Rebecca's strike team returned to the facility four hours after the ambush, exhausted but alive. They'd killed five B-rank heroes and wounded three others, but the cost had been significant—twelve awakened-tier monsters lost, and Gamma-Three was critically damaged, its stealth capabilities compromised by Celestial Judge's light attacks.
"He adapted," Rebecca reported, sitting in the war room with Marcus and the other commanders. "The first strike worked because he wasn't expecting us. The second we engaged, he countered perfectly. His light negated Gamma-Three's stealth, his judgment beams ignored Gamma-Six's toxins. If we hadn't retreated immediately, we'd have lost all three Lord-tiers."
"S-rank adaptability," Marcus said, processing the tactical data. "They don't just have overwhelming power—they have the experience to use it efficiently."
"The surviving B-ranks are reorganizing," Echo reported, monitoring hero communications through the facility's systems. "They're calling in reinforcements. I'm detecting encrypted traffic suggesting... Marcus, this is bad. They're mobilizing Titan Force."
The room fell silent.
"Two S-ranks," Crimson Chain said quietly. "We can barely survive one."
"Not just two," Echo continued, her face pale as she read incoming intelligence. "I'm seeing additional mobilization orders. Void Striker is being recalled from his mission. They're treating you as a Class-A threat now. That's the designation they use for villain organizations that require multiple S-rank response."
Marcus felt the walls closing in. Class-A threat meant the Association would commit whatever resources necessary to eliminate him. Not just heroes, but military support, specialized equipment, strategic bombing if needed.
"How long until Titan Force arrives?" Marcus asked.
"Twelve hours. Void Striker maybe eighteen hours." Echo pulled up a tactical display. "Celestial Judge is already repositioning. He's not attempting to breach anymore—he's setting up a perimeter. They're going to surround this entire area and then systematically dig you out."
"We can't fight three S-ranks," Rebecca said firmly. "Even with all our forces, even with perfect tactics. It's not possible."
She was right. Marcus's entire monster army couldn't defeat three S-rank heroes working in coordination. He needed something else—a force multiplier, an advantage the heroes couldn't predict or counter.
His thoughts turned to Level 4. The anomaly. The source of Essence.
"What if we didn't fight them?" Marcus said slowly. "What if we used the anomaly?"
"Used it how?" Hemlock asked. "We don't understand what it is or how it works."
"The research logs said it's the source of Essence. The origin point of awakening abilities." Marcus stood, pacing. "My power lets me create monsters, reshape biology, harvest abilities. What if I could tap directly into the source? What if I could use the anomaly to amplify my abilities?"
"That's insane," Shade said. "The researchers who studied it went crazy. People committed suicide. You want to directly interface with something that drives people insane?"
"I want to survive. And survival requires power we don't currently have." Marcus turned to Echo. "Pull up all the research files on the anomaly. Everything—experiment logs, theoretical models, any data about how researchers interacted with it."
Echo worked quickly, compiling decades-old files onto the facility's modern displays. Marcus read through them, his mind working through implications.
The researchers had used various instruments to study the anomaly—sensors, cameras, mathematical models. But direct observation had been dangerous. Those who looked at it too long reported psychological effects: hearing voices, seeing impossible geometries, feeling a presence that shouldn't exist.
But some researchers had attempted controlled exposure. Dr. Chen, the lead scientist, had theorized that the anomaly could be interfaced with safely if one approached it with the right mindset. His notes were fragmentary but suggestive:
*The anomaly responds to consciousness. It is not merely a structure but an intelligence, or perhaps a doorway to intelligence. Those who approach with fear or aggression experience negative effects. But those who approach with... curiosity? Understanding? The effect is different.*
*I believe awakened abilities are not granted by the anomaly but awakened through interaction with it. The anomaly doesn't give power—it reveals power that was always latent within biological systems. Our instruments detect energy flowing from it constantly, subtle radiation that permeates everything within kilometers.*
*If I'm correct, everyone in this city has been exposed. Everyone has the potential for awakening. The anomaly is simply the catalyst that makes it possible.*
Marcus read this three times, understanding crystallizing. The anomaly wasn't a power source to be tapped—it was a catalyst that revealed existing potential. And if that was true...
