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She would have been better off going after Kelsey on her own.

But now she was stuck under his authority.

As soon she’d told Richards, instead of heading right after Kelsey, he’d decided to call a public meeting in the open since it was daylight. But people barely listened to Richards in the best of times, much less now. The ensuing chaos from him barking half-baked commands and orders was entirely predictable.

Now everyone was in a panic.

Susan glanced about pensively.

The base was built into a hillside, with only the fifty-foot-wide bunker doors giving any indication that something manmade was here at all. Whatever else was left of the original military complex was now long gone, overgrown by trees and weeds. Where they stood was once a parking lot—now transformed into a poorly maintained field. Fifty feet away—at what was once the outskirts of the perimeter fencing—was the edge of the forest, where her Kelsey now likely was.

Too much time had passed.

They needed to act!

“Damn it, Richards!” she shouted. “Will you stop wasting time? Kelsey is out there!”

“Hey!” he snapped back at her. “I realize that, but you need to calm down. I know what I’m doing, alright? And you need to realize that your daughter may have aided the enemy. We don’t know what we’re going to find out there. We need to be prepared.”

The rest of the community responded with murmurs of more confusion and unrest.

Only Richards’ subordinates, the five privates decked out in combat gear and rifles, remained stone-faced as they continued counting the people within the crowd.

This was bordering on insanity. How many times did he need to count everyone?

Her thoughts turned inward.

Why had Kelsey done this? The girl was headstrong, Susan knew that, but she wasn’t a fool. Surely that boy couldn’t have tricked her into helping him, could he? Which led to an even graver realization. That Kelsey truly had believed all those stories and was helping him of her own free will.

Her stomach was sick.

It was her fault, Susan realized. She should never have agreed to letting him speak, especially not with Kelsey there. She had to fix this.

She had to do something.

“I know where they went, Richards,” Susan spoke up again. “She’s taking him back to where we found him. He told us that.”

“For obvious reasons,” Richards said without even looking at her, checking over the rifle in his hands. “Their base of operations must be close to there. Now we either need to prepare ourselves for a full assault to extract Kelsey, or prepare for an attack. Either way, every one of us has to fight. You hear me? Everyone has to fight!”

He threw his rifle in the air as he screamed the last part, but only about a quarter of the community responded with an echoing yell.

This was stupid, she thought.

He was panicking and had no idea what to do.

She had to bring some calm to the situation.

“Everyone, listen to me!” she said. “We need to––”

Her words were cut short by a sudden clap of thunder and a flash of blue from the sky.

Everyone turned just in time to see another strike of lightning a couple miles away.

But it was odd.

There were no clouds and the sun was shining. What was more, the lightning was blue and seemed to travel upwards, disappearing into the sky.

“What the hell was that?” someone said from behind her.

“That, my friends”—Richards said quickly, regaining control—“is the enemy. No more messing around now. Reed, Conyers, disburse the remaining rifles and ammo to the militia. We’ll form into two teams. A base camp team for defense and a rescue party for Kelsey. Target is where that lightning just struck. Does everyone have the plan?”

“Yes, Sergeant!” the handful of soldiers responded in unison.

Richards scowled and then bellowed again, much louder for the entire crowd to hear.

“I said does everyone have the plan?”

Silence struck.

No one said anything.

And then slowly, like a group of scolded schoolchildren, the community responded with a disjointed series of “yes, Sergeant”s. It was appalling and perhaps even Richards himself realized how ridiculous it was. He turned red with embarrassment, but then doubled-down with his command and barked for his men to issue the rifles again.

She knew half of them didn’t even work, and there probably wasn’t enough ammunition to go around either. Susan looked to June and saw the older woman shaking her head.

“Are we going to do something?” Susan asked.

June was respected as an elder, but she wasn’t a risk taker. Not when it came to things like this anyway. “I don’t know much about warfare, Sue. But this was what Richards was trained for. I suppose we got to trust him.”

“June, my daughter is out there while he’s still trying to find his own a—”

“I see movement!” one of the privates, Reed, suddenly shouted. “11 o’clock. 1500 meters!”

A beat passed before Reed suddenly shouted again, more frantic.

“Oh shit! Make that 1300! 12!”

“Incoming!” Richards yelled, waving his arms with military gestures she didn’t comprehend. “Defense positions, now! Go go go!”

Susan’s heart was in her throat. She turned with June towards the forest that was now moving with a life of its own. Treetops swayed with flying leaves and cracking branches, marking the wake of something headed towards them at incredible speed.

“Prepare to fire on that tree line! Do not let whatever that is past the perimeter!”

