Ch 3. Volume 0

  …….

  "Enough of this. We need to talk about the Invasion," I said, my voice cutting through the post-training exhaustion.

  Ankit looked at me, a cloud of confusion crossing his face. "Invasion? What do you even mean by that, Amit? An invasion from where... another universe?"

  I began to explain the concepts I had gathered from the countless novels and stories I used to read—the theories of collapsing realms and inter-dimensional wars. As I spoke, the air around us seemed to grow colder. My friends stood frozen, their eyes widening as the gravity of my words sank in. But as I explained it to them, a knot of cold dread tightened in my own stomach. When would it start? How much time did we have left?

  "Enough. We need to go home—now!" I commanded, my heart suddenly racing with an inexplicable urge. "I don't know what’s coming, but we shouldn't be out here."

  We took off, our boots thundering against the hardening ground. As we sprinted toward the village, a haunting realization struck me. The forest was silent. Dead silent. No rustle of a squirrel, no chirp of a bird, no hum of an insect. It was as if the Earth itself was holding its breath.

  As our village came into view, the sight was chaotic. Men and women were practicing with their newly manifested weapons—spears glinting in the bruised light, swords cutting through the air, and shields held with trembling hands. The fear was infectious.

  We took a shortcut, leaping over the boundary wall of our house. But as we approached the door, the sound of splintering wood and shattering glass erupted from inside. My blood ran cold. The noise grew louder, more violent.

  Then, a high-pitched, guttural screech tore through the air. It sounded like a feline, but with an edge of raw, primal power.

  "Lory?" I whispered, remembering our pet cat.

  We burst through the door, and the sight stopped us in our tracks. The living room looked like a war zone—furniture flipped, curtains shredded, and a deep tremor felt like a localized earthquake had just passed through.

  And there, standing amidst the wreckage, was Lory. But she wasn't the small, soft housecat we knew. She had grown to the size of a small dog, her fur bristling like metallic needles, and her eyes glowing with a terrifying, newfound intelligence.

  "Where is my sweet, little Lory?" I muttered, staring at the beast that stood where my cat used to be. its muscles rippling beneath fur that now shimmered like spun silk.

  Lory’s glowing eyes locked onto mine. Before I could even blink, she launched herself at me. Her speed was terrifying—a blur of shadow and power. I braced for an attack, my heart leaping into my throat, but instead of claws, I felt a heavy, warm weight crash into my chest. She began to lick my face with a tongue that felt as rough as sandpaper, purring with a sound like a low-frequency engine.

  "Lory... you’ve changed," I whispered, struggling to hold her newfound mass. "Did the Evolution claim you too?"

  Looking past her, I saw the source of the chaos: the carcass of a rat, now the size of 25 cm, lay shredded in the corner. I realized then that Lory hadn't been destroying the house; she had been hunting rats.

  "Where are Mummy and Papa?" I asked, looking at her urgently. Lory tilted her head, her ears twitching toward the ceiling. The second floor.

  I sprinted upstairs, my pulse thundering in my ears. I found my parents and my aunt huddled in the corner of the upper terrace, their faces pale and etched with a deep, primal terror. The moment they saw me, they rushed forward, clutching my arms as if to make sure I was real.

  "Amit! Thank God... are you alright?" my mother cried, her hands trembling.

  "I’m fine, Mom. But why are you so shaken? Did you... did you have a training session in the void too?"

  "Yes," she gasped, her eyes darting toward the stairs. "We were taken somewhere... but when we came back, the world had gone mad! What is happening, Amit? Why is everything changing?"

  "After," I explained, "it seems this 'System' happened to everyone. We probably have invaders coming, and we'll have to fight them."

  "Invaders?" my father asked from the corner, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

  "Yeah, papa, what class did you choose? Profession?" I asked, my gaze shifting from my mother to him.

