Chapter 88: The A-Rank Stranger

The southern checkpoint stood unnaturally silent under the dim, gray light of the ruined sky.

Every soldier positioned within the barricaded security zone kept their heavy weapons lowered, yet their muscles remained tense and ready for action.

The metallic scanner mounted near the steel gate continued emitting a steady, faint warning tone that pierced the heavy atmosphere.

[ELEMENTAL RANK: A]

Raviah adjusted her grip on her medical kit, her dark eyes locking onto the figure standing isolated beyond the boundary barrier.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties, his broad frame visible beneath a ragged coat covered in layers of ash and gray dust.

Crusted blood stained the torn sleeve of his dark jacket, and half-healed cuts crisscrossed his angular face. Yet despite his visible exhaustion, his spine remained remarkably straight and his posture steady.

Most strikingly, no fear showed in his expression.

An ordinary survivor usually collapsed in terror when confronted by hundreds of armed soldiers lining a fortified perimeter. This stranger simply observed the rifles pointed at his chest with calm, calculating eyes.

Rhyder stepped forward, the heavy soles of his military boots crunching against the gravel.

"State your name," the general commanded, his deep voice carrying clear authority across the quiet field.

A tense silence stretched between them for several seconds before the stranger finally parted his dry, cracked lips.

"Elias Varen," he replied softly.

Rhyder’s sharp eyes narrowed as he assessed the man’s calm demeanor.

"Where did you come from?" Rhyder asked, his hand resting casually near his sidearm.

"A research facility," Elias said.

"What facility?" Rhyder pressed, stepping closer to the iron barrier.

Elias turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting toward the jagged silhouette of the ruined horizon.

"It’s gone," the stranger said quietly.

His tone remained eerily flat, devoid of any panic or shock.

"Destroyed three days ago during the initial wave," he added, returning his attention to the general.

Rhyder gestured sharply toward two guards standing nearby.

"Search him thoroughly," Rhyder ordered.

Two heavily armored soldiers approached the stranger with caution, their weapons raised as they closed the distance.

They passed hand-held scanners over his dusty clothing, worn boots, and minimalist gear. No biological contamination registered on the monitors. No concealed explosives were taped to his body. No unauthorized firearms or hidden blades were detected.

However, the moment the handheld device passed directly over the center of his chest, the machine reacted violently with a harsh, high-pitched screech.

[HIGH-DENSITY CORE DETECTED]

Raviah’s eyes sharpened instantly at the sharp alarm.

An A-Rank Elemental was already a massive strategic variable. An individual carrying a high-density core inside their body was infinitely more dangerous.

"Take him to the primary interrogation room," Rhyder ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.

As the two soldiers moved to secure his arms, Elias finally shifted his gaze directly onto Raviah. A sudden change flickered across his pale face. It was not fear or hostility that crossed his features. It was distinct recognition.

Raviah caught the subtle shift in his eyes immediately.

"You know me?" she asked, stepping forward before the guards could drag him away.

"No," Elias answered.

The denial came far too quickly to be genuine.

Raviah’s suspicion deepened, her mind racing through the possibilities as they led the man inside the reinforced bunker.

Minutes later, inside the windowless security room, Elias sat calmly at a heavy metal table. His large, calloused hands remained flat and visible against the cold steel surface.

Rhyder stood directly behind Raviah’s chair, his arms crossed tightly over his broad chest like an immovable shield.

"Tell us about this scientific facility," Rhyder instructed, breaking the heavy silence.

Elias slowly exhaled a long breath, his chest rising and falling against the tight fabric of his shirt.

"It belonged to a government-funded scientific division," he explained quietly.

"What were they researching out in the wasteland?" Raviah chimed in, watching his fingers carefully.

"Elemental Roots," Elias answered.

Raviah’s expression hardened at the familiar term.

"How long have they been studying them?" she demanded, leaning toward the table.

"Long before the global awakening wave struck," Elias stated smoothly.

The statement hit the room like a heavy weight, instantly capturing Raviah’s full attention.

"Explain what you mean by that," she insisted.

Elias leaned back slightly against the hard metal back of his chair.

"Human beings have always possessed the raw biological potential to interact with atmospheric energy," he said, his eyes fixed on hers. "The roots were simply dormant within our DNA, so the researchers constructed a method to artificially stimulate them."

