The pain had lessened, a dull ache in his muscles and bones that was a faint memory of the violent brawl. Lin Kai was still seated on the cold pavement near the mansion's gate, his back against the rusted fence. Jiang Lie had tended to his wounds, wrapping his hands and legs in pristine white bandages from the medical kit he'd retrieved from his house.
The cold wind whipped around the corner of the building, a refreshing contrast to the feverish warmth of his exhausted body. He let out a long, slow breath, a faint plume of mist in the chill air, feeling a rare moment of peace.
He had faced down a First Order monster, but the real enemy now was the despair gnawing at the survivors' hearts. With a single thought, a cascade of canned food, bottled water, and snack packages shimmered into existence beside him, spilling from his storage space and forming a small pile on the ground.
A few minutes later, he called out to the mansion. "Han Zhe! Jiang Lie!"
They emerged from the door, their faces haggard but their eyes holding a desperate hope. When they saw the pile of food, their exhaustion vanished. Han Zhe's jaw dropped. "Lin Kai… is that…?"
"It's a start," Lin Kai said, a hint of a smile on his lips. "It's all I had left. Distribute it among everyone. That should calm them down for the night."
"The food isn't the only problem," Jiang Lie said softly, looking at the bandages on his arms. "You should be inside. People need to see you. They need to know you're okay."
"I am okay," Lin Kai said, holding up a hand. "I'm fine right here. The cold wind feels good. Just go, make sure everyone gets a share."
Han Zhe looked at the food, then at Lin Kai, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you sure? Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten," Lin Kai replied, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue. "But they need."
The couple sighed, but they saw the stubborn resolve in his eyes. They knew arguing was useless. Jiang Lie went back inside for a few moments and returned with a blanket and a thick pillow, which he dropped beside Lin Kai. "Fine. But at least take this. You don't have to freeze out here for their sake."
Lin Kai didn't argue. He took the blanket and pillow, arranging them on the cold ground. "Now go. Before they start to riot for food."
The couple left, Han Zhe carrying armfuls of cans, and disappeared back inside. Lin Kai sat back, pulled the blanket around his shoulders, and closed his eyes. His body was tired, but his mind, now fully focused and alert, was not.
The Primal Decree had given him new senses. He was now a Zero Order (Peak) powerhouse, and he knew he could sense anything coming from a mile away. Still, the world was a dangerous place, and an unknown terror could be lurking anywhere. Even as he drifted to sleep, he stayed vigilant, a small island of calm in a sea of chaos.
He woke with a jolt, not from a sound, but from a feeling. A faint, unfamiliar aura, devoid of any killing intent, was drawing near. He was confused. The only auras he'd felt were the sickening, malevolent ones of the corrupted.
This was different. He pushed the blanket away, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his twin blades. He got to his feet, a battle stance already ingrained in his very being.
Then he saw it.
It looked like a mix of a dog and a wolf, larger than a German Shepherd, with sleek, muscular limbs and a coat of shimmering, glittering red fur. A single, dark horn spiraled from the center of its forehead, and its paws were oversized, with claws that looked like obsidian.
Its aura pulsed with the clean energy of a Zero Order (Mid) being. Lin Kai relaxed slightly; it was something he could handle. Still, he didn't move. He wanted to see what it would do.
The creature sniffed the air, its head held high, and then trotted right toward him, its tail giving a happy, energetic wag. It stopped a few feet away and sat on its haunches, its head cocked to the side, giving a soft, excited woof. It was a sound he knew.
Lin Kai stared at it, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him. Its bright, intelligent eyes looked at him with an undeniable recognition.
He took a cautious step forward, his mind racing. He had seen thousands of strays in his life. The creature's face... he had seen it before.
A memory, buried under the weight of the calamity, surfaced. It was the same dog he used to feed on his way home from school. He'd named it—what was it? Spark. He felt a rush of happiness. It was alive.
The dog, sensing his recognition, whined happily and bounded forward, jumping up to lick his face. Lin Kai flinched back, but then he let his guard down and wrapped his arms around the beast. It was not a monster. It was a friend. He pulled away and knelt, stroking its beautiful, velvety fur. "You... you're Spark, aren't you?" he whispered.
The dog gave another happy woof, its tail a blur. Lin Kai chuckled, a genuine laugh of pure joy, and then he pulled out a can of meat from his storage space. The dog devoured it, and Lin Kai watched him, a peaceful warmth filling his chest.
