Time: 6:11 PMLocation: Sam's Lab Control Room
"Alpha, tell me — when did the cracks form, and when did the Earth awaken?"
Alpha's voice came through, steady and emotionless."Cracks formed at 11:00 AM. Earth awakened at 11:48 minutes. You've spent approximately 6 hours and 23 minutes in the lab. Current time is 6:11 PM."
Sam tapped a new feed on the interface.
"Replay that footage again. The ones who used magic."
Alpha's voice hummed in his ear."Five individuals. All human. No recorded awakenings. But the energy output…"
"Through the roof," Sam finished, his brow tightening. "So they drew that power from within."
"Precisely. No external stimulus detected. It's… resonance. They're syncing with the planet's changes faster than we can analyze. They must have found a way to use this energy."
He leaned forward. "Track them. All of them. But quietly."
"Understood. Covert surveillance initiated."
Sam powered down the last feed."KIRA, inform Alpha to lock the lab and encrypt every serum file to neural-only access."
KIRA's voice rang crisply from his wrist."Already done, Professor. I've also added decoy trails for anyone snooping. Like that one idiot who thinks 'password123' is secure."
Sam exhaled, and a crooked grin tugged at the edge of his mouth.
"I'm going home."
6:28 PM – On the Road
As Sam drove through the fractured streets of Osaka, he watched the city — now war-torn but not defeated.
Military units were helping civilians onto transports. Rescue drones hovered overhead, distributing food, medicine, and emergency cloaks. The sky was still split with faint glowing rifts — but they flickered less now, held back by something greater.
The planet itself was helping.
The Earth's spirit had stabilized most regions, preventing further destruction.
Still, panic clung to the air. Fear was everywhere — in wide eyes, trembling hands, in the way people stared at the sky like it might crack open again any second.
Sam gripped the wheel tighter.
6:45 PM – Location: Underground Bunker, Coer Residence
The entire house was sealed — walls reinforced, glass shuttered, lights on emergency dim. From the outside, it looked lifeless. But Sam knew better.
Sam stepped through the front gate, placed his hand on the hidden biometric scanner behind the koi statue, and leaned in.
"Override: Sam Coer."
A click. Then a soft mechanical whirr.
The ground near the pantry split open — revealing a descending staircase of obsidian steel. Cool, recycled air hissed upward as the bunker unlocked for its creator.
Sam made his way down, the ambient hum of machinery surrounding him like an old friend. The air smelled of sterilized metal, aged plastic, and faint traces of coffee and family life.
He reached the final step — and saw them.
They hadn't noticed him yet.
The underground bunker, nearly the size of a 400 meter ground, was fully powered. Holo-screens floated mid-air. Defense protocols flickered on standby. Backup generators thrummed quietly in the walls.
And chaos unfolded at the center.
His father, Darian, was hunched over a glowing tactical war map, barking orders into a comm line."No. No, Captain. The situation is more urgent than your intel suggests. I need your team regrouped and out of Tokyo near the e rank gate within three hours."
His sister, Sara, was pacing in frantic circles, shouting into her tablet."NO, the monster was the size of a damn building, Auntie! We ARE safe! Because I'm in a BUNKER now, obviously!"
His mother sat at a fold-out console, softly trying to calm someone over a secure line."I know, I know. Just stay indoors. Tell Uncle Kei to take the side route if they're evacuating. We'll be fine. Yes, I promise. Yes, we're safe."
Rio, the youngest, had no headset. He was in his own world entirely — goggles on, sparks flying, muttering over a half-built robotic frame that looked suspiciously like a cyber-gladiator."If I reroute this current through the spine of the power drill and attach a taser to the blade…"
Sam leaned quietly against a steel beam and watched — letting the moment breathe.
It was ridiculous.
It was loud.
And it was... peaceful, in a way only family chaos could be.
He smiled.
Then spoke, dryly:"Nice to see everyone's holding up."
The bunker froze.
Five heads snapped up in unison.
Sara dropped her tablet."Wait—SAM?! When did you—"
Darian stood slowly, a rare smile breaking through. "You always were too quiet."
Their mother's hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes welled up before she even said a word.
"I told you the override only works with Sam," Rio muttered to no one in particular.
