With a massive expenditure of effort, Jet finally limped over to the bedroom door, turned the handle, and pulled it open.
Standing right there in the hallway was Inez, dressed in her oversized flannel pajamas. She was staring straight up at him with her large, white pupils wide with immediate confusion.
"Big brother, what happened to you? Why are you sweating so much? And why is your face so pale?" Inez asked, her high voice instantly laced with deep concern as she reached out to grab his sleeve.
Jet forced a weak smile onto his lips, reaching down to gently rub her messy platinum hair. With her tiny frame acting as a steadying brace, he slowly walked down the short corridor into the living room, sinking heavily into the soft cushions of the sofa.
"Inez, be a good girl and get me a glass of cold water," Jet rasped, his throat tightening.
"Okay!" Inez nodded frantically. She turned on her heel and hurried into the kitchen.
A few moments later, she came scurrying back, holding a large glass of chilled water tightly in both hands.
Jet accepted the glass, his hand trembling slightly, and immediately gulped the entire contents down in a single, continuous motion.
The cold liquid cut through the dryness in his throat, bringing a small trace of color back to his face.
Inez remained standing right by his knees, her white eyes scanning his gaunt features. "Big brother, seriously, what happened to you? Your face is too pale. Are you sick?"
Jet set the empty glass down on the coffee table. He looked directly into her wide, innocent eyes and let out a soft, low chuckle.
"Inez... your big brother has awakened."
"Huh?" Inez blinked, completely confused for a short moment.
Then, her mind seemed to connect his words with the chaotic sounds leaking from the outside streets.
She spun around, grabbed the television remote from the side table, and turned on the main display panel.
The screen immediately flared to life, showing an emergency live broadcast detailing the arrival of the Second Red Moon.
The news anchor’s voice filled the living room: "Repeated warnings are being issued by A.E.G.I.S. The global Mana has spiked by over two hundred percent. All newly awakened citizens are advised to report to their local A.E.G.I.S. headquarters for registration. The territorial boundaries of the Beyond are currently experiencing a massive influx of new descents..."
Seeing the live news reports, Jet raised an eyebrow calmly.
He reached out his hand toward Inez. "Give me my phone."
Inez quickly handed over the smartphone from the charger. Jet unlocked the screen and immediately began scrolling through his various social media and news feeds.
He wasn’t the least bit surprised by the sheer chaos reflecting on the digital layout; the frenzied public reaction was exactly what he had already anticipated.
After all, this was an event that completely shattered human logic. After half a century of silence, a second red moon had appeared, dragging the forgotten underclass into the center of the world order.
Looking at the endless streams of people voicing their absolute despair over missed opportunities, contrasted with the manic posts of those who were celebrating their sudden awakening, Jet closed the application.
The entire world was in a state of absolute frenzy.
"Looks like this uproar won’t be going away anytime soon," Jet muttered to himself.
Just then, his phone vibrated violently in his palm, the screen flashing as a familiar name appeared on the caller ID: FREY.
Jet smiled faintly and picked up the call, switching it to the speaker line. The exact second the connection cleared, Frey’s loud, hoarse, and incredibly excited voice boomed through the living room, so loud that Jet had to move the device a few inches away from his ear.
"Bro! Did you witness what just happened?! The Red Moon appeared, dude! The Red Moon actually appeared again! Hahaha! I awakened, bro! I fucking awakened! I told you to get a tattoo months ago but you didn’t want to listen to me! Hahaha! According to the Red Moon System prompt, I’m an A-Rank Awakener now! Bro, I awakened an A-Rank Divine Rune! This daddy is about to officially take off!"
Jet’s lips twitched slightly as he listened to his childhood friend’s unhinged, ecstatic shouting. He simply shook his head, a mischievous, cold glint flickering deep within his white pupils as he leaned closer to the microphone.
"Who told you I didn’t awaken?" Jet said, his tone entirely casual.
"Eh?"
Frey’s loud, booming voice died instantly. There was a dead, suffocating silence on the other end of the line for a few consecutive moments before an even louder shriek tore through the phone speaker, vibrating the glass on the table.
