Morning came far too quickly.
Arin woke before his alarm.
For several seconds, he remained motionless beneath his blanket, staring at the ceiling while the memories of the previous night returned to him. The Proto Rift. The Rift Touched Rats. The Alpha. The creature that escaped.
Most importantly, the realization that their knowledge of the future was no longer absolute.
The timeline had changed.
He reached for his phone.
April 6th.
Seven days remained.
Arin sat up.
"Seven days..."
He remembered the original timeline perfectly. Seven days before the outbreak, nothing unusual had happened. People were still living their ordinary lives, completely unaware that the world they knew was about to disappear.
But now?
They had already encountered a dimensional anomaly.
That alone was enough to make him reconsider everything.
Arin took a breath.
"Status."
A dark purple window appeared before his eyes.
[Trinity Linked Status]
Name: Arin Veylor
Level: 4
Rank: F
Class: None
Experience: 450/800
Strength: 14
Agility: 19
Endurance: 13
Vitality: 15
Mana: 24
Core Ability: [Shadow Manipulation]
Passive Ability: [Shadow Affinity Lv.1]
Effect: Increased control and recovery when using shadow energy.
Skills:
[Shadow Step Lv.1]
[Shadow Blade Lv.1]
[Shadow Fang Lv.1]
Trinity Synchronization: 74%
Available Skill Points: 2
Arin studied the numbers carefully.
His body was considerably weaker than it had been in his previous life, but that was expected. They had returned to the beginning.
The important part was that their powers had returned with them.
And their knowledge.
That was their true advantage.
Arin looked toward the window.
"Status."
Across the city, Kael's eyes widened as his own interface appeared.
[Trinity Linked Status]
Name: Kael Drake
Level: 4
Rank: F
Class: None
Experience: 450/800
Strength: 20
Agility: 13
Endurance: 18
Vitality: 19
Mana: 18
Core Ability: [Bone Manipulation]
Passive Ability: [Bone Density Lv.1]
Effect: Slightly increases skeletal durability.
Skills:
[Bone Fist Lv.1]
[Bone Spike Lv.1]
[Bone Armor Lv.1]
Trinity Synchronization: 74%
Available Skill Points: 2
Kael stared at his strength.
Then he grinned.
"Twenty."
He flexed his arm.
"Not bad."
He paused.
"Status."
Across the city, Liora checked hers.
[Trinity Linked Status]
Name: Liora Vane
Level: 4
Rank: F
Class: None
Experience: 450/800
Strength: 13
Agility: 18
Endurance: 14
Vitality: 17
Mana: 23
Core Ability: [Blood Manipulation]
Passive Ability: [Blood Affinity Lv.1]
Effect: Improves control over blood-based abilities.
Skills:
[Blood Thread Lv.1]
[Blood Blade Lv.1]
[Blood Shield Lv.1]
Trinity Synchronization: 74%
Available Skill Points: 2
Liora stared at the screen.
"Level four already."
She remembered how long it had taken them to reach that level during the original apocalypse.
Days.
Sometimes weeks.
Now they had reached it before the outbreak even began.
That was the first major advantage of their reincarnation.
They weren't starting from zero.
They were starting with experience.
And that difference could determine whether they lived or died.
Later that morning, the three met at a quiet café several streets away from the school.
They deliberately chose a location where they could speak without attracting attention.
Kael dropped into his seat.
"So, we're all level four."
Liora nodded.
"And we have two skill points."
Arin placed his phone on the table.
"We need to decide where to invest them."
Kael immediately raised his hand.
"Obviously, mine go into punching harder."
Liora stared at him.
"That's your entire strategy?"
"Yes."
"At least he's consistent," Arin said.
Kael pointed at him.
"Exactly."
Arin ignored him and opened the skill menu.
They needed to think beyond immediate strength.
The apocalypse would begin in seven days.
The first wave would be zombies.
Then monsters.
Then increasingly powerful creatures.
They needed abilities that would remain useful as their enemies evolved.
"Don't spend anything yet," Arin said.
Kael frowned.
"Why?"
"Because we haven't confirmed how the skill evolution system works."
Liora nodded.
"If we waste the points now, we may regret it later."
Kael leaned back.
"Fine. But if I die because we didn't upgrade my punching ability, I'm blaming both of you."
"You won't get the chance," Liora replied.
Kael smiled.
"That's friendship."
Arin almost smiled.
Then his expression changed.
Someone was watching them.
He slowly looked toward the café window.
Nothing.
Just pedestrians.
Cars.
Buildings.
Normal life.
But his instincts remained active.
"Don't turn around," he said quietly.
Kael's expression remained casual.
"Why?"
"We're being followed."
Liora continued drinking her juice as though nothing had happened.
"How many?"
"Two."
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hostile?"
"Unknown."
Arin had already noticed them earlier that morning.
The same two people had appeared near the school entrance.
Then near the café.
Then several minutes later, they had appeared across the street.
They were careful.
But not careful enough.
The three reincarnators continued their conversation as though they hadn't noticed anything.
Across the street, two students stood near a convenience store.
Ayla Frost watched the café through the reflection of the glass window.
Beside her stood Rhett Blaze.
"That's them," Rhett said.
Ayla nodded.
"The same three from yesterday."
"And Elias."
"Yes."
Rhett crossed his arms.
"They're definitely hiding something."
Ayla remained silent.
Yesterday, she had seen the strange energy surrounding them.
Today, she had watched them leave school together, visit the northern district, and return late.
There was no reasonable explanation.
"They're investigating something," Ayla said.
Rhett glanced at her.