  "I chose the Teacher profession, and your mother chose Healer," my father said calmly. It made sense; he was a government teacher, so the system likely aligned his new powers with his old job. My mother, I figured, would opt for a supportive, non-combative role.

  Just then,my uncle, rushed onto the terrace, panting and covered in dust.

  My uncle revealed he chose the Spear Warrior class, while my aunt chose the Whip Warrior.

  I noted that everyone’s physical stature had shifted; we were all taller by about five or six inches, straining the fabric of our clothes.

  "Mummy, how do you heal?" I asked, curious about the specifics of her class.

  "My potency for all elements is 90%," she explained simply. "I channel Prana from all six Chakras into my Water Chakra. Then, I bring that pure prana to my Crown Chakra. When I focus on healing someone, that Prana flows out, closing wounds and repairing tissue."

  "Interesting," I mused. "My space element is 90% potency, but the system lets you heal with all elements through your water chakra." I looked at my father. "What about you, Papa?"

  "I unlocked a skill that helps me understand complex things easily if I read them," he said calmly. "I also gained a mental skill. When activated, it helps me teach or explain anything with perfect clarity. The child understands without any difficulty." He looked disappointed. "I don't have much mental power, though."

  So, the Teacher profession worked like that, and the Healer like this. A thought suddenly sparked in my mind, and I turned my gaze toward Lory.

  I remembered one of the sub-skills I had unlocked—one that supposedly allowed mental contact with evolved beings. I focused my intent, activating the ability. A strange, humrum vibration echoed in the back of my skull, as if a psychic bridge was being constructed between us.

  “Lory? Can you understand me?” I projected the thought toward her, testing if the link worked. I needed to know if I could truly converse with her soul.

  “Miyo…( yes, I understand ),” a voice suddenly blossomed in my mind. It was startling—the voice of a young girl, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old, clear and resonant. I stared at Lory, realizing she hadn't moved her mouth.

  "Did you just... speak? Lory, are you truly that intelligent now?" I asked aloud, still reeling from the shock.

  “(Yes), Miyo,” she responded again through the mental link.

  I was utterly stunned. It seemed the Evolution hadn't just changed the animals' bodies; it had gifted them with sapience. Then, a crucial question hit me. "Lory, did you also have a training session? What did you have to do? Tell me everything."

  “Training session... yes. Training... Level Up. Race Ability... Level Up. Free Prana Points... Strong,” Lory replied in broken, fragmented thoughts. Her mental "speech" was still unpolished, as if she hadn't yet learned how to string complex sentences together. But I understood enough: animals had been put through their own version of the void training. They had gained levels, strengthened their racial traits, and increased their Prana.

  "Can you show me your Status Window?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

  Lory tilted her head, her glowing eyes fixed on me with a look of feline confusion. She didn't understand what a "Status Window" was. I realized that as a human, the interface was intuitive for me, but for her, it was a new language of the soul.

  To show her how it was done, I focused my intent. “System... Reveal.”

  A translucent, azure screen shimmered into existence before me. My family gasped, their eyes reflecting the blue light as they scanned my stats for the first time. The numbers were staggering, but I didn't stop there.

  “Lory, like this. Look into your mind and desire to show us your strength.”

  She understood. A second screen—sharper and more primal—flickered into the air before her. As the data scrolled down, a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. My astonishment grew with every line I read.

  "So that’s how it works," I whispered, my voice thick with awe. "The System distributes Free Prana Points based on species and sub-species. Since cats are naturally built for speed, she’s receiving a massive 0.7 Agility point per level."

  She looked terrifyingly powerful—not just in speed, but in raw survival. "In terms of defense and pure reflexes, she’s already surpassed us."

  What shocked me most was the mechanical difference. Lory couldn't project elements like fire or space into the world around her, but she utilized them internally. Every single one of her elemental Potencies was a perfect 100%. She wasn't just a pet; she was a physical masterpiece.

