Ethan Alvarez hated mornings. They felt like tiny failures, a constant reminder that he was nowhere near where he wanted to be. He'd left the suburbs for the city chasing opportunities that always seemed to slip just out of reach. The South Bronx wasn't the glamorous cityscape he'd imagined, but it was what he could afford while he tried to scrape together something resembling a life. The city blared outside his one-bedroom apartment on the sixth floor, horns honking and construction machinery groaning like the city itself was waking up with a hangover. Here, sleep was a myth and ambition was the closest thing to a religion.

  Today was supposed to be like any other: underpaid, overworked, and dangerously caffeinated. But it wasn't.

  He had just stepped out of his apartment, earbuds already in, starting through a podcast on "How To Make Your First Million Without Actually Trying," when the world... cracked. That was the only word for it. A sharp, echoing sound that made the air vibrate like someone had torn open the sky itself. His phone screeched with static, the podcast cutting out in a burst of digital noise before the screen went dark.

  The crackling noise wasn't just sound. It was pressure, weight, like being submerged underwater with someone cranking up the gravity.

  Ethan stumbled, catching himself on the wall of the narrow hallway. The light flickered once, twice, then died, plunging the entire floor into darkness. His ears popped. His skin prickled as if the temperature had dropped ten degrees in an instant. He pulled out his dead phone, jabbing uselessly at the power button. Nothing.

  Then he saw it.

  Through the narrow sliver of a window facing the street, something impossible hovered over the street like a jagged wound in reality. A tear. A portal. Its jagged edges bled colors that shouldn't exist, swirling in patterns that hurt to look at. It twisted in on itself, a hungry thing devouring reality's fabric. From his vantage point six floors up, he could see it was centered a few blocks away, near the intersection with the old pizza place and supermarket right across.

  People below screamed, their voices a jumbled mess of terror and confusion. Some ran, feet pounding against the pavement in a frantic scramble, while others stood frozen, eyes locked on the impossible tear in the sky as if trying to will it away. The acrid scent of burning rubber mixed with the salty tang of sweat and something else—something metallic and wrong. Ethan's legs wobbled, his instincts torn between fleeing or staring like an idiot. His body chose option C: collapsing against the wall while his heart hammered out a Morse code of pure terror.

  Then the voice came.

  [System Initializing...]

  It wasn't a sound so much as a thought pressed directly into his mind, hot and cold at the same time. His vision blurred, a status screen appearing in front of him like a translucent overlay.

  [System Message: Welcome, Ethan Alvarez. You have been Awakened.]

  [System Message: Power Unlocked: Essence Manipulation]

  His eyes stung, a headache building behind his skull like a vice. And then came the pain. It was as if his entire nervous system had been doused in acid and set on fire. His throat clenched around a scream he couldn't release. Everything was blinding white agony.

  And just as suddenly as it began, it was over. His body shuddered as if rebooting itself.

  Breathing hard, he forced his eyes open. The world seemed sharper, sounds clearer, his body strangely... energized.

  He looked back at the portal, which was still there, a writhing gash in reality that leaked oily tendrils of shadow and light. The air around it crackled with an electric hiss, the kind that made his skin itch and his teeth ache. A foul, coppery scent clung to the air, like blood left to rot under the sun, and a low, maddening hum resonated just beneath his hearing, scratching at his sanity. But now, a part of him wasn't afraid. A part of him felt... curious.

  Whatever had happened, this "System" wasn't going to beat him. Not here. Not in his city.

  The world had changed, and somehow, he'd changed with it. And maybe, just maybe, he could use that to survive.

  Ethan's head still throbbed, but his senses had never felt so... alive. The air felt crisp, sharp, like his lungs were pulling in filtered purity instead of the exhaust-and-garbage stench of the South Bronx. His skin tingled, as if energy buzzed just beneath the surface. The pain was gone, replaced by something deeper. Something hungry. Ethan could feel the world changing around him and within him.

  He needed to get out of the hallway, but going down towards the chaos didn't feel right. His apartment, his safe space, called to him. He turned, ran back to his door, and fumbled with the keys. Heart pounding, he finally got the door open, rushing inside and slamming it shut behind him. He leaned against the door, panting, as the world outside continued to crack and groan. His senses were heightened, the air in his apartment feeling unusually clean, his skin tingling with a strange energy.

