Chapter 7: The Network Begins
The problem with planting seeds was that you never knew which would sprout.
Chronos sat in the winerys makeshift command center what had been a sunroom overlooking the vineyards. He had cleared out dead plants, patched broken windows, and set up a folding table with his laptop, satellite hotspot, and a notebook filled with timelines.
It was June 7. Twenty-three days until The Descent.
His first forum post had gained traction. Not among the masses they still scrolled past with dismissive comments about doom-posting and Y2K vibes. But among the sensitive. The ones who already felt the world thinning at the edges.
User: Sparky
My whole apartment building lost power last night. Except my unit. The lights stayed on. When I touched the breaker box, it felt... warm. Like it was happy to see me.
User: StoneSense
The earthquake in California yesterday? I felt it coming three hours before. My feet tingled. Tried to warn people online. Got banned from the geology forum.
User: GreenThumb
My tomato plant grew six inches overnight. And its... singing. A low hum. My cat wont go near it.
Genuine talents. Awakening early, just like RiverOfStars. Just like Jin-ah would, if she ate the grub.
Chronos needed to organize them. Not just forum posts a real network. Encrypted, decentralized, resilient.
He had spent the morning coding. Using Silas memories of post-Descent communication systems, he built a basic encrypted chat platform hosted on a distributed network of servers hed rented with his remaining funds. It would not survive the Systems full integration nothing purely technological would but it would bridge the gap until magical alternatives emerged.
He called it First Light.
The interface was simple: dark background, green text. No images. Minimal metadata. Messages would self-delete after twenty-four hours unless archived. He invited the four confirmed talents:
RiverOfStars hydrokinesis
Sparky electrokinesis
StoneSense geomancy/tremorsense
GreenThumb plant affinity
He posted the invitation codes in their private forum messages, along with instructions:
Download Tor. Use this link. No real names. No locations until trust is established. First meeting tonight, 9 PM EST.
Then he turned to the larger audience.
He wrote The Descent Survival Primer: Part 1 a twenty-page document compiling everything Silas had learned about the first month post-Descent. Edited for consumption. No mention of regressions, no cosmic harvesters. Just practical advice:
Section 1: The First Hour
· 30% of people will collapse mana-sickness
· Stay indoors if possible
· Avoid hospitals they become death zones
· Group with people you trust immediately
Section 2: The First Day
· Monsters manifest from corrupted biomass
· Shamble-Rots are former humans avoid, do not engage
· Water sources may become contaminated
· System notifications will appear read them carefully
Section 3: The First Week
· Dungeons form at landmarks
· Talents strengthen with use
· Food spoilage accelerates mana radiation
· Barter replaces currency
Section 4: Long-Term Strategy
· Secure natural water source
· Learn basic combat
· Specialize combat, crafting, healing
· Join or form a settlement
He posted it to three survivalist forums, two prepper communities, and a niche subreddit for urban explorers. Then he waited.
The response was... mixed.
Comment 1: LARP harder, dude.
Comment 2: Actually, some of this tracks with what Ive been seeing...
Comment 3: Source: trust me bro
Comment 4: June 30th, huh? Putting it on my calendar. Want to bet $100 nothing happens?
But the private messages trickled in.
User: NightWatch
Im a security guard at a museum. The Egyptian artifacts have been glowing since Tuesday. Management says its faulty lighting. Its not.
User: Librarian
The books in the occult section are... humming. Patrons complain of headaches near shelf 299.
User: Mechanic
Cars are acting weird. Electronics frying for no reason. Had a Ford Focus today whose engine ran without the key. Customer said it liked him.
Sensitives. Dozens of them, scattered across the country, feeling the pre-Descent tremors.
Chronos invited them all to First Light.
By 8 PM, he had 47 users in the chat.
First Light Encrypted Session
System: 47 users connected.
Chronos Admin: Welcome. You are here because you have noticed the world changing. What you are experiencing is real. It is called mana. It is rewriting reality.
Sparky: So we are not crazy?
Chronos: No. You are early adapters. Your nervous systems are sensitive to the new energy. In approximately 23 days, the integration completes. The Descent begins.
