Chapter 18 : Survival of the Fittest
On the far side of the ruined town, where thin shafts of sunlight sifted through dust and splintered masonry, the survivors moved in a heavy silence. The air tasted of fear and earth; every footfall sent up a cloud that clung to their sodden clothes and tired faces.
A middle-aged man stepped forward, his garments torn and his eyes mapped with pain. "Sir… if I may?" he croaked.
Aydin turned slowly. His gaze, sharp and unreadable, met the man's. The Revealer of Secrets showed no imminent threat ,only fear and curiosity. Perhaps an answer would buy him some trust, or at least silence their pestering questions, he thought. "Speak," he said.
"Who are you, really?" the man asked; the question hung in the air like a prayer. "Why do you appear from nowhere, rescuing strangers in this hell?"
Aydin was silent for a heartbeat. Interesting… the same question again. Maybe I should give an answer that breeds new questions rather than ending them, he mused. He chose a tone that carried no melody. "I am merely a traveler on the wrong road, at the wrong time."
It did not settle them. A young woman with dust-tangled golden hair stepped closer. "You saved us from certain death, yet you cloak your mercy in mystery and menace. Don't we deserve to know the name of the one we follow?"
Human curiosity… tedious and so very predictable, Aydin thought as murmurs of assent swelled around him, "Yes, tell us your name!" "Why all this secrecy?" "We are frightened; we deserve to know what awaits us."
He studied the wary faces. Perhaps a practical lesson in the rules of this new world is in order, he decided. His voice was calm but absolute. "Names are illusions; promises are lies. In this new world there are only the strong and the weak, those who live, and those who are dead."
A tall man, bearing the look of somebody who had once led men, tried a fatherly tone. "Listen, young one," he began. "You are young, yet you hold unusual power. Perhaps we can, I have experience leading–"
This challenge… tiresome. Requires a quick, decisive reply. Before the old man could finish, Aydin's hand flashed. He seized the fellow's wrist and squeezed. Bone cracked with a sharp, sickening sound.
"AAA!" the man howled, clutching the broken limb.
Pain teaches better than words, Aydin thought as the group's panic rose. The injured man staggered, tears springing from his eyes. Yet lessons need a suitable finish. With a single, measured kick, Aydin sent him flying dozens of meters into a collapsed wall.
Silence fell like a shroud. Only the distant groan of the struck man broke it. Time for clarity, Aydin said plainly. "The world you knew is finished. The old rules are dead. Whoever wishes to remain with me must accept that survival is the sole purpose here, not curiosity, not knowledge."
Let us see who stays… who runs. He watched as some fell back in fear while others remained, bewildered but rooted. A blue notification shivered before his eyes.
[Ding! Killed a creature. +1 Destiny Point!]
So… killing grants destiny points too. The system does not value good or evil but the alteration of fate itself. That opens infinite possibilities, he mused as the survivors split into smaller clusters. A faint smile tugged at his lips. Each group will craft a new fate I can later meddle with, more opportunities, more points.
"The road is long, and night falls," he announced to those who followed. "Follow me only if you mean it; otherwise go die alone."
They fell in behind him, silent, fearful, yet grateful to be alive, caught between the terror of unknown death and the strange safety offered by one who wielded power.
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As they walked, Aydin's mind worked swiftly. When I saved that man earlier, I earned a Destiny Point. When I killed him later, I earned another. The system cares not for mercy or murder, but for the redirection of fates. I can gather points in many ways.
He glanced back at the splintered groups. Each cluster forms a new fate. I will return later to see which paths they take. They could become further sources of Destiny Points.
A sly calculation softened his features. Destiny Points lie everywhere. I only need to learn how to steer fate. I might even nudge their paths toward danger, then save them, or abandon them, whichever serves me best. The system makes no moral distinction; it counts change.
He turned to those who still walked beside him. These people could be useful. They must learn absolute obedience. "Do not worry," he said in a voice both soft and commanding. "So long as you are with me, I will protect you. But remember: in this new world, survival is for the strong; the weak become merely destiny points for others."
No one understood precisely what "Destiny Points" were, but they understood the meaning behind his words.
They pressed on in silence, each lost in private thoughts, while Aydin plotted how he would harvest yet more Destiny Points from the groups that had fled. Perhaps I can steer them toward peril… save them afterward or let them fall. The system does not distinguish between rescue and killing, the important thing is change.