The air was thick with unease. Ever since Arion and Charlotte had stepped into the daycare, a heavy tension hung over them. They never expected things to unravel like this. Around them, other parents stood frozen, equally blindsided by the government's sudden and cold move.
Then a voice rose above the complaints
A woman, her face lined with the scars of battles past, stepped forward, her voice cutting through the murmur of disbelief. She was a military veteran.
"Do you not remember the price our ancestors paid during the Dark Havoc? The sacrifices they made for our future, for our freedom, for the freedom of our children! We are not helpless! We are parents!"
The room fell silent. All eyes were on her, the fire in her gaze lighting a spark in the hearts of those around her.
"They tell us the war ended with peace, but what peace is there when it's built on the backs of our children? My daughter is taken! They've taken everything from me, and now… you're just going to stand by? Let them strip us of the very thing we protect for?"
The silence was palpable. The weight of her words hit every parent in the room.
The chamber fell into silence.
A group of parents stood, their eyes red with grief but ablaze with purpose. They conjured elemental powers, sparks of fire, wisps of wind, currents of electricity. And then, like lightning, they charged.
Soldiers in white jumped into action. One soldier, startled, retaliated. A bolt of compressed energy shot through a father's chest.
He collapsed, lifeless.
Gasps filled the room.
The Mayor, Lord Thalric, stepped forward. His expression was cold, looking annoyed.
"Any act of retaliation will be met with death. The government does not negotiate with threats!"
Some parents did not care. This was the era of Dark Energy, an average person has a power. The fight of the parents and soldiers started to get fiercer to the point where the soldier already using guns.
"They've taken my daughter and now they've killed a person, this is too much!!!" Max shouted angrily and was ready to fight.
Max almost went ahead to launch an attack but was stopped by Arion
"Max! you better think twice, you'll die if you went up"
"I can't just—"
"Seeing the situation, it's too late to find Lux and Calliope" Arion seriously said as he looks at Max "The government must have planned this thoroughly, we can only wish that the children are safe."
Looking at the violent riot of the parents, Lord Thalric received a message and announced "Since you've raised these children, the government is willing to give each household a single vial of Level 3 Revival Fluid. That is all."
Silence filled the room. Everyone was shocked to speak.
Many new medicines emerged from the aftermath of the war. But one breakthrough stood above them all, the Revival Fluid. Unlike any other medical advancement, it grants a chance at reversing death itself, though only once. Each vial carries a specific probability of success, determined by its level. If the revival fails, another fluid cannot be used again.
There are five known levels of Revival Fluid:
Level 1: 10% chance of revival.
Level 2: 25% chance of revival.
Level 3: 50% chance of revival.
Level 4: 100% guaranteed revival.
Level 5: 100% guaranteed revival, complete disease cure, and long-term immunities.
Revival Fluids are extraordinarily rare. Their production is severely limited by the scarcity of required resources. A single vial of Level 3 Revival Fluid is considered priceless, so rare that most people will never lay eyes on one in their lifetime. Level 4 is restricted to government use only. And Level 5? Nearly mythical, a whisper of hope passed down through desperate rumors.
"The government advises everyone to forget about their children. If you don't, these soldiers will no longer hesitate to act."
Lord Thalric concluded coldly, "Even my son was taken. God alone knows whether they live or not. My condolences. This meeting is over."
And with that, he turned and left.
The room erupted. Not into violence, but confusion.
"They gave us a Level 3 Revival Fluid?" someone muttered.
"As compensation?!"
"For our children?"
"The government is absolute. What can we even do?" an older man said, sitting in disbelief.
"But my daughter, she can't live without me!"
"So what about your daughter? We've been given a rare Revival Fluid! That's enough!"
Even if they opposed the government's decision, doing so now was akin to suicide. The message had been made painfully clear. Any resistance would be met with fatal force. The soldiers, once hesitant, now stood with fingers twitching on the triggers, ready to fire without a shred of hesitation. All it would take was a single spark, and the entire hall could be soaked in blood.
The crowd began splitting in two. One side, their spirits shattered, clung to silence and submission. Their eyes were hollow, accepting that their children were gone. The other side, trembling with rage and despair, refused to give up.
Their cries, though ignored, echoed with the desperation of those who still believed justice could be reclaimed. They didn't just want answers.
They wanted their children back.
In the midst of it all, Charlotte trembled in Arion's arms. Her voice barely a whisper.
"Lux… our sweetie... please be safe…"
...
The world blurred.
Somewhere beyond consciousness, beyond pain and sound, a crimson sky loomed. Rivers ran thick with blood. Bones lay shattered across the dry land. In the center of it all stood a golden tree, tall and ancient. Its leaves shimmered brightly, each one glowing faintly with full of life.
Lux drifted above it all. Unconscious. Unbothered. His body lay still, wrapped in a cocoon of energy, floating in this surreal realm. But deep within… something stirred.
The void embraced him, warm and heavy, like a dream too deep to wake from.
Then, a sound, a familiar pressure pricked the edges of his awareness.
[ Loading… 99.9% → 100% ]
"Tsk… this again," Lux thought coldly, his eyes narrowing as darkness crept in.
[ Integrating… ]
[ Ding! Successful assimilation. ]
[ Connecting to the Sanctuary... ]
'Sanctuary? What is that?' Lux thought with a frown.
[ Error: Unable to connect. ]
[ Alert: Low Divine—Error. Reclassifying... Alert: Insufficient Quantum Signature. ]
[ Creating a backup plan... Generating Local Core Access... ]
Lux didn't understand. Not fully. But he could feel the pressure in his mind.
The system hummed.
[ Backup Core Active. Initiating a Path of Recuperation... ]
Ding!
[ System: ] [ Do you want to be a God? Become a Superstar! ]