The world returned to sound slowly. A ringing in Saul's ears faded into distant sirens, broken cries, and the crackling whisper of falling debris. The sunlight pushed through a gaping hole in the roof, cutting across shattered tiles and twisted metal. The classroom was gone just fragments of desks and scorched concrete.Saul groaned, blinking against the light. He lay among the few who had survived, their faces pale with dust and shock. Some whispered for help; others simply stared at nothing at all. The monster was gone, its ashes still faintly warm on the ruined floor.Then the sound of engines came from above. Through the smoke descended the troopers: mutant enforcers under government command. Wearing suits. They moved with precision, lifting rubble, healing when they could, sealing wounds with biogels. Their order replaced panic.A medic sat beside Saul, scanning him with a handheld device. "Vitals strong," the man spoke. "Minor shock, bruising he's lucky."Lucky. The word drifted through Saul's fading thoughts as he was helped to his feet. He nodded numbly and started walking away, ignoring the shouts, the paramedics, the flashing lights. His limbs felt heavy but functional. Everyone assumed he was just dazed. None of them saw the faint static dance across his skin.The streets were empty by the time he reached his neighborhood.
It was the same quiet path he took every evening, yet today it felt nothing like home. Every step made his limp worse, pain pulsing through his leg as if glass were embedded beneath the skin. Still, he kept going, leaning against walls where he could until he reached the familiar apartment door.He opened it to silence.The living room sat dim, curtains half‑drawn, the faint hum of an old ceiling fan breaking the emptiness. His roommate Katy was gone again. She was always gone. A government officer serving in the mutant regulation bureau, she worked long hours and rarely spoke of her missions. She had been the one who took him in years ago, guarded yet kind in her own distant way.Only one soul greeted him.An old dog darted from the hallway, tail wagging furiously, eyes bright with joy. Saul dropped to his knees as the little creature pressed against him, whining softly. "Hey, buddy…" he murmured, forcing a smile. "At least someone missed me." The dog barked once, curling beside him as if sensing his exhaustion.He sat there for a while, letting the silence settle. The apartment always smelled faintly of metal polish from Katy's uniforms and the coffee she never finished. Outside, the city's neon lights pulsed faintly through the window, bathing the room in a lonely blue.Eventually, he limped to his room, every movement sending a jolt through his right leg. He sat on the edge of the bed, unwrapped the bandage the medic had hastily tied around his foot, expecting torn flesh or broken bone. But when the cloth fell away, he froze.The skin beneath was clean. Smooth. Not even a bruise.There was dried blood on the bandage his blood but his leg was completely healed. No scars, no swelling, nothing. He stared in disbelief. "How…?" he whispered.Before he could think further, the room flickered with a soft blue light. Then came the voice. Calm, echoing inside his mind rather than his ears."Welcome, Master."Saul jerked upright, heart racing. The dog barked once, uneasy, then went still.The voice spoke again.
"System fully activated. Player synchronization complete."