  The truth hit me then: our human advantage lay in our Astras—our manifested weapons and external magic. But Lory’s advantage was her Physicality and Racial Abilities. We were two different paths to the same peak. In this new world, the System showed no favoritism. It had created a perfect, lethal balance between man and beast.

  "A thought just struck me," I said, addressing my family on the terrace. "What if these evolved beasts and humans start fighting each other? We have no shortage of dogs in India, or animals in the jungle. A war between us and them seems likely."

  I reasoned further, "The chances of dogs attacking are likely low, though. Only a few dogs attack humans naturally, and now that they're intelligent, they won't just attack without reason. In villages, dogs are raised with us, so it's less of an issue, but cities... that could be different. India's dog population is massive; you can't even count them all."

  "If all animals have evolved and undergone their own awakening, we might have a massive problem," I mused, discussing the ramifications with my family. A sudden urgency hit me, and I grabbed the remote, turning on the TV.

  The news anchor looked frantic. "Breaking News: It is believed that this 'System' event is universal. We have all received powers through a mysterious training session. Humanity has seemingly become as strong as 'superhuman.' Many are excited, while others are terrified; riots and chaos have broken out in major cities."

  The reporter continued, a warning tone in her voice, "We are observing a mass migration of all wildlife, both birds and animals, toward the deepest cores of the jungles. Be warned: animals have evolved. Cats are the size of dogs, and dogs... dogs have grown to the size of adult lions. We urge caution; in several areas, these newly awakened dogs have attacked humans. Stay alert and be cautious of animals in your vicinity.”

  The news ticker blared incessantly: "Governments worldwide are in emergency sessions. Citizens are urged not to abuse their newly acquired powers."

  I watched in stunned silence. One thing became clear: most wild animals were retreating into the deepest, untouched cores of the jungles. It was a small mercy; had they struck the cities now, the carnage would have been unthinkable.

  I muted the television, the anchor’s frantic voice replaced by a heavy, suffocating silence. My family looked at me, their faces etched with a fear they were desperately trying to hide.

  "We have food in the granary," my father said, his voice steady, though I saw the slight tremor in his hand. "We are prepared."

  "Prepared for a harvest cycle, not an inter-universal war, Papa," I replied, the reality of the situation pressing down on my chest like a physical weight. I stood up and walked toward the small family shrine in the corner of the room. A small, brass statue of Shiva and Parvati sat peacefully on a wooden ledge.

  I looked at my reflection in the polished brass. My eyes were sharper now, my posture subtly altered by the system, my hands no longer the hands of a student, but of a potential warrior. But my heart felt hollow.

  Why are we strong? Why were we chosen?

  I closed my eyes and focused on the faint, internal hum of my Prana. I had all this power now—prana manipulation, strength, intellect—but it all felt utterly meaningless without the simple guarantee that the people in this room would survive the next sunrise.

  I turned back to my parents and aunt, my voice raw with a sudden, powerful vulnerability.

  "I didn't ask for this power," I said, the words heavy with the weight of the future. "And I don't care about my levels, my classes, or these invaders. All I care about is that when the dust settles, all of you are still here, safe."

  My mother rushed forward and hugged me tightly, her fear momentarily forgotten. "We know, Beta. We are a family. We survive together."

  It was a quiet moment—a silent promise. The system had given us the tools to fight, but our love for each other was the only real armor we had.

  Before I could process another thought, a booming voice echoed from outside. I recognized it instantly—it was Rocky.

  I dashed out to the field and stopped dead in my tracks. Rocky stood before a gargantuan white bull. I stood paralyzed, staring at its sheer scale. It was massive, far beyond its former size, with muscles rippling like corded iron beneath its hide. This was 'Golu,' Rocky’s bull.

  As we approached, the ground seemed to thrum under Golu's weight. His horns had transformed—no longer just bone, they looked like polished, lethal ivory, possessing a structural density that defied nature.

  I told Rockey about status window and then I began to watch Golu’s attributes.

