Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

Silas walked down the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps echoing softly off the stone walls as he approached the storeroom where David had asked to meet.

The silence in this secluded part of the academy was almost suffocating, a stark contrast to the bustling training areas and lively common spaces. It felt eerie—too quiet, too removed from the rest of the buildings. Silas's mind raced with questions about the urgency and secrecy behind David's message, wondering if it might finally explain Angelica's strange behavior since they returned from the Grade 5 realm.

For days, Angelica had been distant, as if burdened by something she couldn't—or wouldn't—share. She avoided eye contact, barely spoke, and seemed to drift into her thoughts whenever Silas tried to reach out. Whatever was eating at her, Silas was determined to find out. Maybe David and Vic could help him understand what was going on.

Silas finally arrived at the storeroom. The door stood ajar, casting a narrow strip of light onto the dusty floor. Shadows flickered across the dimly lit room, where remnants from battles past lay abandoned. Ancient equipment and weaponry, relics from the war with the mutants, were scattered around, each piece a reminder of old, bloodstained memories.

Rusting weapons, heavy machines once used to extract mutant abilities from cores, and the occasional cracked skill slot were strewn across the room. Thick webs stretched between forgotten objects, giving the room an even more sinister air.

As Silas ventured further in, his eyes narrowed on a strange, faint glow from the corner. An old portal device, powered up and humming softly, stood out among the ruins. The other devices were either broken or dormant, their power drained years ago. But this one was active, its pale light casting an unsettling hue over the room.

"What the...?" Silas muttered, his gaze fixated on the portal. "Why is this portal randomly powered up? And where the hell are David and Vic?"

Just as he began to turn around, a sudden, forceful shove from behind sent him stumbling forward. He couldn't react in time as he was propelled straight into the portal, which swallowed him whole before closing, leaving the storeroom silent once more.

Back in the room, a female student stood where Silas had been moments ago, her face pale and her hands trembling as she looked at the spot where he vanished. Her eyes darted around nervously, panic written across her face.

"I... I did it. I just sent him to his grave," she whispered, her voice barely audible as she struggled to steady her breath. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, as if aware of the gravity of her actions.

---

Silas reappeared in a desolate landscape that felt like a twisted mirror of reality. The sand beneath his feet was an eerie, blood-red color, much like the realm he had visited during his first evolution quest. Dust clouds rose around him, and in the distance, mountains crumbled, sending tremors through the ground. The entire realm seemed on the brink of collapse.

Silas scanned the barren horizon, his expression a mix of confusion and anger, until his gaze locked onto a lone figure standing a few meters away. He didn't recognize the person immediately, but as the figure turned to face him, realization dawned.

It was none other than Sensei Josh.

"This is a Grade 1 realm I cleared myself," Sensei Josh declared, his voice carrying across the desolate expanse. "I killed the Realm's god, and now it's unstable. Soon, it will collapse entirely."

Silas's gaze sharpened as he took in Josh's words. His eyes were cold, unreadable, as he observed his former teacher. He remained silent, the tension between them building with each heartbeat.

Josh sneered, his eyes gleaming with malice. "I brought you here, Silas. It's the perfect place to kill you. No one will know. When this realm collapses, it'll erase any trace of what happened. Whatever goes on here stays here—especially when there are no witnesses."

The sensei's voice dripped with contempt, as though savoring each word. Silas remained composed, his expression calm, though his mind raced. This wasn't just an attack—it was a calculated betrayal.

"You're probably wondering about that text from your friend, right?" Sensei Josh taunted. With a smirk, he pulled something out of his pocket—a black wristwatch. Silas's eyes narrowed at the familiar sight.

"I got this from your friend," Josh sneered. "He's probably dead by now. I made sure to give him the beating of his life. Even if he's not dead, he'll stay quiet. He's the type who doesn't talk much—"

"Why?" Silas interrupted, his voice cold and unyielding.

Josh faltered, momentarily thrown off by Silas's interruption. "Why, what?"

"Why target them?" Silas's voice was deadly calm, his gaze piercing. "Why do you keep hurting people who have nothing to do with this? First, you endangered everyone in that realm, and we lost a friend. Now David?"

Josh's eyes blazed with anger. "I'll do whatever it takes to see you dead, Silas Griswold! You killed my son! I don't care how many people I'll have to sacrifice to get what I want!"

Silas's face remained expressionless, but his eyes grew colder. "So, it's that easy for you to hurt innocent people?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, it is!" Josh spat back defiantly.

Silas's lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. "Then you're no different from the mutants you claim to despise."

With that, Silas stepped forward, and in his hand, dark energy began to coalesce. The energy took shape, a mixture of black and red hues swirling around his right hand. Slowly, the energy brightened, solidifying into a massive scythe—the Grade 5 Soul Reaper he had obtained.

The sight of the weapon made Josh's eyes widen in shock. He took a step back, his composure slipping as he stared at the scythe in disbelief.

"Where... where did you get that?" he stammered, panic flickering in his gaze. "There's no way you could've hidden a weapon like that."

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Silas's grip on the scythe tightened, his expression colder than ever. "The system gave me a compulsory quest," he said, his voice low and menacing. "The quest is to kill you. But honestly? I don't need the system to tell me to kill someone like you."

Without another word, Silas lunged forward, moving with blinding speed.