Primordial Beast System

EPISODE 2: Fateful Encounter with a Relic.

When Adam regained consciousness, his heart was racing. Was this real? Or was it a fever dream brought on by my injuries? Adam questioned himself.

But the power surging through him felt undeniably real. A warmth spread through his battered body, numbing the pain and filling him with a newfound sense of relief.

It had been a while since he had felt such relief. The information the mysterious tablet had forced into his subconscious had made him numb.

Adam has lived all his life on Arc Inferna, one of the seven giga-floating sanctuaries that keep humanity in the sky, safe from the extremovores. Being the 5^th generation children of the Arcs, they have only heard of the surface from stories and history books.

From time to time, they will be shown video records from a time when humanity was free and roaming on the surface.

It all changed 250 years ago, after the great ascension wars that resulted in the destruction of the moon, humanity almost destroyed itself. That was when the most powerful men and women stood together and united the world under a single military ruler, the supreme emperor.

In the wreckage that fell from the moon, very large deposits of a new mineral element were discovered, Nytherite, a crystalline mineral that allowed humanity’s longing for unlimited energy to become a reality.

Technological advancement took a leap hundreds of years ahead, allowing for inventions and innovations that seemed almost magical.

But Nytherite was a double-edged sword, as it fulfils humanity’s dream for an unlimited energy source, it was silently favouring every other living organism on earth more, allowing them to thrive, speeding up their evolution and dominance, ultimately corrupting them and turning them into unstoppable beasts.

It didn’t take long before the extremovores dominated the surface, hunting humans for food and almost driving humanity to extinction.

Putting all of the resources together, the human federation under the first Supreme Emperor built the seven Arcs and fled the surface with the last survivors.

Now at the bottom of the food chain, humanity was desperate for a way to evolve, it was the law of nature. Unless the humans adapted to this new scale of dominion, they were going to perish.

The First Supreme Emperor set in motion a research to develop a serum from the DNA of Extremovores, which would allow humans to awaken their genetic and evolution potentials as well.

By the time of the Second Supreme Emperor, the serum had been created and human society was reorganized on the Arcs.

Humans were categorized based on their genetic superiority and potential. Race, nationalism, religion and other human forms of segregation were abolished. On the arcs, your genes dictate your value as a person.

Three class of humans were created.

At the top of the groups are the Pures, who can be identified by their deep blue eyes and silky white hair. They possess the highest form of genetic purity and potential. It is rumoured that when Pures are injected with the awakening serum at the age of 18, they awaken S-ranked abilities. They are treated like nobility, they hoard the most resources, and live extravagant lives.

The second class are the Ascendants, humans with medium genetic purity and the second-highest compatibility with the awakening serum. Most Ascendants end up joining the military or serving in important positions for some of the Pure families. They usually have either blonde or red hair with brown or green eyes.

The last class are the Outcasts. They are at the bottom of human society on the arcs, they have unrefined genes that make them prone to illnesses, their genetic purity levels are the lowest and they are forced to take the roles that no one else would.

Even after awakening, the best an outcast can achieve is to become a porter for the salvage crews that periodically venture to the surface in search of resources. This is because they can only awaken D-class abilities or below.

As an outcast-class human, Adam and his sister Eve had the privilege of attending school till the age of 18, thanks to the Kennedy family sponsorship which their mother had secured for them before she died.

Adam’s mother had served the Kennedy family for more than 20 years as a house help. The Head of the family was particularly fond of her because he despised having the cleaning robots in his house, and she kept the Kennedy mansion apartments clean.

As a reward for her service, when she died 5 years ago, the Kennedys took over Adam and Eve’s guardianship till they turn 18 years old and become enlisted into the military.

“I will not become anyone’s slave!” Adam murmured to himself.

“I accept!” he whispered, his voice trembling.

The voice repeated, unwavering.

Are you sure you want to accept the Primordial Beast System and awaken your true potential? This decision is irreversible.  The system voice said again.

Adam thought of Bryan’s sneering face, of the countless times he’d been beaten down and humiliated. He thought of the life he’d been forced to endure, always at the bottom, always overlooked.

No more. He resolved.

With a determined glare, Adam clenched his fists. And answered again. “I accept.”

The chamber erupted in light, enveloping him in a cocoon of energy. Numerous symbols etched themselves onto his skin, glowing with ancient power. The pain was overwhelming, but Adam welcomed it. This was his rebirth, his chance to change everything.

As the light faded, he stood taller, his eyes burning with newfound resolve. The Primordial Beast System interface hovered before him, a translucent window that looked like a holographic projection displaying countless possibilities and paths to power.

For the first time in his life, Adam felt hope.

And he vowed, he would never be at the bottom again.