Meanwhile, back on Earth;
Blake's proposal to form an Awakened Association had been accepted by the board. But even with the approval, more pressing matters demanded their attention. Forming an association could wait—they had to survive the tutorials first.
They were currently on the second day of the second week.
The first wave had hit the world hard. No one was ready.
Weapons and gear were handed out in a frenzy. There was barely enough time to sort through supplies, let alone organize them. Zones S and A across the globe—those with access to a lot of resources—had worked nonstop through the night, doing their best to arm the strongest Awakened.
Cities buzzed with movement. Awakeners scrambled across rooftops. Factories blazed through the night. Emergency lights never stopped flashing. Everyone was too busy fighting to sleep.
Then... the world took a breath. And the Geminis struck again.
This time, they came from multiple locations. Coordinated, and Brutal.
Humanity reacted instantly. Fighter jets roared through the skies, shuttling elite Awakeners from one zone to the next. Cargo planes dropped support teams. Emergency transfers were arranged within minutes. It looked like a war scene from a movie—except this was real, and the enemy wasn't human.
That was when they noticed it.
All three-rank Geminis had appeared in one place at once.
The location? Ravenloch, a run-down part of a city in America. Once, it had been a lively community—but now it looked like a war-torn slum. Most people there were poor, forgotten, or just unlucky. It was the kind of place no one really paid attention to.
****
[In China]
China's Primordial, Kai Linwei, stood atop a twenty floor building holding two swords together in his right hand as someone approached from behind.
"Xiansheng, kan qilai suoyou Jingying dou juji zai Meiguo. Women shoudao lai zi Luoma de Yuanshi, Valmer Valgrace van Ruvoch de qingqiu, ta dayi juji suoyou Yuanshi bing maifu Jingying."
(Sir, it looks like all the Elites are gathered in America. We received a request from Rome's Primordial, Valmer Valgrace van Ruvoch. He intends to gather all Primordials and ambush the Elites.) The lady who approached said in a low tone as she held a file in one hand.
"Ta de liyou?"
(His reason?) Kai asked looking down at the messed-up street.
"Ta songlai de baogao zhong xie zhe, Jingyingmen zai kongzhi di jibie de Shuangzi zuo, suoyi ta dayi chanchu touling."
( It's written in the report he sent that the Elites are controlling the low rank Geminis. He intends to take out the head.) The lady replied. 'So this is a Primordial, his presence is overwhelming,' she stared at the man with a guarded expression.
"Hao ba, wo hui qu, fanzheng wo ye mei shenme shi ke zuo. Zhunbei feiji."
(Fine, I'll go, I have nothing to do anyway. Prepare the jet.) He said as he finally turned to look at the girl.
'Besides, we need to find out who'll rule this new world once the tutorial is over.'
****
[In Japan]
Japan's Primordial, Kenshi Aokawa, sat atop a hill of Geminis corpses, covered in inky blood, his katana stuck in the skull of one Gemini.
"Boss, Valmer kara renraku ga kita yo, kimi no mukashi no tomodachi da."
(Boss, we received word from Valmer, your old friend.) A man who had tattoos all over his body approached as he spoke.
"Valmer? Dakara ano fuhai shita puurisuto ga mada ikiteru n da. Aitsu ga dore hodo baka ni natta ka miru no ga tanoshimi da ne."
(Valmer? So that corrupted priest is still alive. Can't wait to see how much of an idiot he's grown to be.) Kenshi said with a smile, his hair was tied in ponytail with the sides shaved. There was a skull tattoo on one side of his head and a tattoo of symbols on the other side.
******
[In Korea]
Korea's Primordial, Yuna Lee, accepted Valmer's invitation and quickly boarded their country's fastest jet.
Soon, all the Primordials would meet, but they would all realize that, the Elites are Elites.
***
Jason stepped into the room, limping slightly, still not fully recovered from Ariel's punch.
"Old man," he said, catching his breath.
"Looks like things just got serious."
Ariel entered a second later, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders. Her eyes locked on the large digital map flickering on the screen.
"Father," she said urgently, "we need to go there." She pointed to the red marker—Ravenloch, where the three Elite Geminis had gathered.
Jason frowned, eyeing the map with disinterest. "Ravenloch?" he muttered.
"That area's barely functional. Infrastructure's collapsing, no major assets, no military presence… it's a black hole. Sending forces there would be a waste."
Annoyed, he turned away, brushing a hand through his hair. "We should focus on zones with strategic value. Places that can actually hold a defense. Pouring resources into a slum full of vagrants and low-level Awakened won't win us the war—it'll just slow us down."
"And let's not forget—all three Elite-ranked Geminis are there. We still don't know the extent of their abilities."
He turned away from the screen as if disgusted by the idea of wasting time on the poor.
After their intense sparring match, the family had started involving Ariel more in their planning. Her potential couldn't be denied—she was strong, sharp, and reliable.
Ariel bit her lip.
She couldn't tell them the real reason.
She was the only one in the entire family who knew where Zane lived.
And he lived in Ravenloch.
She knew—without a doubt—that the family would never lift a finger to help him. Ariel couldn't bear the thought of something happening to the big brother she admired so much.
Her heart ached just thinking about it.
She'd only brought it up in a moment of panic.
After her spar, Jason had promised her that he had sent forces to look for Zane so she shouldn't worry. But Ariel knew it was a lie, yet she didn't do anything about it. Not yet at least.