"You think it's connected to the anomalies?"
"I know it is."
Rhett looked back toward the café.
"Should we confront them?"
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because they already know we're following them."
Rhett's expression changed.
"What?"
Ayla smiled faintly.
"Look at Arin."
Rhett watched carefully.
Arin was speaking to Kael, but his eyes had briefly shifted toward their direction.
"He's aware."
Rhett sighed.
"So we're following people who know we're following them."
"Yes."
"That's a little embarrassing."
Back inside the café, Kael leaned toward Arin.
"Are you sure those two are following us?"
"Yes."
"Do we know them?"
"Not personally."
Liora glanced through the reflection in her phone.
"The girl is Ayla Frost. Student Council President."
"And the guy?" Kael asked.
"Rhett Blaze. Vice President."
Kael frowned.
"Why would the student council president and vice president follow us?"
Arin didn't answer immediately.
Because he remembered them.
Not from school.
From the apocalypse.
Ayla Frost.
The Ice Queen.
One of the strongest awakened humans in the early apocalypse.
Rhett Blaze.
The Fire Lord.
Another powerhouse.
In their previous life, the two had eventually become famous among survivors.
But they shouldn't have awakened for another seven days.
That meant something else had changed.
Arin's expression became serious.
"We need to keep an eye on them."
Kael nodded.
"Think they're enemies?"
"No."
Liora shook her head.
"I hope they don't when they got their powers."
"Yeah, those two are really a terrifying couple."
Kael said shivering.
The conversation shifted when the café door opened.
Elias walked inside carrying a drink.
He spotted them immediately and joined their table.
"Finally."
Kael looked at him.
"What?"
"I've been trying to catch you three all morning."
Elias sat down.
"I have questions."
Kael sighed.
"Here we go."
Elias leaned forward.
"Your powers."
Silence.
"How did you get them?"
Arin remained calm.
"We awakened early."
"I know that."
Elias pointed toward Arin.
"You can literally disappear into shadows."
He pointed toward Kael.
"You can grow bones out of your arms."
Then he pointed toward Liora.
"And you control blood."
Liora raised an eyebrow.
"You're very observant."
"I've been thinking about it all night."
Elias lowered his voice.
"How do I get one?"
Kael almost laughed.
"That's what you've been worrying about?"
"Yes."
"Not the giant rat?"
"I've accepted that nightmare."
Elias looked at Arin.
"So?"
Arin considered his answer carefully.
They couldn't tell Elias the truth.
Not yet.
"Everyone will awaken."
"When?"
"In seven days."
Elias stared.
"Seven days?"
"Yes."
"Everyone?"
"Almost everyone."
Elias leaned back.
"So I'm just supposed to wait?"
"Unless you get lucky."
"What does that mean?"
Liora answered.
"Some people can awaken before the World System officially activates. They're usually people with unusual compatibility or strong latent abilities."
Elias's eyes widened.
"So there's a chance I can awaken early?"
"Yes."
His expression became excited.
"How?"
"We don't know."
That was technically true.
They knew far more than they were saying.
Elias leaned forward again.
"Can I train for it?"
Kael shrugged.
"Try."
"That's your advice?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Punch something."
Elias stared at him.
"That's terrible advice."
Kael smiled.
"Yet memorable."
Liora shook her head.
"Ignore him."
Elias looked between the three.
"You've been training already, haven't you?"
Arin nodded.
"Yes."
"That's why you're stronger."
"Partly."
Elias lowered his voice.
"Then teach me."
Arin studied him.
The request was harmless.
But the future betrayal still existed in Arin's memories.
He couldn't forget it.
He couldn't forgive it.
But he also couldn't punish someone for something they hadn't done yet.
Not without becoming the very kind of person he hated.
"We'll teach you some basic physical training," Arin said. "But don't expect to awaken before the World System."
Elias smiled.
"Deal."
Kael looked at him.
"If you awaken something useless, don't blame us."
"What's useless?"
"I don't know. Maybe the power to make toast."
Elias laughed.
"Honestly, in an apocalypse, that might be useful."
Liora nodded seriously.
"He's right."
Kael stared at both of them.
"You've betrayed me."
For a few seconds, the four laughed.
Outside the café, Ayla and Rhett continued watching.
But Ayla noticed something.
The four students weren't behaving like normal teenagers.
Their conversation was too deliberate.
Their eyes constantly scanned their surroundings.
And Arin kept checking the time.
Ayla turned to Rhett.
"We need to talk to them."
Rhett nodded.
"Today?"
"Not yet."
She looked toward the sky.
Something felt wrong.
The world was quiet.
Too quiet.
And somewhere beneath that quietness, something was approaching.
Back inside the café, Arin's Trinity System suddenly appeared.
[Environmental Scan Complete.]
[No immediate hostile threat detected.]
[Two individuals continue observing linked hosts.]
[Recommendation: Maintain caution.]
[Trinity System Note: Congratulations. You have successfully attracted the attention of two suspicious teenagers. Your stealth skills are truly inspiring.]
Kael nearly choked on his drink.
Liora looked at him.
"What?"
Kael stared at the system.
"Nothing."
Arin looked at him suspiciously.
"Why are you smiling?"
Kael shook his head.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
The system disappeared.
For now.
None of them paid much attention to it.
But Kael remembered the strange wording.
Suspicious teenagers.
Truly inspiring.
He found it odd.
He simply assumed the system had developed a strange sense of humor.
Outside, Ayla and Rhett finally turned away from the café.
Their investigation had only just begun.
And seven days remained until the world fell.