Chapter 9: Evolution

"Breaking news: The meeting of the popes from the five churches has just ended. They have declared this a global emergency. I repeat, they have declared this a global emergency. All phones will receive a notification with the necessary steps to follow during this time."

Runo glanced at his phone as it sounded an alarm. He opened the instructions that advised people to seek shelter and avoid going outside. Fortunately, Runo had already taken these precautions, so he didn't need to make any immediate changes.

Suddenly, a brilliant light pierced the dark energy, heralding the reappearance of the sun. The visible dark energy began to disperse, descending like a swarm of bats and diffusing as a gas across the planet's surface. The noise it created was almost unbearable, teetering on the edge of breaking the sound barrier.

Screams echoed from outside, resonating across the moon and back. In the aftermath of this transformation, the gaseous black fog solidified into tangible particles, hitting the Earth's surface like a shower of tiny, fragmented beads as gravity asserted its hold over the abnormal substance. To witness such a chaotic event was more disconcerting than finding oneself in the midst of a cosmic wormhole.

Strangely, the particles were absorbed by every living being, drawn into their eye sockets and up into the structure of their brains. This absorption was far from pleasant, feeling as if they had all been shot in the head, this event felt like it lasted for hours, even though it lasted only a brief few seconds.

Runo stood up after enduring the excruciating ordeal, and to his relief, the dark sky that had caused so much concern had vanished from view. However, that wasn't the only change.

Valen Petrol Station.

A customer who had been affected by the dark energy suddenly experienced an odd sensation of newfound power. It was as if he had acquired a transcendental body. Clenching his fist, he felt the surge of strength surging through him. To his surprise, his clenched fist burst into flames, and he panicked, flailing his arms as the fire spread. He couldn't control this newfound power, and his fiery projectiles ignited the entire store. The flames inched closer to a petrol pump.

BANG!

The entire station erupted in a fiery explosion, reducing everything to ashes. The only remnants were the gruesome aftermath of the customer's once-flaming fist.

Upper continent, the country of Niamma.

A man in bed abruptly woke up, as if he had just escaped a harrowing dream.

"God, what a bizarre and painful dream... that black fog was trying to choke me to death," he muttered, his breath laboured.

In an instant, he felt an overwhelming surge of power, as if he could accomplish anything. "Man, I feel like I could survive an ice age!" he exclaimed, his delight evident.

But when he opened his eyes, he found himself perched on a frigid iceberg in the middle of the ocean, clad only in his boxers. Shivering and bewildered by this sudden change of location, he cried out for help.

"HELP!"

Once again, he was whisked from one place to another. This time, he found himself outside a police station, chilled to the bone, shaking, and half-naked. A police officer rushed up to him, waving his arms and shouting in an unfamiliar language.

Suddenly, the man was transported back to the comfort of his own home, snug under his bed covers.

"I never would have thought of a dream within a dream," he muttered before drifting back to sleep.