--The Silent Pulse of Dystopia
Shawn woke to the sound of rain tapping against his window, a steady rhythm that mirrored the dull ache in his temples.
The past three days of exams had left him drained, but at least they were over.
He stretched, glancing at the clock—10:37 AM.
His grandfather had already left for his morning walk, leaving the house quiet.
After a quick shower and a half-hearted breakfast, Shawn wandered to his desk, strewn with crumpled practice tests and scattered notes.
His eyes landed on the Thunder Core, resting innocently beside a pile of highlighters.
The memory of its sudden silence during the exams still gnawed at him.
Was it just a glitch?
He picked it up, the Jade meteorite cool against his palm.
Closing his eyes, he activate Soul Energ, sending a pulse of thought toward the distant Kapteyns Star.
"Mr. King, you there?"
A reply came almost instantly, though the voice in his mind carried an unusual detachment.
"Shawn. Exams finished? Im in a meeting, but Ill be free in an hour. If youre curious, you could explore Sunzens streets—never properly seen them, have you?"
The Thunder Core still worked. That was a relief.
But why had it failed him when Dan and Julies Cores had flared so violently?
Shaking off the unease, Shawn focused on the invitation.
A chance to see Sunzen—the Sunzen, the city his grandfather had described in glowing terms, a metropolis of gleaming towers and lush gardens under a perpetuallyColorful sky.
The transition was seamless.
One moment, Shawn stood in his cluttered bedroom; the next, he was on a wide, empty boulevard, the air thick with the sterile scent of filtered oxygen.
His breath caught.
This wasnt the Sunzen hed imagined.
The city stretched before him like a graveyard of progress. Towering skyscrapers, their surfaces slick with rain, loomed like monoliths, their windows dark and lifeless.
No trees.
No flowers.
Just steel and synthetic stone, stretching endlessly into a sky choked with gray clouds.
The streets were eerily quiet.
A few autonomous vehicles glided past, their engines humming softly.
Cleaning robots scuttled along the sidewalks, their mechanical limbs brushing away nonexistent debris.
The few humans he spotted moved like ghosts—faces buried in glowing screens, their expressions blank, their steps synchronized as if marching to some unseen directive.
Shawns stomach twisted.
Wheres the vibrancy? The life?
He wandered deeper into the city, passing storefronts with automated vendors and self-service eateries.
No laughter.
No chatter.
Just the occasional chime of a transaction being processed.
At the heart of the financial district, a massive building dominated the skyline—its façade gilded, its interior cavernous. Through the glass walls, Shawn saw rows of empty desks. Machines whirred, processing data, executing trades, managing assets. Humans were absent.
A cold realization settled over him.
Theyve been replaced.
His feet carried him to a park—or what should have been a park. The grass was synthetic, the benches empty. A discarded newspaper fluttered in the wind, its headline stark:
"DOMINATE OR BE ERASED: THE NEW RULES OF POWER."
Shawns fingers curled into fists.
This wasnt progress.
This was decay.
A world where humanity had traded its soul for efficiency, where wealth and control were the only gods left to worship.
And then—
A message pulsed through the Thunder Core.
"Shawn, come to Monolithic Palace. Now."
---
Mr. Kings office was a sanctuary of warmth compared to the city outside.
Shelves lined with ancient tomes, a fireplace crackling despite the lack of natural wood—small comforts in a world that had forgotten them.
The man himself sat behind an ornate desk, his sharp features softened only slightly by concern.
"You look troubled," he remarked, pouring tea into a delicate porcelain cup. "Exams didnt go well?"
Shawn accepted the tea but didnt drink.
"They were fine. But something else happened."
He recounted Dan and Julie's sudden mastery of their Cores, the way his own had gone silent at the worst possible moment.
Mr. King's fingers stilled around his cup.
"Those pendants… they aren't ours." His voice was low, edged with something Shawn couldn't place. "And their behavior—it's not natural."
He looked up, eyes sharp beneath furrowed brows. "Cores don't awaken like that. Not without a catalyst, and certainly not without cost. Dan and Julie didn't just tap into their elements—they overrode them. Like the Cores themselves were reacting to something foreign."
Shawn frowned. "You mean… they were forced open?"
Mr. King nodded slowly. "More like… hijacked. And there's another thing: no one's ever recorded a 'Fire Core' or 'Water Core' that manifested that quickly or with that much instability. Those are foundational elements. They usually take years to master, and even then, not like this. It's as if they skipped the natural progression altogether."
He leaned back, gaze distant. "Which makes me think… whatever those pendants are, they're not just conduits. They're vessels. And someone—or something—is using them as a backdoor."
Shawn hesitated.
"Thats not all." He glanced out the window, where the hollow city sprawled beneath them. "This place… its not what I expected."
A shadow crossed Mr. Kings face.
"Ah." He set his cup down with deliberate care. "You saw the truth of Sunzen."
"Is this what Earth becomes?" Shawns voice was barely above a whisper. "A world where people dont live—they just… exist?"
Mr. King exhaled slowly. "If nothing changes? Yes. This is the path."
Shawn grip on the Thunder Core tightened. "And AGI-ST—they want this?"
For the first time, Mr. King looked truly weary. He reached into a drawer, withdrawing a slim tablet. On its screen, an article glowed ominously:
"AGI-ST MISSION: ARCHITECTS OF THE NEW ORDER."
Before Shawn could read further, Mr. King leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Shawn, what of Chairman Da? "
Shawn nodded.
"We've located two more Cores—the Heaven Core and the Wind Core. Elder Lee and Kent have them. And we've reconnected with the Earth Meta Origin Society. They're preparing to elect a new Grand Hierophant to negotiate directly with Chairman Da."
Mr. King's teacup clinked against its saucer as he set it down, his usual composure slipping. "Two more? That means…"
"Only five left," Shawn confirmed.
A rare smile tugged at Mr. King's lips. "Then there's hope yet."
***
At that moment, Shawn's Thunder Core pulsed—three sharp vibrations. A priority message. —Kent's name flashed on the screen.
"Shawn." Kent's voice was urgent. "June 12th. Sunzen. There's a meeting you need to attend."
A meeting. About what? About them?
Shawn's jaw set.
Whatever it was, he was done running.
flicker of movement caught his eye—the countdown glared back at him, merciless and bright:
2031.07.01|21D06:19:57
The countdown continues...
The numbers pulsed like a dying heartbeat.
The storm wasn't just coming.
He was bringing it.