YEAR:2161
LOCATION: Lagos, Nigeria
"Hold up, I don't get it," Tenny said after listening to Michael's story.
Michael sighed a little. He expected this much, after all, it was his brother in question.
"What part?" He asked.
Even though he didn't believe it entirely, Tenny's calm reception of Michael's story amazed him.
"Knowing him... I'm sure he's still trying to analyze the situation" He thought to himself.
"You said all the Ability Users were beamed up right? Which Ability did you plunder that enabled you to be reborn?" Tenny inferred.
Michael smiled. He too was once perplexed about how it came to be until the realization dawned on him.
"Everyone has a Special Ability!"
Tenny's eyes bulged in shock, hesitant about what he heard.
"Did I hear you right? You said-"
"As a result of the first Rip, we humans were exposed to Otherworldly energy that caused us to undergo millions of years of mutation in an instant, however not everyone is able to manifest it by natural means," Michael explained.
"What? you mean we are all potential Ability users?" Tenny burst out.
Michael nodded, remembering how he had come up with his theory and how it was confirmed.
"All Special Abilities require certain conditions for them to manifest. However, they exist within everyone all the same. It's like a recessive gene becoming dominant during mutation. My Special Ability allows me to see and extract such abilities at the most basic level" Michael continued, now donning a serious look as he spoke.
"The reason I survived was that the woman next to me had the ability of 'INSTANT INFANTRY' which enabled me to generate new and living cells, tissues, and organs as well as transferring my consciousness into my new body."
Tenny at this point had forgotten his fear and was already too engrossed in this discovery
"This is such a groundbreaking discovery... if the world knew this, things would be different. Stigmatization toward Ability Users would be nonexistent because everyone would realize that they were all the same! But there's still a part that is unclear to me. You said Otherworldly energy made the world toxic right? How come 40 years ago the humans did not die from it. Also, how did you survive in the Ruined world if it was toxic?" Tenny asked in excitement.
Michael was somewhat satisfied by his brother's optimism but he knew things were not as simple as that. Nonetheless, he was impressed that his brother had found holes in his story and was smart enough to figure those out.
"It turns out the Otherworldly energy from the 'Rip' was different from that of the Harvest. The energy that mutated all of us comes from refined and calcified Otherworldly energy, while the one later was unrefined and raw. As to how I survived in the Ruined world, Awakened Ability users are not affected by the toxin of the raw Otherworldly energy. So when I Awakened, I was immune to its effects."
Tenny seemed so captivated, however, Michael knew that the world he lived in was not so uneventful for him. The toxins were the least of the problems he encountered.
"The Otherworldly energy was not an issue to me, but that doesn't mean my journey was a walk in the park too. There were issues pertaining to feeding, shelter... and the worst problem of all... The HARBINGERS" Michael's voice took a deep undertone.
Tenny went back to the state of confusion "Harbingers? What are those?"
Michael's expression turned grim at this moment, considering whether to reveal so much to his brother at that time. However, after what seemed to be an internal debate, he decided to tell him.
"Remember the dog I saw transform right before I died?"
There was a pause for a moment, as Tenny recalled Michael's story. Remembering the dog of the boss in Michael's future office, Tenny nodded in affirmation.
"Well, I was not hallucinating! The dog evolved and mutated as well, becoming a HARBINGER." Michael revealed.
Tenny was stunned, refusing to ask any questions as he waited for his brother to proceed.
"However, it was only a Grade 4 at most, a low-level one. HARBINGERS are the true names of the Monsters that randomly appear all around the world we see a lot of them on the V.S. (Virtual Screen), and we see them being subjugated by Ability users."
"O-ooh..." Tenny gasped.
Since the 'Rip' occurred, Monsters randomly appeared from portals around the world. Of course, this caused a lot of confusion and chaos for a while, but the government resolved it by creating special forces.
By doing that, the world ultimately became safer for everyone.
"The ones I encountered were not only more ferocious, but also more powerful than the ones you currently know. That Grade 4 dog displayed the strength of a Grade 6 by this world's standard of monsters."
"W-wha-?!" Tenny exclaimed.
"Grades depend on lots of factors, mostly the amount of Otherworldly energy they possess as well as their predatory nature and instinct. So that Dog could not be compared to wild animals such as Lions which had also become 'HARBINGERS'." Michael continued.
"In the ruined world, most animals and plants had already mutated and so food was scarce. I ran into a lot of HARBINGERS and realized I needed to get stronger if I was to survive. I began to absorb as many abilities as I could and got stronger. Thus, I managed to survive that world. I even got an ability that considerably slowed down aging, that's how I was able to live for so long."
By the time he was finished, Tenny was throbbing in shock and a surging emotion of excitement. He was always one to seek out more, and the story greatly interested him.
Michael left out some parts intentionally, such as the true nature of the present world HARBINGERS, and the reason for the Rip and Harvest in the first place.
'He's not ready for that... yet!'
Tenny marveled at all that he was hearing, but he still had many questions.
"Now I've got tons of more questions... In the first place, how do you know so much of these things?"
Michael knew his brother, and if he indulged him, he would be answering questions all day. As to how he knew... some were from his observations and personal discovery, however, not all of them were.
He couldn't start telling Tenny this already, so he decided not to answer the question.
"Why don't we stop here for now. Instead of just telling you... why don't I show you?" Michael said.
Tenny's heart was already beating fast from the excitement.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
Michael stood on his feet and started walking toward the door
"We are going to hunt down a Harbinger... you coming?"
Tenny's long-forgotten nervousness returned and he didn't know what to say...
"B-But that's dangerous. I mean... I don't even have a Special Ability."
Michael knew it would come to this, but he had already made up his mind.
From the moment he had decided to tell his brother about the ruined world, he had resolved on what to do. Looking at Tenny's nervous, but expectant face, Michael smiled as he spoke;
"Did you forget what I said? Everyone has a Special Ability, and now it's time we awakened yours."
TO BE CONTINUED...