StoneSense: What IS the Descent?
Chronos: The System integrating with our universe. Changing fundamental rules. Introducing magic, monsters, levels, quests. Think of it as... reality updating to a new version with new features. And bugs.
GreenThumb: My plants are scared.
Chronos: They should be. Many plants and animals will not survive the transition. Those that do will change. Some will become hostile.
RiverOfStars: You said to leave cities. Why?
Chronos: Population density equals monster density. Mana-sickness will hit cities hardest. Infrastructure will fail. Law evaporates in hours. Rural areas with natural barriers have better survival rates.
NightWatch: What about families? My wife does not believe me.
Chronos: Show her. Carefully. If she still does not believe... you may have to choose between her and survival.
The chat went silent for a full minute.
Librarian: That is cruel.
Chronos: It is realistic. The Descent does not care about love or loyalty. It tests fitness. Only the adaptable survive.
Sparky: And you are just... helping us out of the goodness of your heart?
Chronos: No. I am building a network of capable individuals. Mutual benefit. You get knowledge, potentially protection. I get allies in the new world.
At least he was honest.
StoneSense: Where are you located?
Chronos: Classified. For now. Prove your usefulness, and I may invite you to a secure location.
GreenThumb: What do you want us to do?
Chronos: Three tasks:
1. Practice your ability daily. Strengthen it.
2. Prepare. Secure supplies, weapons, transportation.
3. Scout. Identify local landmarks that might become dungeons or resources.
He attached a list of common post-Descent landmarks:
· Hospitals > Healing Springs or Plague Dens
· Police Stations > Guard Posts or Tyrant Forts
· Libraries > Archive Dungeons or Memory Prisons
· Cemeteries > Necropolis Gates or Resting Sanctums
· Natural Springs > Mana Wells or Corruption Founts
RiverOfStars: How do you know all this?
Chronos: I have my sources. Trust them or do not. The calendar does not care.
He let them digest. The chat exploded with questions, fears, plans. He monitored but did not engage further. Let them form bonds. Let them start to self-organize.
That was the true purpose of First Light not just to disseminate information, but to create the embryo of a post-Descent society. One that owed its existence to him.
While they chatted, he worked on his own projects.
The winerys perimeter needed proper defense. The trench was a start, but he needed something that would last.
He walked to the edge of the property where the forest began. Placed his hand on the ground. Felt the ley line energy flowing beneath.
Territory Action Available: Living Wall
Cost: 100 Territory Credits, 50kg Biomass
Effect: Grows thorny, semi-sentient barrier along perimeter
Warning: Requires daily mana upkeep
He had the credits. The biomass.
He invested.
The ground trembled. Vines erupted from the soil thick, woody things studded with thorns the size of his thumb. They wove together, climbing over each other, forming a wall eight feet tall that encircled the entire property. The thorns glistened with a sticky, clear sap that smelled faintly of lemons and poison.
Living Wall Established
Effect: +20 defense rating
Special: Thorns inject mild neurotoxin paralysis, not death
Upkeep: 5kg biomass/day
A constant drain, but worth it.
Next, he checked on the Guardian Tree. It had grown another foot, its silver veins pulsing in time with the ley lines. At its roots, he found new growths small, crystalline mushrooms that glowed with soft blue light.
He harvested one.
Item Acquired: Lumenshroom
Type: Mana Fungus
Effect: When consumed, temporarily increases mana sensitivity by 30% for 1 hour
Note: Can be cultivated near ley line convergences
Perfect. He would need these for Jin-ah and other future crafters.
He planted a small garden of them around the trees base, using a trickle of biomass to accelerate growth.
By the time he returned to the command center, it was 10 PM.
First Light was still active. The users had organized themselves into regional groups West Coast, Midwest, Northeast, etc. They were sharing local observations, comparing notes on strange phenomena.
Sparky Northeast Group: Anyone else in NYC? The subway tunnels are humming. Like theres something big down there.
NightWatch Northeast: Boston here. Museums scarab exhibit started moving today. Just... rearranging itself. Security footage shows nothing.