"I need to go to Level 4," Marcus announced. "Alone."
"Absolutely not," Rebecca said immediately. "That thing drives people insane. You're too valuable to risk—"
"I'm the only one who can do this. My power already involves reshaping biology, understanding genetic structures, interfacing with life on a fundamental level." Marcus met her eyes. "If anyone can safely interact with the anomaly, it's me."
"And if you're wrong? If it kills you or drives you mad?" Rebecca's voice was sharp with concern. "We need you, Marcus. Without you, the monsters are just animals. The organization falls apart."
"Which is why Gamma-Five will accompany me. It has the most advanced consciousness among my creations—if something happens to me, it can potentially maintain control of the swarm." Marcus knew he was rationalizing, knew the risks were enormous. But the alternative was certain death when three S-ranks breached the facility. "This is our only chance. Either I gain power sufficient to survive S-rank assault, or we all die when they dig us out."
The room was silent. Everyone knew he was right, even if they hated it.
"Two hours," Rebecca finally said. "You get two hours to attempt whatever you're planning. If you're not back in two hours, I'm coming down there myself."
"Agreed."
Marcus descended to Level 4 with Gamma-Five. The intelligent Lord-tier monster's crystalline neural networks pulsed with bioluminescence as they approached the sealed section.
"Creator," Gamma-Five said in its disturbingly human voice, "the probability of survival for this action is difficult to calculate. Too many unknown variables."
"I know."
"I am concerned. My existence is predicated on your survival. If you die, I..." Gamma-Five paused, processing. "I do not wish to cease existing."
Marcus looked at the monster, really looked at it. Gamma-Five wasn't just following orders—it was expressing something like fear. Independent thought. Emergent consciousness.
*Hemlock was right,* Marcus realized. *They're evolving beyond my original design.*
"If something happens to me," Marcus said carefully, "your primary directive is to protect the others. Rebecca, Crimson Chain, Shade—keep them alive. Can you do that?"
"I... yes. I can." Gamma-Five's voice held something like relief. "Thank you, Creator."
They entered Level 4, the strange symbols on the walls seeming to pulse in rhythm with Marcus's heartbeat. The air was heavy, charged with energy that made his skin tingle. At the corridor's end, the anomaly waited—a space where reality didn't function correctly, where geometry folded impossibly.
Marcus approached slowly, his micro-monsters spreading throughout his body like a protective layer. Through them, he sensed the energy radiating from the anomaly—not heat or electricity, but something else. Something that resonated with life itself.
*Dr. Chen approached with curiosity and understanding,* Marcus reminded himself. *Not fear or aggression.*
He stopped ten meters from the anomaly and simply observed. The structure—if it was a structure—seemed to exist in multiple dimensions simultaneously. Parts of it were visible, angular edges that hurt to look at. Other parts weren't visible but were felt, spaces that existed without occupying space.
And beneath the visual impossibility, Marcus sensed something else. Intelligence. Vast, alien, patient.
*It's aware of me,* Marcus realized. *It's been aware of us this whole time.*
He took another step closer. The energy intensified. His micro-monsters began dying by the hundreds, overwhelmed by radiation they couldn't filter. But Marcus pushed through, his power working overtime to replace them, to adapt them, to survive.
Five meters from the anomaly.
The whispers started. Not sound—Marcus's ears heard nothing. But something deeper than hearing, thoughts that weren't his own pressing into his consciousness.
*SEEKER. SHAPER. CHANGER.*
Marcus gasped, nearly falling. The concepts weren't words but pure meaning transmitted directly to his mind.
*WHO SEEKS TO TOUCH THE SOURCE?*
"I am Marcus Vail," he said aloud, not knowing if speech mattered. "I create life. I reshape biology. I need power to survive."
*ALL WHO COME SEEK POWER. FEW UNDERSTAND THE PRICE.*
"What price?"
