Lin Feng's eyes fluttered open.
The first thing he saw was the familiar white ceiling of his bedroom. Soft daylight filtered in through the thin curtains by the window, casting faint lines across the plaster above him. The room smelled faintly of fabric softener, the scent of home—ordinary, grounding.
For a long moment, he simply stared upward, unmoving.
How... how am I here?
His mind was heavy, fogged by fragments of memory. Images flickered in his head—visions of the Tree, its ancient voice resonating deep within him. The pain. The piercing root. The blood. The cold stone floor. And then—nothing.
Was it a dream? No. It was too real.
Slowly, he sat up. The blanket slipped from his chest as he looked around. His room was exactly as he had left it. Posters on the wall. The old wooden desk cluttered with schoolbooks and empty energy drink cans. His phone charging on the nightstand, screen dark. Everything normal.
And yet, nothing felt normal.
His chest ached faintly—no wound, no scar—but a deep soreness, as though his body remembered something his mind struggled to grasp.
He rubbed his face with both hands, trying to steady his breathing.
The Tree… the test…
How did I survive?
As the thoughts tumbled in his head, something shimmered at the edge of his vision.
He froze.
Hovering in the air above his bed, translucent and faintly blue, was a rectangular screen. No glass, no projector—simply hanging in the air, pulsing gently as though alive.
Lin Feng blinked. Rubbed his eyes. Looked again.
Still there.
The screen floated motionless, its surface faintly rippling, as though it were both solid and fluid at once.
What... is this?
It looked strikingly familiar—not from real life, but from his hours spent gaming. It resembled a user interface, the kind he had seen countless times in video games. A status window. A player menu.
Cautiously, he reached out a hand.
His fingers passed through the edges of the screen without resistance. But as his fingertips brushed the text in the center, the letters sharpened, coming into clearer focus:
---
Name: Lin Feng
Level: 1
Inborn Power: ???
Earned Power: Devour
Attributes:
• Strength: 1
• Agility: 1
• Intelligence: 1
• Endurance: 1
• Perception: 1
---
Lin Feng's eyes widened.
This wasn't possible. He wasn't in a game. He was home, in his room. And yet, here it was—an interface listing his name and stats, as though he were a character in some RPG.
"What the hell…" he whispered aloud.
He waved his hand again, watching the screen shimmer in response.
His gaze drifted lower.
At the bottom of the screen, a single line of red text stood out:
---
"Congratulations. You have passed one of the Tests. Humanity is safe... for now."
"P.S. I've left you a little gift."
— The Tree
---
A chill ran down Lin Feng's spine.
So it hadn't been a dream. The Tree was real. The test had happened.
But... what gift?
He looked around the room. Everything seemed normal. No new items. No weapons, no strange objects. Just him, sitting in his bed with a pulsing blue screen floating before him.
What did the Tree leave?
Where is it?
He focused on the screen again, trying to will it to reveal more. But no additional text appeared.
Before he could think further, a sudden, high-pitched voice cut through the silence:
"AAAAAAH!!"
Lin Feng jolted upright.
"That's Xiu Xiu!" he gasped.
Without thinking, he leapt from the bed, heart racing. Barefoot, he bolted from his room and sprinted down the hall toward his sister's room.
"Xiu Xiu! What is it?!" he called out, throwing the door open.
Inside, Lin Xiu stood in her pajamas, eyes wide with shock, finger pointing into empty air.
"Do you see it?!" she cried. "It's... it's right there!"
Lin Feng's gaze followed her finger.
But... there was nothing there.
He blinked, leaned forward, squinting at the empty air in front of his sister.
"I... I don't see anything," he said slowly. "What are you talking about, Xiu Xiu? What do you see?"
Lin Xiu's eyes widened even more. Her finger trembled as she pointed again.
"It's right there!" she insisted. "A screen! Floating! Like in those games! I swear!"
Lin Feng frowned.
He couldn't see anything—no shimmer, no light, nothing.
But her expression was too genuine to dismiss. Her hands trembled slightly, her voice cracked. This wasn't a prank.
He stepped closer.
"Calm down," he said softly. "Tell me what it says."
Lin Xiu took a breath, her eyes locked on the invisible screen only she could see.
"It… it says my name," she began, voice still shaky. "And my… level? I'm level one. There's something called 'Inborn Power'… and an 'Earned Power'…"
Lin Feng's heart pounded faster.
She has it too?
Lin Feng's mind raced.
She has it too…
Then it wasn't just me.
He looked again, trying to spot something—anything—in the air between them, but the space remained empty to his eyes.
"Xiu Xiu," he said quietly, "I still can't see what you're pointing at."
She turned to him, eyes wide and fearful. "You really don't see it?"
"No," he admitted. "But… I have one too. In my room. I woke up and there was… something. A blue screen."
Lin Xiu blinked. "Like in the games?"
He nodded.
A long pause passed between them.
"What does it mean?" she whispered. "Why do we have this?"
Lin Feng didn't answer right away.
The Tree's words echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations. You have passed one of the Tests. Humanity is safe... for now."
"P.S. I've left you a little gift."
Gift...?
But there had been no explanation. No hint as to what it could be.
"I don't know," he said finally. "But it's real. This isn't a dream. Something changed."
