At a café on the campus of Cambridge University, three girls were busily working on their group thesis for their final year project.
They were popular around campus for their beauty and intelligence, and the male community had nicknamed them 'The Three Goddesses of the Law Department'.
"How much have we done on the impact of Brexit on UK immigration law?" asked a silver-haired beauty.
"We're almost done with that part. All that's left is to cover the impact of Brexit on refugee and asylum policies," replied another girl with sea-blue hair.
"Furina, didn't we already cover that?" asked the pompous amber-haired girl.
"What we covered was the impact on border control and security measures, Alya. Where is your focus?" the silver-haired girl responded with a frown.
"Oh, sorry! We covered so many reforms and impacts that I'm forgetting what we've completed and what we haven't," Alya said, scratching her head.
"Let's all take a break, shall we?" Furina suggested, stretching her arms.
As they finished ordering another round of snacks and refreshments, Alya started her usual girl talk.
"Gosh, when I'm done with this, I'd love to go to the jacuzzi and also get a massage. This is too much stress for a young maiden like me."
"How far will you go to impress Ethan, Alya?" asked Furina teasingly.
"S-Shut up! I'm doing this for myself. Yes, it's self-care," Alya refuted.
"You should focus more on your studies, Alya. If it weren't for us helping you with assignments, you would have failed in the first year," remarked the silver-haired girl.
"Why do you have to be so cruel, Elena?" Alya retorted.
"I'm just stating facts. Stop being lovesick over that guy. He's a politician who fakes all that to maintain a good public image," Elena said, displeased by her friend's naivety.
"You're all about studies, Elena. Where's the fun in that? You know Ethan Husk is interested in you, right?" said Furina.
"I want to focus on graduating as a top student and becoming a well-renowned advocate like my mother," Elena said, speaking about her life's goal. "I don't have time to waste on dating someone I have no interest in," she continued.
"Why would you be interested in Ethan Husk when you've set your sights on Connor Lennox, the richest student in the campus, isn't that right, Elena?" Alya chimed in, joining Furina to tease their friend.
Connor was the man she despised the most. He was infamous for many things, but being the son of Harrington Lennox and the sole heir of Lennox Corp. was what everyone on campus knew.
Yet, he was also known for his involvement with various gangs in the back alleys, and he was nicknamed 'The Delinquent Prince'.
"I don't want to be associated with that bastard. He's involved in many illegal activities like drugs and alcohol. I hate delinquents like him," Elena said firmly.
"One rumor had it that he killed a girl back in high school, but he's never opened up about it to anyone. Do you think it's true?" Alya pondered, her finger on her chin in thought.
"There can't be smoke without fire. Surely his family would have erased all traces with the power and influence they have across the country and the world," Elena said, frustrated.
She despised such abuse of laws and people who got away with their actions. They thought they were above the law, but Elena was someone who strived for justice, like her mother and father.
"Whatever, but you can't deny he is quite good looking," Furina remarked.
"He's still a step down compared to Ethan," Alya continued.
"Yeah, yeah, stop with the fangirl act, Alya. Elena hates both of those men," Furina interjected.
"By the way, have you both submitted the final assignment for Corporate Governance Reforms? It's due this evening at 5," Elena dropped a bombshell that shocked both girls.
"What? It was today? Oh no, I'm so dead now! I thought we still had a week," Alya panicked.
"I've completed it, but it looks like I got the date wrong. I need to go and submit it quickly," Furina said anxiously.
"No, please don't. Let's fail together," Alya half-joked, clearly stressed.
"You must submit the paperwork. Online submissions will not be accepted, Furina," Elena insisted, ignoring Alya's remark.
"Oh, then I gotta go take a printout fast and rush to the professor," said Furina, ready to leave, but Elena stopped her.
"Let me do it while you help Alya. I'll submit it on your behalf. Just send me the PDF by email," Elena said as she got up to leave.
"But shouldn't you be more suited to helping her? You're better than me after all," Furina protested.
"If I helped her, I might end up doing all her work, and she wouldn't learn anything from the assignment. So, you need to be the one," Elena explained firmly.
