The skies above Terros Mainline were tinted silver-blue, streaked with faint clouds that shimmered like brushed chrome. Hover trams glided silently over rail lines etched into the skyline, their movements fluid as if dancing to some unseen rhythm. The city never truly slept, even in its quieter sectors. But this morning, it felt… still.
Dominic stood near the edge of the central walkway outside their hub-unit, the wind tousling his now ash-gray hair—what used to be pitch black before the mutation began its work.
His HUD flickered to life.
[STATUS INTERFACE — OPEN]
Name: Dominic Solari
Power Level: Dormant
Stats: STR 17 | AGI 18 | END 18
Absorption:
Feral Tier — 100%
Dire Tier — 0%
Genetic Mutation: ACTIVE
Source: Unknown Energy Signature
Effect: Cellular restructuring, neural expansion, removal of potential limiters
Note: Mutation will be removed after first evolution.
Excess Stat Points: 0
[VITALS STABLE]
The words hung there like a quiet promise. Or a threat.
He closed the HUD with a blink command. It was time.
"Your bag's ready," his mother called from the doorway, brushing her coat off. Her black jumpsuit bore the faded sigil of a logistics operator from the Awakened Realm supply line.
"You sure you have to go?" Dominic asked, though he already knew the answer.
She smiled, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You're not the only one trying to get stronger, Dom. Besides you need to be careful, even though the military officer that comes to check up on you said your gene has stabilized, you still need to be careful, alright?."
Dominic nodded. "Zella's still at school?"
"Yeah. She'll be back in two hours. I'll teleport home with her after shift ends."
He hesitated. "Food—?"
"Handled," she said, waving a small wrist tag. "Federation provides. Remember?"
Right. Food was free in the Human Federation. One of the few things that was. Sustenance dispensers ran 24/7 in every home hub, stacked with nutrient blocks, fresh produce, and meat grown in protein vats. But that didn't mean it tasted good.
His mother brushed his cheek, eyes soft. "Try not to break anything in the Dominant Realm this time."
He gave a tired grin. "No promises."
"Smartass."
She kissed his forehead and vanished into the teleport chamber in a flash of light.
Silence followed. Then the faint chirp of the time beacon overhead.
[08:42 CST] — ACADEMY SHUTTLE ARRIVAL INBOUND]
Dominic turned back toward the building and stepped inside. His travel bag was light—just the basics: reinforced armor weave shirt, standard field boots, a single knife, and his Federation-issued cadet badge.
His fingers lingered on the badge longer than he expected. Part of him still felt like that half-dead kid in the Dormant Realm. But now… he was different. Stronger.
Stronger—and still not strong enough.
He turned toward the teleport station down the hall.
Next stop: Dominant Realm.
And this time, he was going in prepared.
The teleportation chamber pulsed with dim violet light as Dominic stepped inside. The crystalline node above him flickered, scanning his badge and biometric signature.
[DESTINATION CONFIRMED]
DOMINANT REALM: ENTRY GATE SIGMA-22
TRANSPORT AUTHORIZED — FEDERATION MILITARY PRIORITY SECTOR
— PLEASE MAINTAIN STILLNESS —
The world blinked.
And then the air changed.
Gone were the warm, recycled breezes of Terros Mainline. The Dominant Realm struck him like a cold breath—thinner oxygen, denser gravity, and an underlying static hum that made his skin crawl slightly beneath his uniform. It wasn't just physical.
The energy here was different.
The platform he arrived on sat at the heart of a military-controlled transit hub—all cold steel, floodlights, and soldiers in black exo-armor patrolling the perimeter. Drones hovered quietly above, their visors flashing pale blue as they tracked every movement. The teleportation dome behind him sealed shut with a hiss, the crystal node going dark.
[ENVIRONMENT SHIFT DETECTED]
GRAVITY: 1.3x STANDARD
ENERGY FIELD: ACTIVE — TYPE: ANOMALOUS
BEAST ACTIVITY: LOW NEAR PERIMETER
HUD ACCESS RESTRICTED TO CORE FUNCTIONS ONLY
GENETIC SYNC... STABLE
[WARNING: SURVIVAL RATE WITHOUT EVOLUTION — BELOW OPTIMAL]
Dominic shook off the dizziness and stepped down.
"Cadet Solari?" a voice barked.
He turned. A soldier approached—mid-30s maybe, silver stubble visible beneath his helmet's half-lifted visor. Rank sigil: Captain.
"That's me."
The Captain gave him a once-over. "You're the one from the Dormant cleanup squad. Your file's been flagged. Mutation case."
Dominic blinked. "Is that a problem?"
"No. Just makes you harder to insure."
The Captain handed him a slim black card. It flashed his name and assignment.
[CLEARANCE PASS — TEMPORARY ACCESS GRANTED]
ZONE: SIGMA-22 OUTER RIM
OBJECTIVE: Training & Controlled Combat Simulation
BEAST ZONE: FERAL & DIRE CONCENTRATION
ARMOR SUPPORT: DENIED (Cadet Level)
LIVE AMMO LIMIT: STANDARD CADET KIT
"We keep cadets near the outer rims," the Captain continued. "Too many green kids think they're Ascendants the moment they touch down. You're here to train, not die."