"Yeah… you're right," she said quietly, forcing a small nod. "We should go to the places that actually need our help."
Her voice cracked just slightly at the end.
Jason scoffed and turned to check a report.
Blake, seated behind his desk, simply observed. His eyes didn't miss the flicker of worry in Ariel's gaze.
Something was off.
But he said nothing about it.
"On that account, Ariel, you'll accompany Jason to Zone S in Chicago, the United Center." Blake spoke as he looked at the digital map spread across the war table.
"The United Center used to be a basketball and hockey arena, hosting the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks with a capacity of ~twenty thousand screaming fans for slam dunks and slapshots. Now, it's a fortress housing fifteen thousand key civilians in our country. Though it's being protected by capable Awakeners, it doesn't hurt to be well prepared. Your purpose is to protect the area. But if things get out of hand, you're to return immediately."
His tone carried both authority and concern.
Ariel stood a little straighter as she nodded.
It was obvious to everyone now—Ariel was strong. Too strong for a girl her age. She had awakened with power most adults couldn't even dream of.
But she was still just a child. Barely twelve.
Blake had wrestled with the decision for a while. He couldn't train her—even he didn't know anything about combat until a week ago when he awakened. Her raw strength, speed, and instincts were leagues above many trained professional fighters.
In the end, he came to one conclusion: The battlefield would teach her what he couldn't.
Let her witness real combat. There was no better teacher than survival.
Still, he wasn't about to send her out alone. That's why he paired her with Jason.
Jason would act as her guardian—monitor her progress, guide her when needed, and pull her back if things spiraled out of control.
"I'll go prepare, Father," Ariel said softly. She gave a short smile and turned to leave, her boots tapping quietly against the floor. Her long coat fluttered behind her as she walked through the steel door, vanishing into the crowd of Awakeners outside.
Behind her, Blake let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Zone SS+, located in the heart of the capital, was the most fortified area in the United States. The 152nd Airlift Wing at Hagrisay International Airport.
The military camp was stationed at the front—rows of armored vehicles, drones, and soldiers moving in formation. Behind them were the ministers, commanders, and top government leaders.
Every country had something similar. Their strongest zones were always structured the same way—military at the front, politicians at the back.
It was strategic. If the Geminis attacked, the frontline would act as the shield, buying time for the leaders to escape or retaliate.
The zones were structured so strangely for a reason.
After Zone SS+, there were no Zones SS or S+. It jumped straight to Zone S.
This was because the President and his inner circle had absorbed most of the country's defense.
They took the strongest military weapons for themselves. The remaining security forces had to stretch themselves thin—dividing up what was left to protect Zones S through E.
Zone F? It was on its own.
Zone SS+ didn't just mean high security—it meant a level of protection that even Zones S through E combined couldn't match.
But now, with the appearance of Awakened, everything had changed.
People no longer depended on soldiers. They could fight on their own. After all, military weapons were useless in the first place.
Zones no longer mattered as much as they once did—at least, not for defense.
Still, many people remained in the zones.
Factories had shut down. Nobody had the time or energy to work regular jobs.
The entire world had shifted into survival mode. With manufacturing halted, the only things keeping people going were the stockpiled food and supplies.
And those were rationed based on the zones.
If you wanted to eat, you stayed inside a zone.
It was the government's way of maintaining some form of control.
People could awaken all they wanted—but they still needed water, food, and warmth.
That's why Zone S in Chicago mattered. It was one of the major zones used as a key distribution point, housing supply depots and food reserves that served thousands. If it fell, chaos would spread like wildfire.
Now that the Geminis had struck again, the world could no longer stay quiet.
A real response was needed.
The sound of heavy boots echoed down the hall moments before the door burst open. Two Awakened soldiers, clad in sleek black armor, stood at attention as the Prime Minister stepped in.
He was a tall man in his mid-fifties, dressed in a dark suit that looked untouched by the chaos outside. His face was calm, but his eyes held a cold gaze.
"We've just received word," he began immediately after he entered, stepping into the center of the room, "that the other four Primordial Awakeners have gathered. They'll be arriving in our country shortly."
He paused, then added, "They want Ariel to join them… at Ravenloch."
Jason, who stood near one of the digital screens, narrowed his eyes. The Prime Minister glanced at him briefly—with clear disdain.
"Ravenloch?" Blake repeated, confused and angry. "Why would they go there? Aren't the Primordials supposed to be protecting the high-priority zones in their country? The objective of the Tutorial is to survive using whatever means necessary not to fight unnecessary battles."
"True enough, but attacking first is always better than waiting to be attacked." Jason added.
"Attacking Ravenloch was a decision made by Valmer Valgrace van Ruvoch, Rome's Primordial. It seems the other Primordials are in agreement as well.
"His reason?" Blake asked with furrowed brows.
"He said he discovered something during the first wave," the Prime Minister replied. "Apparently, the elite Geminis were the ones commanding the rest. And now, all three have gathered in one place. Their plan is simple: take out the head, and the body falls."
Blake clenched his fists and opened his mouth to respond, but just then, a young soldier burst into the room. He looked like he'd sprinted the entire way.
"Mr. President!" he panted. "It's Ms. Ariel. She's… she's escaped the zone!"
The room went dead silent for a second.
Blake shot up from his seat, his voice booming. "What did you just say?!"
"She—she bypassed security. No one saw her leave. We just found out she's missing."
Blake's mind raced. "How? Why would she leave? Jason—!" He spun to face his son. "Go find her and bring her back. Immediately."