Chapter 7: Omega?
Tyler woke slowly, heart hammering against his ribs like it was trying to escape. For a second, he wasn't sure where he was until his vision became clear, he soon realised he was in his room. The system's familiar blue-glow interface blinked across his vision with a ping sound.
Energy Restored
New Task Unlocked: Learn to Control Transformation. Rewards Upon Completion.
The words hung there, crisp and surreal. He blinked again, expecting them to vanish like a dream, but they didn't.
"Control the transformation?" he muttered, was it possible to even control it, he didn't even feel like it was his own body when he was transformed, it was like he was trapped inside the beast, he could barely even remember what he did in his transformed state.
A sudden curiosity burned through the haze in his mind. He reached out mentally, focusing on the System. The interface responded like it was waiting for him.
[Accessing Status Panel]
Status: Omega
Class: Unknown*
Strength: 5
Endurance: 3
Stamina: 4
HP: 100/100
Omega.
The word lingered on the screen, Tyler stared at it, frowning. He heard the term before, some documentary which Mason made him watch. The documentary was based off of wolves in the wilderness, there were a lot of things that were mentioned about wolves on thin he could vividly remember was that The Omega was considered an outside, a wolf without a pack. He could really remember much else about them but he wasn't even sure if werewolves were the same as wolves.
He exhaled slowly. "Yeah Omega sounds about right."
It wasn't just a title. It felt like a mirror. Something that reflected how far from normal his life had become.
Before heading to Hollow Pines Community College he wanted to send masson a message asking him to look into Omega wolves and see if there was anything else he could drum up on werewolves which might be relevant. tapped out a message to Mason:
"Hey Bro, Please look up what 'Omega' means for werewolves and wolves. The system tagged me as one. No clue what it really implies."
He knew Mason would be on it in seconds, diving into every scrap of folklore and pseudo-science he could find.
The lecture hall at Hollow Pines College buzzed with low conversation and the hum of laptop keyboards being typed on. Tyler found his usual seat near the back, dragging his fingers through his blond hair, still trying to focus despite his constant thoughts around the changes in his life.
"Dude," a voice called, breaking his daze.
Tyler turned to see Andrew Reigns drop into the seat beside him. Andrew was the same age as Tyler, dark brown hair, patchy attempt at a beard that looked more like a dare than a fashion statement. His eyes were a dark brown colour and looked friendly.
"You look like hell."
Tyler gave a humorless chuckle. "Feel worse."
Andrew lowered his voice. "I told Professor Kelman you were in the hospital. Luckily I didn't have to lie and just didn't give details."
"Thanks," Tyler said. "Seriously."
Andrew studied him for a beat. "You okay?"
Tyler hesitated. "I don't know. It's a lot right now. The shop. My health. I don't even know what's happening to me anymore."
Andrew nodded. "You need an outlet. I go to a karate class at the rec center, it's not regular Karate, it's mixed with kickboxing giving it a unique blend. It helps with control, balance and is kind of meditative once you get into it. Plus, punching stuff is good therapy."
"Sounds tempting." Tyler Replied
"You should come. Might help, it helps me destress and it seems you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. There is a class tomorrow at 6pm, come join me."
Tyler tucked the idea away. Control. Focus. Discipline. All things he desperately needed.
Later that afternoon, Tyler took the bus to Hollow Pines University's med school.
Mason had replied with a cryptic message: "Meet me at the café. I've got some info and I need coffee"
He found his brother already camped out at a table, surrounded by scattered papers, half-drunk coffee, and a laptop window overflowing with open tabs.
Mason looked up. "Ty. I'm not going to lie,I haven't found anything substantial. I have the general wolf description of an Omega but there isn't much on werewolves to begin with so it is like this." Mason took a big sip of his now cold Double Shot cappuccino.
"So Omegas are Lone wolves, generally considered the lowest rank and the weakest due to the fact that wolves hunt in packs its where their strength comes from but as I said there isn't much on werewolves so if we go by what it means to wolves we have a loose idea around it"
"I was kinda hoping for more Mase... you always seem to find something" Tyler replied
"I've been looking into Omega classifications and more than that your transformation," Mason said.
Tyler frowned. "My Transformation?"
"Someone didn't bite you. You weren't cursed. The orb or whatever it was, seems kinda like magic. This whole system seems kinda like magic... there is no scientific answer here and the system… it's adapting around you."
"So I'm not even a real werewolf?" Tyler said lowering his voice
"Well Bro, it looks pretty damn real to me " Mason said. "You're something new. And from what I've found, we are going to have to learn as we go. I've looked into the ord as well and found absolutely nothing"
Tyler leaned back, trying to process the implications. "So what does being an Omega mean for someone like me?"
"I don't know yet," Mason admitted. "But our best bet is to treat this like I said loosely on the wolf research."
Tyler's eyes wandered. A few tables away, someone caught his attention, a girl. Filipina, short black hair shaved into an undercut, multiple piercings, vivid green eyes. She wasn't reading or typing. She was watching them.
"Mason," he said quietly. "That girl over there. She's been looking at us since I walked in."
Mason gave her a discreet glance. "I've seen her before. I think she overheard me researching lunar-based neurological anomalies in the library. She's been around ever since."
"Think she's a threat?"
"Too early to tell. But she's curious. That might be worse."
Across town, Selene Vire sat in the shadows of her motel room. The dull yellow light buzzed overhead as she rewrapped a thin gauze over the bruise on her ribs. Her weapons lay on the table her silver blades cleaned, rebalanced, and looking brand new.
Her phone buzzed. A message from her father.
"When are you coming home?"
She didn't answer.
How could she? She'd seen the creature up close. glowing eyes, claws, rage but she'd also seen the restraint. The fear. The humanity still buried beneath it all.
The creature should've been dead. But she hadn't killed him.
Couldn't kill him.
Because something deep inside her recognized it, that he wasn't like the others.
And if he wasn't the monster… then what did that make her?
She closed the message without replying, silence the only answer she had.
Back at the café, Tyler stared down at his hands.
"What now?"
Mason shut the laptop. "Now? I cant wrap my head around who made the system. Who wanted a werewolve like you. And more importantly… why."
Outside, the wind stirred the trees lining the university lawn. The clouds above shifted.
Somewhere in the darkness beyond, the moon waited.
And so did whatever came next.