Shouts of alarm came from the crowd.

“What is it?”

“Everyone, get back inside!”

“Why the hell did he bring us out here? Shit!”

A mini stampede formed, the civilians trying to rush for the small hatch at the side of the bunker. Susan screamed as she pushed against the flow trying to maintain sight of whatever it was.

A huge humanoid form burst from the trees.

It was moving so quickly it took her half a second to realize what it was.

Max?

The boy, if she could still call him that, was now towering at nearly nine feet tall. His body had grown in width as well as height, his unbelievably scarred skin barely able to contain the muscle rippling beneath it. When she saw his face—she expected to see his blue eyes filled with the fury of retribution.

But instead, she saw mirth and a smile.

The man was laughing.

It didn’t make sense.

Until she saw the smiling face of the girl upon his back.

“Kelsey!” she cried.

But it was too late. Richards had given his order and his men had already trained their rifles to fire. The man Max was moving too fast, crossing half the distance to them already in a blur.

“Don’t shoot!” she screamed. “He’s got Kel—!”

She never got the rest of it out before the first rounds of panicked gunfire sounded.

* * *

The mortal Terran in me froze at the sight of half a dozen rifle barrels pointed in my direction—an instinct born from years of viewing guns as lethal weapons. But thankfully the cultivator in me reacted first. With a grain of solid Frenzy, I channeled my [Iron Skin] technique and reached behind me, grabbing Kelsey from my back.

She barely had time to scream before the muzzles flashed, but by that time I’d already turned my back to the oncoming assault and shielded Kelsey with my body. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d only fought other cultivators until now.

Not modern-day weaponry.

But as the first bullet impacted, I knew exactly why mankind had lost the war.

It felt barely like a punch.

A sharp sting like being bit by a fire ant maybe.

It didn’t even break the skin.

A full volley of impacts ensued as the popcorn sound of automatic gunfire filled the air.

Kelsey screamed.

“Get down on the ground!” I told her, and she complied without question, pressing her palms to her ears.

The stinging was more irritating than painful, igniting the Flame within my soul.

Was this it? Was this all the resistance we’d put up against them?

The thought suddenly infuriated me.

“Is this all you’ve got?” I bellowed with [Fear the Flame] and then spun about throwing the massive blade in their direction. “WEAK!”

The half-ton of Corrupted Steel spun like a helicopter blade before slamming into the ground at an angle about five feet in front of the soldiers, kicking up a huge mound of dirt. It half buried them all and I wasted no time leaping into the air to follow up.

Lightning crackled about my body of its own accord as a surge of Frenzy coursed through my veins, filling the air with thunder. I slammed into the ground next to my blade, showering the cowering soldiers with another fresh wave of dirt and ash.

Panic radiated from them as they floundered on their backs, but I felt too disgusted by them to even cultivate it into Frenzy. With a grimace I slowly retrieved my sword from the ground. I looked out at the crowd of perhaps two hundred people, all of them staring at me like I was either a demon or a god.

I couldn’t read their minds but the fear in their hearts said demon.

I focused back on the handful of soldiers.

“Richards,” I said with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Tell your men to stand down. I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

“You expect me to believe that?” He glowered up at me, still scrambling for his weapon.

“You will believe me,” I said, kicking his rifle out of reach. “Because if I did want to hurt you, you’d all be dead right now.”

That got the message through loud and clear.

His men didn’t even wait for his command, the soldiers tossing their rifles aside and then standing with their hands up. Richards grimaced up at me with bitterness and resentment in his heart.

“Damn Space Jap,” he spat it like a curse. “I always knew which side you were on.”

Rage snapped inside of me as I snatched him from the ground.

“I’m on your side, you stupid ass!” I bellowed into his face. “And stop calling them Space Japs! They are Yee! They have nothing to do with our culture! And I have nothing to do with them either! You understand that?”

I didn’t wait for a response before throwing him back to the ground.

He landed hard on his back and then recoiled from me, his eyes wide with fear.

I ignored him and looked back to the rest of the people.

I had gained their full attention, but now I needed to put them at ease and gain their trust.

Directing the tip of my sword towards the ground, I thrusted it into the earth about three feet deep. The motion caused another stir, but more awe than panic now. It was the closest thing I could think of to signify sheathing my weapon.

“Listen to me, all of you!” I said, raising my voice with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Yes, I am the man Susan and Kelsey found out in the wild. And yes, I wield powers that you’ve seen wielded only by our enemies. But deep down I’m just a kid from Colorado. A survivor of this great calamity that has befallen us all.” I then paused a moment to look at each and every face in the crowd. “A survivor just like you.”

