"What's going on here?" Mr. Ray asked. His tone was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Who's the kid?"
Felix hesitated, struggling to find the right words. Lying to Mr. Ray wasn't something he wanted to do. The man had been like a father to him and his siblings ever since they lost their parents in a road accident ten years ago. It was Mr. Ray who had trained him, shaping him into the strongest teenager in North Avalon. They worked on every major project together, and even though Mr. Ray was distant with being the head of the army and a man of authority, he had always answered Felix's questions and kept him informed about everything that was happening.
Or at least, that's what Felix had thought.
"Found him unconscious in the woods," Felix said calmly. "Seems he was a victim, given his frail appearance." He quickly added, "But he's just a kid. He probably lost his family in the disaster caused by the powerful force."
Mr. Ray looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Can you hear yourself, Felix? He survived." He gestured at Rex. "That force of destruction wiped out everyone, reducing people to dust or transforming them into grotesque creatures just from coming into contact with the scattered fragments of the gem. If even a sand-grain-sized piece of it could do that, could split the earth open, then tell me, how did he survive? And you expect me to believe he's just a kid?"
"A miracle can happen," Felix shot back.
Mr. Ray's expression darkened. "The world is in complete f**king chaos right now, and you want to keep a mysterious kid found right at the center of the impact? For all we know, he could be one of the relics or whatever, pretending to be human."
Felix shook his head. " The research showed that the only thing that happened was mysterious dungeons appearing overnight, with portals to other dimensions filled with monsters, relics, and energy cores that help those who survive evolve. Creatures have mutated, animals turned into dangerous beasts, and humans who were exposed to high-energy areas became either mindless creatures or violent demi-humans And humans who came into contact with the fragments or the energy from the dungeons are awakened. Yes, the very laws of the world changed but there's no evidence of anything being able to shape-shift like that. It's not possible." His voice rose slightly in frustration. "Just look at him! He's nothing like those things, he's just an innocent kid. And I won't let the Vanguard use him as a test subject or hurt him."
The Vanguard Coalition is the dominant military force governing North Avalon, Felix's home town and other surviving regions in the wake of Earth's catastrophic transformation. Formed in response to the Great Collapse, their original purpose was to restore order, protect civilians, and study the bizarre changes reshaping the world but the past few days, their mission has become far more complex as they uncover more about the new world. Now, the Vanguard is more focused on gaining power and control. They have divisions all over the world, each focused on taking control of new territories, securing resources, and creating powerful F to S-ranked warriors through forced awakenings and dangerous experiments, alongside those who have already awakened.
Mr. Ray let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew Felix's protective instincts came from his past. When he found Felix, the boy was just seven and had been begging on the streets, struggling to care for his twin siblings, who were only four at the time. Since then, Felix had always had a soft spot for lost children, those with no parents, no guardians, no one to protect them.
"I get it, Felix," Mr. Ray said, his voice softer. "But at a time like this, you can never be too sure. If you're not careful, you could get hurt." He paused before adding, "Let me take him and I'll make sure he doesn't get hurt. I need to be certain he's not a threat mostly around you guys."
Felix's fists clenched. "I don't trust the Vanguard," he muttered. "They've been experimenting on survivors, using them to create super-soldiers infused with gem energy and most of the tests keeps failing. I won't let that happen to him."
By the survivors, he meant the ones who had been taken from their searches, the unlucky few who emerged from the catastrophe changed into something else.
Mr. Ray studied him carefully. "Do you trust me?"
Felix nodded. "I do. But not with him. I'm keeping him, even if I have to lock him away from everyone."
A long silence followed. Then Mr. Ray sighed. "Fine. You can keep him, but only under one condition. I keep a close eye on him, if anything seems off, anything at all, you report it to me immediately, and you make sure he doesn't cause trouble."
Felix tried to contain his excitement, but the relief in his voice was obvious. "Thank you. I promise, I'll take care of him."
Mr. Ray muttered under his breath, "That's not what I asked for, but alright." He turned toward his car. "Let's go. You two can ride with me."
Felix grinned, turning to Rex who met him with a blank, unreadable stare "You're going to be fine, kid."
"I'm not a kid," Rex snapped, his voice hoarse and strangely cold.
Felix paused, something about the way he spoke sending a chill through him. "Alright, big man," he said lightly, taking Rex's hand and leading him toward the car, following Mr. Ray.
Felix was seventeen, and while he was tall, he wasn't much taller than Rex.
As they settled into the back seat, Felix glanced at him. "Do you have a name?"
"Rex," he muttered.
Felix offered a small smile. "Nice name."
The journey to North Avalon would take three days. They left early, leaving the rest of the Vanguard Coalition to prevent any questions.
Throughout the entire journey, Rex didn't sleep, not even for a second. He sat in silence, staring out at the ruined earth, his red-amber eyes reflecting the shattered world around him. The desolation outside should have made him sad, should have evoked something… but he felt nothing. No grief. No anger. No fear. Just an overwhelming numbness.
And hunger.
A deep, unsettling hunger stirred within him. It wasn't the hunger for food or water—it was something more primal, something dark, clawing at his insides. He didn't know what it was yet, but he knew one thing for certain.
He wasn't the same.
Mr. Ray kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror, his brows furrowing in suspicion. "The kid hasn't blinked in hours," he muttered under his breath.
Felix noticed it too, but he said nothing.
After three days of endless roads and wastelands, they finally arrived.
A large banner stretched across the entrance, "Welcome to North Avalon." Beyond it, the city sprawled down a vast hill, a vibrant landscape of towering iron structures, glowing energy grids, and strange flying creatures that seemed to be used for transportation.
Rex's gaze locked onto the creatures soaring through the sky.
And for the first time since he woke up, he felt something.
An urge.
A violent, terrifying urge to crush them and tear them apart.