Ascension Beyond Mortality

Rain.

Not a gentle drizzle—but a full-on storm that hit the city like a tantrum. Thunder cracked above the buildings, and lightning split the night sky like an open wound.

Elior didn’t bring an umbrella.

He didn’t care.

His shift had ended hours ago, but he wasn’t heading home yet. His legs moved on their own, leading him through dim alleys and quiet streets, guided by a strange pull in his chest.

“This is crazy.”

“What am I even doing?”

He glanced at his phone.

Still glitching.

Time: 00:00

Location: [UNAVAILABLE]

Notifications: [1] — New Alert

He tapped it.

> INITIALIZATION DETECTED

> SYSTEM RECOGNITION: PENDING

> ADAPTIVE CORE… SYNCING…

> WELCOME, USER: [ELIOR RAE]

The screen went black. Then white.

Then—

Pain.

White-hot pain shot through his spine, his bones, his skull. He collapsed in the alley, gripping his chest. His breath caught. His vision blurred.

It felt like fire—and yet it wasn’t burning. More like... rewriting.

“Make it stop—make it STOP—!”

And then—

It was over.

His hands hit the wet pavement. Steam rose from his body. The rain didn’t touch him anymore—evaporating before it reached his skin.

He gasped. Looked around.

The air felt different. He could hear the hum of power lines from blocks away. He could see outlines in the dark as if it were day. His heartbeat was calm—too calm.

And then, someone clapped.

A slow, deliberate clap from the shadows.

“Well, well… look who finally woke up.”

A figure stepped forward. Hooded. Tall. The rain didn’t touch him either.

Elior tried to stand. His legs wobbled, but held. “Who the hell are you?”

The man smiled faintly. “Someone who’s been watching you for a long time.”

“Stalker? Cult nut? Government spy?”

“I’m part of something you’re not ready to understand yet. But soon... you’ll have to.”

“What did you do to me?”

“I didn’t do anything. You did. Your body responded to a fragment—an ancient code buried inside you since birth. And now?” He stepped closer. “Now the world will come looking for you.”

He tossed something at Elior’s feet. A black card—slick, metallic, glowing faintly with the same strange script from his phone.

“Your next step begins here. Tomorrow night. Abandoned train station, Sector 12.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“You shouldn’t,” the man said, turning to leave. “But you don’t really have a choice anymore.”

And just like that—he was gone. Not walked away. Just vanished.

Elior stood in the rain, soaked in silence.

“Marked?”

“System?”

“What the hell is happening to me?”

But

deep down, beneath the fear and confusion... something else stirred.

Excitement.