Slowly the fear began to subside, and a few people even stepped closer.

“It’s true,” a voice came from behind me, and I glanced down to see Kelsey take a place by my side. “He may fight like them but he’s one of us. I know he is. I trust him.”

Finally, someone had the guts to shout something from the crowd.

“What the hell are you?” a grizzled old man in his fifties said. “Who are you?”

I cracked a grin at him. “Apologies. My entrance didn’t allow for introductions. You may call me Max. And what I am…is a cultivator.”

The blank and confused expressions on their faces told me they’d never heard the word used like that before. They probably thought I was talking about farming or some shit.

“It means I’m able to harness energy and use it to cultivate strength within my own body,” I said. “It’s what the Yee used to defeat us. But it’s the same power that I’ll now use to defeat them.”

Murmurs arose from the crowd as did some lemonade.

“You’re as strong as them now?” someone else asked.

“One day I’ll be stronger than all of them,” I said. “But that’s not what’s important right now. What’s important right now…is all of you.”

That truly got their attention. Even Richards looked up at me quizzically.

“The Yee have conquered the entire Earth,” I continued. “Those like me, who were left to live, have been indoctrinated into their empire. Colonized. Our history and culture erased. But you…you few who braved the darkness of that bunker for over a decade. You will become the true saviors of humanity.”

I looked down at Kelsey as I said it and her eyes shone with the conviction of my words.

“You’ve endured hardships that I can only imagine,” I said, looking back to them. “Endured without a hope for a future. Endured beyond what our enemies believed possible. But I’ve come to tell you that today your struggles have not been in vain. Fate has blessed you with purpose. Today I’ve found the true seed of humanity. Our culture. Our language. Our history. That is what you have preserved through your struggle. And that’s what I’ll now fight to restore.”

All fear had subsided now, a steady confidence building within them.

“You’re going to defeat all of them?” someone else said. “Just you?”

I smiled. “Cultivation is not magic. It’s knowledge. And knowledge can be taught. I’m not sure how many of you have the aptitude to learn, but if you do, there is nothing stopping you from one day becoming as strong as I am. Or stronger even. Even immortality with the power of a true god. The only limitation is how much [Sorrow and Pain] you’re willing to endure and how strong your desire is to take back this planet from our enemies.”

Stares of wonder were replaced with grimaces of staunch determination as I sensed something other than lemonade emanating from the crowd. There, amidst the numbers were at least thirty or more unkindled embers, rage burning within their souls.

Holy shit….

That was far more than I was even expecting. But I supposed they had spiritual roots far deeper than even my own when it came to their [Sorrow and Pain]. I wanted nothing more than to dig into the Shuras tempting me on Threja’s blade and perhaps learning how to ignite these people’s Flames.

But there were more pressing matters to attend to first.

“Alright,” I said. “There are going to be some changes around here. The first being…” I glanced down at Richards. “Sergeant Richards, you’re no longer in charge.”

“What?” he said.

“The first rule of this new world we’re in, is that strength matters above all else. Those with strength rule.” I looked down with a smirk. “So unless you’re willing to face me in a duel. I suggest you step aside.”

The crowd murmured with uneasiness at that, but I quickly followed up by looking for Susan in the crowd.

“But while those with strength rule,” I said. “Those with wisdom are chosen to lead. Thus, Doctor Winters, I’m placing you in charge.”

Richards fumed. “What? You can’t do that! This is a milita—”

“A military that lost,” I reminded him. “You’re obsolete, Richards. And so are your rules. If we want to survive, we need to adapt. But luckily that’s a strength you here all already possess.”

There was some stir at that, but no one seemed to be complaining about the change in leadership.

“Fine,” I said. “With that settled. There’s one more thing that needs change.” I gripped the hilt of Threja’s blade and pulled it from the ground. “I need to get you all some food.”

* * *

Susan reunited with her daughter, the girl looking sheepish as she approached her mother.

“Mom, I’m sorry,” Kelsey said. “I just did it to—”

“Shut up and help me organize these folks,” Susan said, before looking up at me. “This ‘friend’ of yours has caused quite the stir.”

Kelsey blushed but then quickly bowed out, heading into the crowd to help an old woman who looked in her 70s. After my speech the people seemed more upbeat in general. Although if it was all from me, or just not having Richards in charge anymore, I wasn’t sure.

“Sorry about volunteering you for leadership,” I said. “You’re the only person I really know besides Kelsey. But you raised a good kid, so I think that’s a good enough qualification for me.”