"What the fuck?! Dude, you awakened as well?! But you don’t have any tattoos! How the hell did you awaken without a single tattoo on your skin?!"
Jet rolled his eyes, a dry smile forming on his pale face. "Who told you I don’t have any tattoos? I spent the entire last month getting covered in ink. I just didn’t tell you."
"Shit! What kind of fucking luck is that?! What an absolute lucky dog!" Frey’s cursing voice filled the room, though his tone was brimming with genuine relief and joy beneath the insults.
"Man, and here I thought I was going to be your only savior and sugar daddy from now on. My chance to look down on you is completely gone, fuck..."
"Hahaha!" Jet burst into a hearty laughter upon hearing his friend’s exaggerated disappointment.
His eyes filled with a deep, heavy layer of genuine emotion as he listened to Frey’s voice. In his previous life, Frey had indeed awakened as an A-Rank powerhouse during this exact night.
In fact, it was entirely due to Frey’s constant support and financial backing that Jet had been able to secure a luggage-carrying job at a local Guild and maintain the ownership rights of this apartment for his sister.
But in that past timeline, due to Jet’s own pathetic pride, broken ego, and stubborn silence, he had pushed his friend away, ultimately losing a priceless relationship before the final disaster struck.
In this life, I’m not losing you, Jet thought, his hand slowly clenching into a tight, unyielding fist over his knee. I will make sure you survive the impacts.
"So, bro," Frey’s voice came through the line again, his tone shifting into deep curiosity. "What is the rank of your new Divine Rune? Did you manage to hit a C-Rank or a B-Rank?"
Jet coughed slightly to clear his throat, a massive, knowing smile spreading across his face.
"S-Rank."
There was another immediate, heavy silence on the opposite end of the line.
"Holy shit... for fuck’s sake, why the hell is your luck so consistently broken?!" Frey groaned loudly through the speaker. "An S-Rank? You’re literally a premium prospect now, dammit!"
Jet laughed loudly, his tone teasing. "Haha, exactly. So from now on, you better behave yourself well, little brother. This daddy of yours will protect you in the field."
"Fuck you!" Frey cursed back playfully.
He paused for a moment before his voice turned serious. "Well, bro, when are you planning to enter the Beyond? I’m about to enter the transition phase right now to test out my new strength."
"I will be entering it in a little while, after I make sure Inez is fully settled here at home," Jet thought for a moment before replying. "And besides, since we are in the same region, so who knows? We might end up appearing in the exact same starting wilderness region inside the Beyond."
"Yeah, you’re right about that. Okay, bro, I’ll see you on the other side. See you in the Beyond!" Frey shouted before cutting the line.
The call disconnected, and the living room fell back into a quiet calm.Jet set his phone down on the wooden table and turned his head.
Inez was sitting right beside him, her wide white pupils staring directly into his face. Her little mouth was wide open, her features frozen in a look of absolute, unadulterated shock.
"Big... big brother... you really awakened too?" Inez managed to voice out, her small shoulders trembling
."Yes, Inez," Jet said softly, his expression full of warmth as he reached out to pull her close. "Your big brother is officially an Awakener now."
"Waahhh!"
Inez let out a piercing scream of pure joy as she lunged forward, jumping straight into Jet’s arms and wrapping her tiny limbs around his neck.
Her chubby cheeks were completely flushed with a bright shade of crimson excitement.
"Hahaha! My big brother is an Awakener! I can’t wait to go to school and tell all my classmates! Let’s see who dares to look down on me now!"
Jet smiled silently, holding her small frame securely against his chest. Although the deep, radiating physical pain from the ten sealed runes was still wrecking his muscles, he didn’t mind the discomfort at all as he looked down at his sister’s happy face.
He raised his head, his white pupils shifting toward the window, looking past the city skyscrapers toward the invisible boundaries of the otherworldly dimension hovering over the planet.
A cold, sharp glint flickered deep within his eyes.
"Beyond," Jet whispered under his breath, his resolve turning absolute. "I’m coming. Wait for me."The Chapter ends here.