Late Morning - Early Summer : Andrews Airforce Base | Washington D.C.

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- Corporal, Diana Hale ~

*EEEeeeooooeeeeoOOOEEE* The several century-old emergency sirens sounded all throughout the base that morning, but not a single person didn't know why.

Barely even 5 minutes ago, everyone had their instincts shoot through the roof because of a mana wave that disabled nearly every mana-operated device in the base like an emp, including our personal Systems, which were the most panic-inducing.

-System Open.- *Beep* A distorted and glitching panel with a warning at the center appeared immediately. -Shit...-

It was a terrible omen, but the only thing I could do was look at the ancient-looking radio in my hands and wait for the Sergeant Major to give my squad a sudden 'debriefing'.

*Tchh* "Alright, does everyone copy?" *Tchh* His voice was one I had never heard before. Being a corporal, I never had the pleasure of meeting him.

However, for this mission, my squad was the only group fit.

*bing-bing-bing-bing* Exactly 4 pings sounded over the radio as we all worked to get ready.

*Tchh* "Good. You all need to be off the ground in two minutes. You will be leaving ahead of the fighter squadron and working as recon; we can't put any satellites on the area currently, so you will be our eyes and ears today." *Tchh*

There was a short pause as I finished putting on my boots and darted out of the door, quickly coming out onto the runway full of aircraft and equipment.

-It should be in Hangar 4, right?- Quickly pulling out an ancient-looking key fob, I pressed a button and spoke into it. -To think I was just joking about never needing one of these things yesterday...- *Beep* "Cardinal 7, launch from the hangar and activate all functioning systems."

*Tchh* The Sergeant was quick to come back over the radio. "Corporal Hale, you will be in the air first among your squad, Cardinal 8, as well as Hawk 3 and 4 still need to be rearmed after the incident yesterday." There was a short moment of mumbling before he came back to the microphone. "You have full runway and airspace clearance. Take off the moment you can." *Tchh*

*Tchh* "Roger that. 45 seconds on launch." *Tchh* Finally rounding the corner of my hangar, I saw my 'Cardinal', a sleek white supersonic jet made for long-range reconnaissance, hit-and-runs, and fast delivery of small-scale nuclear ordnance. [1]

It was the US military's top dog for an extremely long time.

But around 65 years ago, most of them were decommissioned in favor of the newer Blue Jays, which incorporated the countless, still experimental, mana systems that had made great strides in development over the years.

However, according to someone in the barracks, even the Blue Jays flight systems were knocked out of commission by the mana wave, leaving my squad as the only operable reconnaissance and rescue squad, being composed of two Cardinals and two Hawks, which were supersonic VTOLs meant for ranged reconnaissance, heavy nuclear armaments, and long-distance personnel missions. [2]

In the modern day, they were mostly outdated, but I had a feeling they would make a comeback after that. -If I survive this, I'm gonna ask for a damn promotion.-

*tsssss* Finally making it to the hissing engine of my Cardinal, I hopped in and hooked up all my gear before finally slipping on my helmet. *click* "Systems Booted. Welcome, Corporal Hale."

A hud quickly appeared in the helmet before the top closed, and the walls of the jet disappeared around me. "Hooh..." -How long has it been since I've flown alone.-

*Beep* The Cardinal's system quickly spoke to me. "Connected to Andrews Airforce Base Command, Sergeant Major Samuel Moreno."

The Sergeant's face appeared in the corner of the hud immediately. "Corporal, your area of interest is Apple Orchard Mountain." *ping* A holographic map promptly appeared in front of me, showing the mountain as he spoke. "The lab has also notified us that this was the largest mana wave ever recorded within the US, so be extremely careful. You have been granted permission to use all available armaments, including the nuclear warheads on board."

I immediately tensed up. -Largest ever in the US, huh...- I was honestly doing everything I could to stay calm, but it wasn't working.

"Your flight camera will also be streamed to command, so make sure you're on your A game."

As I slowly pushed on the throttle, I felt myself shaking slightly. "R-Roger that... May I also request permission to use the afterburner on takeoff?"

There was no hesitation in his voice at all. "Permission granted."

*click-click-cl-click* I flipped several switches instantly before pulling out onto the runway and taking a deep breath. "Hooh..." -Well, there's no reason to hesitate now...-

*tsss* *crackle* *BANG-FWOOOOSH* The moment the main thrusters were engaged, my whole body was thrown into the seat, and the runway started to shorten.

"Pffffewww..." Forcing out a strained breath, I pulled off the runway and almost immediately broke the sound barrier. It took a moment for the acceleration to ease enough for me to speak. "Corporal Hale to Command.. ETA of 70 seconds."

*FWOOOOSH* The ground quickly started shrinking beneath me as I wasted no time pushing high into the upper atmosphere to accelerate to the limits of the aircraft.

But no matter how fast I was going, 250 kilometers was no short distance.

The next 45 seconds of the flight were absolutely brutal. It felt as if death was breathing down my neck the entire way, but once about 20 seconds out from the target, the Sergeant came back into the comm.

