Aaron was nothing but impressed staring at the abilities of his Primordial talent. The list scrolled in his mind’s eye like an ultimate cheat menu, each locked ability promising godlike dominance, stirring his hybrid blood with a thrill that felt like unlocking infinite lucky draws in this reincarnated life.
"So, system, when can I unlock them all?" Aaron asked the system, frustration creeping in as he realized the true strength of his talent was locked away, taunting him like a high-level reward just out of reach.
[You unlock the talent as you grow stronger and can handle more causality. You should unlock them all when you get to the Primordial rank.]
"Awesome," Aaron said, his mood lighting up a bit, a rare spark of optimism breaking through his usual cynicism, the system’s words fueling his drive to grind harder.
"You are finally smiling. Any good news?" Alice by his side asked Aaron, her voice soft with curiosity, noticing the shift in his expression amid the ruined sanctuary’s desolation.
"Some happy thoughts, that’s all," Aaron said, as he returned to his current reality, the brief joy fading as the weight of their surroundings pressed in again.
The sanctuary, the once beautiful city of the federation, was leveled to ruin, not a single building standing with severe damage. Rubble stretched in every direction, twisted metal and shattered stone crunching underfoot, the air heavy with the dust of destruction and the faint metallic tang of old blood.
No single living being could be found within the ruined city. The silence was eerie, broken only by the occasional wind howling through the debris, like the ghosts of the fallen whispering accusations.
All Aaron’s senses could pick were the several corpses, decayed, burnt, ripped apart, and devoured, scattered all around the sanctuary. The stench of rot hung thick, mingling with charred flesh, a gruesome reminder of the catastrophe that had unfolded in his absence.
"It seems she is dead," Aaron muttered, a pained smile on his face. He knew it—Rose’s death was indirectly his fault. He had allowed her to stay within the sanctuary and parted ways; he didn’t even bother to convince her to leave, his regret gnawing at him like a failed quest.
"We can’t know yet. Perhaps she left the city before its destruction or is hiding with others within a hidden underground city," Alice tried to comfort him, her hand on his shoulder, her voice gentle but firm, trying to pull him from the edge of guilt.
"It’s fine. You don’t need to—"
Aaron’s words were cut short as Alice’s head fell from her neck to the ground. The slice was clean, blood spraying in a warm arc that splattered Aaron’s face, the shock hitting him like a critical failure in his lucky draw system.
Behind her was the attacker, a man with unkempt looks. A werewolf, to be more specific. His claw was sharpened, with the nose of a wolf and canines bared in a savage grin, his fur matted with dirt and old blood, eyes glowing with feral hate.
"You. How dare you?!" Aaron said angrily, exploding in a feat of anger as he moved swiftly, holding the neck of the werewolf. His grip was iron, fingers digging into fur and flesh, the rage boiling in his hybrid blood like a system overload.
With a firm grip on the werewolf’s neck, he slammed the werewolf to the ground, sending rocks flying all around him. The impact cratered the earth, debris exploding outward in a cloud of dust, Aaron’s strength fueled by raw fury.
He continued smashing the werewolf’s head to the ground, until he crushed the werewolf’s head, sending its brain matter scattered everywhere. The skull gave way with a sickening crack, gore splattering the ruins, Aaron’s breaths coming in heavy gasps as the red haze cleared.
"Aaron. Aaron. Aaron!" Aaron regained himself, seeing Alice staring at him in confusion, her head very much attached, the vision shattering like a reset in his mind.
"Are you okay? You zoned out for a—"
"I won’t allow you to cut her head off," Aaron said, appearing between the surprised Alice and the shocked werewolf. His movement was a blur, time bending slightly around him, the air rippling as he intercepted the attack before it landed.
"How did you?" Rex asked, surprised at being caught by Aaron, his claw still raised, dripping with anticipation that now turned to shock.
"Let’s just say time is not on your side," Aaron said coldly, adding more strength to his grip as he crushed the hand of Rex. The bones snapped with a crunch, Rex’s howl of pain echoing through the ruins, Aaron’s eyes cold as ice.
Rex quickly pulled away with his crushed hand, gaining some distance between himself and Aaron. He cradled the mangled limb, blood dripping to the ground, his werewolf regeneration kicking in slowly.
Aaron had experienced one of the abilities of his talent first hand and the experience was bizarre for him. The flash of future vision felt like a lucky draw glitch, disorienting but empowering, a taste of the Primordial power that could turn tides in this reincarnated world.
[You will get used to it eventually. How to differentiate between vision of a future event and the real event. Or in the end, it will all be inconsequential to you when you truly master your talent.]
"Who the hell are you and why did you attack my wife out of the blue?" Aaron asked, scrutinizing the information off the werewolf in front of him. His system scanned the enemy, pulling up details like a status window, his hybrid senses sharp as he assessed the threat.
Race: Werewolf (Sigma Mutated Werewolf)
"You smell like them," Rex said, drawing Aaron’s attention to him again and from his information window. His voice was rough, laced with deep-seated hatred, nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air.
"Smell like who?" Aaron asked, curious over the implication of Rex’s words, his mind racing to connect the dots in this sudden ambush. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel⦿fire.net
"Like a vampire and human I captured several years ago. Now that I see, you do bear great resemblance to—"