  A translucent status window shimmered into existence before him. As we scanned the data, a fresh wave of shock washed

  A translucent status window shimmered into existence before him. As we scanned the data, a fresh wave of shock washed over us.

  It was becoming clear: animals couldn't manipulate the elements externally like we could, but their physical growth was staggering. Since Golu’s species was a Bull, the System granted him a massive 0.7 Strength point per level. He was becoming a living siege engine.

  A cold realization settled in my gut. If we had become this powerful—possessing the strength of "Supermen" after only seven days of training—how terrifying would our invaders be? The thought haunted me. Everyone around me was laughing, testing their new muscles, and celebrating their powers. They didn't see the shadow looming over the horizon. I stayed silent; there was no point in spreading panic before the first drop of blood was spilled.

  I knew how these stories went. In every apocalypse novel I’d read, the first rule was survival logistics. We needed supplies. Food wasn't an issue—the harvest had just finished in our village, and the granaries were full of grain—but we lacked essentials: spices, oil, and medicine.

  We piled into the car and drove to the nearby market. The scene was surreal. The town had transformed into a Supernatural Society overnight. People weren't walking; they were leaping. Shopkeepers weren't just selling; they were leveling up.

  I spoke to a local grocer and discovered he had taken the Merchant Profession. He gained experience points for every transaction and possessed a "Sanctuary" ability—anyone who tried to rob or attack him would face a severe System penalty. We moved fast, using our newly strengthened limbs to toss heavy wholesale crates into the car like they were made of cardboard.

  Next, we hit the clothing stores. Our old clothes were useless, shredded or straining against our new physiques. We had all grown several inches, our muscles denser and broader. We bought durable, oversized gear and raced back home as the bruised purple sky began to darken.

  By the time we sat down for dinner, a new biological reality hit us. These high-tier warrior bodies required massive amounts of fuel. The nutrient demand was insane. My mother had to cook triple the usual amount, and we ate like starving predators. Only after the fourth or fifth serving did the agonizing hunger finally fade.

  As the night deepened, a heavy silence fell over the village.

  After dinner, we all decided to retire for the night, but sleep remained a stranger to me. My mind was a whirlwind of the System’s warnings—something was destined to change tomorrow. The weight of the unknown kept me awake. Needing air, I climbed up to the rooftop, standing alone in the biting cold of the night wind, staring into the dark expanse of the fields.

  I heard soft footsteps behind me. I turned to find Maya approaching; the same flicker of anxiety I felt was mirrored in her eyes. She walked straight to me and pulled me into a deep, desperate kiss. When we finally broke apart, she whispered in a calm, soothing voice, "Nothing will happen, Amit. Don’t carry this much tension. Whatever comes, we face it together. We will solve every problem as one. There is no need for this much worry."

  I took a breath of relief and nodded, pulling her closer. We leaned in for another kiss, but before we could lose ourselves in the moment, a cacophony of sounds shattered the silence.

  Every dog in the neighborhood began to howl and bark in a frantic unison. From the nearby sheds, the cattle—the cows and the bulls—let out low, vibrating moans of distress as if they sensed a shift in the very fabric of reality. Then, something even more terrifying happened: the wind died. The air became perfectly still, devoid of even a whisper of a breeze. It was as if the atmosphere itself had ceased to exist.

  I looked up at the sky, and my heart stopped. The heavens were in a state of chaotic beauty. Swirling patterns of vibrant, prismatic colors surged across the firmament, glowing with a divine radiance that defied description. As we stared at the spectacle, an overwhelming sense of euphoria washed over us—a joy so profound it felt like the happiness of the entire world had been distilled into a single moment. I felt a deep, inexplicable pull toward whatever was descending from above, a bond that felt ancient and sacred.

  Before I could process the feeling, a sudden, heavy darkness clouded my vision. My strength vanished, and my eyes forced themselves shut. The last thing I remembered was falling to the cold floor of the roof as the world plunged into an absolute, terrifying silence.

  END OF VOLUME: 0