In the conference room on the east side of Fort Whittier's military base, cold fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over the grayish-white walls.
The air hung heavy with that sluggish vibe that always lingers right after a long holiday break.
Clusters of soldiers sat scattered around the room, chatting in low voices. Some were yawning, others had already leaned back in their chairs with their eyes closed, pretending to nap.
From outside, the sharp bark of drill commands drifted in from the training field, but inside, it still felt like everyone was mentally stuck in vacation mode.
By the window, Diego de la Cruz lounged in his chair, one hand propping up his head, the other lazily flipping through a crumpled stack of training schedules. His eyes were glazed over—clearly, he wasn't reading a damn thing. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm, reddish sheen across his deep brown skin.
He was 22, an E-4 in the support platoon, active duty. Right now, though, he looked quieter than usual, like his mind hadn't quite caught up to being back on base.
"Yo, Digo! What, you spend your break sunbathing in Africa or something? I barely recognized you with that tan."
Jake Miller strolled over, grinning as he pulled out a chair and dropped into it next to Diego. He'd just finished shooting the breeze with a few other guys, but the moment he spotted Diego's darker skin tone, he couldn't resist teasing him.
Diego smirked, a little self-deprecating. "You're not far off. I spent the whole break working for a moving company downtown. Up at five every morning to catch the first bus to the pickup point. Lifting couches, hauling fridges—ten, twelve hours a day. By the time I got home, I didn't even have the energy to talk."
His tone was calm, like he was just stating a fact, nothing special.
But Jake blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, seriously? You spent your whole break hauling furniture?"
"Dead serious." Diego tugged up the sleeve of his uniform and flexed slightly. The muscles in his arm popped into sharp relief—solid, defined, and impossible to miss under the olive-green fabric.
"Damn, bro, that's the real deal!" Jake reached over and gave his arm a quick squeeze, eyes wide with admiration. "You weren't working—you were training at a damn gym!"
Diego just chuckled and let it go.
Money had always been tight at home. His parents worked factory jobs in California's industrial zone, barely scraping by while raising two younger sons. The military paycheck helped, sure, but it wasn't enough. So every break, Diego hustled—whatever job he could find, anything to send a little extra home.
Jake suddenly lit up like he'd just remembered something juicy. He leaned in, lowering his voice like he was about to spill a secret. "Guess what I did over break?"
Diego leaned back, half-lidded eyes and a lazy drawl. "Let me guess. Off partying again?"
Jake's face practically screamed, "Ask me!" He looked like a kid about to show off a new toy, barely able to contain himself.
"My dad pulled some strings and got me into this wilderness survival camp! One of those hardcore ones run with the Marines. Total hell mode. I'm telling you, man, it was brutal—but I came out of it feeling like a beast!" He thumped his chest proudly, grinning from ear to ear.
Diego raised an eyebrow, shifting to lean against the wall, one hand still propping up his head. His voice had a teasing edge. "What, you getting ready to head to Otherworld or something?"
"Hell yeah!" Jake pumped a fist, grinning like he'd just won a medal. "Once I Awaken, you better stick with me—I'll have your back!"
Diego let out a soft laugh, voice lazy. "Sure. I'll hold you to that."
Jake paused, then his tone shifted, a little more serious. "What about you? You're 22 now, right? Isn't it about time you started prepping for your Awakening too? We could do it together."
Diego closed his eyes, voice dropping a notch. "Yeah… of course."
The room stayed wrapped in that half-asleep haze. Outside, the drill commands kept echoing across the field, but Diego's thoughts had already drifted far beyond the walls of the conference room—pulled by something invisible, something that tugged at the edges of reality.
"Awakening"—a word that once belonged in sci-fi novels or fantasy flicks. But now? Now it was one of the most powerful, most loaded terms in the world.
Two hundred years ago, Earth was still ruled by industry and science. Back then, we believed in logic, in reason. Superpowers, magic, gods—they were just figments of imagination, special effects on a screen, dreams trapped between the pages of a book.
Until that day—
Everything changed.
Without any warning, Earth began to drift—slowly, irresistibly—toward a mysterious realm later known simply as the Otherworld.
The Otherworld was vast, boundless, and brimming with the unknown.
Its laws were nothing like Earth's. It was a place where supernatural forces reigned—magic, divine power, holy light, and chaotic energy all tangled together in a volatile, ever-shifting balance.
To humans, it was a world both mesmerizing and terrifying. Dangerous, yes—but also full of promise.
As the distance between Earth and the Otherworld shrank, supernatural energy—once confined to myths and legends—started pouring into our world like a rising tide.
It seeped into the air, the soil, the oceans… even into human bodies. Like water flowing into the lowest places, it met no resistance. It just… came in.
And then came the rifts.
Cracks in space. Tears in the fabric of reality. Portals between dimensions. Sometimes, people were sucked into the Otherworld. Other times, things from the Otherworld came through to us.
It was a total upheaval. A crisis unlike anything humanity had ever faced.
The creatures of the Otherworld weren't all friendly. Some were powerful mages. Others were holy knights. There were greedy dragons, cunning beasts, and even actual gods.
And humans—once so proud of their technology—suddenly seemed fragile. Small.
But there was a twist.
The Otherworld didn't come with hostility. In fact, it welcomed us. It opened itself up.
Supernatural forces began to flow into Earth in a more stable, controlled way. Humans could now touch them. Learn them. Even wield them.
And that's when the Awakening began.
At first, Earth was a desert when it came to supernatural energy. Humans were called "Mundanes"—ordinary people, unable to sense or use any of it.
Even as the energy trickled in, it wasn't enough to cause real change. Earth's environment was too barren. To create a true Awakened, it would take time—a lot of time.
Until one day, during an expedition, humans stumbled upon something extraordinary: Otherworld Essence.
It was pure, concentrated energy from the Otherworld. A core of raw power.
When brought back to Earth and released under the right conditions, this Essence could supercharge the fusion of supernatural energy with the human body.
That's when the Awakening truly began.
When someone's body absorbed enough supernatural energy, the Otherworld would… respond. It would sense them. And then, it would reach out.
Not to capture. To invite.
Those chosen by the Otherworld were pulled into it—transported into its depths, where the energy was thick and overwhelming. There, they underwent a complete transformation.
That was the Awakening.
Only those chosen—those "caught" by the Otherworld—could truly Awaken. Only they could gain a Supernatural Physique and step onto the path of power.
Anyone who entered the Otherworld on their own—through a rift or a portal—without being chosen? They'd never make the leap. The transformation would never happen.
It's like clawing your way out of the gutter—most never make it. But the ones who do? They change everything.
Once Awakened, a person could choose their path: Warrior, Knight, Sorcerer, Mage, Shaman… hundreds of legacies waited to be discovered, studied, mastered.
The Awakened weren't just powerful. They were elite.
From that moment on, humanity was split into two clear groups: The Awakened… and the Mundanes.
For Mundanes, the future was bleak.
They couldn't control supernatural forces. They had to rely on muscle and skill just to survive.
Their lives were repetitive, heavy, and hopeless.
Their only dream? That maybe—just maybe—their children would Awaken. That they'd break free from the chains of fate and rise.
But for the Awakened? The sky was the limit.
They could become the backbone of the military. Pioneers exploring the Otherworld. Heroes defending cities. Even lords ruling over entire regions.
This wasn't just a revolution of power.
It was a gamble with destiny.
Awakening wasn't just a transformation.
It was a rebirth.
…