---
"About 50 years ago, the seven most brilliant minds on the planet met on an island," the woman said, her voice calm but commanding. "They were tasked with uncovering the truth behind a mysterious meteorite that had fallen there. But what they discovered wasn't just space rock — it was a piece of highly advanced technology from an unknown civilization."
Sam listened intently as she paced slowly.
"With such a powerful artifact in their hands, five of the seven saw only opportunity — they wanted to harness its energy to drive humanity's evolution, but their methods were dangerous, twisted by greed. So, a split occurred. The two remaining scientists, horrified by their colleagues' intentions, decided to flee with a their few existing followers. They chose to hide the artifact and protect the world from what it could become."
---
January 28, 1975 – 12:39 PM
"All preparations are complete," a man in a lab coat whispered, glancing over his shoulder. "We just need to retrieve the object from the chamber."
He spoke to another man with thick, square glasses and a badge pinned to his chest — Professor Grey. Around them, dozens of scientists moved with urgency, organizing gear and prepping for the escape.
"I've assigned Mr. Rick to find the chamber's key," Grey responded confidently.
Right on cue, a tall, lean man in his early 20s entered the tent. He held a set of keys and carried an expression of quiet determination. "I've got them," Rick said. "All that's left is yours, Professor."
Grey handed over the final key. "Good. Go. I'll inform Sir Wendell. Get that artifact."
As Rick and his team departed, a quiet resolve settled in the air. They knew what was at stake.
---
Thirty Minutes Later
At the harbor, members of both Grey's and Wendell's groups waited anxiously. Rick had not returned.
Suddenly, loud crashes echoed from deep within the island.
"Did Rick get caught?" someone asked nervously. Or did he leave us?"
Tension spread like wildfire. Some exchanged uneasy glances, while others clenched their fists, refusing to doubt Rick's loyalty.
"I'll go check," one man offered, stepping forward.
"No need for that," a voice growled from the shadows.
From behind the bushes stepped a bald, muscular man in a black combat suit.
"Jenga…" someone muttered, eyes widening.
"Jenga, the result of a secret government program — the only known genetically modified human before the project was shut down by the US government. A weapon disguised as a man. And the man prey to 'his' dezires" Prof. Grey thought in his mind
Jenga grinned, stepping toward them with his followers.
Before anyone could move, a blinding beam of light shot into the sky from the island's center, enveloping the world in radiant white. A thunderous shockwave followed.
"It's the artifact!" someone cried.
---
"Nobody knows what really happened during that flash," Anna Croft explained, bringing Sam back to the present. "But afterward, everything changed. Superhuman abilities began to emerge across the globe. We called them the Awakened."
Sam's head spun. The world he thought he knew had vanished. But then… it started making some twisted sense.
He wondered: Why did all the people he knew not have powers?
As if reading his thoughts, Anna continued, "Then one day the Artifact in the HQ began to show weird signs. We began an investigation with just a few of the upper brass in the Association and discovered an island in the middle of the East Sea. We concluded that it was probably due to the fragment of the Artifact present in the island that we were never able to know of that island."
Sam asked shakingly "Was that island..."
She paused, her voice tightening. "Yes, it was the island you were in till yesterday. But even more unique than the island was you."
"Me?" Sam asked, still processing everything.
"You were different from the rest in the island. You showed signs of awakening. But, nobody had ever awakened after they were past the age of 2 or unless they were part of the 1st generation experiments. So we decided to track you. To see if your Island had any connections to 'Hex'."
"Hex?" Sam asked questioningly.
"But we found none and that's when it happened, On the day your grandmother's death. Your powers awakened. Making you too risky to be in the island. You were an anomaly, we didn't know is you would be able to handle your powers."
" For the safety of the others on the island we brought you here — to the Indus Society."
Sam's hands trembled slightly.
"I'm Anna Croft. Second-generation psychic. Daughter of Professor Grey." The director introduced herself.
Sam's eyes raised with doubt. "Second generation?"
She nodded. "The first generation were artificially mutated — born from the greed of those five corrupt scientists. But after the flash, a substance called aether flooded the atmosphere. It reacted with certain people, creating the second generation — naturally Awakened, like me."
Before she could say more, a loud explosion rocked the building.
BANG!
The alarms screamed. Chaos broke out.
Anna turned to Sam and said something, but the sound was drowned out by sirens.
Then — she vanished.
Panicked and disoriented, Sam rushed out of the office. Armored personnel sprinted down the halls. He followed instinctively, adrenaline rushing through his body. Again, he felt it — that lightness in his legs, the pulse of energy in his veins.
No one questioned him. Not yet.
Outside, the world had become unrecognizable. Creatures — monsters straight from nightmares — rampaged in the city. Some resembled jaguars, but their blue, armored hides and glowing eyes betrayed their alien origin. They tore through humans like paper.
Sam froze in horror — blood, screams, chaos.
Then he saw the people from before. The Awakened.
They leapt into battle, some transforming into monstrous beings themselves, others wielding weapons enhanced by glowing particles. Swords, daggers, bows — all radiating with ethereal energy.
Sam watched in awe — and terror.
But as he stood frozen, one of the monsters charged him. Time slowed.
This is it, he thought. I'm going to die.
But then — the monster was blasted aside by an invisible force.
He turned.
Anna stood there, her hands raised, whispering an incantation — glowing with psychic energy.
---