The service station was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kieran Vale moved slowly through the aisles, one hand resting on the hilt of a newly formed blood-knife coiled against his wrist like a snake waiting to strike. The other hand hovered near the nearest shelf, brushing aside debris—mostly shattered snack wrappers and expired energy bars, now twisted by heat and time.
Despite the stillness, tension hadn't left his body.
It wasn't just survival instinct.
It was the Codex.
[Codex Sync: Stable][Environmental Status: Dormant Threat Zone][Mana Residue Detected: Low-grade]
[No active entities within 50 meters.]
He'd begun to trust the Codex more—not blindly, but functionally. It didn't explain things, didn't show emotions or speak in comforting tones, but it wanted him to live. And in a world unraveling at the seams, that was enough.
Riven was crouched by the back window, using the edge of a broken mirror to keep watch. The dawn was rising slow and red, and with it came an odd kind of calm.
"Still quiet," she murmured.
"Too quiet," Kieran replied. "I don't like it."
"Me either. But I'll take silence over screaming for now."
She sat back and stretched, grimacing as her shoulder popped.
Kieran watched her for a moment. She was dirty, bloodstained, hair a tangled mess, eyes alert but rimmed with exhaustion—and somehow, in that moment, she looked more human than anyone he'd seen since the world ended.
"How'd you get through your night?" he asked.
Riven shrugged. "After the Codex yanked me away from the trial, I landed in some sort of field. No shelter. Had to dodge two infected and hide under a rusted car for six hours. One of them chewed the door frame while I held my breath."
Kieran grimaced. "I'd say I had it worse, but... maybe not."
Riven smirked. "What, fighting yourself and dying half a dozen times? Psh. Easy day."
He chuckled softly. It felt strange, that sound. Like something from a different life.
Then silence again.
Comfortable, this time.
He leaned back against the counter and exhaled, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. Finally, a moment to breathe. To think.
To remember.
His fingers brushed his necklace—cheap, steel, with a tiny circular pendant. Inside was a photograph no one else had seen. His little sister, taken just before the accident. He hadn't had time to visit her grave in over a year.
"Still with me, Liana?" he whispered.
Riven glanced up, hearing the name.
"Sister?"
He nodded. "Gone before the Codex. Drunk driver. I was supposed to pick her up that day. I was late."
Riven didn't speak, but her eyes softened.
Kieran looked out the window.
"All of this—the powers, the Codex, the monsters—it still doesn't feel real. I keep thinking I'll wake up back in my dorm, alarms blaring, rushing to a class I hate."
Riven smiled faintly. "I worked part-time at a cafe every night for two years. My manager used to throw dish towels at me when I was five minutes late. Right now, I'd kill for one of those towels."
He laughed again, quieter this time.
It was strange how tragedy became less sharp when shared in pieces.
They spent the next hour salvaging.
There wasn't much to work with, but they managed to rig up a basic barricade near the front entrance. A few overturned vending machines, some metal shelving lashed together with power cords. It wouldn't stop a true Tier II mutant, but it might buy them time if something found them.
Riven unearthed a flare gun and a small folding knife from behind the counter.
Kieran found a mostly intact tablet. It refused to boot—no power—but when he ran his fingers along it, the Codex responded.
[Mana-Tech Interface Detected][Would you like to absorb schematic data? Y/N]
"Absorb schematic data?" he muttered aloud.
"What's that?" Riven asked.
He turned the tablet so she could see. "Codex wants to... download something from this."
Riven raised a brow. "It does that?"
Kieran shrugged. "Apparently."
He whispered, "Yes."
The tablet vibrated in his hands, then crumbled into dust.
[Data Assimilated: Basic Engineering – Mana-Laced Materials]
[Crafting unlocked: Tier I – Bloodsteel Reinforcement]– Can fuse blood weapons with salvaged metal to increase durability and power.– Required: Metal fragments, 20 mana, 1 skill point.
[Warning: Bloodsteel infusions may be permanent.]
Kieran's eyes widened. "That's... new."
"So the Codex can give you more than just combat skills?"
"Looks like it."
He felt the new knowledge settle into his thoughts like a memory that had always been there. He could picture the fusing process—heat, pressure, intent. With enough resources, he could upgrade his bloodweapons into something more… lasting.
The implications settled in like weight on his chest.
"I need to grow faster," he muttered. "Not just strength—utility. Permanence."
"You're already ahead of everyone," Riven said.
"Not for long," Kieran replied. "The Bloodmoon's still hanging. The world's not done shifting. Other people—other Codex-bearers—are waking up right now. Some will be stronger. More ruthless."
"You afraid of competition?"
"I'm afraid of what I'll have to become to keep up."
[Codex Sync: Psychological Pattern Detected][Title Synergy Activated: Echobreaker]
[Codex Affinity Progress: 9% → 11%]
Another small increase. Another reminder that the Codex was watching, always.
—
Night came again far too fast.
They took shifts, sleeping in turns. Kieran volunteered for first watch. Riven curled up on a pile of blankets behind the shelves, exhaustion overtaking her quickly.
He sat by the boarded window, blood blade coiled at his wrist like always.
The world outside was still—yet not dead. Lights flickered in distant ruins. Somewhere far off, an echoing roar reminded him that larger things existed beyond the edges of his vision.
And just as the last of the sunlight bled away, Selene returned.
Not through the door. Not from the shadows.
She simply... appeared.
Kieran didn't flinch this time.
"You always show up when it's inconvenient," he said.
"Convenience is for the unawakened," she replied.
He glanced toward Riven. "Don't wake her."
"I won't." Selene's eyes drifted to the window. "The second gate will open soon. Before it does, you'll need to choose a path."
"Path?"
"Codex evolution. Class. Direction. Your abilities are raw potential now. Soon, the Codex will ask for commitment. That decision cannot be undone."
Kieran frowned. "What happens if I pick wrong?"
Selene smiled faintly.
"Then you'll live long enough to regret it."
She turned to leave, her voice trailing behind like vapor.
"Until then, Echobreaker… stay sharp."
And she vanished.