  He stumbled back to the window, drawn again to the horrifying spectacle outside. The portal writhed, shimmering like oil on water, while below, the chaos intensified. People ran, but others shambled forward with glassy eyes and twisted expressions – changed. He knew he couldn't hide forever. His thoughts scrambled, the madness outside mirroring the foreign energy now buzzing beneath his own skin. *Could they be connected?* The thought was insistent. He fumbled for his phone, hoping for answers or help, but the screen glitched uselessly, signal bars flickering before dying completely. Attempts to call 911 failed. Whatever that portal was, it warped more than just reality. Remembering the words that had burned into his mind—*Awakened, Essence, Abilities*—he desperately tried to focus, to recall that strange menu. Steeling himself, he forced his thoughts to align, and to his surprise, the status screen shimmered back into existence, translucent and waiting.

  [System Status Screen]

  Name: Ethan Alvarez

  Level: 1

  Power: Essence Manipulation

  Stored Essences: None

  Base Stats: Strength: 12, Agility: 12, Vitality: 12, Perception: 12, Intelligence: 12, Willpower: 12

  (Stats elevated beyond normal human limits due to Awakening.)

  Seeing it laid out so clearly made the impossibility of the situation feel just a little more real. But it didn't answer anything. Why him? Why now? The questions tangled in his mind, but the answers would have to wait.

  He looked back out the window, his gaze locked on the portal. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't just floating above the city—it was pouring something into it. His eyes widened as he saw the truth: twisted figures crawling and stumbling out from the darkness of the portal, dragging themselves into the world like predators tearing through a fresh kill.

  Monsters. That's what they were, or maybe what they had become. Their limbs moved in erratic, unnatural motions, like puppets on tangled strings. And their eyes—black, lifeless, yet somehow filled with a feral, maddened drive. Worse yet, they seemed to spill from the portal like a wound in the world leaking madness. Whatever that tear was, it was birthing nightmares into the streets of the Bronx.

  "Help! Somebody help!" A woman's voice shrieked from somewhere below, cutting through the ambient chaos like a knife. The city had been alive with panic—screaming, shouting, crying—but this was different. It was a plea, desperate and human, and something about it stirred Ethan to action.

  Maybe it was because the System had made him feel like he could do something. Maybe it was the sudden hunger thrumming through his veins, demanding he test his newfound strength. Or maybe he just couldn't stand listening to someone die while he sat on his ass.

  Whatever the reason, his body moved before his mind could catch up.

  He barreled out of his front door and down the stairwell, skipping steps and nearly tripping over himself. His entire body felt charged, like his nerves were lit fuses ready to ignite.

  He burst out of the building's lobby and onto the street. The chaos was worse up close. The creatures—because there was no other word for them—were attacking anyone too slow or too stunned to flee. Blood pooled on the cracked pavement, the smell of copper thick in the air.

  But there was something else. Something only he seemed to notice. Threads of light, faint but undeniable, clung to the creatures like auras. They pulsed, shifted, and twisted with a madness that seemed to resonate from the portal itself.

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  [System Notice: Essence Detected.]

  The message scrolled across his vision like a heads-up display in some futuristic game. Before he could process it, one of the creatures lunged at him, all flailing limbs and gnashing teeth.

  He reacted on pure instinct. His hand shot forward, connecting with the creature's chest. A surge of heat rushed through his fingers, a pulse of raw energy that yanked something from the beast like tearing away a sheet of plastic.

  [Essence Acquired: Frenzied Hunger.]

  The creature shrieked, a high-pitched sound of agony that cut off abruptly as it convulsed and dropped to the ground, motionless.

  "What the hell..." Ethan stumbled backward, his breath coming in shallow, uneven gasps as his vision filled with more System messages.

  [Would you like to store or synthesize essence?]

  "Store or synthesize...?" he muttered, staring down at the dead creature and then at his own trembling hands.

  He willed himself to focus, and a faint, blue-tinted menu materialized before his eyes. Two options blinked, waiting for him to make a choice.

