In 2030, The World's Essence was released to the world. Every household on Earth received a copy, and what began as a simple game quickly became an international sensation. Its unique mechanics and engaging gameplay captured the imagination of millions, earning it recognition as one of the greatest games ever made. But in January of 2040, something unthinkable occurred. Each copy of the game suddenly pulsed with a brilliant cerulean light, and when it faded, rifts appeared—tearing through space itself. Out of these rifts emerged grotesque, twisted versions of the creatures and entities from the game, materialising into reality. The line between the game world and Earth had been irrevocably shattered.
At first, governments and scientists scrambled to understand what was happening. They discovered that those who had mastered abilities in the game now possessed these powers in real life. These abilities were known as Essences—powers that mirrored their in-game counterparts. Six core categories existed, each tied to a fundamental force of nature: fire, water, earth, air, light, and dark.
As the rifts spread, the world learned that Essence users were ranked based on their mastery of their powers—through a process known as Enlightenment. Each Enlightenment marked a new level of synchronisation between the user and their Essence.
Enlightenment 1: Novice
The Novices were those newly awakened to their Essences. Their powers were weak and often ineffective, barely able to hold back the rift creatures. An example would be a small blast of flame or a small gust.
Enlightenment 2: Adept
Adept users had a better understanding of their Essences and were able to harness their abilities more effectively. They could face lesser rift creatures with some success. An example would be a medium size controlled water shield or a moderate fireball.
Enlightenment 3: Expert
Experts had achieved a high level of mastery, able to use their powers in more complex ways. They could take on mid-tier rift creatures with relative ease. An example would be summoning large stone barriers or whipping up powerful air currents.
Enlightenment 4: Master
Masters were highly skilled in their Essences, capable of facing the strongest rift creatures and closing portals with up to 150% completion. An example would be creating small earthquakes or powerful firestorms.
Enlightenment 5: Elemental
Elementals represented the pinnacle of Essence mastery. With god-like control over one of the six core elements, they could handle the most formidable rift creatures and close massive portals. An example would be summoning meteors or phasing through space and time.
While most Essence users fell into these categories, there were a rare few whose powers could not be neatly defined. These individuals wielded Unique Essences, abilities unlike any of the core six. These powers were deeply personal, shaped by their personalities, experiences, and fates.
Inside the E.A (Essence Association) headquarters in the retaken Sydney, shouts and screams could be heard as the executives argued over a recently discovered essence wielder.
"He shouldn't be considered a unique essence wielder! He should be under wind!" Argued the director of wind essences.
"Hans he can run at 120km per hour. He is most definitely a unique essence wielder," argued the director of fire essences.
On the table lay a file with a picture clipped onto it. It depicted a man with tousled black hair and a grin spanning ear to ear. Just below, stamped in big bold red letters, his name plastered in the centre: Levi Mercer.
"He's just a fast runner, nothing more and nothing less!"
"Hans he can run on water!"
A giant projector flickered and whirred to life, displaying a picture of Levi Mercer running on top of water. A gust of wind passed the building managing to nearly uproot the entirety of their headquarters.
"And there he goes again…"
A blur sped across the sea. The rank 2 enlightened Levi Mercer was near invisible to the naked eye as he blurred past Sydney and kept on running to Brisbane. Moving at the speed of sound, he managed to reach Brisbane in a mere hour while travelling over 1000 kilometres. Speeding across the sea, he examined the ocean floor trying to determine if any portals were open. "Alright so nothing there-" Within seconds, someone had grabbed onto his face and slammed him into the water. They held him under water for a few seconds before Levi evaded his grip by diving deeper.
Deep underwater his lungs burned and begged for oxygen forcing him to desperately swim to the surface. As his lungs neared their bursting point, he surged back above water taking a huge breath of relief. Turning to face his assailant, he was met by a masked man with crimson eyes that bore into his very essence. He covered himself in a cloak that seemed to ripple as if it was alive.
"You… Who and what are you?"
Levi stanced himself, vibrating fast enough to remain afloat.
"The predator has no need to indulge his prey."
The man vanished, his presence erased from the area. Levi's instinct blared in his mind, turning around as fast as he could, he saw the man's right hand in a flicking position. Face contorted in fear, Levi tried to kick the man away to no avail. A suffocating aura surrounded and choked him, his eyes shook, unable to fully focus.
"Overwhelming Force."
The flick was light-almost dismissive-until the air cracked and shattered. The deadly shockwave bore no resemblance to the flick that had caused it as it ripped through the ocean with a devastating roar. Levi's ribs shattered bearing the brunt of the force, while his wrists and ankles were fractured just from the impact. Crashing into the sea floor, blood leapt out of his mouth and into the water that filled the crater. The masked man descended slightly and looked at Levi in disdain.
"Pathetic. The existence of fools like you is why humanity escaped to the skies."
And yet again, he vanished, appearing yet again on top of a building 80 metres away. The radio in his coat pocket buzzed to life.
"So Kael, how'd you like my short distance teleporter?"
A cheeky voice came across, revealing the name of the cloaked fighter to be Kael.
"It is useless in close range combat. I would rather use my own speed-something your machines will never copy."
A playful sigh escaped from the inventor.
"Are you just jealous that the machine is faster than you? Is it hurting your little emo ego?"
Slightly ticked off, Kael proceeded to crush the radio with his bare hands and throw the components on the roof he was standing on. He overlooked the large city and watched monsters run rampant. His nose curled up and a frown crossed his face.