He found himself talking, telling the dog everything. He told it about the hunger of the crowd, their distrust, and his decision to feed them despite their apathy. "Do you think I want a revenge?," he murmured, petting its head.
"No. When I saw the children, Spark. I saw the fear in their eyes. I couldn't be a monster like them."
The dog licked his hand, and Lin Kai laughed. He wasn't sure if the dog understood, but it felt good to talk. Finally, he asked, "What about you? How did you survive?" The dog barked and licked his face, and Lin Kai just smiled. "Alright, alright. Come on, let's get some sleep."
They laid down together, the dog's warm body pressed against his, its soft purr-like breathing a constant comfort. Lin Kai drifted off, feeling safer than he had in weeks.
A few miles away, another battle for survival was just beginning.
-------------------------------------------------
An impossible static shrieked in Lin Ming's ear, and the call with her brother abruptly disconnected. She tapped the screen, but the signal was gone, replaced by a blank, unforgiving silence. A cold dread, far worse than the fear she had felt moments ago, seeped into her bones. Her mind, so used to logic and reason, could find no equation to solve this.
The spacious design lab with its tall ceilings and clean tables, suddenly felt vast and empty. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky twisted into a vortex of impossible colors—black, violet, and deep crimson. She felt a phantom pressure in her mind, a cold, all-consuming voice that was not a sound but a command: The Primal Decree. Her heart hammered against her ribs as a chorus of screams erupted from the streets below.
Her classmates, pale and terrified, rushed to the windows. The scene was pure chaos. People who were a moment ago her friends and colleagues were now thrashing on the ground, their bodies grotesquely contorting. The air was thick with the scent of fear, and the lab, once a place of order, felt like a cage.
"Lock the door!" she screamed. As if on cue, a group of twenty people burst into the room, their clothes torn and their faces a mask of terror. One of them, a student named Li Wei, slammed the heavy metal door shut and locked it with a frantic series of clicks.
Lin Ming's gaze swept over the group. She noticed a dark stain on a man's arm, a mark that looked suspiciously like a bite. Her heart lurched. She stepped forward, her voice low and serious. "You've been bitten, haven't you?"
The survivors looked at each other, their eyes filled with a desperate fear. One of them, a woman named Xiaojing, began to cry softly. "Yes… we got bitten. We tried to help. We're getting weaker."
A wave of terror swept through Lin Ming's classmates. They backed away instinctively, their faces contorted with a mixture of pity and revulsion. They had been told what happened to those who were bitten. They couldn't ask them to leave, but they couldn't face the inevitable.
Her gaze fell on a small child, clutching his mother's leg. He was getting paler by the second, the aetheric corruption on his arm spreading like a dark stain under his skin. His mother was on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
Lin Ming felt a fierce, protective instinct surge in her chest. She couldn't leave them to die. She knelt down, her mind already racing. "A med kit!" she said, her voice shaking slightly. "We have to try something."
Her friends pulled out the first aid kit. They applied every solution they had, but nothing worked. The child's skin grew colder, his breath more shallow. He was fading, and her logic, her science—they were all useless.
Helplessness, a feeling she had never known, consumed her. She held the child's hand, feeling his warmth slip away. She had to do something.
In the face of a challenge she could not reason with or solve, her desperation turned into a raw will to heal. She squeezed her eyes shut, a silent, desperate prayer to a world that was beyond gods.
Then, a cool, gentle voice, a voice that was hers and yet not hers, sounded in her mind.
"Rune of the Hearthlight has been Awakened."
A brilliant, golden light erupted from her palms, bathing the small boy's body in a warm glow. The light wasn't just a radiance; it was a tangible force of life.
Lin Ming watched in stunned awe as the darkness of the corruption on the child's arm receded. The sickly pallor on his face was replaced by a healthy, rosy color. The child's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled.
His mother fell to her knees, crying out in gratitude, her tears mixing with the golden light. The other survivors who had been bitten looked at her with a desperate, new hope in their eyes.
Lin Ming was still reeling, her mind trying to process the impossible. The child was now sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms, his wound completely healed. A voice that was not her own echoed again in her mind:
"One Soul Purified. The Ascent Begins."
She ignored it, her focus on the terrified faces of the other survivors. She had a power now. She couldn't abandon them.
She took a deep breath, the light in her hands pulsing with her renewed resolve. "You… you can come one by one," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "I don't know what this is, but I can help."
