Chapter 513: New Era (2)

King Stein slowly exhaled, forcing himself to remain composed despite the thoughts racing through his mind. He could not afford to jump to conclusions based on a single person’s experience, especially when so little was known about the current state of the world. Nevertheless, the possibility was too significant to ignore. If the warmth she described was connected to the returning Qi, then their family might have just witnessed the first genuine response to an ancient cultivation method in centuries.

"Continue," he instructed, his voice quieter than before. "Do not change your breathing, and do not attempt to force that sensation to grow. Simply remain aware of it and continue following the method."

The young woman nodded slightly before closing her eyes again. She returned her attention to her breathing, attempting to maintain the same rhythm she had followed from the beginning. King Stein watched her carefully, determined not to interfere with the process any further than necessary. Although he wanted to question her about every detail of the sensation, he knew that doing so could distract her and cause her to lose whatever connection she might have established.

The patriarch remained perfectly still as the experiment continued, but his thoughts had already begun moving beyond the walls of the library. For generations, his family had preserved fragments of knowledge that the modern world had long since dismissed as superstition. They had maintained their traditions without any certainty that the power described in their ancestors’ records had ever truly existed. Now, however, the strange developments occurring across the world were beginning to align with the warnings and predictions contained in those same records.

A possibility that had once seemed almost absurd was becoming increasingly difficult to deny. The old world might genuinely be returning, and the Stein family could be among the first to recognize what that meant.

Back to the Modern World

While the ancient families began awakening their forgotten traditions, the rest of humanity continued moving through its ordinary routines, largely unaware of the significance behind the strange events that had recently begun appearing in the news. Reports of unexplained phenomena continued to emerge from different parts of the world, each one adding another piece to a growing collection of incidents that scientists, journalists, and government officials struggled to explain. Another athlete broke a long-standing record under circumstances that attracted widespread attention, while a hospital reported unusually rapid recovery rates among several patients whose conditions had previously shown little improvement. Elsewhere, researchers documented an unexpected change in animal migration patterns, prompting discussions about environmental conditions and other possible explanations.

Videos of seemingly impossible physical feats continued spreading across social media, attracting millions of views within hours of being uploaded. Some showed ordinary people accomplishing things that appeared to exceed the limits of human strength and endurance, while others featured animals behaving in ways that experienced researchers found difficult to reconcile with their established understanding of nature. Although many of the videos were dismissed as fabrications or exaggerations, enough credible incidents had occurred to ensure that the discussion was no longer limited to internet speculation.

Humanity responded in the way it usually did when confronted with something it could not immediately understand. People argued in comment sections, exchanged theories with their friends, and searched for explanations that matched their existing beliefs. Some became genuinely frightened, convinced that the strange incidents were signs of an approaching catastrophe. Others treated the reports as entertaining curiosities, watching the videos before returning to their daily activities. There were also those who insisted that everything could eventually be explained through science and that the apparent abnormalities were simply the result of incomplete information.

For most people, life continued much as it always had. Cars filled the roads during rush hour, restaurants served their customers, and children attended school while their teachers attempted to maintain their usual schedules. Office workers complained about demanding bosses, exhausted employees counted the hours until they could return home, and families gathered around dinner tables to discuss ordinary concerns. Supermarkets remained crowded with shoppers purchasing groceries and household necessities, while people continued attending parties, arranging dates, arguing with their partners, and worrying about rent, electricity bills, and the rising cost of living.

The contrast between ordinary life and the growing number of unexplained incidents made the situation particularly strange. The world had not visibly collapsed, and there were no monsters roaming through major cities or armies being deployed to contain supernatural threats. No major metropolitan area had vanished overnight, and governments had not announced a global emergency that required everyone to abandon their homes. From the perspective of someone who paid little attention to the news, the world remained almost entirely recognizable.

Yet beneath that familiar surface, something fundamental was beginning to change. The strange phenomena were no longer isolated incidents that could comfortably be dismissed as coincidences. They were appearing with increasing frequency, sometimes displaying similarities that suggested a connection between events occurring thousands of miles apart. The world was experiencing a change that reached beyond the immediate understanding of ordinary people, and although its effects were not yet obvious to everyone, the underlying transformation had already begun.

Something ancient had started moving again after a period of silence that had lasted for generations. Knowledge once preserved in forgotten manuscripts was becoming relevant, traditions that had survived without proof were beginning to produce results, and phenomena previously confined to myths and legends were gradually finding their way into the modern world. Humanity had not yet realized the full significance of these developments, but the foundations of its established understanding of reality were already beginning to shift.

That evening, Stan sat at the dining table with Camilla, enjoying a relatively peaceful meal while the television played quietly in the background. The room was comfortably furnished, and the warm lighting created an atmosphere that seemed completely disconnected from the unusual events unfolding throughout the world. For a moment, it was easy to imagine that nothing had changed and that the strange reports dominating the news were merely another temporary source of public fascination.

Camilla ate while watching the television, occasionally pausing to pay closer attention whenever a new report appeared. She had been following the developments with considerable interest, and the increasing number of unusual incidents had only strengthened her curiosity. Although she understood that the situation could eventually become dangerous, she seemed more intrigued by the possibilities than troubled by the uncertainty. For someone who possessed knowledge and experiences far beyond those of an ordinary human, the modern world’s reaction to the awakening was almost as interesting as the awakening itself.

"This is getting stranger," she remarked, setting down her cutlery as another report appeared on the screen.

Stan glanced toward the television before returning his attention to his meal. "Yes, it is."

The report focused on the unusual changes in animal migration patterns, with a scientist explaining that several species had begun displaying behaviors that did not fit neatly into existing models. The discussion continued for a few moments before the broadcast transitioned to another segment, where the familiar image of the elderly monk appeared on the screen. His tearful face had already circulated widely across the internet, and the footage had become one of the most frequently discussed pieces of evidence in the ongoing debate about the strange events.

Camilla watched the old man’s face for several seconds before a faint smile appeared on her lips. There was something almost amusing about seeing people from the modern era confronted with evidence that challenged the assumptions they had built their lives around. They had grown accustomed to a world governed by predictable physical laws, supported by scientific theories and technologies that allowed them to measure, explain, and manipulate their surroundings. Now, they were beginning to encounter phenomena that appeared to exist beyond the limits of their established knowledge.

"Seeing new-age humans react to all this would be really interesting," she said.

***

A/N:

This marks the end of Volume 2, sorry of the ending to this volume 2 is a bit of a drag, I’m just trying to flesh out the developments...