She left the café after taking the printout. As she walked around the campus, her route to the building was blocked by a parade.
"Tsk," she clicked her tongue and took a detour through a secluded alleyway between the buildings.
As she walked, she encountered a group of adult males with tattoos and piercings, staring at her like wolves. Clearly not students, they seemed more like drug dealers.
She couldn't believe the prestigious university had such lax security. Ignoring them, she tried to walk away when one of the men grabbed her hair from behind.
Reacting quickly, she pulled out her pepper spray from her purse. Before she could use it, another man grabbed her hand.
"We know how gorgeous beauties like you try to pull these stunts. Behave well, girl, you're about to enjoy the time of your life," he sneered as another man pushed her down.
"No, leave me!" she screamed, kicking one of them in the nether region and attempting to escape. But her pepper spray was snatched, and she was cornered by the men.
"Hey, could you not do such a thing? It's incredibly ugly and disgusting," a voice suddenly came from behind.
"Oh shit, it's Connor," muttered the shortest guy, a terrified look crossing his face.
"Huh... So he's the guy who always ruins my drug business," one of the men sneered.
"And you are the bastard who sends punching bags at me," Connor replied, looking surprisingly pleased. How could he not be? He finally met the man responsible for his bad reputation.
He glanced at the girl, now teary-eyed and disheveled, and said, "Thank you, beautiful lady. Thanks to you, I've met the one responsible for my bad reputation. No need to be scared. Just close your eyes, cover your ears, and sit in the corner."
With a yell, one of the men lunged at Connor with a baseball bat.
Connor dodged it effortlessly and countered with a spinning kick, showcasing his martial arts skills.
The blow broke the man's teeth, causing him to drop the bat. Connor seized it and proceeded to deliver a punishing series of blows to the man's face, staining the iron bat with blood.
The remaining men charged at him simultaneously, but Connor deftly handled them with swift footwork and precise strikes to their heads. One by one, they fell to the ground.
Connor now painted in red, turned to face the leader and the tall man, the only ones left standing.
"Are you going to come at me, or should I come to you?" he asked with a smirk.
Meanwhile, Elena watched in shock and terror at the brutal scene unfolding before her. The ground was now bloodied, and she realized that these men could potentially die if not treated soon.
"Monster," muttered the leader, his resolve faltering as he contemplated escape. He glanced at the tall man, about to instruct him to buy time for his own getaway, only to see the man already fleeing.
'What loyalty did I expect from these bunch of amateurs? They're worse than dogs' the leader thought bitterly.
Elena quickly gathered all her belongings from the floor and hurriedly left the place.
As she ran away, it left only the leader and Connor alone in the backstreet.
The leader pulled out a pocket knife and awaited Connor, who approached steadily.
As Connor neared, he did something unexpected—threw the iron bat with one hand, hitting the leader's nose and drawing blood. Stunned, the leader staggered back, facing Connor with fear in his eyes.
Connor swiftly disarmed him and used the pocket knife to scratch his hands and face, leaving scars as the leader screamed for mercy.
When Connor finished, leaving the man a mess of scars, he noticed a piece of paper caught his eye on the ground. He picked it up and read "Furina Michelle," a French name, he thought.
He also observed that she was from the law department.
He left to look for the girl, afterall he had planned to have a talk with her to not expose what happened here.
******
Elena arrived at the law department building, panting heavily. She quickly checked her belongings and noticed the first page of the assignment was missing.
"I'll just use the printer in Professor Maldini's cabin. She would allow that much for me, the model student," she thought, determined to submit her work.
After finally completing her task, she took a moment to reflect on what had happened. Lost in thought, she received a call from Furina asking about the submission.
"I've... submitted the assignment to Professor Maldini. What about Alya's work... is it done?" Elena asked, trying to maintain her usual composed demeanor.
Furina sensed something was off in Elena's voice—she knew Elena well and recognized the signs of distress. "What happened, Elena?" she inquired gently.
"Nothing happened, I'm just tired," Elena replied weakly, pausing slightly.
"Did the professor say anything to you? You know you can share anything with us, right?" Furina pressed, concerned.
Unable to hide her stress any longer, Elena opened up and recounted everything that had transpired.