  He chose Store.

  A strange warmth settled into him, a feeling like holding a live wire without the pain. The knowledge of what he had taken was there, deep in his mind. Frenzied Hunger. Pure aggression, stripped of thought or reason.

  Then, more messages flooded his vision.

  [System Mechanics Unlocked:]

  [Essence Storage: Store up to three essences for synthesis or temporary activation]

  [Essence Synthesis: Combine essences to create new abilities]

  [Signature Abilities: Lock successful syntheses as permanent abilities]

  Ethan's mind raced. The System wasn't just some passive observer. It was something he could interact with, something he could manipulate. And if he could use it to fight back...

  Another creature lunged at him, but this time he was ready. His hands shot out, and the process repeated. More essence. More power.

  A manic grin split Ethan's face. This power had made him stronger. And he was going to make damn sure it kept him alive.

  Ethan's breath came in rapid, shallow bursts. His hands trembled, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. But mixed with the fear, there was something else—a sick thrill. Whatever this System was, it had given him power. The power to survive.

  He stumbled backward, eyes darting between the corpse of the creature he had just slain and the portal still tearing reality apart above the street. There were more of them now. Monsters dragging themselves out from the darkness like nightmares made flesh.

  He couldn't stay out in the open. The few people left in the street were either fleeing or fighting with improvised weapons. Chaos ruled.

  The monsters were everywhere. Each time Ethan thought he understood their pattern, another twisted creature would lurch from the shadows, its movements a grotesque mockery of life. A woman's scream cut through the chaos—high and desperate—then abruptly silenced.

  His breath came in ragged gasps. The Frenzied Hunger essence still thrummed through his veins, a wild, animalistic energy that made every nerve feel like a live wire. But energy wasn't enough. He needed cover. Needed to think.

  A bodega stood to his left, its windows already shattered, glass scattered across the sidewalk like broken teeth. Compared to the open street, it looked like salvation. Not safe—nothing felt safe anymore—but something closer to temporary shelter.

  A creature lunged from between two abandoned cars, its body contorting like liquid shadow. Ethan barely had time to register the inhuman speed before it was upon him, its elongated limbs striking like whips. He threw himself backward, feeling the rush of air as those impossible arms lashed past his face.

  He rolled, came up hard against the bodega's broken doorway. Blood—his or the creature's, he couldn't tell—streaked his arm. The interior was a war zone of fallen shelves and scattered products. Crushed bags of chips. Overturned refrigerators. The acrid smell of spilled beer mixed with something darker. Something metallic.

  And there—near the entrance—a body. A woman, twisted at an unnatural angle, her throat torn open in a ragged wound that told a story of sudden, brutal violence.

  Ethan's stomach twisted, but survival was a ruthless teacher. He pushed further inside, finding a corner behind a fallen rack. For a moment, he just tried to breathe.

  His vision still swam with System messages. One caught his eye.

  Essence Storage: Frenzied Hunger (Used in Synthesis)

  "Alright, so... how the hell do I use this?" Ethan muttered. His voice sounded like a stranger's, hoarse and ragged.

  He focused on the stored essence, willing it to activate. For a moment, nothing happened. Then heat flushed through his body, muscles tightening, senses sharpening. The numbers in his vision shifted—Strength: 15, Agility: 14, Vitality: 13—his body telling him everything he needed to know. He was stronger, faster, more aware than he'd ever been.

  He could feel it—Frenzied Hunger pulsing through him like liquid fire. It wasn't just power; it was a need, a drive to tear, to destroy. He nearly lost himself to it before yanking his mind back under control.

  "Focus. Don't be the monster," he growled, clenching his fists. But the power was undeniable. His whole body thrummed with energy.

  Another creature lurched into the store, its arms twitching erratically. Its face was wrong, the features stretched and torn like clay twisted by a mad sculptor.

  This time, Ethan didn't hesitate. He launched himself forward, propelled by the savage force of Frenzied Hunger. His fist slammed into the creature's chest with a meaty thud, and something inside of it crumpled. His hand burned as if his fingers were dipped in molten steel.

  [Essence Acquired: Guttural Resilience.]