Sam stepped fully into the room. The moment stretched — and then the family rushed to him all at once.
Darian grabbed his shoulder, eyes sharp. "You fought Draco. You… your arm—?"
"I healed it. Fully. No biotech."Sam opened and closed his hand. "I made it happen."
Darian didn't say anything else. But the look in his eyes said everything.
Sara blinked hard. "You weren't picking up for hours. You could've texted. Or sent a drone."
Rio added, "Yeah. Rude."
Sam gave a crooked grin and walked toward the corner wall. A panel shifted open, revealing nine glowing vials tucked into a recess.
"They're still here," he murmured.
"I took three with me. These nine I left… just in case."
Rio inched closer. "What are they?"
Sam held one up. The liquid shimmered softly, like a dancing aurora.
"Regeneration trai unlocker serums. Not system-based. Pure cell reconstruction. It brings the body back to its prime. Stronger. Cleaner. Like hitting reset at the biological level."
Sam stood in the center of the bunker and spoke clearly.
"Mother. Sara. Rio. I want all three of you to use my serum. I made twelve. Used two. Still have ten left."
Rio was already on his feet before I'd even finished the sentence.
"Brother, give me that!" he grinned like a kid in a candy store. "I also want superpowers! Damn, I didn't know you were this smart. You made magic!"
I shook my head, a faint smile tugging at my lips."It's not magical, Rio. It's my hard work."
"Yeah, yeah," he waved me off playfully. "Just give it to me before someone else claims the cool powers."
I handed him a vial, then turned to the others.
"Sister. Mother. You too — take one each."
Sara blinked, crossing her arms."Brother… I don't need it. Save it for yourself. Or someone who actually plans to fight this war. I'm not trying to become a superhero."
Mother gently echoed the same."My dear… It's precious. You should keep it for those who truly need it. I'm just a mother — my role isn't on the battlefield."
I paused — then tilted my head and gave them a single line that changed everything.
"Sister. Mother. You should take a closer look at Dad first before saying these."
They both went silent. Perplexed. Curious.
Then they turned toward Darian, who had just finished recalibrating a field map. Neither of them had really looked at him — not with clear eyes — until now.
Sara's voice cracked."Bro… brother. Dad looks like he's getting younger. His skin looks better than mine! Is this real!?"
I nodded. Calmly."Yes. Dad took the serum. It replicates your body's best cells — the peak condition of your prime — and restores it with flawless precision. You don't just become younger. You become the best version of yourself. It's… the code of eternal youth. With this, you'll remain beautiful. Forever....."
They both stared, jaws slightly open.
I could see the resistance still simmering in their minds — pride, hesitation, practicality.
But I knew my family. I knew exactly how to bait the trap.
So I added, with deliberate nonchalance:"But… if you don't want to look younger like Dad, that's no problem. I'll save them for myself. Or maybe sell them to the System Shop later. What a loss, honestly. I really wanted to give them to you…"
And then I waited.
Like clockwork, the fire lit in their eyes — not sparks, but full-blown suns.
Mother straightened her back like she'd just heard the devil knocking."Son… your mother was hasty. I truly didn't understand how deeply I hurt you by rejecting your goodwill. But I've changed my mind. I'll take it — not for vanity, but for survival."
Sara wasn't far behind."Yeah. Survival," she echoed, trying to sound logical and failing to hide her excitement. "I was a teacher… but if the situation calls me, I'll become a warrior."
With that, I handed them each their serum.
One for Mother.One for Sara.One already in Rio's hands.
They downed them without another word.
And then — the pain hit.
Sharp, instantaneous, cellular.
They collapsed almost simultaneously, their bodies reacting to the sheer density of genetic rewriting. I caught Rio's head before it hit the steel floor. Their faces were tense, muscles twitching, skin shimmering with golden pulses as the serum rewrote their biology.
I waited.
Watched.
Time: 6:55 PM
They began to stir.
First Sara, then Rio, then finally our mother.
And what I saw made me… pause.
No — it stopped me.
Their features had softened — reversed — perfected. Wrinkles gone. Skin luminous. Strength subtly laced into their frames. Hair fuller. Posture straighter.
But Mother…?
Mother looked radiant.
To me… she was the most beautiful woman in the entire universe.