The anomaly's response was complex, multilayered meaning that took Marcus several seconds to parse. Power from the source required giving something in return. Not payment—transformation. Becoming something other than human. Accepting change that could never be reversed.
"I've already changed," Marcus said. "I've killed over seventy people. I've created hundreds of monsters. I've abandoned humanity. What more transformation is there?"
*YOU STILL THINK LIKE HUMAN. STILL LIMIT YOURSELF WITH HUMAN CONSTRAINTS. TO ACCESS SOURCE, MUST BECOME SOURCE. MERGE WITH FUNDAMENTAL PATTERN.*
Marcus understood, and the understanding terrified him. The anomaly wasn't offering him power—it was offering to make him part of itself. To dissolve the boundary between Marcus Vail and the source of all awakening.
He would gain unlimited access to Essence, the ability to create and transform on scales he couldn't currently imagine. But he would lose his individual identity, becoming something that was Marcus and not-Marcus simultaneously.
*Isn't that what I wanted?* Marcus thought. *To transform, to evolve, to transcend humanity?*
But there was a difference between philosophical transformation and literal dissolution. Between choosing to abandon humanity and being absorbed into an alien intelligence.
Behind him, Gamma-Five spoke urgently: "Creator, your biological signs are degrading. Heart rate erratic. Neural patterns fragmenting. Recommend immediate withdrawal."
Marcus barely heard it. The anomaly's presence was overwhelming now, pressing into his mind with irresistible force. He could feel it offering him everything—unlimited power, perfect understanding, godlike ability to reshape reality itself.
All he had to do was let go. Surrender his individual existence. Merge with the source.
*No,* Marcus decided.
He'd spent his previous life trying to create the perfect organism, trying to force evolution through artificial means. He'd failed because he'd tried to control what should have been natural. He'd been reborn with a second chance, and he'd been making the same mistake—trying to control, to force, to dominate.
But the anomaly was teaching him a different lesson. Real evolution wasn't about control. It was about adaptation, transformation, becoming something new while maintaining essential identity.
"I refuse your offer," Marcus said clearly. "I won't merge with you. I'll find another way."
The presence in his mind withdrew slightly. Marcus felt something like... surprise? Respect?
*RARE. MOST WHO COME THIS FAR ACCEPT OR BREAK. YOU MAINTAIN SELF WHILE COMPREHENDING OTHER. INTERESTING.*
"I don't want to become you. I want to understand you. Learn from you." Marcus took a calculated risk. "Teach me. Not through merger, but through knowledge. Let me study you, comprehend your nature, without losing myself."
A long pause. Then:
*ACCEPTABLE. YOU MAY OBSERVE. MAY LEARN. BUT NOT TOUCH DIRECTLY. YOUR CURRENT FORM INSUFFICIENT FOR MERGER. WOULD DESTROY YOU BODY AND MIND.*
The pressure eased. Marcus could breathe again, think clearly. The anomaly had granted permission—he could study it, learn from it, potentially gain understanding that would help him grow stronger.
But it also implied something terrifying: that his "current form" was insufficient. That if he wanted to truly access the source, he would need to evolve further. Become something more—or less—than human.
"Thank you," Marcus said, not sure if the anomaly cared about gratitude.
*YOU WILL RETURN. THEY ALWAYS RETURN. THE HUNGER FOR POWER GROWS WITH EACH TASTE.*
Marcus backed away slowly, keeping his attention on the anomaly until he'd exited the corridor. Gamma-Five immediately scanned him with its sensory arrays.
"Creator, you survived. But your biology has changed. Cellular structures realigned. Neural pathways reconfigured. You are... different."
Marcus felt it too. Something fundamental had shifted during his brief contact with the anomaly. His power felt deeper, more intuitive. His connection to his monsters was stronger. And his understanding of biological systems had expanded in ways he couldn't articulate.
He hadn't merged with the source, but he'd touched it. Been touched by it. Changed by it.
"Run full diagnostic," Marcus commanded. "I need to understand what's different."