"Got it," Dominic said, already stepping toward the gear station.
The base's internal path led past field bunkers, stocked supply racks, and training fields where other cadets sparred using shock blades and kinetic dummies. Most ignored him. One or two stared—some recognizing him from the Academy netfeed where his return had caused a brief stir.
His mutation had made waves.
He kept walking.
Before long, he reached the armory—a squat dome with glowing security seals and two bored soldiers standing watch. One waved him through after scanning his pass.
Inside, racks of training weapons lined the walls. Dominic moved toward a familiar section and picked up a light-weight combat sword—basic but solid. Just enough for Feral-tier beasts. You need Federation credits to buy a higher one.
[WEAPON REGISTERED: Cadet Tier — Sword Class]
COMPATIBILITY: SYNCED
NO TECH AUGMENT DETECTED — WITHIN REALM RULESET
— READY —
He exhaled.
The path into the wilds of the Dominant Realm stretched beyond the outer gate. It was shrouded in pale green mist, the treetops warped and massive, like a forest warped by dream logic—too tall, too twisted, too quiet.
And waiting.
As Dominic exited the armory, stretching out his limbs and testing the balance of the sword, he passed by a small training hall with its doors wide open. Inside, a group of cadets were huddled around a low holo-board, watching a replay of an old debriefing.
"…and then," a deep voice echoed, "the gates opened, and this wall of rot hit us like a beast's flatulence—BOOM—instant trauma."
Laughter erupted.
Dominic's ears twitched. He slowed his pace.
One of the cadets mimicked a fainting motion. "'He smells like the inside of a dead worm!' I swear, that one guard almost vomited in his helmet!"
Another waved a hand dramatically. "They said the dude didn't even notice. Just walked through the decontamination mist like it was bathwater!"
"But here's the twist," someone added. "Apparently, he survived the Dormant Realm alone. Six days. No tracker, no squad, just stench and stubbornness. That's why command flagged him."
A moment of silence.
Then: "Wait, wait, isn't that him right there?"
Dominic gave a casual wave without turning. "Yep. Still not contagious."
Dead silence behind him.
Then someone whispered, reverently, "It's… the Smelling One."
He ignored them and tightened his grip on the sword.
"Time to hunt."
As Dominic stood in front of the Departure Gate, his eyes narrowed at the lineup of squads prepping for their field excursions into the Dormant Realm. Most were chatting, comparing load-outs, trading information about beast activity.
He stood alone.
No greetings. No nods. Only sidelong glances and awkward coughs when he stepped too close.
He didn't even smell anymore—he'd bathed multiple times since returning.
But reputations… those lasted longer than rot.
A hushed voice from a nearby group drifted to his ears. "That's him. The Smelling One."
"He still reeks, right?"
"Nah, not anymore. But who knows what weird beast gland crap he's using now? I'm not risking my lungs."
"Dude's un-killable though. Six days solo? In the Dormant Realm? Who does that?"
"Still wouldn't squad with him."
Dominic sighed. His HUD flickered again:
"Guess it's just me and the beasts again," he muttered.
A uniformed officer at the Departure Hub glanced up. "Solari, Cadet. Solo deployment?"
"Doesn't look like I've got options."
The officer nodded, not unkindly. "You sure? It's dangerous out there. Packs have been sighted moving near Ruin Clusters."
Dominic smiled, the old glint back in his eyes. "I learn better when I'm alone."
The moment Dominic stepped out of the teleportation gate into the Dormant Realm, the air hit him like a cold slap. Thick with humidity, sharp with wild energy. The grass under his boots crackled faintly with the static of the realm's natural aura.
His HUD flickered:
Name: Dominic Solari
Power Level: Dormant
Stats: STR 17 | AGI 18 | END 18
Absorption:
Feral Tier – 100%
Dire Tier – 0%
Genetic Mutation: ACTIVE
Source: Unknown Energy Signature
Effect: Cellular restructuring, neural expansion, removal of potential limiters
Result: Evolution potential increased.
Note: Mutation will auto-remove post-evolution
Excess Stat Points: 0
[VITALS STABLE]
—Hunt initiated. Target Tier: Dire.
He adjusted the grips on his dual blades and scanned the treeline.
No squad. No backup. Just him and the jungle-like wilds of Sector 9; the ruin clusters—an area marked for Dire-tier and predator activity.
Every step was slow, measured. The silence wasn't peaceful; it was the type that made your instincts sharpen.
Then, he heard it.
A snarl—low, guttural, and followed by a wet crunch.
He ducked behind a root-laced boulder. Peering over it, he spotted a Dire-tier Razorback Boar, its tusks drenched in blood as it finished off a Feral beast, stamping the corpse with terrifying force.
Dominic's eyes gleamed.
"Alright, big guy. Let's see if you scream louder than you snore."
He reached into his belt and smeared just a trace of veil-root across his blade—old habits. Rather bad habits.
And then, like a shadow slipping between trees, he moved.