"Corporal Hale, the satellites don't see anything large. There was no visible crack during the event either. As such, the higher-ups have requested you to do a ground scan."

-A GROUND SCAN?! ARE THEY INSANE?!- A ground scan required me to fly at about 5.5 kilometers, an altitude easily within the kill zone of stronger monsters.

But I had no choice but to obey. -Damn bastards...-

As I slowed down and lowered my altitude, I started the scan and kept my eyes peeled for monsters while white-knuckling the throttle.

But instead of seeing a giant monster jump out at me, I saw something else that may have been even more horrifying. -Is that.. supposed to be a drake?-

On the ridge of the mountain that the mana wave originated, there was a massive crater with what looked like a rock drake at its center, measuring about 50 meters from head to tail.

It was a massive drake, something generally on the high end of the food chain, but this drake, in particular, wasn't just hunted or killed; it had been obliterated.

-W..what the hell?- I quickly zoomed in the cameras below me to get a better view of it, but the more detail I saw, the less I understood.

After a few seconds though, Command came back into the comms. "Corporal Hale, Command is asking you to do a low pass over the ridgeline. The scan picked up what could either be a civilian or a System Mercenary."

Looking at the ping on the scan, I zoomed in and saw what they were talking about, but to call it a person was a stretch. -Are they sure that isn't just an odd rock formation?-

Having already done a pass, I lowered my altitude more comfortably and focused the scanner on the spot of interest while also using the exterior cameras to zoom in as well.

Being so far away, the light was quite warped, but once the scan overlayed with the cameras, I saw her. "What the..." -It really is.. a person...-

Although it was impossible to make out many features, it looked like a fairly tall woman with black hair lying on a small outcrop.

But after looking at her momentarily, I could suddenly feel a gaze that made my mind go blank and forced my instincts to take control.

*FWOOOOOSH* I pulled away instantly, throwing my body into the seat and engaging max afterburners to hastily climb back to 16 kilometers.

By the time I regained my senses, I was shaking so much I couldn't stop myself. -W..what the hell...- I opened up the comm without hesitation. "Command, there is indeed a person laying on that outcrop, but I felt the gaze of something ridiculous before I could get close."

My slight panic was followed by a short moment of silence. "Roger that. Stay in the area and keep your eyes out for now. Your squad is leaving base now; I will move to their channel to give them an updated briefing. In the meantime, please keep monitoring the situation."

"Roger that." Looking back down toward the ledge, I couldn't help but feel like I was still being watched, even though I was far out of sight and behind clouds. -Was that really.. a person?-

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- Evren ~

"Haah..." The noise of tweeting birds and leaves rustling in the breeze met my ears like the melody of the perfect song; after all, it was a song I hadn't heard outside of dreams in centuries.

For that moment, I wanted nothing more than to lay down and enjoy the music of nature that I had so dearly missed, but I was promptly interrupted.

*Ding!* "System Wipe Completed. Unable to adjust User's statistics... forcing system update through Central Server."

At that moment, the system's voice was the most irritating thing I could have heard. -Of course, you had to go and remind me...-

As if it didn't want me to relax, it was only a few seconds before it pinged me again.

*Ding!* "System has successfully updated!" *vwoooom*

An all-too-familiar system panel immediately appeared in front of me, this time with several minor changes.

Quickly accessing my inventory, I was presented with a completely empty menu.

Everything I used to own, with the exception of what I was currently wearing, was gone.

It truly pained my heart the longer I stared at it, but I had to be grateful I wasn't totally naked.

The armor set I was wearing was far from the best of what I used to have and likely wouldn't have even helped if I ever got hit in my missions, but when my armor's defense didn't matter, and I was the only one to ever see it, all I cared about was how comfortable it was. -I can't deny that it looks good though...- [3] (Generally how it looks)

It was a blessing to still have it; however, it was the only equipped gear that remained. My artifacts, weapons, elixirs, and the like were all gone.

My Upgrades window was in a similar state, except this time, absolutely everything was gone, without exception.

It made me nervous to flip the panel to look at my stats, but I ended up doing it anyways.

Other than mana, it was the exact same as it was before the system wipe.

But the fact my mana did change meant that I couldn't be sure my other stats were truly the same.

-I need to test it...- Looking down at my palm, I formed a fist and got ready to punch the tree next to me but was promptly stopped by the ground shaking slightly.

*crumble-thump* *thump* The noise of crumbling rocks filled the air as I felt the presence of a monster approaching from just over the ridgeline. -Good timing...-

Although I had no idea what it was, based on its footsteps, it was a weakling. -To think a punching bag would bring itself straight to me...-

*crackle-FWOOOOSH* Shattering the ground where I stood, I hurled myself through the forest before suddenly appearing on the ridgeline with a huge blast of wind ripping past me the moment I stopped. *FWOOSH*

"Haah..." My sigh was heavy. -I feel slow... Were my base stats really this low?-

Finally shaking off the idea after a bit of thought, I looked across the clearing on the ridgeline and immediately spotted a drake, only about 50 meters long and 12-ish meters tall. -What a refreshing sight...-

His eyes, which were oozing hostility, were locked on me like a lion ready to pounce, but in my eyes, he wasn't even a garden lizard.

