Morning sunlight streamed through the holes in the rooftop, illuminating Grid's face as he awoke feeling refreshed.
"This might be one of the best sleep I've ever had," he mused.
He glanced at the clock, deciding it was time to focus on his plan and avoid further delays.
With a clear mind, his confusion about this new life dissipated. He resolved to leave the past behind and embrace the present. He committed to protecting and supporting his new family, his emotions now steadied by the love he felt from them, a stark contrast to the lingering pain associated with the orphanage.
His heart and mind were at peace, and his envisioned future began to take shape.
Opening the door, he observed the children playing carefree, their innocence a stark contrast to his troubled past. He envied their untainted hearts.
"I might just be reincarnated for this!" Grid chuckled softly.
Turning to Nicole, he announced, "I've found a new place for us to live. I think it's perfect. A safe and ideal home for our family."
Nicole and the children looked at him, taken aback by his sudden words. Nicole wore a look of confusion.
"I don't think we can decide; we need our parents to weigh in," she said hesitantly.
But the children, after a moment of surprise, burst with excitement. Questions flew through the air as they surrounded Grid.
"Brother Grid, does that mean we don't have to live in this old, rundown house anymore?" Jayden, the second oldest of the boys, asked eagerly, his eyes sparkling with hope.
Nicole gasped, her frustration bubbling over. "You little rascal!" she exclaimed, playfully pinching Jayden's ear.
Laughter erupted from the kids, their joy infectiously filling the room, and Grid couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. The contrast between his past and present was greater than he had thought.
"Yes, I found a new home, although we need a few days to get it ready before we can move."
"There is another problem," Nicole said, her face now filled with worry. "Mother and Father haven't come back since last night. I think something must have happened, and their phone is also unreachable."
"I thought..." Grid trailed off, remembering how chaotic the city had become.
The chaos unfolded after the trio left the city. Although it wasn't entirely his fault, it was partially his responsibility, sparked by the diamond.
"Okay, I'll go find our parents. Stay here and look after the children," Grid said. Without hesitation, he walked out of the house, disappearing into the empty surroundings.
*Blink*
Chaos erupted as smoke and explosions filled the city. Civilians scrambled for shelter, and many armed men and mercenaries walked the streets without hesitation.
Grid appeared above the clouds, away from the prying eyes of the city. With a snap, a powerful mana wave enveloped the entire area.
Grid's emotions were in turmoil. Seconds later, his search was successful, he flew above the civilians without a care.
Many people injured scream for help, and others beg for mercy.
Their plight didn't even make his heart flutter, his focus was solely on finding his parents.
He saw a collapsed building. Considering its massive size, Grid opted for the most practical spell for moving large objects: Telekinesis.
As a puppeteer, mastering the telekinesis spell was essential, as it formed the foundation for mana threads and puppet strings.
Grid moved forward with both hands, and a wave of powerful energy encircled him.
*Boom*
Debris and metal began to float, and with every step, everything nearby flew upward. If mages were present, they would see mana as a tangible force grabbing the debris like a hand before throwing it skyward.
Like a god in the mortal realm, his presence became glaringly obvious to the crowds. Mercenaries and other survivors looked at him with fear and reverence, although they couldn't believe what they saw, their minds bowed to his overwhelming presence.
As Grid lifted the building, massive floating debris cast a shadow below it, causing onlookers to fear it would suddenly drop. The trapped people began to evacuate, fearing the worst.
Grid spotted his parents trapped in a small room, their faces filled with determination to survive. He then waved his hand.
*Bam*
The thick wooden door flew open like a kite. He chose not to reveal himself to them, although he had already cast an illusion spell on his body, his mind decided it wasn't the right time.
"This isn't the time yet," he said silently while looking at the floating mass of debris. "This could be worth a fortune."
He then clasped his hands, teleporting the destroyed building to the back of his new base along with him.
The people hiding finally decided to come out, and civilians gathered to discuss their shock at the event. They looked like children who had finally seen a superhero.
Jade, one of the civilians, had recorded the entire scenario. His mind raced with questions about how it had happened. Like the others, he looked to the clear sky for the superhuman they had witnessed.
What he saw was beyond this world. While superhero stories were common in modern media, nothing compared to this reality.
As a normal human, even lifting a small piece of debris would risk breaking his arm, so he wondered how this man managed it.
What doesn't the man know? Grid's actions triggered a spark in this peaceful world, and his use of massive mana impacted the surroundings. For the first time in the history of Blue Earth, mana naturally mixed and interacted with the real world, triggering the first mana awakening.
...
Within just a few hours, the video spread like wildfire, with all kinds of comments flooding in.
Jade Wilkins, the first uploader, was bombarded with various reactions. Many theories about the event began to pop up like balloons exposed to a flame.
*Is that even possible? If this is true, I'm moving to Mars!*
*100% edited, no way this is real!*
*I was there when this happened and almost wet my pants from shock!*
*Biggest shock of my life: superheroes exist.*
Jade skimmed through the comments with great precision. All kinds of responses appeared every second, and a heated debate erupted in the video's comment section.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Jade put down the mouse and closed the computer.
He was confused by the varying accounts of those who saw the video, some claimed they saw a man holding a wand, while others described only a black shadow.
All sorts of descriptions with no apparent truth seemed to characterize this man. He then remembered a book he had often read.
"Cthulhu is a powerful, ancient being with many faces that vary according to the fears of onlookers—an evil god born from the fear of the living, bringing destruction in its wake."
Jade read the description with a smile on his face, although its appearance seemed to align with the description, ' it wouldn't be an evil god if it rescued trapped survivors.' he thought.
'And would a god come down to this world?' he wondered.
*Bam*
Just as Jade was about to open the door of his room, three men suddenly barged in.
Freaking out, Jade decided to run, but before he could open the door, a voice echoed behind him, sending chills creeping into his mind.
"Don't do that, son, let's talk like civilized people, okay? There is no use in running here." the apparent leader said.
"And stop intimidating him, Sian; you just want to look cool; I know you have that fancy gadget."
"Yeah, yeah," the guy in the robot cosplay replied. However, his demeanor and appearance seemed to be out of place, but suggested it was unwise to test the waters.
"Jerry, help us out here. You're the one with military training, so use your brains, and Sian, use the device."
Sian looked at the guy, trembling in fear, even he would wet his pants if a man with an intimidating aura and a mech barged into his house.
This was supposed to be his first mission. The mech that was on standby suddenly activated a mission with specific details.
He needed to use a device called an illusion cube. This thing was designed to erase all memories of the specified event by the maker and replace them with new ones that seem to be aligned with the natural world. The specific movie is called a memories-altering device.
But first, they needed to eliminate any evidence, such as videos or anything that could expose the unnatural.
Sian, left with no choice, decided to comply.
After Jerry erased the videos on the laptop, Sian grabbed the illusion cube. With a press, the cube began to float as runes danced around it, millions of tiny writings flew past the walls until they enveloped the entire city.
Just as they thought it was over, it suddenly emitted a screeching sound that knocked everyone unconscious for a millisecond before everything returned to normal. In a normal human, that was just a small lapse, but for Sian, who is already not normal, that small second felt like minutes.
Without a sound, they exited like professionals, though their expressions told a different story.
'What the heck was that?' Sian thought, his face reflecting confusion.