They returned to Level 2, where Hemlock immediately began examining Marcus with every instrument available. Her expression grew increasingly concerned as the data came in.
"Your DNA has been restructured," she said, showing him the results. "Not damaged—reorganized. More efficient, more complex. Your cells are producing Essence naturally now, something that should be impossible without awakening."
"I already awakened. Three weeks ago."
"No, you don't understand. You're producing Essence beyond normal awakened levels. Your body is generating power comparable to..." Hemlock checked her calculations again. "Comparable to B-rank heroes. And it's still increasing."
Marcus felt it now that she'd pointed it out. Energy flowing through his body, power building in his cells. The brief contact with the anomaly had fundamentally upgraded his biology.
"How long until I stabilize?" Marcus asked.
"Unknown. The progression is exponential right now. If it continues at this rate..." Hemlock's voice dropped to a whisper. "In twenty-four hours, you might be generating Essence at A-rank levels. In forty-eight hours, possibly S-rank."
The implications were staggering. Marcus had sought power to survive S-rank assault. Instead, he might be becoming S-rank himself.
"Keep monitoring me," Marcus said. "If the progression becomes dangerous, we need countermeasures ready."
He climbed back to the war room, where Rebecca and the others waited anxiously.
"What happened?" Rebecca demanded. "You were gone ninety minutes. Echo said your vital signs went critical three times."
"I communicated with the anomaly. It's sentient—some kind of intelligence that predates humanity." Marcus sat heavily, suddenly exhausted. "It offered to merge with me, give me unlimited power. I refused."
"You refused unlimited power?" Crimson Chain looked incredulous.
"Because the cost was losing myself completely. Becoming part of it rather than remaining Marcus Vail." He met their eyes. "But I gained something anyway. The contact changed me. Upgraded my biology. I'm stronger now, and still growing stronger."
Echo pulled up new intelligence reports. "That's good, because our timeline just compressed again. Titan Force will arrive in eight hours, not twelve. They're accelerating deployment."
"And Celestial Judge?" Marcus asked.
"Setting up a perimeter at exactly one mile radius from our position. He's not trying to dig down anymore—he's waiting for Titan Force to arrive, then they'll coordinate a simultaneous assault from multiple vectors."
Marcus processed this. Two S-ranks attacking in coordination. Even with his enhanced biology, he couldn't face that directly.
"We need to change the battlefield," Marcus said. "Make them come to us on our terms. Echo, can you hack the facility's security systems?"
"Already done. Why?"
"Because this place was designed to survive nuclear war. It has defensive capabilities we haven't activated yet." Marcus pulled up facility schematics. "Automated turrets, gas release systems, bulkhead doors that can seal sections. The Cold War designers built this to keep invaders out."
"Those systems are eighty years old," Hemlock pointed out. "Will they even function?"
"The reactor still works. The computers still run. Why not the defenses?" Marcus began mapping out a defensive strategy. "We turn this facility into a maze. Seal sections behind us, activate traps, force them to fight through chokepoints. Even S-ranks have to deal with physics—they can't teleport through solid walls or breathe without air."
"Void Striker can teleport," Shade pointed out.
"Short distances only. According to Archive intelligence, his portals have limited range. We make the facility complex enough, he can't just skip to our location." Marcus's mind was racing, tactical possibilities unfolding. "And Titan Force—she's physically powerful but not subtle. Trap her in a section, flood it with Hemlock's toxins. It won't kill her, but it might slow her down."
"What about Celestial Judge?" Rebecca asked. "His light manipulation ignores most defenses."
"We fight him in darkness. Level 4, specifically. The anomaly's energy interferes with normal physics. His light might not work correctly there." Marcus knew it was desperate, but desperate was better than nothing. "If we can separate them, deal with them individually instead of as a coordinated force..."
"It's still three S-ranks," Crimson Chain said flatly.
"I know. We probably can't win. But we can make it costly enough that they think twice about pushing further." Marcus stood. "Prepare all monsters for defensive positions. Hemlock, synthesize every toxin we have—I want this place filled with so much chemical weaponry that breathing is dangerous. Echo, program the security systems for maximum lethal response. Rebecca, organize human personnel into support roles. We're going to make this facility a deathtrap."