Raviah remained still, processing the terrifying implications of his words.

"Project Elemental Awakening," Elias added, letting the name hang heavily in the quiet room.

Rhyder’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"You seem intimately familiar with that classified name," the general noted coldly.

"I was part of the original research team," Elias confessed without hesitation.

Raviah’s fingers tightened until her knuckles turned white against the edge of the metal table.

"What exactly did they do to the subjects?" she asked, her medical background making her stomach churn.

"Everything they could conceive," Elias said, his voice dropping into a colder, detached register.

"They exposed human subjects to highly concentrated atmospheric energy, studied artificial core formation, and tested different root stimulation methods," he continued.

A cold chill traveled slowly down Raviah’s spine as she listened to his detached recitation.

"Human subjects?" she repeated softly.

Elias gave a brief nod.

"Volunteers at first," he admitted.

"And afterward?" Raviah pushed, her heart pounding against her ribs.

He didn’t answer her question verbally. He simply held her gaze with a dark, hollow look that spoke volumes.

Raviah understood the dark reality instantly without needing further words.

"What finally broke containment at the facility?" she asked, shifting her focus.

"The global awakening wave destroyed their containment systems," Elias explained, looking down at his scarred knuckles.

"Some of the researchers awakened power," he added softly. "Others didn’t survive the sudden energy influx."

"And what about you?" Raviah asked, studying every micro-expression on his face.

"I survived," he replied simply.

Raviah studied his steady breathing and the faint aura hum radiating from his skin.

"You didn’t merely survive a lab disaster," she noted, her voice firm.

She raised her hand, pointing her finger directly at his chest.

"You managed to reach A-Rank."

Elias offered a brief, faint smile that failed to reach his tired eyes.

"Eventually," he murmured.

Rhyder’s deep voice cut through the air, hard as iron.

"How do you know so much about Cores?"

"Because I’ve extracted and documented them," Elias answered smoothly.

"How many have you seen?" Rhyder pressed.

"Hundreds," Elias replied without flinching.

Raviah’s eyes sharpened in horror.

"Human Cores?" she whispered.

"Human, mutated beast, and Zerg," Elias clarified flatly.

A thick, suffocating silence settled over the interrogation room.

Elias leaned forward over the table, looking directly into Raviah’s dark eyes.

"The lead researchers discovered that those three species aren’t as fundamentally separate as everyone believes," he revealed.

Raviah’s heart sank as the horrifying truth aligned with her own private research.

"Explain the connection," she demanded quietly.

"Elemental energy is spreading through the entire global biosphere," Elias explained. "Different biological species simply interact with and digest that atmospheric power differently."

His explanation confirmed the terrifying hypothesis Raviah had been secretly compiling for weeks. Yet this stranger knew far too much information, far too early in the apocalypse timeline.

She leaned far over the steel table, closing the physical distance between them.

"Why did you travel all the way to Sol Haven?" Raviah questioned, probing his motives.

Elias hesitated for a fraction of a second, his calm facade cracking slightly.

"Because your fortress is one of the few places on the continent still producing a stable energy signature," he admitted.

Rhyder’s expression turned utterly hostile.

"You were actively searching for Sol Haven’s coordinates," the general stated as a matter of fact.

"Yes," Elias agreed softly.

"Why?" Rhyder growled.

Elias ignored the general entirely, keeping his gaze locked exclusively onto Raviah.

"Because I knew someone living inside this fortress was fundamentally different," he said.

Raviah’s pulse slowed to a heavy, deliberate beat.

"What do you mean by different?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

Elias stared directly into her eyes, his pupils dilated with an intense, unreadable emotion.

"You," he said simply.

Rhyder immediately stepped forward, his heavy hand reaching toward his holster to end the interview.

Raviah raised one hand quickly, stopping the general in his tracks before he could intervene. She needed to hear every word this man had to offer.

Elias leaned closer across the metal table, his voice dropping down into a barely audible whisper.

"According to all our laboratory data, you weren’t supposed to awaken your Root," he revealed.

Raviah froze in her seat, her breath catching deep in her throat.

For the first time since he walked up to the southern checkpoint, the mysterious A-Rank stranger looked genuinely terrified.