Luke’s paws twitched nervously as he followed the scarred rat deeper into the tunnels. The dim light barely illuminated the twisting path ahead, and the air grew colder, damp with the scent of earth and mildew. His mind was racing, and he couldn’t shake the older rat’s words. “Wait,” Luke said, his voice trembling. “You said no human has succeeded. How many of us… have there been?” The older rat didn’t stop walking, his tail dragging lazily behind him. “Too many to count,” he replied, voice low. “Some last weeks. Others make it months. None have returned to the human world.” Luke felt a chill run through him. “So, what happens to them?” “They forget,” the scarred rat said, glancing over his shoulder. “After a while, they stop caring about being human. They forget who they were and become just like the rest of us.” Luke stumbled, his claws scraping against the rocky ground. “Forget? No. That’s not going to happen to me.” The older rat chuckled, a dry, hollow sound. “They all say t

The human war room was stark, dimly lit by the cold glow of overhead lights. A large rectangular table dominated the room, surrounded by senior officers in military fatigues, their faces hard and drawn from years of war. The flickering holographic map displayed the territories of Erutrus, their eyes narrowing at the advancing rat cities. Colonel Idris, tall and with sharp, calculating eyes, slammed his fist onto the table, the anger evident in his voice. "The rats are organizing, spreading like a disease. We've underestimated them for too long. They think they're free. They think they've won. We need to remind them who controls this world." General Elara, her platinum hair slicked back and her voice razor-sharp, nodded grimly. "They're more than just pests now. They're evolving. They're building armies, forging their own weapons. The sewers aren't enough anymore. They're a real threat. And to think these vermins were able to achieve mana." "Enough talk," Commander Roth spat, his

The energy inside Luke surged like a tidal wave, wild and uncontained. His heart pounded in his chest, his mind a panicked blur, but there was something else too—a strange, intoxicating power that twisted in his veins, urging him to release it all. His hands crackled with bright light, the mana pushing through him like a force of nature, wild and untamed. He couldn’t control it. The ground beneath him trembled, and before he could even think, a massive blast of raw energy exploded outward, tearing through the air with a deafening crack. The arena was instantly consumed by a blinding light. Luke couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. All he felt was the overwhelming heat, the rush of power that seemed to surge through every fiber of his being. The ground buckled beneath him, and everything around him seemed to disintegrate in a flash. And then, silence. Luke collapsed, the last remnants of his strength fading as his vision blurred. The warmth of the mana receded, leaving only the cold emptine

Ren watched Luke crumble to the ground, his body trembling with grief. The tears streaming down Luke’s face weren’t just for Sato’s death—they were for something deeper, something that had broken loose within him. Ren had seen pain like this before, but this was different. Luke wasn’t just grieving; he was unraveling. Ren knelt beside him, his voice low and steady. “Luke, it wasn’t your fault.” But Luke couldn’t hear him. He clutched his chest, the pain tearing through him like claws. It felt like something inside him was twisting, reshaping. His mana, wild and untamed, erupted from within, dark tendrils coiling around him like living chains. The air thickened with the raw, suffocating energy. “I… can’t… breathe,” Luke gasped, his voice barely a whisper. His heart felt like it was being caged in, the walls closing in with every beat. He clawed at his chest, desperate to tear the pain away. Ren’s eyes widened. He knew this wasn’t just grief—it was mana overload, something far worse