-It's a shame that it's only one, but this should be fine...- *crackle-CRACK* Instantly kicking up a huge amount of rock behind me, I appeared next to its head and watched its eyes to see how it would follow me.

But I was leagues faster than it.

-Geez.. is this guy really the same species as those bastards who gave me so much trouble all those years ago?-

Finally reacting to me after what felt like an eternity, he swung around his colossal tail coated in bedrock and slammed it into me.

I didn't bother even bracing myself. *CRUNCH* The bedrock shattered the moment it hit me before launching me through the air.

It made my eyes go wide for a moment, but the surprise didn't last. -Ah, right... I don't have upgrades...-

*fwip-scraaaape* Quickly flipping over in the air and stopping myself before I was thrown off the ridge, I got ready to lunge back at the drake before having my attention grabbed by the immense energy that was still leaking from my body.

Although I wasn't sure what caused it, I had a realization. -When the upgrades were wiped, the system said it released my mana that was 'reserved for Upgrades'... Does that mean this energy is mana?-

Throughout my time with the system, I never had much experience with mana; after all, I had no idea how to increase it, unlike my other stats. -But to think mana was the energy that fueled the upgrades... It makes me wonder if increasing the mana stat was how you strengthened some of those upgrades...-

Looking at the drake again, I contemplated trying to use mana on it. Having used countless upgrades over the years, I knew how using the energy felt like the back of my hand, but there was one major issue.

I simply couldn't control it.

Simply trying to keep it from emitting from my body so aggressively was a struggle on its own, let alone using it like an upgrade would. -I feel like I'm trying to stop a tsunami with a beaver dam...-

Getting a little frustrated at myself for being unable to control it, I looked down at my hands and tried to visualize it.

But as I did that, the drake lunged at me and closed its jaws on my torso. *Crunch* The noise of bone breaking echoed through the air instantly.

But it wasn't my bones breaking.

"Oi, your breath smells terrible." Gripping into its top and bottom jaw as pieces of its teeth fell out, I pried it off me before promptly ripping it off entirely. *CRACKLE*

Blood immediately spewed out of where its jaw connected to its head before it jolted back in pain. -Well, I guess that's enough for now...-

*crackle* Instantly disappearing from where I was, I appeared on the drake's back and casually bent over, pointing my fingers to the thickest part of its armor, right over the spine between the shoulders. "No hard feelings, little guy."

*fwip-CRACK* The drakes armor exploded and back caved in instantly, even though I stopped my fist just short of it.

The shockwave alone was enough to obliterate everything it touched, plowing straight through the drake and caving in the ground like a small meteor impact.

*Ding!*

-Unable to receive the upgrade, huh... I wonder if that's because it can't calculate my mana anymore...- "Haah..." It was incredibly disappointing, but like anything else with the system, there was nothing I could do.

Finally tapping on the <Expand> to see what items I got, I was presented with a trashy rusted sword and an armor vest I barely recognized. -Is this a bulletproof vest?- It was something absolutely useless, as even my bare skin could stop bullets, but part of me was shocked that I even recognized it. -I guess this guy ate someone wearing one...-

Finally brushing away the panel, I looked up to the sky.

I was still struggling to believe I was really back. -To think the wish I gave up on all those years ago would actually be granted...-

Hopping off the drake's mutilated body after watching the clouds for a moment, I walked back to the ledge I first landed on and finally sat down.

For the first time in well over a hundred years, I actually felt like I could fall asleep. The peaceful sounds of nature, which initially sounded like a melody, had slowly become a lullaby.

*clack* Laying out on the rock while staring at the sky, I slowly closed my eyes and was quickly reminded what actual relaxation was.

The sun's warmth, combined with the cool breeze, was indescribably comfortable compared to the hellish worlds I had grown accustomed to.

Although I still couldn't quite fall asleep, it felt as if I ascended to heaven.

However, after only about 10 minutes, I suddenly felt like I was being watched, and looked toward the horizon to see a sleek white.. thing.

-Is that.. a jet?- I felt like I was playing trivia trying to identify it. -For one to still be able to fly... That must mean humans aren't doing too badly...-

But no matter whether it was human or monster, the way it felt like it was watching me was more than a little uncomfortable. -Should I give them a little warning?-

The moment I went to sit up though, the jet suddenly pulled up, and the flame from its engines doubled in length.

It looked like a creature fleeing from fear. -Huh?- They were so far away that I didn't expect any reaction at all, no matter what I did. -But to flee... Unless it was a coincidence, those are some freakishly sensitive instincts...-

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[1] - You can look up the VAA ARS-60 'Dianthus' for reference on the Cardinal. There are slight differences, but it was used as inspiration.

[2] - Hawks look like a cross between an F35 and a Pelican from Halo.

[3] - Evren's Armor looks similar to this, except without the helmet, and with minor details altered which will be described next chapter. https://imgur.com/a/Bky9ySt