The dim glow of a charging phone lit the corner of a quiet hostel room in Vladivostok, Russia. The air was cold, heavy with the silence of early dawn. Akash, a young Indian 2nd year MBBS student, lay asleep under a threadbare blanket, the hum of electricity his only lullaby.
Suddenly, his eyes shot open. A searing thirst clutched at his throat. He got up groggily, the floor was cold under his feet. Moving toward the steel jug by the window, he gulped down water desperately. Some of it spilled on his hand, but he paid it no mind.
Reaching for his phone still plugged into the socket, his wet fingers brushed the metallic plug—and in an instant, pain like lightning surged through him.
A violent current coursed into his body, cracking through bone and nerve. Akash screamed, but the sound died in his throat as his body convulsed and—then floated.
The room went black. Lights shattered, and the buzz of electricity died. Akash hovered mid-air, eyes glowing faintly, limbs tense with raw power. The pain began to fade. His skin shimmered slightly as wounds sealed and muscles pulsed with unnatural strength.
He landed softly, heart pounding in disbelief.
What... what just happened?
He clenched his fists and felt an overwhelming force within—like he could crush steel or leap into the heavens. Thoughts raced: Could this be an awakening? Like in the novels and anime I read?
His eyes widened as a translucent blue screen shimmered into existence before him—suspended mid-air like something out of a sci-fi fantasy.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Name: Akash
Rank: 3 – Late Stage
Power Level: 900
Abilities: Viltrumite Physique | Thunder & Lightning Manipulation
Akash stared, mouth open. "Viltrumite physique?" he muttered. "Just like Invincible… no way…" His mind reeled with excitement. This... this is what I dreamed of. Power. Evolution. Immortality. The thought of living for centuries, growing stronger, flying among stars—it all felt suddenly real.
But his euphoria was cut short by shouting outside. A chorus of panic echoed through the hostel corridors. Akash rushed to his window and looked out into the dark campus grounds.
What he saw chilled him.
A man, engulfed in flames, staggered through the snow. Another figure growled, fur sprouting from his arms, a bushy tail swaying behind him—fox ears perched atop his head, claws gleaming.
Akash froze.
What the hell... I'm not the only one.
The age of silence had ended. The world had just shifted—and Akash stood at the edge of something far greater than he'd ever imagined.
He wasn't alone.
And this was just the beginning.