"Politicians auction our future to the highest bidder while crushing us underfoot.
Military rule is the same auction—only now there's a loaded gun pressed against your head."
Artholius was burning.
The streets that once symbolized humanity's last hope now looked like the aftermath of a nightmare.
Blood covered the asphalt.
Civilians ran through smoke-filled streets, screaming as flames devoured entire buildings. Emergency sirens echoed endlessly across the city.
The illusion of order had shattered.
In the middle of the chaos lay a broken soldier.
Sergeant Major Lanuk Alexander.
His combat armor was barely recognizable. The once-polished plates were cracked and twisted, barely clinging to his body. Blood leaked through every opening in the suit and soaked the ground beneath him.
Every breath sounded painful.
Slow.
Weak.
For a moment it looked like he would never stand again.
Then a figure emerged through the smoke.
Tall.
Calm.
Terrifying.
Captain Alaric Alexander.
Even covered in soot and dust, his presence felt unreal. His sharp jawline, piercing eyes, and perfectly balanced posture gave him the appearance of someone sculpted rather than born.
People often said the same thing about Alaric.
If you looked at him long enough… you forgot to breathe.
Power surrounded him like an invisible storm.
Without hesitation, he knelt beside Lanuk.
His expression didn't change, but his eyes darkened.
He gently lifted his younger brother onto his shoulder.
Lanuk barely opened his eyes.
"…Brother…"
Alaric didn't answer.
He simply walked through the burning streets.
The Military Hospital
The hospital looked like a battlefield.
Soldiers covered in blood filled every hallway.
Doctors ran between patients, shouting orders.
Machines beeped endlessly.
Stretchers moved in every direction.
When Alaric entered carrying Lanuk, no one even looked at him.
Everyone was too busy.
For three seconds he stood there.
Silent.
Then he grabbed the nearest doctor by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
The entire hallway froze.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"If anything happens to my brother…"
His grip tightened.
"…you will not recognize what remains of this hospital."
The terrified doctor stammered.
"S-sir… there are too many patients… please take him somewhere else—"
Before he could finish, another voice interrupted.
"Don't worry, sir."
A senior doctor rushed forward.
"I'll handle it."
He immediately shouted to the staff.
"Stretcher! ICU now!"
Lanuk was placed onto the stretcher and rushed toward the intensive care unit.
The senior doctor turned to leave.
But Alaric's hand stopped him.
A single hand resting on his shoulder.
Heavy.
Threatening.
Alaric leaned closer.
"You know how I killed the first Level-4 BrainDead?"
The doctor's face drained of color.
"I crushed its skull with my hands."
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"If my brother dies… I'll do the same to you."
Sweat poured down the doctor's face.
"I understand… sir."
ICU Corridor
As they walked toward the ICU, a junior doctor whispered nervously.
"Why are you so scared?"
"He's just another soldier."
"You have connections everywhere."
The senior doctor stopped walking.
Slowly he turned.
"Are you stupid?"
"Did you not see his helmet?"
The junior doctor paused.
Then realization hit him.
His body started shaking.
"Wait…"
"Is he…"
"The war hero?"
"The man who killed the first Level-4 BrainDead?"
The senior doctor nodded slowly.
"And if that man loses his brother…"
He looked toward the ICU doors.
"…we will not survive the night."
The Castle of Power
Far away from the chaos stood a magnificent castle.
The headquarters of the four ruling families of Artholius.
Abraham.
Silva.
Wang.
Garcia.
Inside a massive hall filled with gold and marble, the four families held an emergency meeting.
Their faces were tense.
One man spoke first.
"The Abraham storage facilities are gone."
Another added,
"And with them… the city's food and water supply."
Silence filled the room.
Everyone understood the consequences.
Without supplies…
The people would rebel.
Power would crumble.
Finally someone said quietly,
"There is only one solution."
All eyes turned toward him.
"We must bring resources from outside the barrier."
Someone laughed.
"You mean from the frozen wasteland?"
"That's suicide."
The speaker turned toward Garcia.
"Not if we use your new weapons."
Garcia leaned back in his chair and smiled slowly.
"So the time has finally come."
"To test them."
Central Military Command
The military command center was tense.
Every high-ranking officer sat around the long steel table.
Everyone except Captain Alaric Alexander.
The Global General spoke first.
"Major Li Wai."
She stood immediately.
"Yes, sir."
"You have my thanks."
"If you hadn't sent the war hero to that mission…"
"…today our barrier might have been destroyed."
Another officer added,
"The real credit belongs to Captain Alaric."
A lieutenant general laughed softly.
"I never thought I'd see Lady Li Wai praising a man."
Li Wai replied calmly.
"I respect competence."
The Global General nodded.
"The war hero will receive proper recognition."
Then he asked something unexpected.
"The officer who fought the masked warrior alone…"
"What was his name?"
A general checked the data tablet.
"Lanuk Alexander, sir."
"He is Captain Alaric's younger brother."
The Global General's expression tightened slightly.
"Alexander…?"
"The children of Dr. Natasha Hammer and Captain Mickle Alexander?"
"The couple who died during the rebel attack nineteen years ago?"
"Yes, sir."
The tension in the room shifted.
Then another officer suddenly spoke.
"There is something else we need to discuss."
Everyone looked at him.
"How did those masked warriors escape?"
"They disappeared even though we activated device jammers."
"Our jamming technology blocks teleportation and signal transmission completely."
"Escaping should have been impossible."
Silence filled the room.
Finally someone answered.
"There is one possibility."
"What?"
"Advanced humans."
The room stirred.
"Advancers?"
The officer nodded.
"But that's almost impossible."
"Only one or two people out of a thousand can become an Advancer."
Another officer added quietly,
"New research suggests something interesting."
"What?"
"If a human experiences extreme fear or trauma…"
"…their chances of awakening as an Advancer increase."
The room grew colder.
"And if their parents were Advancers…"
"The probability becomes even higher."
Another officer continued.
"And there is a third possibility."
"The most terrifying one."
Everyone leaned forward.
"Just like BrainDead evolve through levels…"
"…Advancers can evolve too."
"A Level-2 Advancer is far stronger than a Level-1."
"And higher levels become almost unstoppable."
The room fell silent again.
Then someone said quietly,
"But fortunately…"
"Our city does not have a single Advancer."
"Not one."
End Credit
Later that night, the G lobal General sat alone in his office.
He locked the door.
Then he made a call.
When the line connected, his voice dropped.
"Sir…"
"It seems the Alexander brothers are gaining too much influence."
He stared at the burning city outside the window.
"I believe we should stop them now."
His voice turned darker.
"Because if they ever discover the truth about that night nineteen years ago…"
He paused.
"…everything will fall apart."