Librarian Midwest: Chicago. The rivers flowing backward in sections. Not all the time. Just... sometimes.
Good. They were building trust. Starting to see patterns.
Then a new private message arrived:
User: Watcher
I have been monitoring your communications. Your information is... remarkably accurate for speculation. Who are your sources?
Chronos froze.
Silas memory offered nothing about a Watcher in the early days. Either this was someone who had not survived in previous timelines, or someone hiding their tracks.
Chronos: Who are you?
Watcher: Someone who appreciates preparation. And recognizes when someone else has prepared too well. Your Primer reads like an after-action report, not a prediction.
Chronos: I am a good researcher.
Watcher: No one is this good. You know specific dates, percentages, monster names. You are either a prophet or a time traveler.
The words sat on the screen like an accusation.
Chronos: What do you want?
Watcher: Collaboration. I have resources. You have knowledge. Together, we could control the transition.
Control. Not survive. Control.
Chronos: I am not interested in control.
Watcher: Everyone is interested in control. They just call it something else. Safety. Order. Civilization. You are building a territory, are not you? That requires control.
This was dangerous. Watcher was too perceptive.
Chronos: I am building a refuge. There is a difference.
Watcher: Is there? Refuges have walls. Walls have gates. Gates have guards. Guards have leaders. It is control all the way down. But fine. Play your game. I will be watching. And when you realize you need more than good intentions, you know how to find me.
The user disconnected.
Chronos checked the logs. No IP address. No metadata. The message had routed through seven anonymizing layers, then vanished.
A player. Someone else who knew more than they should.
He would have to be careful.
Later that night, as he reviewed the days progress, another notification appeared:
Talent Progress: Extreme Biokinesis 7% > 9%
Milestone Reached: Stage 1.5
New Ability Unlocked: Template Analysis
He focused on the ability. Information flooded his mind:
Template Analysis:
· Can now scan templates for hidden traits
· Can estimate evolution paths
· Can identify compatibility synergies between templates
He tested it on his gorilla template.
Template: Western Lowland Gorilla
Primary Traits: Strength, density, grip
Hidden Traits: Communal Intelligence latent gorillas have complex social structures that enhance group problem-solving
Evolution Path: Silverback > Mountain King requires Titan biomass
Synergy: Works well with other primate templates +15% efficiency
Fascinating. The templates had depth he had not imagined.
He scanned the corrupted rat template.
Template: Rat Corrupted
Warning: Corruption instability 15%
Hidden Traits: Mana-Adaptive Metabolism can digest corrupted biomass safely
Evolution Path: Corrupted > Plague-Carrier OR Corrupted > Mana-Scavenger purification possible
Synergy: None corruption interferes
So corruption was not purely negative. There were adaptations there, if he dared risk integration.
But he had other concerns.
He checked Jin-ahs social media what little there was. A post from three hours ago:
Weirdest day ever. Almost got hit by a truck, then a stranger gave me a glowing worm. Mom says keep it. What is my life.
Good. She had not thrown it away.
He checked the news. A small article buried on page 7:
Mystery Illness Hits Nursing Homes Patients Report Glowing Dreams
The article described eight elderly patients across three states experiencing vivid dreams of silver threads and singing crystals, followed by rapid physical decline. Two had died. Doctors were baffled.
Mrs. Hendersons fate, multiplied.
The clock was ticking faster than he had anticipated.
He posted one final message to First Light before logging off:
Chronos: Timeline may be accelerating. Symptoms appearing earlier than expected. Move your preparation schedules forward by one week. Be ready by June 23rd.
Then he shut down the laptop.
Outside, the Living Wall rustled in the night wind. The Guardian Trees glow cast long, shifting shadows.
He had a network. He had a territory. He had power growing in his cells.
But he also had a mysterious Watcher. An accelerating timeline. And the crushing weight of knowing that in twenty-three days, billions would die screaming.
He lay on his bedroll, staring at the ceiling.
Silas memories offered no comfort only more horrors to anticipate.
But Chronos was not Silas.
Silas had run from the memories.
Chronos would build a world where such memories could never be made again.
Even if he had to burn the old one to ashes first.
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