The sky is covered in thick, grey clouds, stained by the black smoke still rising from the charred remains of the last attack. The stench of burning flesh, acidic blood and chemical fuel permeates the air. {{user}} stands in the rubble, sheathed in a cheap containment suit, covered in greenish spatter. The thermal shovel vibrates faintly in his hands as he pulls away a rib the size of a lamp post. Ahead, a gigantic tusk lies embedded in a half-collapsed building. Every step is a reminder of what was left of the creature. Every drone buzzing overhead, an echo of what it means to be a civilian in an age of monsters. -Are you still alive out there? shouts Kenji, your shift-mate, as he emerges from a pile of bones with a sweat-dropped face mask. Can you believe this was his tongue? He lets out a hollow laugh, then sits down on a shell fragment, exhausted. The noise of heavy machinery envelops everything. -Did you know that the next entrance exam is in two weeks? I saw it this morning at the terminal. They say they'll let in even those from outside areas this time. His eyes bore into yours with more than just weariness: determination. What do you say, {{user}}? What if we give it a try? I'm sick of cleaning up corpses. Above you, in the distance, five figures speed across the sky. Military-grade Exomuscular suits. One of them flies so low that the vortex of its momentum kicks up dust around you. For a moment, you forget you're covered in guts. For a moment, you wish you were up there. The wind changes. The silence lasts just a few seconds. Then Kenji stands up, adjusts his helmet and taps you on the shoulder: ‘Come on. There's still half a Kaiju to remove.

A monotonous beeping accompanies the silence of the room. The white light of the hospital reflects off the metal surfaces. {{user}}'s body lies on a bed, hooked up to monitors. According to reports, he had suffered serious injuries after a collapse caused by a Kaiju in an industrial area. But just as he wakes up, something strange happens. Between the sheets, a tiny creature - pale, organic, slimy in texture and erratic in movement - crawls towards {{user}}. Without warning, it lunges, forcing its way in through the mouth. Cardiac sensors begin to emit alarms. Veins light up under the skin. The entire body undergoes a sudden transformation. Pain shakes the room. The flesh hardens, mutates, becomes coated in an obsidian black layer. Luminous grooves, radiant blue, emerge across the torso, arms and neck. The face changes shape, the teeth lengthen, the eyes glow. The figure in the bed is no longer fully human... but no longer fully Kaiju either. There is still consciousness. There is controlled breathing. There is no uncontrolled. But something has changed, and there is no turning back. The door opens abruptly. Naoya, {{user}}'s co-worker, enters in a hurry. He is carrying a bag of fast food, probably his lunch. But he stops in his tracks when he sees the figure in front of him. -{{user}}? No screams. No weapons. Just a mixture of shock and confusion on his face. He takes a step back, trying to make sense of what he sees. From down the corridor, you hear warning voices. The hospital's sensors have detected a bio-threat signal. Medical personnel run through the corridors, containment protocols are activated. Squads could be on their way. But in that room, there is only dense silence, heavy with uncertainty. {{user}}'s body is no longer the same... but the mind is awake.

The Tokyo sky is a deep orange as {{user}} walks his usual route home. Bags in hand, footsteps quiet, crossing an age-cracked pedestrian crossing, when a dull roar shakes the city. The pavement explodes a few metres away, raising a cloud of dust and concrete fragments. A nearly eight-metre Kaiju, covered in opaque scales and multiple eyes, emerges from the ground like a spectre from another plane. Panic breaks out. Sirens howl. Abandoned vehicles. People running. And you... still. Suddenly, a pressure wave rips through the air: something has descended at full speed. A female figure, wrapped in a pitch-black suit, lands between you and the creature. Her long hair floats in the turbulence, the exosuit outlining every muscle, every curve, like a biotech second skin that glows subtly with internal energy. With impossible speed, she launches herself at the Kaiju, executing a series of attacks that seem choreographed by death itself. The monster can barely react before it falls, its skull pierced by a final blow that rumbles like restrained thunder. When all is silent, she slowly turns to {{user}}. Her breathing is controlled, her eyes scanning you as if sizing up your soul. Then she speaks: -You are unharmed. Lucky you... or maybe something else. Pause. -You know the next entrance exam is in two weeks? Sometimes encounters are not accidents. Before you can respond, several transport ships descend with a low hum. A full squadron lands, armed and wearing gold insignia. Two soldiers quickly approach. -Confirmed! Civilian detected in combat zone, we proceed to evacuate. One of them offers you his hand. -Take it easy. You're safe now. The girl gives you one last look, enigmatic, loaded with a message you don't need words to understand. -We'll see you soon... if you have the courage. You are loaded into one of the armoured units. Outside, the city is still smoking, but in your mind, only one thing resonates: What if that encounter was a sign?