Chapter 9: The Order’s Offer

  Alex was about to reply with another snarky comment, but the word Order struck him like a punch to the gut. He had heard the term before. It was the kind of thing that most soldiers avoided. Orders often meant chaos—control. Manipulation.

  Still, he wasn’t about to let a potential ally—or enemy—walk all over him. He stood his ground, rifle raised just enough to show he wasn’t intimidated.

  “I don’t know what you’re selling, but I don’t buy into some high-and-mighty group of people who think they can control me,” Alex said, his tone steady but cold.

  The figure stepped closer, still unphased by the threat. It raised its hand slowly, and the arcane blade crackled with energy, lighting up the surrounding trees.

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  “I offer you a chance to save this world.”

  Alex’s mind raced. Save this world? He didn’t know if that was a joke or if the figure was serious. But there was something about the way the figure spoke—like it was certain.

  The figure didn’t seem concerned with Alex’s stance. Instead, it extended its hand toward him.

  “The Order is your only path forward. You can fight alone if you wish, but it won’t be enough. We know of your abilities, and we need you.”

  The words hung in the air, heavy with implications. Alex was a Marine, elite—trained to think for himself, to operate solo when necessary. But this? This was something else entirely.

  “And if I say no?” Alex asked, voice calm despite the storm of thoughts in his head.

  The figure’s response was chilling. “You will be destroyed by the forces you do not yet understand.”

  Alex’s instincts screamed at him—Don’t trust this. But then again, what choice did he have? He was out of his depth in a world he didn’t know, with enemies closing in on all sides.

  The figure waited, the tension growing thicker. Alex stared at the hand, the cold energy swirling around it.

  The System had given him new abilities. But what could he really do without the right knowledge?

  Finally, Alex lowered his rifle—just a fraction.

  “I’ll hear you out. But I don’t trust you. Not yet.”

  The figure’s helmet seemed to glint, almost as if it were smiling beneath the visor.

  “Very well. The path will be difficult, but you will find your place among us.”