"These damn… HERETICS!"
His fingers bit into his palm causing his blood to leak out rapidly. However, rather than being wasted, they seemed to coagulate and form a curved blade. They formed onto a hilt that he had retrieved from his cloak just moments earlier. The hilt was slightly elongated with a matte finish to enhance grip. A crescent guard was attached to protect Kael's hand during combat. The blade also tapered slightly towards the end to allow his slashes to be optimized.
"HERETICS MUST BE EXTERMINATED!"
Leaping off the building, he equipped his blade in a reverse grip before executing a grotesque ape-like monster. Upon his face, an ominous smile crept. His pupils narrowed to a terrifying dot. He revelled in the blood that spewed everywhere.
"IT'LL BE A MASSACRE!"
It took merely 34 minutes for every monster in Brisbane to be killed. A pile of burning corpses positioned in the heart of the city accompanied by the destroyed portals. Blood strewn across every window in the city. Holes punctured through apartments and offices. It was a horrible and putrid sight to anyone but Kael, for him, this was the greatest piece of art he had ever orchestrated. Before he could leave, a blur of speed passed him.
"Oh? You're still alive?"
Standing in front of him was none other than Levi Mercer. He was bloody and beaten, but there was no doubt in Kael's mind that it was him.
"I will kill you, rip you apart piece by piece."
Something was definitely different, his carefree nature had disappeared and been replaced by vengeance. They dashed toward each other at overwhelming speeds, a boom resonating through the city and shattering windows left and right. Meeting right in the center, they exchanged a flurry of blows, Kael leading with slashes targeting vital organs and Levi redirecting them. Retreating to a building, Kael shattered his blade and allowed the shards of blood to return to his body.
"Have you given up?"
Levi was already standing in the doorway. His eyes burning with hatred. Kael calmly turned around, stancing himself with his clasped palm in front of him and an open palm facing the ceiling in front of him. He stood completely and absolutely still.
"If you're just gonna stand there I'll invite myself in!"
Levi sped towards Kael at mach 3 causing a sonic boom to erupt. Mere moments afterwards he was firmly implanted within a wall. It had happened so fast Levi even with his abilities couldn't register it. The only trace of any action from Kael was but a small twitch of his wrist. Kael turned around slowly, chalk full of openings. Levi dashed in this time aiming for Kael's leg. And yet again he was implanted within a wall. This time the only trace being a slight movement of Kael's elbow. In his rage, Levi reached an enlightenment. Moving at mach 4 and his new ability activated, he rushed towards Kael.
"Levi Mercer's third enlightenment, unlocked ability Arrow's Limit restricts all attacks that originate from outside the localised kinetic distortion from reaching inside it. The appropriate counter is…"
Just as Levi is about to land his attack,
"Attack within the localised kinetic field."
A devastating kick straight to the liver. The battle was over. Levi vomiting blood and Kael standing above him. Clicking his tongue, Kael called a hospital.
"Send an ambulance now. There's a patient with a ruptured liver in Brisbane. All monsters have already been exterminated."
Hanging up the phone, Kael adjusted his now bloodied cloak and surveyed the city. Blood splattered across the city and an eerie silence that had captured it. Yet, he showed no trace of remorse. In his mind, this purge was necessary. It was divine retribution.
Levi Mercer, barely conscious, forced himself to look up at Kael. His eyes burned with hate and anger, even as blood dripped from his lips.
"You… You call this justice?"
Levi spat, his voice barely able to come out as more than a whisper. Kael let out a thunderous howl, truly amused by the man in front of him.
"Justice? No, my dear boy. Justice is an unattainable ideal the weak cling to. What I bring is ORDER. Your kind have failed this world-clinging to the hope that you may reclaim it by relying on power borrowed from the world invading you! But me? I am the reality that will crush your delusions. I will no longer let the WEAK rule over this world. I WILL SLAUGHTER-"
Just before Kael could finish his sentence, blaring sirens grew in volume.
"It seems I've been interrupted. No matter, we will meet again Levi, I just hope you provide a greater challenge then."
As Kael stood, the roar of engines filled the air. A convoy of vehicles from the E.A. arrived at the edge of the destroyed city, flanked by helicopters overhead. They were too late to witness the speech but just in time to see its speaker.
Kael turned to leave, his figure fading into the shadows of a nearby alley. His blade, now dissolved into his bloodstream, pulsed faintly under his skin. As he vanished, the radio crackled back to life in his cloak—another of the inventor's prototype, no doubt.
"Kael you're a bit… Messy dontcha think?"
The voice teased over the radio. Kael had already returned to his cold face, his crimson eyes a beacon in the dark.
"Messy? No, I'm thorough."
He answered, crushing the radio yet again.
The broadcast from Brisbane flickered across the monitors. Executives and researchers watched in stunned silence as Kael's rampage and his fight with Levi replayed. One of the directors slammed his fist on the table.
"This is what happens when we let unregulated Unique Essences run wild!" he bellowed. "We need a task force. No, a subjugation unit to bring this man down before he wipes out more cities!"
"But what about Mercer?" another asked, their tone hesitant. "He's still alive, and he unlocked his third Enlightenment in the fight. Surely, he can be an asset against Kael?"
The room erupted into chaos, arguments breaking out between those who wanted to save Levi and those who saw him as a liability. Amid the clamor, the screen zoomed in on Levi's bloodied, beaten body as medics loaded him into a stretcher.