Chapter 3: The First Transaction
**Carter** followed the guiding green line of the **Earth System's** GPS overlay toward the convenience store, stepping out of the small patch of woods and onto a narrow asphalt road. The sheer volume of non-magical, complex technology—cars roaring past, flickering streetlights, and massive metal buildings—was overwhelming, but the System filtered it into manageable data points.
*"The convenience store is 50 meters ahead,"* Earth projected into his mind. *"Remember: you need **shades** to hide those eyes, and **money** to buy anything. Money is the only acceptable resource exchange here."*
Carter scanned the store. "How do I get money? Do I just ask for it?"
*"Negative. Money is stored digitally. You need to use a machine called an **ATM**,"* Earth explained, instantly highlighting a boxy device attached to the store's exterior in a bright yellow rectangle. *"You have no account, so you must **acquire** it."*
The word acquire, in this context, meant theft. On Pandora, theft from a Drakain would mean execution; theft from a slave was meaningless. Here, Earth presented it as a necessary, if minor, function of survival.
Carter walked up to the ATM. It was cold, bland metal. *"The security is rudimentary. You have the electrical signature of a True Dragon's legacy. A minimal discharge of your dark, electric core can bypass the encryption and force a withdrawal,"* the System instructed, calculating the exact voltage required. *"Use a low energy draw. Enough to withdraw two hundred dollars. That should be sufficient for food and disguise."*
Carter took a breath, focusing the raw, crackling **black electricity**—the power that had sent him hurtling across the cosmos—into his fingertips. He placed his hand over the card slot. A nearly invisible *sizzle* of energy flowed into the machine. The screen flickered violently, then settled. A moment later, the machine whirred, and two hundred-dollar bills slipped into the tray. Carter quickly snatched the cash, his heart hammering in a mix of fear and strange exhilaration.
He entered the store, grabbed a pair of cheap, dark sunglasses, and bought a backpack and several packages of nutrient-dense Earth food. The glasses slipped over his eyes, instantly masking the swirling black and white energy beneath.
***
### The First Test
Carter exited the store, adjusting the strap of the new backpack. He had the supplies; now he needed to find shelter and formulate a long-term plan. He was about to follow the System's navigation prompt to a secluded park when a gruff voice cut through the street noise.
"Hey, fresh meat! The weird hair, the shades—you look lost. Give me the bag."
A figure stepped out from the shadows of the building—a tall man reeking of stale alcohol, flanked by two others. They were small-time predators, and Carter, with his foreign looks and new purchases, was an easy target.
Carter's mind exploded with conflicting signals. The System flashed: *DANGER! High probability of physical injury! Local authorities will be alerted by violence!* But the instincts ingrained by Damien's brutal training took over.
"You need to walk away," Carter stated, his voice calm despite the churning panic.
The leader laughed, reaching out to grab the backpack. **"I said give it to me, boy."**
As the man's fingers brushed the fabric, the electric energy that lived just beneath Carter's skin reacted automatically and violently. Not a controlled ATM hack, but a pure discharge. A bolt of **black electricity**, contained entirely within Carter's hand, surged out. The man screamed as the energy struck his wrist. He wasn't vaporized or destroyed, but a powerful jolt of pure force sent him flying backward and crashing into a metal dumpster.
His two companions froze, staring at the sight. They weren't reacting to magic—they were reacting to a display of impossible, invisible strength. Carter didn't wait. He used the brief window of shock, turning and sprinting, disappearing down a narrow alleyway while the System screamed for him to get as far from the crime scene as possible. He had his money, his supplies, and his first enemy. His heart pounded with the realization: *He was alone, and he was powerful, and every time he used that power, he risked alerting the non-magical world that an anomaly had arrived.*
---