For the next hour, she worked tirelessly. She held each person's hand, the golden light from her body pushing back the darkness of their wounds. The continuous use of her new ability drained her. After the last person was healed, she slumped back against a lab counter, exhausted.
"Water…" she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. "Please, water."
Her classmates rushed to help her, their faces filled with awe. The survivors she had saved were filled with profound gratitude. "Thank you… you saved us," one of them choked out.
As her classmates brought her water, she heard another chime in her mind.
"Zero Order (Mid) Attained. Souls Purified: 16."
A mental interface appeared before her when she focused in her mind.
Vitality: 130/160
Aether: 350/500
Order: Zero Order (Mid)
Rune: Hearthlight
Lin Ming stared at it, her exhaustion forgotten. She asked her friends, her voice filled with stunned surprise, "Can you… can you see this?"
They all nodded slowly, their own confused interfaces floating before their eyes. The terror in the room was replaced by a quiet wonder.
Lin Ming's mind, now clearer than ever, began to work. She was no longer a terrified student trapped in a lab. She was an awakened. She had a power and a purpose.
She stood up slowly, her body aching, but her resolve was absolute. She looked at her fellow survivors and her grateful classmates. They had to get out. They had to survive.
First, she had to find her family. She had to find Lin Yu and Lin Ling, as they had to be in danger too. She then had to find her mother and little brother. She would not be helpless ever again. The Hearthlight burned bright within her.
---------------------------------------------------
At the first rays of dawn, Lin Kai woke. He was alone. He sighed, a faint smile on his lips. Spark had probably gone to find food. He sat up and checked his mental interface. To his surprise, his stats were all full. He looked at his hands and legs.
The wounds, which had been deep just last night, were gone. Not even a scar remained. He knew it was the result of his evolution, but to be completely healed in a single night was astounding. He finally felt like he understood the true power of Zero Order (Peak).
He went back inside. The mansion was quiet. He found Han Zhe and Jiang Lie in the main living area, huddled together and talking in hushed tones. They stood up in surprise as he entered. "Lin Kai! You're back."
"I am," he said, and then, a smile spreading across his face, he told them about Spark. He told them about the Zero Order aura and the lack of killing intent. He told them about how it was a living example of a different kind of evolution.
Han Zhe's eyes went wide. "So... there are peaceful ones out there?"
"It seems so," Lin Kai said. "Which is why we need to move. We can't stay here. The food won't last forever, and aether is a resource to be cultivated."
"So what do we do?" Jiang Lie asked, the fear returning to her eyes.
"We go out," Lin Kai said simply. "We find other people and we get stronger. We have to. The Primal Decree isn't a gift. It's a key to survival. It's telling us to evolve, not to hide."
The couple saw the resolve in his eyes and knew it was the right path. They went and informed the others. As expected, most were repelled by the idea of killing monsters to get stronger, but seeing the resolve of Lin Kai and the couple, they finally relented.
Lin Kai watched them, a profound sadness in his heart. They were so afraid. He didn't blame them. But fear had no place in this new world.
The group packed up what little they had. Water, blankets, and a few scavenged bags. Lin Kai walked in the front, his blades at his side, with Han Zhe and Jiang Lie behind him.
Behind them walked the terrified survivors. They walked for hours, a cautious pace that led them deeper into the ruined city.
They killed a few corrupted ones that got in their way—creatures so weak Lin Kai could take them out with a single slash. They hid in a burnt-out building as a massive wave of aetheric energy passed them. It was a huge pack of corrupted ones, so numerous they shook the very ground.
After they passed, they moved on, their journey becoming more difficult. They were getting deeper into the heart of the corrupted city. They were a bit tired and getting on edge as they hadn't seen a single soul for hours. Then they did.
Ahead, they saw a group of 12 people. They were wearing what looked like tattered prison uniforms. They were armed, not with scavenged sticks or pieces of rebar, but with rifles and shotguns.
Lin Kai, Han Zhe, and Jiang Lie stopped dead in their tracks. The group of survivors behind them, seeing the weapons, froze in place.
The group of strangers saw them, too. The man in front, who was the leader, raised a hand, and his group came to a halt.
There was no aetheric energy coming from them, but the weapons in their hands, the dead look in their eyes, and the tattered prison uniforms made Lin Kai more cautious than any corrupted he had ever met.
The tension was palpable. The two groups began to walk towards each other. The guns, glinting in the faint sunlight, were aimed at the ground, but Lin Kai could tell that their fingers were on the trigger.