Chapter 7: Running on Knowledge
**Carter** didn't stop running until the **Earth System** signaled that the probability of pursuit had dropped to nearly zero. He ducked into a small, unlit service alley, leaning against a damp brick wall, his chest heaving. The smell of exhaust and forgotten food was overwhelming.
*"Heart rate is 140 BPM. Adrenaline is spiking. You are no longer in immediate danger,"* Earth announced clinically in his mind.
Carter gripped his new backpack, staring at his tingling right hand. The black-and-white lens of the sunglasses did little to filter the raw shock. "What was that? I barely touched him."
*"That was a localized application of your inherent **Dark Electric Energy**,"* the System replied, projecting diagrams of electrical currents overlaid on his vision. *"On Pandora, your body contained that power, but here, the lack of ambient mana allows it to discharge with devastating efficiency against a non-magical organism. You essentially delivered a massive, directed lightning strike."*
"Lightning. I just—attacked a human," Carter murmured, the sheer difference between this world and Pandora hitting him. He wasn't killing slaves; he had assaulted a citizen of this world.
*"He was a threat seeking to deprive you of resources vital to survival,"* Earth countered. *"Now, focus. You have money, supplies, and an unprecedented data connection to this planet. We must prioritize **shelter** and **disguise**."*
The System instantly brought up a map of the immediate area, highlighting cheap, short-term housing options in a pulsing blue. *"The nearest functional, low-cost motel is 2.4 kilometers west. We must not stay in one place long, as our energy signature may be tracked by any remaining Drakain technology in orbit."*
"Wait. Orbit? You can sense things in space?"
*"I am the planet. I sense everything within my gravitational sphere of influence,"* the System stated simply. *"Now, let's walk. I will teach you **language and behavior**."*
As they walked, Earth flooded Carter's mind with information. Language was the first torrent—not just words, but inflection, slang, and local idioms. Carter's brain, naturally augmented by his half-Drakain physiology, absorbed it like a sponge, a massive, ongoing download of Earth culture.
*"Look straight ahead. Do not stare at passing vehicles. Do not walk faster than the average pedestrian in this suburban zone, which is 5.2 kilometers per hour,"* Earth instructed, adjusting his pace. *"Your hair is an immediate liability. Your clothing—the Academy uniform you landed in—is a catastrophic liability. We must purchase a basic wardrobe."*
Using the System's navigation, Carter soon found himself at a large, brightly lit store filled with racks of fabric. He walked through, Earth directing him: *"Purchase dark denim, neutral t-shirts, and a baseball cap. Items that signal low threat and conformity."*
Carter quickly made his selections. At the register, he used his ill-gotten cash, his eyes hidden behind the shades. He was an exile, a runaway, and a criminal, yet the ease with which the **Earth System** converted raw knowledge into practical survival felt like a miraculous power.
As he walked out, now dressed in unassuming Earth clothes, he had a new thought, one that chilled him to the core, but had nothing to do with dragons.
*"Earth,"* he asked mentally, *"Is there any record of other beings like me? Mages, or anything that can sense the mana that you felt when I arrived?"*
The System went silent for a beat. *"Negative. The data is consistent. This planet is purely non-magical. You are the sole anomaly, Carter. The single source of all the strange energy we are now detecting. We are completely isolated."*
Carter adjusted the shades covering his eyes, a look of steely resolve forming beneath them. He was alone, armed only with the planet's knowledge and his own lethal power. The game of survival had just begun.