The next six hours were frantic preparation. Marcus's monsters were positioned throughout the facility—small groups in chokepoints, larger forces held in reserve. Hemlock converted three entire sections into toxic zones. Echo programmed automated defenses to fire on any unrecognized biological signatures. Bulkhead doors were rigged to seal on command, creating instant walls between sections.
The facility transformed from refuge into fortress.
Through his micro-monsters on the surface, Marcus watched as Titan Force arrived. The massive woman stood beside Celestial Judge, her presence radiating power. Behind them, twenty B-rank heroes and full military support—armored vehicles, drilling equipment, communication arrays.
"They're not taking chances," Echo reported. "Full mobilization. This is a siege operation."
Marcus felt his enhanced biology humming with power. The Essence generation was accelerating—Hemlock's latest readings showed him approaching low A-rank levels already. But was it enough?
His phone buzzed. Sarah, sending her twelve-hour check-in message: *Marcus? Are you okay? You promised to update me. I'm really worried.*
Marcus stared at the message. Sarah existed in a completely different world—a world of high school concerns, college applications, normal teenage worries. She had no idea that her friend was currently preparing to fight three S-rank heroes in an underground bunker built on top of a cosmic anomaly.
He typed back: *I'm safe. Things are complicated right now. Will explain when I can. Don't worry about me.
Her response came immediately: Too late. Already worrying. Whatever you're doing, be careful. The news is talking about major hero mobilization. Something big is happening.
I know. I'll be fine. Trust me.
Marcus put the phone away, feeling the disconnect between his two lives widening. Sarah represented the human world, the life he'd abandoned. Everyone else here represented his new existence—monsters, violence, evolution through transformation.
One of these identities will eventually consume the other, Marcus thought. And I already know which one will win.
"They're moving," Echo announced. "Beginning descent operations. Multiple entry points—they're drilling from six different directions simultaneously."
"Time until breach?"
"Four hours minimum. Maybe less if they use awakened abilities to accelerate."
Marcus descended to Level 4 one more time, standing before the anomaly. He didn't approach closely—didn't want to risk another transformation. But he addressed it anyway.
"They're coming," Marcus said to the impossible geometry. "Three S-ranks and an army. I'm going to fight them. Most likely, I'm going to die. But if I survive..." He paused. "If I survive, I'll return. To learn more. To understand what you really are."
The anomaly's presence touched his mind, brief and electric:
YOU WILL SURVIVE. THOSE WHO TOUCH SOURCE CANNOT DIE EASILY. REALITY ITSELF RESISTS YOUR DESTRUCTION NOW.
Marcus wasn't sure if that was promise, prediction, or just observation. But he felt something like reassurance.
He returned to the war room, where his entire organization waited. Monsters and humans together, united by survival necessity.
"They're going to breach in approximately three hours," Marcus announced. "When they do, we implement the defensive plan. Fight smart, fight dirty, and above all—survive. This isn't about winning. It's about making them work for it. Making them bleed. Showing them we're not prey."
"What about you?" Rebecca asked. "Where will you be?"
"Level 4. If they want me, they'll have to come to the anomaly. Let's see how three S-ranks handle fighting next to something that breaks reality."
It was insane. Suicidal, possibly. But Marcus had stopped caring about sanity three weeks ago when he'd awakened power that shouldn't exist.
He was going to fight three S-rank heroes next to a cosmic anomaly that predated humanity.
Either he'd survive through evolution and adaptation.
Or he'd die trying to transcend human limitations.
Just like my previous life, Marcus thought with grim amusement. Except this time, I'm actually close to succeeding.
The drilling sounds echoed through the facility, growing louder with each passing minute.
Three hours until breach.
Three hours until Marcus faced the strongest heroes humanity had to offer.
And somewhere deep in Level 4, the anomaly pulsed with energy, waiting to see what would happen when unstoppable force met unnatural evolution