Susan smirked. “I still don’t fully understand just what the hell you are, Max. But like everyone else, I’m satisfied that you’re on our side at least, so I’m good with that for now. As for leadership, with Jim gone most of these people come to me for nearly everything anyway. Being a doctor in these times you may as well be a priest.”

I chuckled. “Can I ask you for a favor then, Ms. Priest?”

She cocked her head at me questioningly.

“Can you get them to dig a pit for me? Ten foot wide. A foot deep?” I nodded to the indentation I’d made with the sword. “They can finish where I started.”

“What for?” Susan asked.

“We’re going to have a barbeque.”

* * *

It took me about half an hour utilizing my handler skills to track down something worth eating. About a mile away I found a giant boar that was the size of a small car. I dispatched it quickly, and after gutting the beast, threw the fresh carcass over my shoulder and hauled it back to camp.

I was rewarded with fresh lemonade for my efforts as I slammed the two tons of fresh pork onto the grass. Borrowing a knife, I put my other handler skills to use, skinning and butchering the carcass into edible portions.

With years of handler experience under my belt, the skills came naturally, and I directed the soldiers how to construct the rest of the fire pit while I went back into the forest to chop down a few trees for firewood. Within another half hour it was all finished and I lit the fire with a bolt of blue lightning from my palm.

As the meat cooked, I got to know my new tribe and they got to know me.

I told them the same stories I’d told Susan, starting with my personal history and then transitioning to where humanity now stood as a whole. The empire, the forced education, and the true purpose of the giant pagodas in the sky.

“So you mean without them, they’d all be forced to live in bunkers like us?” June asked.

I chuckled. “I suppose. But it’s not like they’re starving for choices when it comes to planets to inhabit. As far as I can tell, they’ve colonized most of our known galaxy. Maybe even more. But don’t worry, I don’t think you’ll need to stay in that bunker much longer.”

They all looked at me with a glimmer of hope yet incomprehension.

“You saying that we can travel to this city?” Richards asked, full of skepticism.

I glanced at Threja’s sword, which I’d stuck back into the ground.

“In time,” I said. “But I got some other ideas first.”

That allowed me the perfect segue into what most people were probably itching to hear about the most—cultivation. I started with the basics and then went into the various application of Qi and how it had transformed the world. Its use in combat, in industry. But there was rapt attention when I explained how it was employed in day-to-day life as well.

“People even farm and cook with it,” I said. “In fact, that’s what most of us do for a living in the cities. But even just one farmer with basic cultivation skill could keep a community your size alive. Even through winter.”

That sparked wild conversation in the group.

My own statement got me thinking too.

A little over 24 hours from now, I had to keep my date with Hein. And while I’d regained my powers, I still had no idea how far away Jurin was or what it would take to get back there. But before I left there was something far more fundamental I needed to attend to first.

“Susan, do you still have paper and something to write with?”

“Not a lot,” she said. “A few good pens left. A couple of boxes of paper that might still be good in one of the lower store rooms.”

“Perfect,” I said. “After we eat, there’s something I need to do.”

We feasted on freshly cooked boar by noon and the spirits of the entire community was lifted. Even Richards, who was still brooding like a scolded child, managed to crack a few laughs between scowls and eventually came around a bit. Afterwards, Susan and Kelsey led me back into the bunker to show me maps of where we were exactly and using my rough estimation of where the wall was located, I calculated I was about two hundred miles from Jurin.

Holy crap, I thought. I’d covered that much distance in a single night?

Of course, I was delirious and hopped up on Dark Frenzy at the time so who knew how fast I was truly moving back then. But now, with my solid core, I could maintain my Mark techniques near indefinitely. With [Mark of the Beast] I figured I could make it back home in a solid five hours given terrain. I added another two for contingency and had my departure time set.

Just before dawn tomorrow, I thought.

That gave me roughly 18 hours to get it all done.

But could I really do it in that short a time?

I didn’t know for sure, but perhaps with some help…

“Kelsey, how fast can you write?”

She looked at me funny. “Write?”

“Yeah,” I said. “If my spoken English was rusty, I can only imagine what my writing is going to be like.”

“Well, I found the paper,” Susan said. “What exactly is it you need to write?”

I smiled and gave Kelsey a wink.

“A book on how to do magic.”

A few minutes later I got to work, setting up a small table in Susan’s clinic. I summoned my Frenzy as I looked into my mind’s eye, flexing my Mental Capacity as I recalled the Fundamentals of Cultivation manual.

“You ready?” I asked Kelsey and she gave me a nod, pen in hand.

“Okay,” I said as I opened the first page. “Write down exactly what I tell you.”