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Morning light was streaming in through the windows.
How long had he been unconscious?
How long had she been seeing this screen?
Before he could ask, Xiu Xiu looked at him anxiously.
"Do you think… do you think Mom and Dad can see it too?"
Lin Feng stiffened.
It was a good question.
"If they do," he said, "we need to know."
Without another word, he motioned for her to follow. They left her room, moving quickly down the stairs, bare feet against the cool wooden steps.
The living room was quiet, the low hum of the television playing softly in the background. Their parents sat on the couch, faces pale and serious, eyes locked on the news broadcast.
A live feed showed massive crowds gathering around the Towers in various cities across the world—Tokyo, Paris, New York, Moscow. Across the bottom of the screen, the headline scrolled in bold red letters:
"EARTH SAFE — FOR NOW. GOVERNMENTS RESPOND TO GLOBAL EVENTS. CITIZENS REPORT MYSTERIOUS SCREENS."
Their father turned at the sound of footsteps. He opened his mouth to speak—but froze mid-sentence, eyes darting back toward the empty space in front of him.
Lin Feng caught the look.
His father was seeing something.
"Dad," he asked carefully, "are you… seeing an interface?"
His father's brows furrowed. Slowly, he nodded.
"It just appeared this morning," he said, voice low. "Your mother sees it too."
Lin Feng's pulse quickened.
Then… it wasn't just them. It wasn't random.
Before he could say more, the newscaster's voice cut through the room:
"...leads across the globe now confirm that after the events at midnight, many citizens have begun reporting similar experiences — blue translucent screens, similar to gaming interfaces, visible only to the individual. At this time, authorities do not yet understand the nature of these screens..."
On the screen, an official spokesperson appeared:
"We ask that anyone experiencing these phenomena come forward. While the Earth is currently safe, we must understand the scope of this change. All governments are now collaborating to form an international task force to gather data..."
Lin Feng's breath caught.
It was happening.
Lin Feng sat on the couch, next to his sister, his eyes locked on the TV screen.
Their parents were watching in silence, faces pale, the tension in the room so thick it could be felt in every breath.
The news anchor was struggling to maintain composure.
"After last night's unprecedented events," she said, "we can now confirm: humanity appears to be safe... for now."
Footage played on the screen—crowds gathering outside the great Towers in cities all over the world. Tokyo. Paris. New York. Dubai.
Around the bases of the Towers, enormous floating blue letters hovered in the air, projected from an unseen source:
"THE EARTH IS SAFE... FOR NOW."
Lin Feng leaned forward, elbows on his knees. His pulse was steady, but his mind was racing.
What is going on... what does it mean?
The Tree's words echoed in his head once more.
"Congratulations. You have passed one of the Tests. Humanity is safe... for now."
It was real. All of it was real.
And now... the whole world knew something had changed.
The broadcast cut to a press conference. On the screen, a panel of government leaders sat behind a long table, dozens of microphones arrayed before them. The man in the center spoke first:
"The events surrounding the Towers are ongoing," he began. "At this moment, we can only confirm that Earth is temporarily safe. The situation is unstable, and we are working with our international partners to fully assess the threat."
The camera zoomed in on the speaker's face.
"We must also address a new phenomenon. Many citizens worldwide have reported seeing strange blue screens floating before them—screens which, so far, cannot be recorded on camera. We believe these interfaces may be connected to the Towers themselves."
Lin Feng's father frowned.
"So... it's not just us," he said under his breath.
Lin Feng glanced toward him.
"No," he replied softly. "It's happening everywhere."
The speaker continued:
"To that end, all governments are coordinating a joint task force. We urge anyone experiencing these... 'interfaces' to report to the local registration centers that will be set up starting today."
A murmur spread through the press room in the video.
"You will not be required to reveal the contents of these screens. Your privacy will be respected. However, it is crucial that we understand the scope of this phenomenon—who is affected, and who is not."
Lin Feng's heart pounded faster.
"They want to know who can see it," he murmured. "Who has been changed."
His mother nodded quietly.
"It makes sense," she said softly. "They need to know... if we're still in danger."
Xiu Xiu hugged her knees.
"Why us?" she whispered. "Why do we have this? We didn't do anything..."
Lin Feng hesitated.
He thought back to the Tree. To the test.
"I... I think it's connected to the Towers," he said carefully. "And to what happened last night."
His father gave him a sharp look.
"What do you mean?"
Lin Feng hesitated. How much should he tell them? How could he even explain what had happened with the Tree?
Before he could answer, the broadcast changed again—new footage showed crowds forming in front of the registration centers being hastily set up around the city. People of all ages, confused and nervous, stood in long lines.
Some smiled, laughing nervously, treating the entire event like a new game. Others looked terrified.
Social media clips flashed across the screen: excited influencers filming themselves with the floating screens visible only to them; government announcements calling for calm; scientists and reporters speculating endlessly.
And always, in the background, the words:
"EARTH SAFE... FOR NOW."
Lin Feng stood suddenly.
"I need to get some air," he said.
His parents looked toward him.
"Be careful," his mother said. "Things are... strange outside."
Lin Feng nodded.
"I'll just go for a jog. I need to clear my head."