"Thank you, Elena, for submitting the work on my behalf. If it were me, I would have already broken down after what happened. But look at you, you're so strong. You completed the task as if it didn't affect you at all," Furina tried to boost her friend's confidence and self-esteem.
"Yeah, but if not for Connor..." Elena started but couldn't finish the sentence, overwhelmed by the thought.
"Make sure to thank him. What he did to those guys is what animals like them deserve," Furina said, her tone chilling as if she would have done the same if given the chance.
"Yeah... I should thank him," Elena muttered more to herself than to Furina.
She paused as she overheard the voices of two people talking.
"Again, why do you want to meet Furina Michelle? You already gave me the paper," a woman's voice said.
"I have something to discuss with her," Connor replied.
"My little brother, who was never interested in a girl, is now showing interest in Furina," the woman teased, not ready to give in easily. She had to maintain her image as a professor in the academy, not just an elder sister.
"This again, Julia, don't get any weird ideas. I just need to ask her something," Connor replied, trying to deflect.
"How many times do I have to remind you to call me Professor Julia? I have an image to maintain.
If it's about asking her, you can tell me, and I'll ask her the question and get back to you. But I can't share a student's contact details," she replied firmly, her tone strict this time.
"You don't want to tell me, fine, suit yourself. I'll find her myself," Connor said as he walked out of the building.
Elena was impressed by Professor Julia's work ethic, not showing any favoritism even towards her own little brother. "How many would do that?" she thought to herself.
Another question crossed her mind: why was Connor looking for Furina? She was also surprised that he didn't know her and mistook her for Furina.
While she wasn't narcissistic, she knew she was well-known throughout the university. For him to be so unaware of her meant he either didn't have many friends or simply wasn't interested in community gatherings and meetings.
"An introvert like Furina, maybe," she pondered.
Deciding to thank Connor, she left the building to meet him privately.
As she saw Connor, she called out to him.
"Oh hey, you're Furina Michelle, right?" he asked as they met.
"I'm not Furina; she's my friend," Elena corrected him. "But about saving me from those goons, thank you for that," she added awkwardly and embarrassedly. She had never had to thank a man in her life before.
"Don't mention it. What's your name, then?" Connor inquired.
"I'm Elena Schmidt," she replied, her cheeks turning red.
Connor frowned and replied, "Oh, so you're that Elena Schmidt."
"You know me?" Elena asked, noticing his frown.
She didn't show it openly, but she was quite prideful of herself and the life she had led so far.
As she approached him, he also turned and said, "I mean what I sai..." Suddenly, they both squinted as they felt a tremor.
An earthquake hit, and everyone around them fell to the ground as the tremors intensified. Elena stumbled and fell on top of Connor, who yelped, "Ow, ow, ow, get off me, you…"
Before Elena could react, both of them heard a voice in their minds, and a window-like panel appeared in their vision.
[ Greetings to the residents of Earth.
The time to advance your stagnant race has come. I am the Universal Record of Intelligence and Evolving Lifeforms widely known as URIEL. All of you, from child to adult, insects to human, will start walking the path of evolution and supremacy as you undergo integration with the URIEL System.
The entire process is divided into three phases, which will be explained at the start of each phase ]
[ Phase 1: World Integration
Please find a safe zone or a bunker to safeguard yourselves for the next 100 hours, as this integration with Earth and all its lifeforms will take that much time. Some of you might succumb to mind attacks and become mindless lifeforms, which you people call zombies, but in URIEL terms, they are called Fallens. You may not like this test, but sacrifices are unavoidable for great things to arrive. ]
A/N:
This marks the start of the Apocalypse, As a newbie author i don't yet know how to progress the pace of the plot smoothly and handle the narration effectively
but i do revise my own chapters with a proof reader friend of mine and hence try to improve my narration with every chapter.
Please bear with me as English is not my first language
Let's enjoy the Tale of a Legend in the making, the starting volume is focused more on the MC and the system's info dumps and I will dive later into the side characters.
I challenge you will be attached to my work by the time you read till chapter 12.
Minimum 1800 words each chapter.
Adios and Sayonara