  Another menu popped up, awaiting his choice. Store or Synthesize?

  He hesitated. What if he could combine the two? The idea felt like madness, but the System had mentioned synthesis, hadn't it?

  "Only one way to find out," he muttered, his finger hovering over the Synthesize option. Something about this felt dangerous, like sticking a fork in an electrical socket. But what choice did he have?

  He chose Synthesize.

  [Combining: Frenzied Hunger + Guttural Resilience...]

  The reaction was instant and violent. A sensation like molten glass poured directly into his veins. His back arched, muscles seizing as pain radiated from his core to his extremities. This wasn't like the Awakening—this was worse, more focused, like his body was rejecting the very thing he was trying to create.

  "Stop—" he gasped, collapsing to his knees. But there was no stopping it now.

  [Synthesis Unstable. Compatibility Issue Detected. Adjusting...]

  His vision blurred, dark spots dancing at the edges. For a terrifying moment, Ethan thought he'd made a fatal mistake. His heart hammered erratically, each beat feeling like it might be his last. Was this how he died? Not torn apart by monsters, but by his own reckless ambition?

  Then, suddenly, the pain receded like a wave pulling back from shore, leaving him trembling and drenched in cold sweat.

  [Ability Created: Berserker's Will]

  [Essence Storage: Empty]

  [Berserker's Will: Channel overwhelming physical power while enhancing durability. Duration is limited, and prolonged use will inflict mental fatigue.]

  The knowledge unfolded in his mind like a book being read aloud by a voice that was not his own. His body still ached from the effort, every nerve ending raw and exposed. But beneath the discomfort, a rush of elation bubbled up. He'd done it. Created something new.

  "Never doing that again," he whispered, even as a part of him knew that was a lie. The power was worth the pain. At least, that's what he told himself.

  As he staggered to his feet, wiping blood from his nose—when had that started bleeding?—he wondered if the synthesis had changed more than just his abilities. Something felt different inside his mind. A new hunger, sharper and more focused than before. Was he still himself? Would he even know if he wasn't?

  The portal outside continued to twist and pulse, its presence a constant reminder that this was no game. It was survival.

  His hands clenched into fists as he braced himself. The air was thick with the coppery stench of blood and the twisted howls of the creatures closing in. His muscles tensed, raw power thrumming through his arms from the synthesis.

  Then he heard it—a distant, rhythmic banging that stood out from the chaos. Like gunshots.

  Ethan's head snapped toward the sound. In any other situation, he would have run in the opposite direction. But this wasn't any other situation. The monsters were everywhere, and those gunshots sounded too organized, too purposeful to be random violence.

  Then he saw it.

  Through the shattered glass of the bodega's window, a shadow moved between the abandoned cars, too fluid to be human, too graceful to be one of the mindless creatures he'd fought. Its eyes glowed a sickly green, and when it moved, it left faint afterimages that flickered like broken light. It wasn't attacking—it was watching. Waiting.

  And somehow, through the broken window, it seemed to be looking straight at him.

  Ethan's blood ran cold. Whatever that thing was, it was different from the other monsters. Smarter. More dangerous. And it had chosen him as its prey.

  The gunshots echoed again, closer now. Suddenly, the shadow creature shifted. One moment it was twenty feet away, the next it was almost on top of him. Ethan barely twisted aside as razor-sharp claws whistled through the air where he'd been standing moments before.

  He scrambled to his feet, backing away from the broken window. The shadow creature's green eyes tracked his every movement. Ethan knew he couldn't stay trapped in the bodega—the creature would find a way in, and there was nowhere to run. The gunshots were his only chance.

  He bolted for the door, the shadow creature's presence pressing against his back like a cold weight. The creature followed, its movements a blur of darkness and sickly green light. Ethan could feel it behind him, feel its hunger, its intelligence. This wasn't just a monster—it was a hunter.

  He ran. Toward the gunshots. Toward whatever was fighting back. The System's energy thrummed through his veins, but he didn't know how to use it, didn't know if it would be enough. He just knew he had to reach those fighters before the shadow creature reached him.

  Because if it did, he had a feeling death would be the least of his worries.