Time slowed. Brian exhaled.
He stepped in.
One palm. Forward drive. Rotation through the hips.
CRACK.
A burst of light exploded from his strike. The creature's chest caved slightly as it was lifted into the air, hurled backward through a second tree before slamming against a stone outcrop.
Silence returned.
The glow in Brian's hand faded. His knees buckled slightly. That single move drained more energy than he expected.
But it worked.
Enemy subdued. Basic energy adaptation successful.
Brian collapsed onto one knee, panting.
"Okay…" he breathed. "What the hell was that?"
As if on cue, another interface flashed across his sight:
Status Initialized– Cell Count Energized: 11,482– Rank: Initiate– Cell Type Detected: Adaptive (Unstable)– Path: Not yet chosen– Core Slot: Locked
"So it's a system," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "This world runs on rules. Quantifiable, trigger-based energy layers. Like a real-time RPG merged with cellular biology."
It was everything he'd dreamed of. A full-body energy channeling system, but natural. Organic. Accessible.
He looked at the beast's body. Its energy was already fading, dissolving into the air.
Then a thought hit him.Back home, he'd been racing against science. Trying to force the body to evolve past its limits. Alone. Mocked. Dismissed.
But here? In Arkanis?
This was the norm.
Brian stood slowly, his legs still shaky but his heart steady.
"Looks like I've got a second chance," he whispered. "And this time, I'll do it right."
He turned toward the glowing horizon, where strange towers floated above the trees and a massive crescent moon loomed in daylight.
Whatever Arkanis was, it was a world built on energy, strength, and evolution.
And Brian Owen had just taken his first step.